Mad Jock: I suspect you are of a much younger generation than a lot of the posters on here. In order to do my engineering degree in Scotland in the 60,s one had to first matriculate. This required a pass at higher level in English. This ensured that graduates could at least express themselves clearly and correctly in their mother tongue!
By the way, I have never found this ability to be a hindrance during my engineering and 47 year flying career!