Thought For The Day – Tuesday 22^nd September 2026

This week is “Languages Week” at The Bishop’s Stortford High School.

Language is communication.

Language is culture.

Language is varied.

Language involves words.

Language involves sounds.

Language involves dots, marks, pictures, and symbols. For example, Braille and Sign Language.

Language, in whatever form,  is a constant companion, and friend, throughout our life.

We need language, in whatever form, for life.

Of course, care, consideration, empathy, honesty, integrity, kindness, respect, and truth are key to any good communication and language.

We take this opportunity to thank the Modern Foreign Languages department at The Bishop’s Stortford High School for all the numerous outstanding opportunities they give, both at home and abroad. Their work requires the most thoughtful, and precise, delivery and organisation.

We also express great gratitude to the vital work achieved in the English department, where Language is equally cultivated, crafted, and nurtured.

As Language is in all the many areas and subjects of the T.B.S.H.S., in the wider community, and, as always, in the family and at home.

Community and Language takes, and needs, everyone.

With Language we must be “all in”.

For Language, in whatever form, is life.

Thank you very much to the Modern Foreign Languages department, today there are wonderful opportunities for students, and staff, this week: “Community Languages” are celebrated in the brilliant poster, and event,  above, whilst there will be a “House Spelling Bee” for different year groups this week.

Thank you also to the Modern Foreign Languages department, all staff will be sharing the date of the day, in a language other than English, at the beginning of each lesson.  This year, this is accompanied by a fascinating piece of information about the language featured.

We should never forget that many Languages are read and spoken at T.B.S.H.S.. We may begin each lesson by asking if a student speaks the language featured in the date for that period.

We are unified. We are diverse.  We are respectful.

We will not spoil the surprises for today.  The five Languages, and accompanying fascinating facts,  featured at the start of the five periods of Monday the 21^st of September, were:

• Period 1: Lundi 21 septembre: French:  French was the official language of England for over 300 years following the Norman Conquest in 1066.
• Period 2: Lunes 21 de septiembre: Spanish:  Spanish is the second most spoken native language in the world (after Mandarin Chinese), with over 490 million native speakers.
• Period 3: Montag, 21. September: German: German nouns are all capitalized! The language is also famous for compound words, like das Fingerspitzengefühl (literally, fingertip feeling, and meaning tactfulness).
• Period 4: Lunedì 21 settembre: Italian: Standard Italian evolved from the Tuscan dialect, specifically the version used by Dante Alighieri in the Divine Comedy.
• Period 5: 9月21日 星期一 (Gau2 jyut6 ji6 sap6 jat1 jat6, Sing1 kei1 jat1) Cantonese: While Mandarin has 4 primary tones, Cantonese has 6 to 9 distinct tones, making the same syllable mean entirely different things depending on pitch contour.