TOPIC 1_W.

3_GLOBAL ENGLISH

SPEAKING

1. Do you consider English an important language?/ Why?

2. In your opinion, why do so many people learn English?

LISTENING

Listen to six business people talking about their attitudes to learning English and decide if the
following statements are true (T) or false (F). (CD 1. 01)

Speaker 1: - The speaker needs to work hard to learn English. T F

- In the future, he won’t need English in his job. T F

Speaker 2: - The speaker thinks that English is the language of business. T F

- 75% of the world speaks English. T F

Speaker 3: - In the Netherlands, speaking foreign languages is unusual. T F

- The speaker speaks English at home every day. T F

Speaker 4: - English pronunciation is very hard. T F

- The speaker is learning English for professional reasons. T F

Speaker 5: - Learning English is harder when you’re Korean. T F

- 66% of British people can speak a foreign language. T F

Speaker 6: - The Hungarian grammar is more complex than the English grammar. T F

- Some French and Germans don’t like using English words. T F

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FURTHER LISTENING

2. Listen to speaker 6 and fill in the missing words:

Well, actually, I _______________ English. It’s true the pronunciation is quite_____________ to get right,
but the _______________ is much simpler than my _______________, Hungarian – at least at the
beginning. That’s the thing about _____________ – it’s easy to _____________ a little quite quickly. It gets
harder later, _____________ _____________ . Frankly, I don’t know why some _____________ and
Germans are against using English _____________ . It seems to me that English is full of foreign words –
especially French and German.

READING
READING

GLOBAL ENGLISH
There is no official definition of "global" or "world" language, but it essentially refers to a language that is learned
and spoken internationally, and is characterized not only by the number of its native and second language
speakers, but also by its geographical distribution, and its use in international
organizations and in diplomatic relations. A global language acts as a “lingua
franca” – a common language that enables people from different
backgrounds and ethnicities to communicate on a more or less equitable
basis. (…)

The influence of any language is a combination of three main things: the number
of countries using it as their first language or mother-tongue, the number of countries adopting it as their official
language, and the number of countries teaching it as their foreign language of choice in schools. The intrinsic
structural qualities of a language, the size of its vocabulary, the quality of its literature throughout history, and its
association with great cultures or religions, are all important factors in the popularity of any language. But history
shows us that a language becomes a global language mainly due to the political power of its native speakers,
and the economic power with which it is able to maintain and expand its position.

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(…) English is the nearest thing there has ever been to a global language. Its worldwide reach is much greater
than anything achieved historically by Latin or French, and there has never been a language as widely spoken
as English. Many would reasonably claim that, in the fields of business, academics, science, computing,
education, transportation, politics and entertainment, English is already established as the lingua franca. (…)

As we have seen, a global language arises mainly due to the political and economic power of its native
speakers. It was British imperial and industrial power that sent English around the globe between the 17th and
20th Century. The legacy of British imperialism has left many counties with the language thoroughly
institutionalized in their courts, parliament, civil service, schools and higher education establishments. In other
counties, English provides a neutral means of communication between different ethnic groups.

But it has been largely American economic and cultural supremacy – in music, film and television; business and
finance; computing, information technology and the Internet (…) – that has consolidated the position of the
English language and continues to maintain it today. American dominance and influence worldwide makes
English crucially important for developing international markets, especially in the areas of tourism and
advertising. English also provides access to scientific, technological and academic resources.

(in: http://www.thehistoryofenglish.com/issues_global.html adapt./abri)

Say if these sentences are True (T) or False (F):

1. A certain language is considered to be global based on the number of its native speakers.__________
2. The concept “lingua franca” refers to a language that is used by people who speak different languages,
and have different cultural references. __________
3. The relevance of a language has to do exclusively with its cultural prestige. __________
4. The British Empire is one of the reasons why English is so widely spoken. __________
5. English is nowadays a means of bringing together ethnic communities. __________
6. The American culture plays a major role in the spread of the English language. __________

Find words and expressions that mean more or less the same as:
Parag. 1 basically _______________; works _______________; allows _______________;
Parag. 3 closest _______________; global _______________; argue _______________;
Parag 5 dominance _______________; nowadays _______________; fields ______________;

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WRITING

Write a composition on the importance of English.

You may use some of these expressions/ structures:

1. In my opinion…
2. Speaking English is ….
Learning foreign languages is …
3. It is a fact that …/ It is undeniable that…