Madam, - I have read with interest recent letters concerning the mangling of innumerable foreign names by RTÉ presenters. Those who have complained were quite right to do so. This unfortunate circumstance is, I fear, merely the particular reflection of a generality: the poor state of language teaching and learning at school, stemming from a deficient collective attitude and will.
If the Irish believe themselves proud to be European what better way to show it than to be good at speaking to our friends on the mainland in a variety of tongues? Surely the Irish nation does not want to compete with some near neighbours for the singular prize of linguistic incompetence? But it may be many years before we can ever dream about approaching the level of linguistic competence displayed by a number of our established (and new) European neighbours. - Yours, etc,
Dr THOMAS McCARTHY, Department of History, Trinity College, Dublin 2.