Madam, - Michael Schroll (January 31st) is right: Ireland has a unique chance to learn from the successes and failures of other European countries in the linguistic integration of immigrant populations.
Ireland has always been a country of immigration. Since waves of Celtic immigrants brought us their language and culture nearly 3,000 years ago, we have taken in further waves of incomers, as Vikings, Normans, Jews, and speakers of French, Spanish, English and Italian have all made their contribution to the development of our culture.
The 21st century is no exception. Commentators like to speak of Ireland's "unique culture". But wherein lies our uniqueness? Perhaps Ireland shall be the first European nation to embrace difference from the very start, and establish itself as the home of cultural dialogue.
Perhaps our emigrant history can help us understand that what unites Irish people with Arabs, Poles, Chinese, Nigerians, Russians and Romanians is much more important than what divides us. Programmatic language education for those not proficient in English is the best first step towards effective intercultural communication.
Linguists have coined the term "appropriation" for the practice of learning English, not so you can think like an English person, but so that you can retain your own cultural identity, and articulate it in wider transcultural contexts.
Given our unique historical experience, Irish people will be quick to understand the value - for everyone - of immigrants mastering the language of the new country.
A government which invests in the long-term communicative empowerment of its country's population is a wise one indeed. Our economists have long understood the importance of global thinking. Do our educators have the vision to follow suit? - Yours, etc,
FERGAL TREANOR, Cologne, Germany.