“Sometimes there seem to be two separate worlds: That of the international students and that of the Dutch”
Should the language of instruction at universities be Dutch or English? Rector magnificus Peter-Paul Verbeek reflected Thursday on the role of language at the university in his speech during the celebration of the UvA’s 392nd Dies Natalis. “By speaking English with everyone, the Dutch will always keep their own secret language.”
At one time, only Latin was spoken at the UvA. But now English has taken over the role as academic lingua franca, rector magnificus Peter-Paul Verbeek concluded Thursday in his speech in honor of the UvA’s anniversary. But not without controversy. Today, the use of the English language at universities is hotly debated.
“Thus, on our 392nd anniversary, we could find ourselves on the eve of a major change,” Verbeek said. He recalled how internationalization began in his department about 25 years ago, and how it was stimulated by the government. It allowed Dutch science to gain a top position globally, thanks to the English language.
But there is also a downside, Verbeek said Thursday afternoon. “There sometimes seem to be two separate worlds at the university: the international students and the Dutch. A PhD student once pointed out to me that our Englishness is not as inclusive as it seems. By speaking English with everyone, the Dutch always keep their own secret language.” And so, Verbeek concludes, we are only truly inclusive if we require people who come here to have a basic command of Dutch.
As far as he is concerned, English and Dutch can coexist perfectly well. “A good university is locally rooted and internationally oriented.” That means, says Verbeek, “that everyone—students and staff—must be proficient in both Dutch and English: one of them fluent, the other at a basic level.”
Language of data
But English and Dutch are not the only languages spoken at the university. In recent years, another language has been advancing at the university: the language of data. “Data science is a common science language of the 21st century, just as Latin once was,” says Verbeek.
On top of that, scientists are not only communicating more with each other but also with computer systems. Think of ChatGPT, the artificially intelligent computer system launched last year that can produce its own language. “This is a disruptive development for science,” stated Verbeek. “So this technology requires regulation.”
That doesn’t mean we can’t use artificial intelligence to our advantage. “AI changes our thinking by helping us make connections we can’t make on our own, and by stimulating our creativity.” This is fine as long as we use it in the right way, Verbeek said. “Just as the calculator changed the teaching of arithmetic and the computer changed mathematics without meaning the end of arithmetic and mathematics, AI invites us to continuously redefine our role as scientists. In the coming year, we will put a lot of energy into that.”
