Mother Tongue!

The Importance of Preserving Our Mother Tongue in a Globalised World

On 2 September, we were joined by guests for an excellent talk by Richard Clark entitled “Mother Tongue”.

Richard Clark

As Richard explained, the talk was inspired by a book of the same name by the author Bill Bryson and provided a light-hearted canter through the first 1000 years of English from the Anglo-Saxon invasion, the Viking influence and of course, the Normans. English has today become a global lingua franca, although its vast vocabulary, nuances and quasi-synonyms can baffle many non-native speakers. 

Along the way, Richard also highlighted a famous poet's embarrassing faux-pas; spoke a little 'pig Latin' and Polari from the 1960's radio show: "Round the Horne" and touched on some of the challenges of spelling and punctuation. To finish, we looked at a few of the latest additions to our ever-evolving language.

PAUL HARRIS AWARD

We are bursting with pride and gratitude as we celebrate remarkable achievements by one of our outstanding friends of Rotary. Not only did Richard Clark deliver a brilliant, engaging talk on the language of English, weaving insight with humoUr and scholarly rigoUr but he was also deservedly honoured, with the prestigious The Paul Harris Award, one of Rotary International’s highest honours, recognising extraordinary service, leadership and sustained humanitarian impact by President Adore Shuko. 

 Richard Clark & Adore Shuko

This dual recognition speaks volumes about his exceptional contributions to our club and the Rotary community at large. The Paul Harris Award honoUrs sustained service to the community and a commitment to Rotary’s motto, "Service Above Self." It highlights exceptional leadership and generosity that uplift both our club and the broader community. Receiving this award at this moment underscores the recipient’s ongoing impact during a period of growth and activity for our club for which the club continues to thank him.