Learning Foreign Languages (2)

   The question of learning foreign languages is very important today. Foreign languages are requered especially at the present time when progress in science and technology has led to an explosion of knowledge and has contributed to an overflow of information. The total knowledge of mankind is known double every seven years. Foreign languages are needed as the main and the most efficient means of information exchange between the people of our planet.

   Today English is the language of the world. It is the language of progressive science and technology, trade and cultural relations, commerce and business. It is the universal language of international aviation, shipping and sports. It is also the major language of diplomacy.

   Hundreds and hundreds of books, magazines and newspapers are printed in English and read all over the world. Seventy five per cent of the world's mail and sixty per cent of the world telephone calls are in English. Half of the world's scientific literature is written in English. English is spoken by more than 350 million people. Geographically, it is the most widespread language on earth, second only to Chinese in the number of people who speak it.

   It is the official language of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, of the United States of America, of Australia and New Zealand. English is used as one of the official languages in Canada, the Republic of South Africa and the Irish Republic. It is also spoken as a second language in many parts of India and Africa. The number of second-Ian-guage speakers may soon exceed the number of native speakers. Besides, millions of people study English as a foreign language. In our country English is very popular. It is studied at schools (sometimes even at nursery schools), colleges and universities.

   What does it mean to know a foreign language? It is not easy to answer this question. Americans think that you know a foreign language if native speakers understand you. And nobody cares about your mistakes. But of course nobody can call “good English" and you can use it only if your contacts with native speakers are rare and not very important. If you are connected with foreign countries very closely, especially through your work, you should have a good command of the language. It means that your pronunciation should be standard, you should speak fluently and without mistakes. And of course you should understand your partner correctly. The latter sometimes is the most difficult part of all. As to spelling, it depends whether you have to write or not. If you do then you should do it correctly too.

   So far, there is no universal or ideal method of learning languages. Everybody has his own way. Sometimes it is boring to study grammar or to learn new words. But it is well known that reading books in the original, listening to the BBC news, communicating with English-speaking people will help a lot. When learning a foreign language you learn the culture and history of the native speakers. One must work hard to learn any foreign language.

   Russia is being integrated into the world community and the problem of learning English for the purpose of communication is especially urgent today.