Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2000-04-12-Speech-3-316"
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"en.20000412.12.3-316"2
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"Mr President, after I too have congratulated the rapporteur, Mr Graça Moura, who has done such a good job that it won the unanimous support of the Committee on Culture, Youth, Education, the Media and Sport, I would like to focus my attention on just one point, namely that in addition to the human, cultural and political advantages, the need to learn more than one language is also of considerable economic benefit. The report also highlights the findings of all the experts: having a good command of one’s mother tongue and learning classical languages, especially Latin and classical Greek, makes it easier to learn other languages. I would also add our own mother tongue to the equation. This great truth emerges from a fact rather unknown to most, that in the English language, for example, there are at least 75 000 words of Greek origin. I repeat, 75 000 English words derive from classical Greek. There are a similar number of words in the French language that derive from Greek, and the same is true of most other modern European languages. It is also certain that Latin is just as important for most European languages.
The English sage, Francis Bacon, said that knowledge is power, so knowledge of the basic languages from which our modern European languages derive improves our general knowledge and reinforces European civilisation, which, besides its humanitarian value, is also a weapon for our survival and prosperity as Europeans in a globalised economy. Besides, the contemporary German professors, August and Werner-Karl Heisenberg, have characterised both classical and modern Greek as the mother and nurturer of human civilisation. I believe that revival of the teaching of Latin and classical Greek in middle education will also provide a cultural shield for the younger generations against the onslaught of the generally levelling effect of the American cultural message, so that only its positive elements are preserved."@en1
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