Speaking topic: LANGUAGE

LANGUAGE

-          Facilitator (n) : người trợ giúp

-          Cross-culture (a): giao thoa giữa các nền văn hóa

-          (Language) proficiency (n): sự thành thạo

-          Flaw (a): thiếu sót, sai lầm

Get a sense of pride/ admiration

USEFUL EXPRESSION:

The advantages of the spread of English as a global language will continue to outweigh its disadvantages. 

In these years, there is a growing recognition that English is well on its way to becoming the dominant global language. The impact of this trend is a subject of intense debate. It is my opinion that advantages of a global language will continue to outweigh its disadvantages.

            The rise of a global language is a facilitator of cross-cultural communication and the communication between people with different language backgrounds. In different areas of global communication, such as science and news, recognizing a common language removes communication barriers and increases convenience. On many formal occasions, English, as a working language, boots efficiency and avoids misunderstanding. Likewise, the exchange of essential information like know-how and technologies will be tremendously prompted ( được khuyến khích).

            One might argue that the rise of a global language would endanger other languages, in a belief that an increasing number of people have turned to English as their first language. This viewpoint is flawed. The spread of global English has little, if any, influence on non-English-speakers’ language proficiency. People might be motivated to learn English as a foreign language but do not necessarily drop their native language because learning beginner or intermediate level English is sufficient for day-to-day communication.

            The dominance of English as a global language is, therefore, not a cause of the loss of language diversity. Its negative effect is reflected mainly in cultural imperialism (chủ nghĩa thống trị). As international media recognizes English as its root language, most of the broadcasted information is related to the lifestyle, norms and beliefs of English-speaking countries. It might over time put many minority cultures on the verge of extinction, when those ethnic groups gradually adopt the Western culture. The effect of shrinking cultural diversity are destructive ( tiêu cực), causing people to live in a simple and monotonous (/mơ ‘notnơs/ (a) đơn điệu, buồn tẻ) world and think and act in similar ways.

            Overall, the development of English is a positive global trend. It connects people who previously spoke different languages and enables them to exchange ideas, although it might lead to the loss of cultural diversity.

Learning a second language involves learning the culture of the country where this language is spoken ( including lifestyle).

            For most people, second language acquisition is a lengthy and exhausting process. A general approach taken by most learners is to learn vocabulary and memorize grammar rules. They contend ( dám chắc rằng, cho rằng) that language speaks for itself and the meaning of language lied in the language itself. In my opinion, a language goes beyond its literal meaning and delivers different messages as situations change. The cultural context and background of a language have a bearing (sự liên quan, quan hệ) on the forming of a language. There is no distinction between acquiring a language and acquiring a culture.

            The first reason to support the above contention ( lí lẽ, luận điểm) is that culture influences the evolution and formation of a language. Learning a culture can help learners understand many aspects of a language, wording, syntax, and so forth. For example, word order, the order in which words appear in sentences, differs from language to language. In some languages, the object normally comes ahead of the subject, as opposed to the word order in the English language. It mirrors ( phản ánh, phản chiếu) the disparity (sự khác biệt) in ways of seeing things and ways of thinking between people who speak different languages. Learning a culture can draw the attention of learners to these differences and therefore lead them to use a foreign language appropriately.

            Familiarity (n: sự hiểu rõ) with a culture is also known as the prerequisite ( = precondition: điều kiện tiên quyết) of communication with native speakers. Effective communication relies not only on wording, pronunciation and sentence construction but also on physical gesture, body language and facial expressions. In fact, non-verbal messages sometimes tell people more than verbal messages do. There is no denying that by learning the cultural dimensions of a language, a language learner can make him-or-herself acquainted with the skills and habits involved in cross-cultural communication.    

            Although the importance of studying the cultural aspect of language is indisputable ( ko bàn cãi), it should not be over-emphasized. For most learners, especially for those at an elementary level, the cultural elements of a language are remote and incomprehensive ( vượt quá tầm hiểu biết). Intrusion (sự can thiệp) of these messages will create confusion (sự lẫn lộn, nhầm lẫn). Learners will flounder (lúng túng) when the progress toward success is little and the situation appears to be unmanageable. Language acquisition requires a high commitment of time and effort, so new learners are advised to concentrate on the language itself at the first stage.

            From what has been discussed, one can make it clear that culture is an element that determines the difference between languages. Failing to recognize this would impede (ngăn cản, cản trở) language learning. However, for new learners, acquiring a culture is less practical, for it requires great effort and produces little outcome.

Topics to practice:

General topic sentence: No one can deny the fact that nowadays, English has been well on its way to becoming the dominant global language.

1.      As the English language becomes more widespread, some speakers of other languages fear that English loanwords are gradually replacing perfectly adequate (tương ứng) native words. To what extent do you believe that people should seek to protect the ‘purity’ of their language from the influence of English?

As well as that, there is a growing concern that English loanwords are step by step taking the place of corresponding indigenous words. In my opinions, such methods should be offered in order to preserve the ethnicity and identity of native language from the dominance of English.

2.      With regard to foreign language learning, the effectiveness of out-of-class learning is well-established. What are the best ways of learning a foreign language outside of a classroom situation?

Below are a number of practical proposals that can be used to learn a foreign language off the class.

3.      Many education systems throughout the world recognize the value of learning a foreign language and are seeking to improve the way foreign languages are taught. What in your view is the best way of teaching a foreign language in schools and universities?

Below are a number of practical proposals that can be used to teach a foreign language.

-          Test students regularly. Improvement will go nowhere if teachers do not take time to test their students. Teachers need to know where their students are getting at. Hence, devising various means of exams such as listening comprehension, reading comprehension to test as well as revise things that they have learnt.

-          Keep the classroom alive. Playing games is the most effective way. Teachers can browse the Internet for various games on building vocabulary, grammar, and conversation skills. But make sure the games are interesting to the students and teach them something. Better not repeat the games, which can make them predictable and boring.

4.      As English becomes more widespread as a lingua franca, there is concern that the values and culture of the English-speaking world will displace (thay thế) native values and cultures. To what extent is this fear justified (được biện hộ) ?

5.      Sometimes misunderstandings occur among people from different cultures, even those who can communicate in a common language. What factors can contribute to the breakdown of cross-cultural communication?

6.      As languages such as English, Spanish and Mandarin become more widely spoken, there is a fear that many minority languages may die out. Some countries have taken steps to protect minority languages. What is your view of this practice?

Why learn English

Learning to speak English well may be the best thing you can do to improve your life.

That’s right. Do you think it would be fun to have access to information that other people can’t get? Talk and write letters to interesting people that others can’t communicate with? Impress people around you whenever you opened your mouth? Make big jumps in your career, leaving others miles behind?

You can get all these if you speak English well.

Get access to knowledge

What are you interested in? Is it science? Music? Computers?  Health?  Business?  Sports? Today’s media — such as the Internet, television, and the press — give you almost unlimited access to knowledge about your favorite subjects. After all, we live in the information age, don’t we?

There’s only one problem. Most of this knowledge is in English.

Here are some examples of knowledge you can use if you know English:

·         Most pages on the Web. That’s over a billion (1,000,000,000) pages of information! It’s amazing that learning just one language gives you access to almost all knowledge on the Internet.

·         Books — on any subject, from all over the world. Read books by British or American authors, and books translated from other languages. Whatever you’re interested in, you can read about it in English!

·         The press. Only English-language magazines and newspapers can be bought in every part of the world. You don’t have to search for Time, Newsweek, or the International Herald Tribune!

·         Science. English is the key to the world of science. In 1997, 95% of the articles in the Science Citation Index were written in English. Only about 50% of them were from English-speaking countries like the USA or Britain. (source)

·         News reports. Watch international television networks, such as CNN International and NBC. They broadcast news much faster, and more professionally, than smaller, national networks. And you can watch them everywhere in the world.

Communicate with people

We like to call English “the language of communication”. Why? Because it seems all the people in the world have agreed to use English to talk to each other.

·         About 1,500,000,000 people in the world speak English. Another 1,000,000,000 are learning it. (source)

·         75% of the world’s letters and postcards are written in English. (source)

·         Almost all international conferences and competitions are conducted in English. For example, the Olympics and the Miss World contest.

·         Diplomats and politicians from different countries use English to communicate with each other. English is the main language of organizations like the United Nations, NATO, and the European Free Trade Association.

If you can communicate in English, you can:

·         Contact people from all over the world. Talk about your ideas and opinions on Internet discussion groups. Send e-mail to interesting people. Learn about their life and culture.

·         Travel more easily. Communicate with people wherever you go — English is spoken in more than 100 countries (source). Ask directions, have a conversation, or... ask for help. Who knows, maybe English will save your life someday!

Push your career forward

If you want a good job in business, technology, or science, get out of that armchair and start learning English now! (If you already have a good job, start learning before you lose it!)

Knowing English will let you:

·         Put “excellent knowledge of English” on your CV. Get your dream job, and earn more money.

·         Gain technical knowledge. English is the language of technology, especially high technology like computer science, genetics, and medicine. If you’re going to read about technology, you’ll probably have to do it in English.

·         Learn computer science. Read technical articles without difficulty. Or write your own articles!

·         Be a world-class businessman (or -woman). It’s simple. International business is done in English. And all business today is international. So if you want to play, you have to know English — to contact other business people, go to conferences, read international business newspapers and magazines, etc.

·         Become a better scientist. Contact scientists from other countries, go to international conferences, visit academic centers abroad. Learn about new scientific discoveries by reading papers, books, and magazines.

·         Use your computer more effectively. Most computer applications are in English, so you will understand them better — and become a better employee.

·         Learn new skills for your job. The section “Get access to knowledge” explains how English helps you learn.

Enjoy art like never before

English lets you feel the culture of the world like no other language. With a good knowledge of the English language, you can do wonderful things:

·         Watch American and British films in the original. Once you try it, you’ll never go back to dubbed versions!

·         Read great books. Every famous book was written in English or it was translated into English. There are amazing number of titles — from classic plays like Hamlet to modern thrillers like Jurassic Park.

·         Enjoy English-language music more. Believe us: music is much better if you can understand the words.

English is easy to learn

English is not only the most useful language in the world. It is also one of the easiest languages to learn and to use:

·         Simple alphabet — no special symbols such as é or ä. Type in sweet, part, film on your computer. Now try süß (German), część (Polish), фильм(Russian). Which is easier?

·         Easy plurals — simply add s to a word. One car, five cars; one telephone, two telephones... There are very few exceptions.

·         Words are easy to learn. In French, it’s la fille and le chien. In German, it’s das Mädchen and der Hund. In English, they’re just a girl and a dog. And that’s all you need to know.

·         Short words. Most of the basic words are short: run, work, big, go, man. Long words are often shortened: sitcom = situational comedy, fridge =refrigerator, OS = operating system. Speaking English saves you time. :-)

·         Words don’t change. But in many languages, one word has many forms:

English: The man is blind.
German: Der Mann ist blind.

English: This is a blind man.
German: Das ist ein blinder Mann.

English: I see a blind man.
German: Ich sehe einen blinden Mann.

·         Call everybody “you”. You can say “Do you speak English?” to your friend or to your teacher. In other languages, you have to use the right word for the right person. In English, everybody is equal. :-)

·         English is everywhere. You can easily access English-language television, music, websites, magazines, etc. You don’t have to learn from boring textbooks. You can learn and use your English at the same time. Using your English is especially important because it increases your desire to learn.

Get satisfaction

English is not only useful — it gives you a lot of satisfaction:

·         Making progress feels great. We’ll never forget the moment we discovered we could speak with Americans or watch TV in English.

·         You will enjoy learning English, if you remember that every hour you spend gets you closer to perfection.

·         Using English is fun, too, because every sentence you speak or write reminds you of your success.

English makes you a more powerful, happier person. It is not difficult to imagine some situations where knowing English gives you a great feeling.