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22 The Linguist Vol/58 No/2 2019 ciol.org.uk/tl FEATURES correct sentence, we have to teach them how to construct a culturally correct sentence. (For instance, when does one use the formal or informal terms of address; not easy even for mother-tongue speakers to negotiate.) Any vital, living use of a language requires consideration of the complex social codes that govern its use; in fact, in some respects mastering these social codes is even more important than mastering the language. Finally, it is important to consider content. If we lose sight of what makes languages interesting – of the fact that they give us access to insights and experiences otherwise unavailable to us – then the game really is over. Having a discussion about what kinds of subjects (including science and engineering) are taught through the medium of languages would be a way not just to arrest the decline, but to reverse it and revitalise the discipline. A mixed reception When presenting this case as part of a workshop on 'Languages in Action' at the 2018 Plenary Meeting of the UCML (University Council of Modern Languages), I was intrigued by the responses – some negative, some positive. For some colleagues, acknowledging that HE runs on business principles was an act of betrayal, even of 'collaboration'. Now one might disagree with introducing business principles into education, but that doesn't help colleagues whose departments have been shrunk, closed down or are facing closure. For others, the elitism that has shaped MFL in the past seems hard to shake off. When pointing out that, however much one admires Proust (as I do), one cannot teach À la recherche du temps perdu to an empty room with no students, one colleague responded: "Why not?" But for others in HE languages, the world has moved on, and the kinds of curriculum changes introduced into MFL departments in such universities as Cardiff and Southampton show how, even (or especially) in the face of adversity, a new vision for MFL can be achieved. A recent report on language provision in UK MFL departments strikes a notably confident tone. 8 The authors suggest that "in an increasingly multilingual landscape, the survey responses present us with an invitation to reconceptualise our discipline, possibly under a unitary 'languages' label, dropping 'modern' and 'foreign' from its title to strengthen an agenda of inclusion and diversity, integrating all languages, ancient and modern, foreign and local, for those with and without disabilities, as well as a single voice for MFL and IWLP [Institution Wide Language Programmes]". To me, this proposal makes good sense: the word 'foreign' is exclusive almost to the point of stigmatising, and the one thing that can be said about the word 'modern' is that it isn't modern. Might we, as linguists, go even further and rebrand MFL as global communication? Thus re-visioned and rebranded, MFL would be able to show that, within the world of financial constraint and commercial opportunity, modern languages really do mean business. This article is based on a presentation given at the UCML Summer Plenary held in Europe House, London on 28 June 2018. Notes 1 Reitter, P and Wellmon, C (2015) 'How the Philologist Became a Physician of Modernity: Nietzsche's lectures on German education'. In Representations, 131, 68-104 2 Preston, A (2015) 'The War Against the Humanities in Britain's Universities'. In The Observer, 29/3/15 3 Hannan, D (2017) 'Linguists are Following the Centre of Gravity'. In The Sunday Telegraph, 6/8/17 4 Jenkins, S (2017) 'Ignore the Panic. There's little point learning languages at school'. In The Guardian, 25/8/17 5 Rudgard, O (2017) 'Languages Graduates are Now the Least Employable in Britain, New Figures Show'. In The Daily Telegraph, 24/11/17 6 'Background, Subject and University "All Impact Earnings"'. In BBC News, 7/6/18; www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-44395621 7 Department for Education (2017) 'Employment and Earnings Outcomes of Higher Education Graduates by Subject and Institution: Experimental statistics using the Longitudinal Education Outcomes (LEO) data'; bit.ly/govukstatistics 8 Álvarez, I, Montoro, C, Campbell, C and Polisca, E (2018) 'Language Provision in UK MFL Departments 2018 Survey', UCML: UK; bit.ly/ucmlacuk Urls checked 12/3/19 © SHUTTERSTOCK