The English language

English is the most widely spoken language in the world. It is the mother tongue of around 400 million people living in Britain, Ireland, the US, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and South Africa. English is spoken as a second language by another 300 million people. Besides, English is learned by many more people worldwide as a foreign language. All in all, 1.3 billion people speak English, and the number is constantly increasing. English has become a global language. It is used by people who speak different languages to communicate with each other.

English has achieved the status of a world language over a long period of time. There have been various historical and cultural reasons. In the seventeenth century English was spread by settlers going from Britain to America. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries the spread of the English language was facilitated by the expansion of the British Empire. Many countries which were part of the empire kept English as their official language after independence. As an official language, English is generally used in government, public administration and the law. Some countries feel that using English gives them an advantage in international affairs. More recently, the military and political power of the US has contributed to the spread of English. People in many countries who have contact with people from English-speaking countries are expected to learn English. Since the middle of the 20th century, English has been an official language of international organizations such as the United Nations.

Economic factors are also important. Britain and the USA are both major business and financial centres. A knowledge of English is often seen as necessary for success in business. In countries which have become tourist destinations English has been chosen as the main foreign language used in hotels and at tourist attractions.

Advances in technology and telecommunications have also helped to establish English as a global language. Many inventions important to modern life, such as electricity, radio, the car and the telephone were developed in Britain or the USA. English became the language for international communications in air traffic control and shipping. Now, major computer systems and software developers are based in the US. English is the lingua franca of the Internet.

English is also spread through leisure activities. The US is home of the cinema, and English language films are shown throughout the world.

The status of English as a global language has unfortunately tended to mean that British and American people assume that everyone in the world speaks English. So, they do not bother to learn foreign languages.

Essay 1:

At the moment more and more people in Russia are taking up English. Some people believe that a knowledge of the English language is a must. However, others suppose that the increase in the number of people learning English is due to the fact that it is fashionable now. Whose opinion do you share? Why? Why do some people give up learning English soon after they take it up?

Essay 2:

Some people think that one should learn a foreign language mainly to build a good professional career; others believe that it is much more needed for general education and social development. What is your opinion? What do you think is the main reason for learning a foreign language?

(Muzlanova,Task 21) Nowadays in some schools pupils study two or even three foreign languages. What can you say for and against it? Would you like to learn several foreign languages?

Most people understand that without a knowledge of foreign languages it is difficult to survive in the modern world. Therefore they send their children to schools where they can study two or even three foreign languages. However, is it good to study several languages simultaneously?

On the one hand, foreign languages are the main part of our culture so they help us to expand our outlook. We cannot broaden our minds if we see the world only from the perspective of our own culture. In addition, learning languages is a good exercise for the intellect. Moreover, if pupils know at least one foreign lan­guage, they learn new languages much faster.

On the other hand, many pupils find it confusing to learn two or three languages at a time, especially languages that are similar, because children usually mix up lots of words. Besides, some lan­guages are tricky enough to learn. For example, in English there are more exceptions than rules. In this case, children can be over­loaded with homework. More than that, some pupils do not know their native language well and learning several foreign languages could prevent them from mastering their own language.

In conclusion, I want to say that learning languages is extreme­ly beneficial and I would like to know different foreign languages. However, I believe children should not learn too many languages at the same time so as not to get confused. They ought to get a solid base in one language before they start learning a new one.

Essay 3:

Most parents find it beneficial for their children to study English. Some other parents think that learning English is not enough to make a good academic and professional career. What is your opinion? How many languages is it important to know in order to succeed in life?

(Muzlanova,Task 22) Lots of people would like to have one language on our planet. However, scientists think that having only one language is a disaster. What is your opinion? Do you think that language diversity is important for our society?

No doubt that learning languages takes a lot of time. That is why some people think that it would be better to have only one lan­guage on our planet. But will it be really beneficial for mankind?

In my opinion, the reduction of the number of languages is a disaster because it will totally destroy our great cultural heritage. With each loss of a language comes a loss of a culture, a loss of a way of life that deserves to be protected and treated as valuable. I also believe that leaving one language for communication will greatly reduce the linguistic diversity of our planet, which is the key to our survival. What is more, it will be rather difficult to choose which language to use and it may even lead to wars.

Many people think that if we have only one language, com­munication will become easier and there will be no need to learn foreign languages. I cannot agree with them because a knowledge of foreign languages makes a person educated and well rounded. You cannot broaden your mind if you see the world only from the per­spective of your own culture. Besides, people are a lot more help­ful if you speak their language.

In conclusion, I would argue that we should try our best to pre­serve the linguistic diversity of our planet. I think that larger cul­tures should have a respect for minority languages, but first of all the younger generation must want to preserve their native language.

(Muzlanova,Task 23) The best way to learn a foreign language is to speak with native speakers. Do you agree? What do you think is the best way of studying a language?

Nowadays people spend lots of money in order to go to an English-speaking country to improve their language skills. But is it really the most effective way of learning a language?

From my point of view, studying in a foreign country has cer­tain drawbacks. Firstly, this way is very expensive as the tuition fee for overseas students is rather high. Besides, when you study abroad, you have to adapt to a very different way of life, which can be quite stressful. What is more, English teachers do not speak Russian so if you don't know English well, you will not under­stand their explanation.

It is often assumed that it is better to study a language abroad because you can always use it speaking with native speakers. How­ever, I doubt that we will have lots of opportunities to speak abroad as we do not know many people there. It is also believed that Russian teachers are not as qualified as those in England. I totally disagree with this opinion because Russian teachers can compare two languages and explain grammar rules better.

To sum up, I would argue that the best way to learn a language is to study it in your native country because you can always get the necessary help from your teachers. Moreover, today we have lots of opportunities to improve our skills such as communicating with English pen-friends over the Internet. I think that we should trav­el abroad so as to practise a language but not to study it.

Essay 4:

Some people say that it is practically impossible to learn a foreign language perfectly if you don't live in a country where it is spoken. Others strongly believe that with the help of a good teacher one can learn a language well without going abroad. Whose opinion do you share? Why? Would you like to go to a language school abroad? Why (not)?

Later language learning (Listening audio)

You are going to listen to the recording of a radio programme dealing with language learning. Before you start listening, make sure you look up the items below in a dictionary.

to master a language incredible, incredibly to acquire, acquisition a mother tongue to absorb controversial to the extent of indistinguishable comparatively easily phonetics laboratory to underestimate

to be exposed to smth whereas a fraction of smth luxury a dominant language experience to interfere a handicap blue ribbon champion language learners unscientific to immerse oneself in smth

Answer the questions:

1. What is described as ‘first language acquisition’?

2. What is described as ‘second language acquisition’?

3. At what age do people pick up languages easily?

4. What does the theory known as Critical Age or Critical Period Hypothesis suggest?

5. What does Lydia White think about the Critical Period Hypothesis? What does she think about adult second language learning?

6. Why is it easier for children to learn a language than for adults, according to John Coleman?

7. Erik Thiessen thinks that adults have a disadvantage that infants don’t have. What is this disadvantage?

8. What advice is given at the end of the programme? What do you think about it?

Дата добавления: 2015-10-30