Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1922-04-24
DR.. WILTON W. BLANCHE
On the Value Of Language Study

T1HE value Of at least some knowledge OF
L other languages, either ancient or mod
ern, Is difficult to over estimate, both from
cultural and practical standpoint, ac-
cordng to DR.. Wilson w. Blancke, pro.
fessor of languages at the Central High
School.
II have forgotten exactly who Il was"
said DR.. Blancke, 'whO said, He who
knows only English knows no language,
while he who knows other languages knows
English also,' but there is more than grain
Of truth in the saying: Apart from other
considerations, the value of foreign Ian
guages, either ancient or modern. is incalcu.
liable as an aid to the better knowledge OF
English.
A New State Program
"In the new State educational program
now being framed at Harrisburg no Ian
guage, either ancient or modern, is made a
required subject in the high school: some
OF the best educators in the state feel that
this is crying shame and will prove to be
n serious detriment to the cause of educa-
tion in general. Students having no knowl.
edge of any foreign language usually have
no sense of linguistic values, and the Eng.
the high schools complain bitterly of the
quality Of the English employed by the stu
dents This is nearly always because the
student has had either an insufficient train
ing or no training ut all in foreign Ian
"A comparison of the idioms and words
from the same root in different languages
gives a sense Of the true value OF words in
English which can be attained in no other
way; wy; :, A., s,,aon. :, to,oon Inn.
guagc never pursues 1t far enough to be
able to speak 1t, but only to read It, he gets
a miniature travel, because virtually all the
textbooks on the modern languages convey
to some extent the atmosphere of the peo-
pie who speak that language and the cul-
| ture and the geography Of that country.
| The result is an incentive to read and
| desire to learn more about these people and
| their history, thus giving broader and
more cosmopolitan viewpoint, and an added
| culture.
Rid Of PrOvinclalism
"This in turn rids the student of provn-
| cialism. teaches him that there are more
! ways than one of doing thing, and that
| the way in which it is done in the COM
munity in which he lives is not necessarily
the best. -,
guages large part of the literature OF
which has been translated into English, but
vast stores of the best literature In all for.
eign languages are not translated, and to
the student who acquires only a reading
knowledge this knowledge opens up n great
deal of the worlds literature, which would
otherwise be a closed book.
| There is one type of modern educator
| who believes that there Is no transfer of
| ,
mathematics Or science, he knows only
| French, mathematics or science. But the
teachers of the languages are all opposed to
| this viewpoint and believe that the study of
any foreign language makes the student
think, above all else.
Benefits of Foreign Languages
''The teacher Of languages believes that a
knowledge OF foreign languages not only de-
yclops the English Of the student, but gives
him invaluable training in logic, reasoning,
expression, fexibility Of mind, true content
| of the meaning of words and far bettcr
idea Of the precise value of words and cx-
pressions.
1.-The process of translation causes the
student to apprehend a thought expressed in
| n different medium from his own vernacular
and to express that thought concisely and
accurately in his own words. This consti :
tutes a valuable training in the use of Eng :
lish by clothing foreign ideas in his own
language and makes the student think both
about the expression Of thought and the
mode of expression Of thought, besides civ :
ing him an insight into the processes of
languages generally and how they are
nodded to express thoughts.
"If a student writes a composition in
who reads and marks that composition has
no real check as to whether he is properly
expressing his own ideas or not. lie may
have an idea in the back Of his head and not
be able 70 convey II strongly or accurately.
But when the student is translating and
clothing his thoughts IN Enelish the tseehsE