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VI. Writing

Complete the table above the text. Add your own examples.

Text 5 english as a world language*

(Intermediate - upper-intermediate)

I. Pre-reading task

Do you know where English is spoken?

In the countries listed in the table, English is used either as a first language or as a second. Identify the 7 countries in which it is used as a first language.

Australia

Bangladesh

Hong Kong

India

Irish Republic

Jamaica

Canada

Cameroon

Kenya

Malaysia

New Zealand

Nigeria

Ethiopia

Gambia

Pakistan

Philippines

Zimbabwe

South Africa

Tanzania

Trinidad

Uganda

United Kingdom

United States

Zambia

II. Read the text carefully the spread of english

English was exported to Britain’s growing number of colonies, which by the 19th century accounted for one quarter of the world’s population. In the 20th century, even though Britain’s role as a world power has declined considerably, the hegemony of the USA has meant that the English language has almost achieved the status of a world language. It is estimated that one in five people in the world speaks English – 350 million as their first language; 450 million as a second or foreign language.

The number of languages in everyday use for international purposes is diminishing. Economic pressures will in due course dictate that the number of languages in regular use within EC institutions be limited to three or four, and English is bound to be one of those selected. Already within these institutions a special brand of “Euro-English” has developed. In the world of international business, politics, science, technology and tourism, English has established itself as a lingua franca.

Basic characteristics

  1. SIMPLICITY OF FORM. Old English, like modern German, French, Russian and Greek, had many inflections to show singular and plural, tense, person, etc., but over the centuries words have been simplified. Verbs now have very few inflections, and adjectives do not change according to the noun.

  2. FLEXIBILITY. As a result of the loss of inflections, English has become, over the past five centuries, a very flexible language. Without inflections, the same word can operate as many different parts of speech. Many nouns and verbs have the same form, for example swim, drink, walk, kiss, look, and smile. We can talk about water to drink and to water the flowers; time to go and to time a race; a paper to read and to paper a bedroom. Adjectives can be used as verbs. We warm our hands in front of a fire; if clothes are dirtied, they need to be cleaned and dried. Prep­ositions too are flexible. A sixty-year old man is nearing retirement; we can talk about a round of golf, cards, or drinks.

  3. OPENNESS OF VOCABULARY. This involves the free admissions of words from other languages and the easy creation of compounds and derivatives. Most world languages have contributed some words to English at some time, and the process is now being reversed. Purists of the French, Russian, and Japanese languages are resisting the arrival of English in their vocabulary.

  4. THE FUTURE OF ENGLISH. Geo­graphically, English is the most widespread language on Earth, second only to Mandarin Chinese in the number of people who speak it. It is the language of business, technology, sport, and aviation. This will no doubt continue, although the proposition that all other languages will die out is absurd.