English as a world language
English as a World Language
At the beginning I´d like to say something about the subject of this topic. Especially why is English called the world language. there are several points which speak for it. For example that there are the large number of pople who speak English all over the world. That is why we can make us understood better. But also English has its own dialects and differences. So we can hear many kinds of the same language. The most known differences are between English and American English. The differences can be in grammatic or only in using some words. So for example when you´re in America you should say drugstore instead of chemists, movie theater instead of cinema, or vacation instead of holiday. But there are many other kinds of English, for example English which is spoken in Scotland, Wales, New Zealand, Australia, Texas India or Jamaica.
People who speak English fall into three groups: those who have learned it as their native language;; those who have learned it as a second language in society that is mainly billingual; and those who need this language for a practical purpose.
And now I´d like to mention something about history or English language. Today, when English is one of the major languages in the world, it requires an effort of an imagination to realize that this is a relatively recent thing – that in Shakespeare´s time only a few milion people spoke English. - First people who influenced the Englihs language were Celtic people. Many words today in English come from Celtic people (e. g. Thames, loch, and so on…) - Many other words come the Romans. They came at 49AD in large quantity. - 455AD more and moreGerman groups come into the islands. They brought their German sanguage, upon which most of English is based. They set up 7 kingdoms (Essex, Sussex, Wessex…) to name the Saxons tribes and their location. - 600AD came the Catholic priests from Ireland. They spoke Latin and again more Latin words came into usage. - 1066 came Normans. They French words are Latin based and formed the complexion of new words in the language.
English is very strenge language. Old English had many inflections to show singular and plural, tense, person and so on…, but over the centuries words have been simplified. Verbs now have very few inflections, and adjectives do not change according to the noun. Without inflections the same word can operate as many different parts of speach. Many nouns and verbs have the same form, for example: swin, drink, walk, kiss, and so on.
Approximately 350 million of people speak English as their first language. About the same number use it as a second language. It is language of business, technology, science, internet, sport and pop music. It is official language of 44 countries.
The future of English language is relatively clear. Because of the fact that English is the language of world communication. This will no doubt continue, although the proposition that all other languages will die out is absurd.
Learning foreign languages
Knowing another language will allow you not only to communicate with people from other countries and learn about their cultures, it will also assist you in practical ways. Students in all fields will be able to apply the skills and knowledge that studying a foreign language provides. Most important, studying another language helps you become more competitive after graduation from school. In my personal experience, learning a foreign language opened up totally new doors and allowed me to have a much more broad range of experiences.
Studying a foreign language may be the best way get to a rewarding career in the areas of international business, education, tourism, foreign service, management and social service, to mention just a few. No matter what field you specialise in today, you will benefit from studying another language and culture because it provides you with a broader view of the world and an additional marketable skill.
There are other reasons to study a foreign language, such as that learning a foreign language teaches and encourages respect for other peoples, it contributes to the development of one's personality, and it helps to preserve a country's image as a cultured nation.
Probably, at this time, the most important language used for world communication is English. It's spoken in many parts of the world, mainly in Great Britain, the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand (and also in Malta and Gibraltar). More and more English expressions are being borrowed into other languages, particularly in technical and computer related areas. In the Czech republic, the other languages we mainly study include German, French, Spanish and Russian.
As Goethe wrote, " Whoever knows no foreign languages, knows nothing of his own ". Only by learning how other languages manage to express themselves differently from our own native language can students understand the unique qualities of their own language's words and grammar.
PŘIDEJTE SVŮJ REFERÁT
Tisknout -
Poslat(@) -
Uložit->Moje referáty -
Přidat referát