Universidad de las Américas Puebla

Students:
Alejandra Herrera Madrigal – 178954 (architecture)
Luis Arley Sañudo – 179618 (economics)

Subjects:
English IV

Teacher:
Marlene Proskawer Espinosa

Assignment:
PERSUASIVE ESSAY

Date:
Monday, March 27th, 2023

Introductory Paragraph

Notes for introduction/Background information:

Hook: According to a BBC article, in this last century, some 400 languages have become

extinct – about one language every three months – and in the next century, 50% of all

remaining languages will become extinct.

Thesis statement (Position on the topic + Reason 1 and Reason 2): Speaking different

languages is better than speaking one language because knowing different languages allows

us to give expression to different cultural identities and it keeps us in touch with our heritage.

Body Paragraph 1:

Topic Sentence (Argument 1/Reason 1): Language allows us to give expression in every

culture; it helps in communicating values, beliefs and relying of grupo identity and solidarity.

Details (key words/phrases): culture, generations, expressions

Concluding Sentence (Counter Argument 1 + Argument 1 paraphrased): Speaking one

language would make communication easier but different languages makes it easier to people

around the world to express themselves.

Body Paragraph 2:

Topic Sentence (Argument 2/Reason 2): By being able to speak more than one language a

person is able to comprehend more cultures and improve their life opportunities.

Details (key words/phrases): language, culture, opportunities

Concluding Sentence (Counter Argument 2 + Argument 2 paraphrased): Another

language will always be something good and open new doors for you.

Concluding Paragraph: The importance of speaking other languages is unmeasurable. It can

help keep in touch with your culture and the past or make you learn about other cultures and

help you get other opportunities in life you might not be expecting.
Notes for conclusion (key words/phrases): language, culture, importance.

Summary Statement (Restatement of Thesis Statement): being able to express ourselves

and culture are some of the most important things we have as human beings.

Final Thought: Learning at least a second language is important.

Have you ever questioned the importance of the preservation of language? According

to an article published by the BBC, only in this century, 400 languages have become extinct.

(Nuwer, 2022). In the next century, it is predicted that 50% of all the remaining languages

will also seize to exist. Languages are essential to human communication, it allows humans to

express emotions, thoughts, and ideas in a clear manner. Knowing one language is

fundamental to basic communication, but the more languages someone masters, the better

brain capacity and opens the gate of communication to other cultures. Taking initiative to

learn another language apart from the mother tongue, will increase communication skills and

will keep different cultures alive.

Communication is present in all species, but humans are the only ones that developed

a fully complex language. According to a UNM article (2020), a language assigns meaning to

sounds, evolving as time went by to meet the necessity of communicating more profound

thoughts. This vocal path is learned mostly empirically, through older generations, and

passed on. Each culture adds something unique to the language, used to pass traditions,

beliefs, history, and overall, culture. Although speaking one language is fundamental, in a

globalized world every day it becomes more useful to learn multiple languages so people can

communicate around the globe.

As an individual, the main benefit of learning a second language is open

communication with another culture. For instance, listening to music in a different language
is a way to embrace the different traditions of another country (Evolution of a language, n.d.).

As mentioned above, everyday countries are more intertwined, interacting with each other on

a daily basis. Another example of the utility of learning a second language is opening the

opportunity of finding a better job. Corporations are more willing to hire someone that can

communicate in multiple languages rather than someone who only speaks his own.

Regardless, learning a new language will always bring opportunities in the future.

In conclusion, languages are essential in every culture. Recently, there has been an

urgency to learn languages different from the native tongue to preserve history and cultures.

Languages carry expressions and identities, making them culturally relevant. As a human, it

brings many individual benefits that encourage someone to learn a new language. The

opportunity of learning a new language is by far greater than the hardships of learning it. In

the end, knowledge will always bring positivity in the future. Even though learning another

language can take a lot of time, it is worth it.

REFERENCES

Evolution of language. Education. (n.d.). Retrieved April 17, 2023, from

https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/evolution-langauge/

Nuwer, R. (2022, February 24). Languages: Why we must save dying tongues. BBC Future.
Retrieved April 17, 2023, from https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20140606-why-we-
must-save-dying-languages#:~:text=Over%20the%20past%20century%20alone,as
%20high%20as%20%2C%20however).

Saving a language, preserving a culture. UNM Newsroom. (2020, November 30). Retrieved
April 17, 2023, from http://news.unm.edu/news/saving-a-language-preserving-a-
culture#:~:text=Language%20matters%E2%80%94spiritually%2C%20culturally
%2C,of%20that%20culture%20is%20lost

Persuasive Essay Checklist

Outline Team PR
There is an outline. ✔

The outline has all the elements required. ✔

Introductory Paragraph

There is a hook. ✔

It goes from a general topic to the specific topic of the essay (funnel model). ✔

It ends with a clear Thesis Statement. ✔

Thesis Statement

It presents your opinion or position on the topic (in favor OR against). ✔

It states the reasons for your opinion or position on the topic, which you will ✔
explain in each body paragraph (2 arguments).

Body paragraphs

There are two body paragraphs. ✔

Each paragraph develops only one reason/argument. ✔

The Topic Sentence states the reason/argument to be developed in the ✔

paragraph.

All the Supporting Sentences (details) are related to the Topic Sentence. ✔

It has a Concluding Sentence. ✔

The Concluding Sentence presents a counterargument and reinforces the ✔

argument.

Concluding Paragraph
It has a Summary Statement that restates the Thesis Statement. ✔

It summarizes the main ideas developed in the essay. ✔

It presents a final thought on the topic. ✔

Language use

There is a good use of academic vocabulary. ✔

There are a few minor or no grammar mistakes. ✔

There is proper punctuation (no comma splice, no run-on sentences). ✔

There is proper spelling and capitalization. ✔

There are transition signals between sentences and between paragraphs. ✔

All sentences are complete (no fragments or phrases). ✔

The topics seen in Unit 9 are being used (persuasion, predictions, pros, cons, ✔
counterarguments).

References (if any)

Quotes and paraphrasing are properly cited.

The references follow a citation style (APA (7th edition), MLA, Chicago…).

Essay format

It has a minimum of 400 and a maximum of 500 words. ✔

The essay is double-spaced. ✔

The text is aligned to the left margin. ✔

Each paragraph is indented (except the first one).

Letter font and size are according to a citation style (APA, MLA, Chicago…).
There is a reference section at the end of the essay (if necessary).

*The Thesis Statement is highlighted.

*The Topic Sentence of each body paragraph is underlined.

*The Concluding Sentence of each body paragraph is underlined.

*The Summary Statement in the Concluding Paragraph is underlined.

*The Final Thought in the Concluding Paragraph is underlined.

Peer review

It includes the comments given by the peer reviewer. ✔

It includes the name of the peer reviewer. ✔

Peer reviewer comments: The essay is mostly perfect in my opinion, just some minor

details like the highlight of the thesis statement and the topic sentence, concluding sentence,

summary statement and the final thought. Also, the references should be placed after the

essay and not after the review. Finally, the first paragraph is intended when it should not.

Peer reviewer’s name: Victor Roberto Gomez Diaz, Gustavo Escobedo Valdez

Date: 27/03/2023
Evolution of Language. (n.d.). https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/evolution-

langauge/

Saving a language, preserving a culture. (n.d.). UNM Newsroom.

http://news.unm.edu/news/saving-a-language-preserving-a-culture#:~:text=Language

%20matters%E2%80%94spiritually%2C%20culturally%2C,of%20that%20culture%20is

%20lost.