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| Letters: cold facts about foreign languages | |
| (11 days later) | |
| I thoroughly enjoyed Tobias Jones’s article on bilingualism (“Two languages good”, Comment). But the claim that the Inuit people, whose language is called Inuktitut, have multiple words for “snow” needs some explanation. | I thoroughly enjoyed Tobias Jones’s article on bilingualism (“Two languages good”, Comment). But the claim that the Inuit people, whose language is called Inuktitut, have multiple words for “snow” needs some explanation. |
| There is still some controversy about this, reignited five years ago by an article in New Scientist, but the complexities of word-formation in the language mean that in reality there are possibly infinite ways of talking about snow in Inuktitut, based on a small number of lexical roots that make the same sort of distinctions as English, which also has several words in this semantic area (snow, ice, slush, sleet, flurries, snowflakes, hail, powder etc). | There is still some controversy about this, reignited five years ago by an article in New Scientist, but the complexities of word-formation in the language mean that in reality there are possibly infinite ways of talking about snow in Inuktitut, based on a small number of lexical roots that make the same sort of distinctions as English, which also has several words in this semantic area (snow, ice, slush, sleet, flurries, snowflakes, hail, powder etc). |
| The point that is often overlooked is that, while a concept may not be “lexicalised” in a given language (ie there may not be a single word for it), that concept can still be expressed, in a more or less roundabout way. If the unnamed concept is sufficiently useful, the foreign word for it can be imported into the language, as happens with all languages in contact, English no less than any other. | The point that is often overlooked is that, while a concept may not be “lexicalised” in a given language (ie there may not be a single word for it), that concept can still be expressed, in a more or less roundabout way. If the unnamed concept is sufficiently useful, the foreign word for it can be imported into the language, as happens with all languages in contact, English no less than any other. |
| So I cannot but agree with Jones’s final statement that exposure to languages makes you more, not less, eloquent.Harold SomersEmeritus professor of linguisticsManchester University | So I cannot but agree with Jones’s final statement that exposure to languages makes you more, not less, eloquent.Harold SomersEmeritus professor of linguisticsManchester University |
| The code-mixing observed by Tobias Jones in his émigré children is a natural phenomenon for bilinguals, especially if they have moved countries at an age when their mother tongue was not yet properly crystallised and thus at a heightened risk of attrition. (Children who lose contact with a language before their 8th to 12th year can forget it almost completely within a very short time.) To help them achieve fully productive bilingualism it is now essential to counterbalance their increased exposure to Italian with amplified use of English. | The code-mixing observed by Tobias Jones in his émigré children is a natural phenomenon for bilinguals, especially if they have moved countries at an age when their mother tongue was not yet properly crystallised and thus at a heightened risk of attrition. (Children who lose contact with a language before their 8th to 12th year can forget it almost completely within a very short time.) To help them achieve fully productive bilingualism it is now essential to counterbalance their increased exposure to Italian with amplified use of English. |
| The conservative conviction, that in order to deserve the label “bilingual” one needs to have a native-like command of both languages, has long been abandoned by linguists in favour of less rigorous and more realistic expectations. Language policies today recognise that individuals have varying competences in their multiple languages, which complement each other and develop in line with communication needs. | The conservative conviction, that in order to deserve the label “bilingual” one needs to have a native-like command of both languages, has long been abandoned by linguists in favour of less rigorous and more realistic expectations. Language policies today recognise that individuals have varying competences in their multiple languages, which complement each other and develop in line with communication needs. |
| This does not mean that late bilinguals are barred from acquiring native-like proficiency, as shown by countless bilingual writers such as Joseph Brodsky, Joseph Conrad, Jerzy Kosiński, Milan Kundera, Czesław Miłosz, Vladimir Nabokov or Isaac Bashevis Singer.Michał B ParadowskiInstitute of Applied LinguisticsUniversity of Warsaw | This does not mean that late bilinguals are barred from acquiring native-like proficiency, as shown by countless bilingual writers such as Joseph Brodsky, Joseph Conrad, Jerzy Kosiński, Milan Kundera, Czesław Miłosz, Vladimir Nabokov or Isaac Bashevis Singer.Michał B ParadowskiInstitute of Applied LinguisticsUniversity of Warsaw |
| Absence of cash for sleep-in shifts devastating social care | Absence of cash for sleep-in shifts devastating social care |
| Following a change in guidance from HM Revenue and Customs, the continued absence of new funding to cover historical, current and future payments for care workers’ sleep-in shifts remains a significant financial risk to social care providers and councils and is causing continuing uncertainty in the market and anxiety for carers and those who use their services. | Following a change in guidance from HM Revenue and Customs, the continued absence of new funding to cover historical, current and future payments for care workers’ sleep-in shifts remains a significant financial risk to social care providers and councils and is causing continuing uncertainty in the market and anxiety for carers and those who use their services. |
| We fully support care workers being paid fairly for the work they do and we urge the government to fund the cost of sleep-in payments with genuinely new money to prevent more care providers going out of business, contracts being handed back to councils, care workers losing their jobs and less investment in prevention. Without this, it will put further strain on informal carers and harm those who rely on social care and make it harder to mitigate the pressures on the NHS. | We fully support care workers being paid fairly for the work they do and we urge the government to fund the cost of sleep-in payments with genuinely new money to prevent more care providers going out of business, contracts being handed back to councils, care workers losing their jobs and less investment in prevention. Without this, it will put further strain on informal carers and harm those who rely on social care and make it harder to mitigate the pressures on the NHS. |
| The most conservative overall estimate of back-pay liability is £400m for the learning disability sector alone, at a time when demand is increasing. The Local Government Association estimates that there is a £1.3bn pressure just to stabilise the adult social care market today. The extra £2bn, over three years, for adult social care in the 2017 spring budget was not announced with sleep-in costs in mind and is not sufficient to deal with all immediate and short-term pressures. Adult social care is at a tipping point. Genuinely new funding is vital to help providers, personal budget holders and self-funders meet all funding pressures relating to sleep-in shifts.Izzi Seccombe Local Government Association; Margaret Willcox Association of Directors of Adult Social Services; Bridget Warr United Kingdom Homecare Association Matthew Flinton and Tim Cooper Learning Disability Voices; Rhidian Hughes Voluntary Organisations Disability Group; Ann Mackay Care England Lisa Lenton ARC England | The most conservative overall estimate of back-pay liability is £400m for the learning disability sector alone, at a time when demand is increasing. The Local Government Association estimates that there is a £1.3bn pressure just to stabilise the adult social care market today. The extra £2bn, over three years, for adult social care in the 2017 spring budget was not announced with sleep-in costs in mind and is not sufficient to deal with all immediate and short-term pressures. Adult social care is at a tipping point. Genuinely new funding is vital to help providers, personal budget holders and self-funders meet all funding pressures relating to sleep-in shifts.Izzi Seccombe Local Government Association; Margaret Willcox Association of Directors of Adult Social Services; Bridget Warr United Kingdom Homecare Association Matthew Flinton and Tim Cooper Learning Disability Voices; Rhidian Hughes Voluntary Organisations Disability Group; Ann Mackay Care England Lisa Lenton ARC England |
| ‘Greed’ is good for lawyers | ‘Greed’ is good for lawyers |
| Dear Mrs May, don’t attempt to fine “greedy bosses who betray their workers” (Observer News, last week), that would give m’learned friends much lucrative opportunity for arguing the definition of “greed”: ringfence company pension contributions, ban company “pension holidays” and legislate for every company to have worker representation on the board.Eddie DougallBury St Edmunds | Dear Mrs May, don’t attempt to fine “greedy bosses who betray their workers” (Observer News, last week), that would give m’learned friends much lucrative opportunity for arguing the definition of “greed”: ringfence company pension contributions, ban company “pension holidays” and legislate for every company to have worker representation on the board.Eddie DougallBury St Edmunds |
| Carillion and capital | Carillion and capital |
| Will Hutton’s article on the Carillion incident (Focus) was informative, stimulated debate and focused on the role of institutional shareholders in improving companies’ decision making. One of his suggestions was to “encourage” pension funds to invest in “purposeful companies”. | Will Hutton’s article on the Carillion incident (Focus) was informative, stimulated debate and focused on the role of institutional shareholders in improving companies’ decision making. One of his suggestions was to “encourage” pension funds to invest in “purposeful companies”. |
| This might be economically desirable for the UK economy but it is doubtful whether the pensioner clients of the individual pension funds would benefit from their fund managers searching for “purpose” in their analytical appraisal of company prospects. What sort of purpose would they be looking for? | This might be economically desirable for the UK economy but it is doubtful whether the pensioner clients of the individual pension funds would benefit from their fund managers searching for “purpose” in their analytical appraisal of company prospects. What sort of purpose would they be looking for? |
| Funds make money by buying and selling shares in different companies at different times. However, many funds, particularly index-tracking funds, maintain large holdings in some companies simply because the companies represent a large proportion of the stock market. | Funds make money by buying and selling shares in different companies at different times. However, many funds, particularly index-tracking funds, maintain large holdings in some companies simply because the companies represent a large proportion of the stock market. |
| One way funds can and do make additional profits from these core holdings is by directly influencing company decisions by expressing intentions to vote in favour of or in opposition to board proposals. | One way funds can and do make additional profits from these core holdings is by directly influencing company decisions by expressing intentions to vote in favour of or in opposition to board proposals. |
| Plainly, this attention is usually paid to those companies in which the funds hold a large proportion of their portfolio. | Plainly, this attention is usually paid to those companies in which the funds hold a large proportion of their portfolio. |
| A way ahead could be to require all pension funds to include in their reports to trustees and clients a full account of their shareholder activism in improving management decision-making in the principal companies held in their long-term portfolio. With this approach, pension funds could concentrate on improving performance as well as acting with the longer horizon advocated by Hutton.Charles Ward, Chao Yin and Yeqin ZhengHenley Business SchoolUniversity of Reading | A way ahead could be to require all pension funds to include in their reports to trustees and clients a full account of their shareholder activism in improving management decision-making in the principal companies held in their long-term portfolio. With this approach, pension funds could concentrate on improving performance as well as acting with the longer horizon advocated by Hutton.Charles Ward, Chao Yin and Yeqin ZhengHenley Business SchoolUniversity of Reading |
| Nuclear finance in meltdown | Nuclear finance in meltdown |
| It’s no wonder that EDF faced a “monstrous job” in securing finance for Hinkley Point C (“Finance aside, renewable energy will be nuclear’s real foe in the future”, Business leader). Who would want to tie up billions of pounds over several decades in nuclear power when the cost of renewables is dropping by the month? | It’s no wonder that EDF faced a “monstrous job” in securing finance for Hinkley Point C (“Finance aside, renewable energy will be nuclear’s real foe in the future”, Business leader). Who would want to tie up billions of pounds over several decades in nuclear power when the cost of renewables is dropping by the month? |
| As well as invariably falling behind schedule and ending up billions of pounds over budget, nuclear plants’ decommissioning costs are huge. It cost $1bn to clean up after a plant in Vermont recently and $4bn to decommission an obsolete plant in California. But offshore wind energy (where the UK is world leader) is now cheaper than nuclear power for the first time: compare £92.50 per megawatt hour from Hinkley with Dong Energy’s offering of £57.50 per MWhr from its Hornsea Project Two offshore wind farm. Bigger turbines, higher voltage cables and other efficiencies mean that prices for wind power are 47% lower than they were in 2014. | As well as invariably falling behind schedule and ending up billions of pounds over budget, nuclear plants’ decommissioning costs are huge. It cost $1bn to clean up after a plant in Vermont recently and $4bn to decommission an obsolete plant in California. But offshore wind energy (where the UK is world leader) is now cheaper than nuclear power for the first time: compare £92.50 per megawatt hour from Hinkley with Dong Energy’s offering of £57.50 per MWhr from its Hornsea Project Two offshore wind farm. Bigger turbines, higher voltage cables and other efficiencies mean that prices for wind power are 47% lower than they were in 2014. |
| The pro-nuclear lobby may argue that abandoning the planned nuclear projects in Anglesey and Suffolk will commit us to having more gas-fired plants. Not so. According to a new report from the International Renewable Energy Agency, by 2020 renewable energy as a whole will be a consistently cheaper source of electricity generation than fossil fuels.Eurof ThomasCardiff | The pro-nuclear lobby may argue that abandoning the planned nuclear projects in Anglesey and Suffolk will commit us to having more gas-fired plants. Not so. According to a new report from the International Renewable Energy Agency, by 2020 renewable energy as a whole will be a consistently cheaper source of electricity generation than fossil fuels.Eurof ThomasCardiff |
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