How long is it now that there has been the debate about “shall we/shall we not all speak both French and English here in Canada?” For how many generations has the legislature in Quebec passed one strange law after another to “preserve the French language and French identity”?

My German-born cousin, who has lived in the U.K. for the last 30 years or so, commented recently when he was here that every single thing we buy is written up in both our official languages. The two languages are in front of us all the time. Yet, as he noted, so few Canadians are bilingual. He does not understand how we manage not to speak both our mother tongues when we are constantly exposed to them.

My cousin speaks three languages and it is no big deal.

When I travelled abroad so much, I always promoted the myth (as opposed to an actual falsehood, d’ya see) that all Canadians speak both languages – English and French – particularly in French speaking countries where my fluency in that language earned the kind remarks of people I met.

Learning a language is fun. It has the major benefit of opening the many millions of doors of people that speak that language. The more a person speaks other languages, the more fun that person can have because there are that many more other people to whom that person can chat, with whom that person can have a laugh, exchange comments on the weather, recipes, film reviews, and with whom said person can hold a philosophical discussion over a bottle of wine!!!

We are forever going on about how culturally diverse Canada is becoming.

Well, yes and no.

There are lots and lots of people coming to live here from a wide diversity of cultures, but Canada is not a melting pot – it is collection of cultures each living in its own pool. And part of the reason for that is our reluctance to learn other languages.

English and French are the official languages of Canada. This says a great deal that is good about this country, because it is not just Quebec where those are the official languages but the whole vast land. It was a brave and wise injunction that settled the language law right across the country.

There ought to be such joy and excitement about the privilege of learning both languages right from the outset of school, with options for immersion in either, wherever one lives.

No matter the basic language in the school, the push for fluency in both ought to be a matter of course.

Really, the point is, why not learn French – or English? Both are universally spoken throughout the world; both give social access to large parts of the world; both have their literary joys; both present the world in different shades of thinking.

It is the fault of adults who have lost their way. If you chuck a bunch of kids into the same place for long enough, they will sort their linguistic differences out before too long, simply from wanting to play together.

Teachers are also at fault, if they fail to make language learning exciting. Starting in little-person school with songs, especially action songs, and carrying on with plays, social exchanges – the need to speak the other language – and we would soon have youngsters speaking “the other language” without altogether understanding why they understand – and it was so easy.

I was chatting to David Nairn the other day and he mentioned that not only were there matinee plays in French for student audiences at Theatre Orangeville this year, but those events were held entirely in French: admonitions for proper behaviour at the beginning; question and answers after, coming in, going out – all was conducted in French. So smart! That is the way for people to become fluent outside the environment where there is constant exposure to the language.

I can speak five languages with reasonable fluency. So what. It does not matter at all how many languages a person speaks – it only matters what he/she has to say for himself in any of those languages.

Is his/her speech generally of a benevolent nature? Is he generally courteous and helpful? Does he refrain from abusive and derogatory comments? Is he humorous within his capacity? Does he promote the well being of his fellows?

Go ahead. Learn another language, without any regard to how old you are (in university, a tutor told us that it was impossible for a person over 24 to learn another language).

If your neighbour speaks Punjabi, why should you not learn a few words of Punjabi: good morning, nice weather, don’t you hate the snow?

Who cares what language it is! It is only a tool – communication is the point: how to greet, to thank, congratulate – commiserate.

This is a land of many “original” languages, for there are the First Nations tongues to consider as well as French and English.

No matter, get out there and talk to someone who does not speak what you speak – get out there and make the effort to communicate – benevolently.