Oxford and Cambridge Talk : The Menace of Monolinguism

Thurs 28th March – Oxford and Cambridge Talk : The Menace of Monolinguism

Is Monolingualism harming us? Does the study of language benefit the individual and society? Can multilingualism contribute towards our health and well-being, social cohesion and diplomacy?

Who better to answer these questions than Wendy Ayers-Bennett, Professor of French Philology and Linguistics at the University of Cambridge and Professorial Fellow in Linguistics at Murray Edwards College, Cambridge.

Wendy Ayres-Bennett obtained her BA and MA studying Modern Languages, French and German, at Girton College, Cambridge and has since specialised in the evolution and history of the French language and the history of linguistic thought. She has had six posts as a Visiting Professor in France and is a Principal Investigator on the MEITS project,  Multilingualism; Empowering Individuals, Transforming Societies. Her books include a History of the French Language and Problems and Perspectives; Studies in the Modern French Language.

The lecture is taking place at 18 rue Bonaparte where we are the guests of the Czech Cultural Centre. This property has close ties to the history of Czechoslovakia, having been used by a number of Czech organisations, including the Sokol movement, and was the base from which Edward Benes, future President of Czechoslovakia, with T.G. Masaryk and M.R. Stefanik organised a Czecho-Slovak army to fight for the Western Allies in France.