“The limits of my language mean the limits of my world” the eccentric, brilliant and at times polemical philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein said in his dazzling 1922 thesis Tractatus logico-philosphicus. In an even more thought-provoking aphorism, the extravagant French psychoanalyst and post-structuralist philosopher Jacques Lacan said, in one of his Ecole Normale Supérieure lectures of the 1970s, that "the unconscious is structured like a language." These postulates are, strictly speaking, part of the school of linguistic determinism: a radical train of thought which suggests that thought is language and that there can be no real thought without language. In some ways it is true: when you discover a new word or phrase, an idiom or expression, it doesn't only expand your vocabulary but it opens new avenues of thought and consideration which were not really there before. At a different level, you could argue that the subject predicate structure of language makes it very difficult to perceive the outside world, or indeed to formulate concepts related to our inner state of being, without restricting this perception to an assumption that there is “something” out there to contemplate and some sort of being or centre of consciousness to do the perceiving.
The implications of this line of thought for education are considerable: it explains the enormous energy and seriousness that goes into the teaching of language in school: without language not only can we not communicate with others and express our needs, we will not be able to contemplate reality in any organised coherent manner beyond sound bites, fleeting colours, raw emotions and vague intimations. This is not necessarily to say that there can be no thought without language or that language and thought are one: think of the soaring of the imagination when listening to music, the ineffable yet poignant considerations one has in front of a work of art or some strange twist of fate in life itself. Lev Vygotsky said, in Thought and Language (1934) - a must for anyone even remotely interested in education or language acquisition - that poetry is the proof that language and thought are not actually one: the poet has to twist and reformulate language, to free it from its prison house to allow it to accommodate the free-ranging power of the imagination, which defies the rules of grammar and semantics.
Nonetheless, the importance of learning language in formal and informal educational settings is fundamental for several reasons, one being the simple positive correlation between literacy rates and opportunities for upward social mobility. An extension of this idea comes through bilingual education. When students learn more than one language, there are several social, cognitive and cultural advantages as strong research has shown.
When it comes to international education, not only language learning but bilingualism is seen as essential. One of the characteristics of the International Baccalaureate’s Diploma Programme is that students have to study at least two languages. Where does this insistence on bilingualism come from?
In the 1920s, well before the major studies in bilingualism showing its benefits had been carried out, bilingualism was seen as a core part of an international education. The architects of the world's first international school at The International School of Geneva put French English bilingualism at the centre of every child’s education from a young age. For Marie-Thérèse Maurette, Director from 1929 to1949, the learning of two languages was central as an expression of peace education:
But as soon as an individual truly practises both languages, he practises both modes of thinking. In any case, he understands the way of thinking of his interlocutor. He is no longer surprised or hostile. And as soon as there is understanding and familiarity, the possibility of understanding is there: the international spirit is born. Practising two languages means having two windows open to the same landscape, but which allow you to contemplate two different aspects of it. (Maurette 15)
Indeed, this idea that speaking another language allows you to look at the world from another person’s perspective, from their cultural and historical framework, is a compelling reason for learning to do so. Being able to speak the language of your interlocutor has powerful implications for the processes of diplomacy and dialogue. Nelson Mandela once said that “if you talk to a man in a language he understands, that goes to his head. If you talk to him in his own language, that goes to his heart”. Maurette, like the early pioneers of Ecolint, knew how important it was to be able to speak more than one language precisely for this reason.
Besides opening the mind to new realities and intrapersonal understanding, the learning of another language gives you access to the intricacies of another culture: learning a language to a high level (cognitive academic language proficiency) rather than merely basic interpersonal communication, allows you to read books, watch plays, listen to the lyrics of songs and have long, specific conversations with people, enriching life immeasurably. This is one of the reasons why the goal at the International School of Geneva and many international schools always has been, and remains, to bring children to the highest level of bilingualism possible, so that they might appreciate the depth and learning that this allows for, which, in truth, is a marvellous gift for life.
Contemporary discourses on language, driven by technology and “progress” boast ways of “hacking” the learning of a language: methods that supposedly allow you to learn another language in a few months. More radical still is the idea that new technologies and Large Language Models can translate perfectly, so there's not much reason to bother learning another language. In fact, you can simply scan a menu with your phone and have everything in your home language or enjoy the efficiency of automatic translators, allowing us to simply speak in our own languages and enjoy simultaneous, machine-led translation. However, these approaches are superficial and misguided, because they relegate language learning to its phatic (meaning communicative) purpose and ablate the beauty and richness of those cultural illuminations which can only come about when one has integrated the second language fully and spent not months but several years to get there. Indeed, it is in the journey of immersion, cultural exchange and new relationships in another language that the more profound learning takes place
For all of us engaged in education and international education, let’s keep creating a learning environment where bilingualism thrives and let’s understand that as a primarily social, cultural and human exchange. The limits of my language might not be the limits of my world, but the broader my experience with language, surely, the more interesting, instructive and passionate my perception and appreciation of reality becomes.
Conrad Hughes
Director General
Reference: Techniques d'Education pour la paix" Marie Thérèse Maurette. UNESCO.