LESSON 9

English is the international language

READING AND SPEAKING

1. Read and translate the text.

What’s the secret of successful language learning?

I think the most important thing is that you really have to want to learn the language – without that, you won’t get very far. You also have to believe that you will do it… imagine yourself using the language confidently, and think, ‘Yes, I can do that’.

Then there are other things: of course you need to work hard, but at the same time you need to enjoy it and not get frustrated when you feel you’re not making much progress. And you have to be realistic – learning a language takes time, and you can’t expect to know and understand everything in a few weeks!

Also, you should try to ‘develop an ear’ for the language – not only to recognize the sounds of the language and to understand what people are saying, but also notice the exact words and phrases that people use … and then try to use them yourself. Some people can do this naturally, but others have to learn how to do it – that’s where having a good teacher is important!

For me, motivation is the most important thing. You have to be ready to study grammar, read a lot, listen to English songs, radio and TV, and what’s more you have to do these things systematically.

It is so easy to forget what you have just learnt … that’s why I needed a teacher to force me to study. Even the most motivated students need that extra push sometimes. I believe that only a very few people can learn a language on their own.

Learning a language can be quite stressful, especially for adults … suddenly, we speak like children and make fools of ourselves! But if you’re motivated, you learn to overcome this. It all sounds like very hard work – and it is. It is also very enjoyable – I praise my students for every thing they do well, however small it is. Many of them are very successful and speak English better then me, and some of them have even become English teachers themselves!

2. Which four things below are most important for learning a language?

hard work □

enjoying learning □

really believing that you will be successful □

having a good teacher □

really wanting to learn (motivation) □

studying lots of grammar □

getting praise from your teacher □

being realistic about the progress you can make □

‘developing an ear’ for the language □

reading and listening to lots of English □

3. Read the text again. Which words or phrases mean:

1) you won’t take much progress …………………………………………(para. 1)?

2) become angry because you can’t do what you want to do …………..…(para. 2)?

3) see and pay attention to …………………………………………...……(para. 3)?

4) often and carefully, and in an organized way ………………………….(para. 4)?

5) alone, without help ………………………………………………..……(para. 5)?

6) do something that makes you seem stupid ……………………………..(para. 6)?

4. Which pieces of advice are most useful? Discuss with other students.

5. Read and translate the text. English in the Third Millennium

On the anniversary of Shakespeare’s death? Bridget Lewis talks about the future

of the English language.

Two thousand years ago English did not exist. A thousand years ago it was a language used by less than two million people. Now it is the most influential language in the world, spoken by more than a billion people on the planet, as their first, second or third language. English currently dominates science, business, the mass media and popular culture. For example, 80% of emails on the Internet are in English. But where will English be at the end of the third millennium?

One view is that English is going to become even more important as a global lingua franca, dominating the world’s trade and media while most other languages will become localized or just die out. At present, over half the world’s 6,500 languages are in danger of extinction.

Another view is that English is already breaking up, as Latin did, into several separate languages. There are already dictionaries of the ‘New Englishes’, such as Australian English, full of words that a British English speaker would not recognize.

Hopefully, neither of these things will happen. Although different varieties of English will continue to develop around the world, standard English will survive for international communication. In addition, the frightening prospect of a culturally uniform world totally dominated by one language is impossible. Already, other languages are fighting back against the iron grip of English on the Net. Governments around the world are also starting to protect smaller languages and recognize the importance of cultural and linguistic diversity. English will probably stay in control for a long time, at least while the USA remains the top superpower, but it definitely won’t become the only language in the world.

6. Try to answer these questions.

1. How many people spoke English in 1000 AD?

a 2 million b 12 million c 20 million

2. How many people speak it now?

a 200 million b 500 million c a billion

3. What percentage of the world’s e-mails are in English?

a 50% b 80% c 90%

4. How many languages are there in the world?

a 4,000 b 6,500 c 9,000