The English language as a world language

Language is part of people’s culture. Secondary schools in Britain just like in Russia have to offer at least one foreign language on the curriculum. I think this is because we need to communicate better with our neighbors in Europe and because people travel a lot these days. I’m always impressed when I hear foreign politicians like German Chancellor speaking English or the Russian President speaking German. It is often said that British people are not at learning foreign languages. Perhaps they have become lazy because they know that people throughout the world learn English. If this is true they are missing a great opportunity. Today there are a lot of people in Europe and Asia who know several languages. A person who know several languages is called a polyglot. As they say it is difficult to begin. And when you start a third language “everything is going on swimmingly”.

Nowadays it is necessary to learn foreign languages. It helps to develop friendship, cooperation and understanding among people. Now the Russian people can go abroad without limits on business, to study, to have a rest. That’s why they take courses, study languages at school, at the University and at the Institute, they study themselves.

I learned English at school because I like it best and cause English is becoming a lingua franca (широко распространённый язык), It is already a lingua franca at internaatinal conferences. I want to read books and periodicals in English but I don’t feel confident about speaking it. If I could spend some time in England, I would soon become more fluent. English grammar is certainly difficult, but there are not too many exceptions to the rules. English will help me in my future profession. It is very important to find a good job. I want to communicate with people from other countries, understand their culture and traditions. Speaking English I can travel a lot because everywhere people speak English. The first question is always: Do you speak English? And it is pleasant to answer: Yes, I do. I have no pen-friends but I hope to get one and to write letters in English.

If I could, I’d like to learn French and German. These languages would help me to get a good job, for example, in tourist industry which I’m also interested in except economics, and so many people go on holiday to France and to Germany. I would also like to expand my knowledge of English customs and traditions, and to understand the English mentality. English attracts me because the language sounds so beautiful and I would really love to be able to read books in the original. I also think it would be really beneficial to understanding between our two countries if more of us spoke English. Plus you can get better jobs, more money, you seem more intelligent, and people respect you more. Sure English is a tricky language to learn but it prepares you for a successful career.

I can’t read in the original yet, but I want to and even made a few attempts to do this with the help of the tutor. I learn new words, do grammar exercises, watch films, different sport, cultural, scientific programs on TV, for example The Discovery, EuroNews. English is spoken all over the world and is very popular. It is spoken as the mother tongue in Great Britain, the United States of America, Canada, Australia and New Zealand. People speak English in India, China, Japan, Africa. It is one of the six official language of the United Nations. Three-quarters of the world’s mail, telexes and telegrams are in English.

It is the language of technology: half the world’s technical and scientific periodicals are in English. 80 per cent of the information is stored in the world’s computers. Half of all business is conducted in English. It is the language of sports competitions. The largest broadcasting stations - CBS, BBC, ABC transmit in English. I am sure that English as an international language has no equals. People like to study English because it is not too difficult, its grammar is economical, logical and simple, it has a lot of international words which are clear to most people. For example, “umbrella” comes from Italian, “skates” from Dutch, “tea” from Chinese, “cigar” from Spanish, “sputnik” from Russian.

I don’t expect to learn English just by sitting in the classroom and don’t rely totally on the teacher to direct my learning. I’m not also afraid of making mistakes, because I know that communication will help me. I tried out different ways of learning vocabulary until I found the way that suits me best. I know that it will take time and effort to become proficient in English, and that there will be periods where I don’t seem to be making much progress. Some students are experts at communicating their thoughts but do not care that they make too many mistakes in doing so. The efficient language learner, on the other hand, is concerned with both communicating and accuracy. I’m always looking for opportunities to develop my language both inside and outside the classroom. And I keep my notes in a tidy way. The good language learner is willing to experiment and take risks, she is realistic, independent, organized and active and thinks about how she is learning. Actually I think traveling broadens our minds, enlarges our knowledge and understanding of our world.