President

城大與浸大於1月23日合辦三三四學制研討會：「概論大學畢業生語文」，討論語文教育的發展方向，我原定在會上致開幕辭，惜因另有安排未能出席，由城大署理學務副校長陳志豪教授代表，現謹與各位分享致辭內容：

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各位來賓、各位同仁：

很高興能夠藉此機會歡迎大家光臨，參加「3+3+4新學制體制下大學畢業生語言問題研討會」。與會的學術界同行、政府部門領導和工商業界代表，將用一天時間認真探討這一主題，交流真知灼見，以便制訂良策，解決與香港各大學語言教育有關的重要問題。

大學教育的一個重要職能是鼓勵學生創造性和批判性思維。但是，如果沒有清晰而有條理的表達能力，不僅窒礙思維，甚至思路不清。William Chomsky（語言學家和作家Noam Chomsky的父親）曾經說過：「我們不是先有思想、觀點和感情，再將它們納入文字結構。我們的思維必須借助文字，借助文字的意思。」因此，提高學生的語言技能，從而間接提高他們的判斷力和批判性思維，至關重要。

如何說語言是人與人之間最基本、最複雜的交際方式，恐怕沒有人會表示異議。當然嘍，時下年輕人在電腦上使用的表情符號的有效性則是另外一個議題。但要決定如何達到目標時，由於各人的經歷和出發點不同，就會出現不同的意見。在香港，由於雙語環境，如加上普通話應該是三語環境，問題就變得更加複雜。

在香港，一提到語言能力，大家自然會想到英語能力。毫無疑問，英語已具有獨特的地位，成為許多不同國家、不同文化的人的共通語言。英語實際上已成為國際上科學、法律、銀行、科技等許多行業通用的語言。

但是，當我們談到語言教育時，難道能夠忽視母語教育嗎？哥德曾經說過：「不懂得另一種語言的人，不可能了解自己的母語。」我要把這句話倒過來說：不懂得母語的人，不可能了解另外一種語言。

人的語言技能往往取決於他/她的母語能力。一個母語很差的人怎麼可能掌握好另一種語言？每種新的言語方式都傳輸大量新的思想和生活方式。每種語言都包含著自己的傳統、豐富的文化內涵。當我們學習一門新語言時，會以不曾察覺的方式近距離接觸一種新的文化，擴大知識面。

重視英文絕對沒錯。眾所周知，互聯網已幾乎成為每個專題無所不包的知識寶庫。為了高效而實惠地獲取令人匪夷所思的龐大資源，我們需要掌握一定程度的英文能力，因為互聯網提供的資訊絕大多數是英文。我只想向在座的專家建議：在必須繼續重視英文的同時，不要忽略了掌握其他語言的重要性。

我們都知道，熟練掌握一門語言非一日之功。只有經年累月、孜孜不倦地操練，廣泛閱讀，深入鑽研，才能達到流利使用一種語言的能力。因此，我們要培養年輕人學習語言的動力。然而，學習的動力並不是唯一缺失的因素。如果我們的教育制度和結構不改進，鼓勵學生學習語言的努力也會事倍功半。

另一方面，大學教育不應局限於培訓青年學生掌握某個領域或某幾個領域的專業知識和技能。鑒於香港在2012年要實施3+3+4新學制，香港所有大學都在修改和改進課程設置，以使四年制大學教育真正有利學生。不言而喻，我們如何解決語言教育問題，必然會影響到大學的總體計劃。

作為東道主，看到這麼多政府部門領導、來自海內外大學的專家學者，以及工商界代表出席這次研討會，發表意見、參加討論，我們感到由衷的高興。我相信我們大家都能從交流互動中獲益，會後滿載新的啟迪而歸，借這次研討會集思廣益的成果共同努力，不斷完善香港大學生的語言教育。

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CityU and HKBU co-hosted the 3+3+4 Symposium on "Language Issues for University Graduates" on 23 January, which focused on language education. I would like to share with you, my fellow bloggers, the opening remarks delivered by Professor Chan Chi-hou, Acting Provost of CityU, on my behalf due to a conflict of arrangement:

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Dear guests and colleagues,

I'm delighted to take this opportunity to welcome you all to the "3+3+4 Symposium on Language Issues for University Graduates". Academic colleagues, government leaders and industry representatives will spend the day deliberating on the subject intensively, sharing their insights to formulate ways to address important issues related to language education in Hong Kong universities.

An important part of university education is encouraging students to think creatively and critically. But thinking cannot be productive, or even clear, until it is supported by comprehensible expression. William Chomsky (father of linguist and author Noam Chomsky) once said: "We do not first have thoughts, ideas and feelings and then put them into a verbal framework. We think in words, by means of words." Therefore, it is crucial to improve our students' language skills and, by implication, their judgment and critical thinking capabilities.

No one here would probably challenge the claim that language is the primary and most sophisticated means of communication between people, though the effectiveness of emoticons used by youngsters now-a-days is a different matter. But when it comes to deciding how we can achieve these goals, different opinions begin to emerge, based on our own experiences and perspectives. For Hong Kong, there is an added complication because of its bilingual, or trilingual if we include Putonghua, environment.

When we talk about language proficiency in Hong Kong, we often think of English proficiency. Undoubtedly, English has taken on the unique role of being a language shared by many different peoples and cultures. It is essentially the language of international science, law, banking, technology, and much else.

But when we talk about language education, can we afford to ignore education in one's own mother tongue? Goethe once said, "Who does not know another language does not know his own." I am going to turn this around and say: who does not know his own language does not know another.

Language skills are often based on one's command of his/her mother tongue. How can you have command over another language if you limp in your own language? Each new form of speech introduces a new world of thought and life. Each language has its own heritage. Every language is enriched by its culture. When we learn a new language, we come closer to a new culture and broaden the horizon of our knowledge in ways that we were not aware of before.

Our emphasis on English is certainly not misplaced. As we all know, the Internet has become a huge depository of knowledge on virtually every subject, and for drawing on this unbelievably efficient and inexpensive resource, we need a certain minimum proficiency in English because a very large proportion of content on the Internet is in English language. My suggestion to this assembly of learned people will be that English should be given its due importance, without undermining the importance of other languages.

We all know language proficiency is not built in one day. It takes years of practice and dedication, and extensive reading and study, until we reach a certain level of fluency. Therefore, young people should be motivated to learn languages. However, the motivation to learn is not always the only missing factor. Our promotional efforts will not achieve major results unless our education systems and structures are improved.

University education, on the other hand, should not be limited to training young people with professional knowledge and skills in any one particular field, or even a few fields. With introduction of the 3+3+4 education structure due in 2012, all universities in Hong Kong are revamping and improving the curriculum to make a four-year education truly rewarding for their students. Obviously, the way we address language education will also impact our plans.

We are delighted to be hosting this symposium, where government leaders and professional scholars from local and overseas universities, as well as industry representatives, will present their views and participate in discussions. I believe we will all benefit from such interaction, and leave with some new ideas about how we can work together to perfect language education for university students.

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March 11, 2010

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