1 Do Languages Have a Place in the Curriculum?

as the foreign language at all levels of schooling. Unlike Australia where the debate continues about the place of a single language in the curriculum, in Europe, the focus is increasingly on how many and which languages learners should take in addition to English. With everyone learning English, the argument goes, it is these other languages that provide an edge because of the greater opportunities plurilingualism provides for mobility in employment and leisure, for integration of the different countries in the Union and for a competitive advantage in global markets (Byram & Doyé, 1999). In the UK, the recent Nuffield Languages Inquiry (May, 2000) likewise strongly supports the inclusion of languages as a key skill in the school curriculum, alongside literacy, numeracy and information technology. The report argues that languages contribute to economic competitiveness, intercultural tolerance and social cohesion. In other words, while English speakers are fortunate to speak a global language, “in a smart and competitive world, exclusive reliance on English leaves the UK vulnerable and dependent on the linguistic competence and the goodwill of others