XN000022-1978-11-01 — Page 8

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WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 1, 1978

IMPORTANCE OF IMPROVING COMMUNICATIONS SKILLS STRESSED

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PROF ICIENCY IN LANGUAGE AND IMPROVEMENT OF COMMUNICATIONS SKILLS IS THE MOST FUNDAMENTAL PROBLEM IN REALISING OUR AIMS IN EDUCATION, THE HON. ALEX WU SAID IN THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY.

HE STRESSED THAT HE WAS NOT IN ANY SENSE A REACTIONARY BUT HE BELIEVED THAT WE MAY HAVE OVER-REACTED TO THE NEEDS OF OUR INDUSTRIAL SOCIETY TO THE EXTENT OF UNDERRATING SOME OF THE OLD ACADEMIC VIRTUES. BROAD PERSPECTIVES ARE AS MUCH NEEDED BY TECHNOLOGICAL MAN AS BY HIS ANCESTORS, HE SAID.

IN ENGLISH AND CHINESE, WE HAVE POSSIBLY THE TWO MOST SUBTLE AND EXPRESSIVE LANGUAGES, DEPENDENT FOR THE RICHNESS OF THEIR EXPRESSION ON LONG AND VIVID LITERATURES.

+FOR BOTH LANGUAGES, THERE IS A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THEIR FUNCTION AS THE SOUNDS AND SYMBOLS OF UTILITARIAN COMMUNICATION, AND THE IR POWER, DEPENDING ON THE APPRECIATION OF LITERATURE AND HISTORY, TO CONVEY IDEAS BY IMAGERY AND ALLUSION, + HE SAID.

HE POINTED OUT THAT IT IS IMPORTANT FOR THE HEALTH OF OUR BI-LINGUAL SOCIETY THAT IDEAS CAN BE CONVEYED ACCURATELY AND EFFECTIVELY, PARTICULARLY BETWEEN OUR TWO LANGUAGES.

THE FORMS OF PARTICIPATION IN THE PROCESS OF GOVERNMENT WE ARE DEVELOPING CALL FOR AN INCREASING ABILITY TO UNDERSTAND, TO DISCUSS AND TO COMMUNICATE IN NOT NECESSARILY FAMILIAR CONCEPTS, HE EXPLAINED.

CONFIDENCE IN OUR LEGAL SYSTEM TOO DEMANDS EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION AND RECENTLY WE HAVE HAD TO MAKE SPECIAL ARRANGEMENTS TO IMPROVE COMMUNICATION IN THE COURTS.

IN A WIDER SENSE, THE ABILITY TO COMMUNICATE TO THE FULL POWER OF LANGUAGE IS IMPORTANT IN HONG KONG BECAUSE WE ARE ALMOST ENTIRELY DEPENDENT ON OUR INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATIONS, MORE ESPECIALLY SO FOR OUR INDUSTRY AND COMMERCE.

FURTHERMORE, IN OUR ROLE AS AN INCREASINGLY IMPORTANT LINK BETWEEN CHINA AND THE REST OF THE WORLD AND IN OUR RELATIONS WITH CHINA, WHICH CAN LEAD TO EXCITING DEVELOPMENTS FOR US AS +A POWERHOUSE OF ENTERPRISE AND INVENTION+, COMMUNICATION WILL BE A MAJOR ASSET DEPENDENT ABOVE ALL UPON LANGUAGE.

MR. WU THOUGHT THAT AS AN IMMEDIATE TASK WE SHOULD MAKE ARRANGEMENTS TO IMPROVE THE COMMUNICATIONS SKILLS OF OUR TRAINEE TEACHERS AS FAR AS THAT CAN BE DONE AT SUCH A LATE STAGE OF THE IR EDUCATION.

+AT THE SAME TIME, HE SAID, +WE MUST ADDRESS OURSELVES TO THE APPRECIATION OF LANGUAGE AS THE MEDIUM OF IDEAS AND THE EXPRESSION OF CULTURE AND GIVE IT THE STATUS WHICH IT DOES NOT NOW HAVE IN OUR SCHOOL.+

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