The Linguist

Chartered Institute of Linguists WINTER 2024 The Linguist 21 FEATURES knowledge. Crampton's younger classmates have been less comfortable with grammatical concepts such as tenses and cases than Crampton and an older learner in their class. Even so, he has learnt more about English through studying German. When your mind starts turning to the inefficiencies and absurdities of another language, you know you've moved up to a new analytical level. As a journalist, there are obvious gains. "Anything which can shine a light on the way words work, and interesting ways you can put them together, is helpful for me. I like anything that straddles the gap between art and science." On a more political level, he is a proud European and his father, Peter Crampton, was a member of the European Parliament. He frowns on the negativity and narrowness of people who think everyone will speak English eventually. "You miss out on all the different things that makes people tick. Understanding a language gives you a window into how other people think and communicate." For example, figuring out different constructions unlocks things connected with the German psyche and culture. In his column, Crampton has made gentle fun of the clichéd conversations in Willkommen! but he actually likes the structure of a good textbook. Everyone needs to learn the basics and it's best to have these set out methodically. Age may also be an asset. In order to flourish in speaking another language there is an element of performance – theatricality even – with all the potential for embarrassment that brings. "You're probably more confident and less self-conscious as an older student, and more willing to give it a go without worrying about making mistakes," he says. And maturity means you're better able to admit when you don't understand something and ask for further explanation. I wonder if earning a certificate or passing an exam would give him extra motivation. "Part of me thinks that would spur me on to work harder on my homework, etc, but I also think the prospect would deter more students than it inspired." I ask if he'd prefer more 'real life' resources, such as material based on cultural events, news or sport. Of course this would make learning more interesting, but he doesn't yet have the skills to talk about current affairs, so he would rather focus on the core skills during class, to make the best use of his time and money. Crampton is certainly invested in the process and is seeing results. Readers of his column will no doubt hear the best bits from his Year 2 lessons as he really starts to knuckle down. Robert Crampton joined The Times as a columnist in 1991. His 'Beta Male' column appears in its Saturday magazine. Times, Robert Crampton is spreading the joys of language taking up German aged 60 and what keeps him motivated being face to face with the teacher, who is a native speaker. "You get to hear what German is really like, plus all the facial expressions and gestures." German has a reputation for being harsh-sounding, but not for Crampton, who enjoys hearing the sounds and intonation. Once interaction and class identity start to build, students spark off each other. Some fall by the wayside, but the ones who persevere have stronger motivation as an ongoing core group. "There's a nice little group of us now who've stuck with it. I wouldn't say we're friends, but it's going that way. On the last day of term we go to the pub and now we've got a WhatsApp group." Not wanting to let the others down is also a good motivator. Turning up on a winter's evening after work takes resilience. But then this is part of the learning process; it creates the seriousness you need to progress. "I'm nosy by profession and by personality, so I have to remind myself, 'Robert, you're here to learn German and so is everybody else.'" After a year, he can see that his old school German has turned into current, developing skills. His interest in Germany was bolstered by two work opportunities that came in quick succession, giving him a chance to practise after only a few weeks of classes. First, he was sent to Oktoberfest as a teetotaller. Mission: could he do this without alcohol? Second was a more weighty assignment in Dresden. He used the trips to awaken a new level of engagement with the language. Now he can grasp the gist of a conversation as long as people speak slowly and simply. Due to the way language teaching in UK schools has shifted over the decades, there is a relationship between age and grammatical Crampton's reasons to learn German • Keep your brain going! The intellectual challenge is reward in itself. • Classroom camaraderie builds over time in unexpected ways. • Grow your use of English: it's amazing what you learn about your own language through learning someone else's. • It's a window into how another nation thinks and communicates. Great for people who like a bit of current affairs!

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