ABSTRACT
The issues discussed in this book all contribute to an understanding of what makes modern foreign languages ‘special’ in the secondary school curriculum. This chapter will examine the three elements of the modern foreign languages curriculum which make the area unique: the teaching of culture and cultural awareness, language awareness and grammar and visits and exchanges abroad. We will consider how the ‘uniqueness’ of MFLs might be seen as something of a paradox at the present time and how its unique potential is being eroded through curriculum initiatives which are presented as enhancing developments but which, arguably, are the opposite. We will also look at how, in a practical sense, it is still possible for modern foreign languages to be a beacon of universal values in a post-modern world.
