WORLD LANGUAGES  9

THINK AND DISCUSS

Answers will vary. Possible answers:

1. I speak three languages. We speak Arabic at home, which is my native language, but at work I use English, which I am proficient in but not completely fluent yet. As a student, I learned Malay in school,

which I can speak conversationally.

2.The most common languages in my country are Malay, English, Mandarin, Tamil, and Hindi.

EXPLORE THE THEME

A 1. Indo-European is the largest language family. Languages in this family are spoken in places such as North and South America and Europe.

2. Answers will vary. Possible answer: The “other” areas are home to indigenous languages that only small populations speak. These languages are not part of one of the major language

families.

3. Answers will vary. Possible answers: As the world globalizes, more people are moving permanently from rural to urban areas. As a result, languages such as Mandarin or English are becoming the common everyday languages used in cities, which means local languages are disappearing because not enough people use them. Although our linguistic diversity is being reduced, more people are now able to communicate with one another as they speak the global languages.

B considerably; linguistic; constitute

Reading 1

PREPARING TO READ

A 1. lead to

2. acquire

3. furthermore

4. competence

5. expand

6. anticipate

7. native

B Answers will vary. Possible answers:

1. I think reading is the best way to first learn a language. When you read, you acquire new vocabulary all the time. It’s good for developing

basic competence.

2. Being able to speak a second language is a useful skill that can lead to better job opportunities.

C Answers will vary. Possible answers:

1. English is the language of business, so many people learn it to find jobs.

2. It might still be important, but other languages such as Mandarin might also be widely spoken.

D Answers will vary. Correct answer: a

UNDERSTANDING THE READING

A 1. G (Explanation: Linguists anticipate that in the future, the majority of the world’s population will speak more than one language. As a result, people who speak only one language may have a difficult

time in a multilingual society.)

2. D (Explanation: … a separate study shows that English is expanding its dominance in the world of science.)

3. F (Explanation: At the same time, he notes, businesses will increasingly look for multilingual employees.)

4. A (Explanation: The world’s population rose quickly during the second half of the 20th century, and much of this increase took place in developing countries. This has had an impact on the world’s top

languages.)

5. C (Explanation: However, according to Graddol, it is unlikely that one language will dominate in the near future.)

6. E (Explanation: “Because of its scale and dynamism,” he says, “science has become the most active and dynamic creator of new language in the world today.”)

7. B (Explanation: Currently, English still has the third largest number of speakers, with Arabic and Hindi lagging considerably behind in fourth and fifth places. However, these two languages are expected

to catch up by around 2050.)

B 1. in developing countries (See Paragraph A.)

2. Bengali, Tamil, Malay (See Paragraph B.)

3. It makes international collaboration and research easier, and publications can reach more people. (See Paragraph D.)

4. Mandarin Chinese is becoming a global business language because China’s growing economy means that more businesses will need to have

Chinese speakers. (See Paragraph F.)

C 1. a

2. b

3. b

4. b

DEVELOPING READING SKILLS

A 1. expects (Explanation: Montgomery expects that in the future, English will continue to expand its role in science, especially in international settings.)

2. may (Explanation: And English may not be the only language of business.)

B 1. a. Paragraph C: However, according to Graddol, it is unlikely that one language will dominate in the near future.

b. Paragraph C: As a result of these trends, Graddol says, “the status of English as a global language may peak soon.”

c. Paragraph F: Businesses whose employees speak only one language will find themselves at a disadvantage.

d. Paragraph G: As a result, people who speak only one language may have a difficult time in a multilingual society.

2. a. 2 (Explanation: unlikely)

b. 1 (Explanation: may)

c. 3 (Explanation: will)

d. 1 (Explanation: may)

3. Answers will vary. Possible answer:

Although Mandarin is becoming an important language, I don’t think English is going to be replaced by other languages completely. I think

it’s likely that there will be a few global languages.

Video

BEFORE VIEWING

A Answers will vary. Correct answer:

 The researchers are interviewing speakers of a language at risk of disappearing. They are trying to preserve the language and its cultural heritage by recording it.

B 1. They are trying to preserve the culture and history of these minority languages.

2. Answers will vary. Possible answer: English and Hindi are used more on TV and the Internet and are more useful for young people to get jobs.

C 1. diversity

2. neglect

3. abandon

4. extinction (Note: Students may be familiar with extinction as used to talk about animal species.)

WHILE VIEWING

A 1. Australia

2. the last speaker

3. elders / village elders / the older generation

4. record / recording

B 1. T (Explanation: This time, they are in the extreme northeast of India, a remote area bordering Bhutan, Myanmar, and China. It’s considered a language “hot spot” …)

2. NG (Explanation: No reason is given as to why they prefer to speak English and Hindi.)

3. F (Explanation: In the video, the researchers interviewed a family who could speak Apatani.)

4. T (Explanation: … the team trains local people to use special language technology kits.)

AFTER VIEWING

A Answers will vary. Possible answers:

 I think it’s a start. If a language is recorded and written down, at least there’s some record of it. / I don’t think it’s enough. Even if words and

phrases are recorded, a language is not really alive if no one is using it.

B Answers will vary. Possible answer:

 In the video, we saw that younger people tend to speak English or Hindi, instead of Apatani. This supports the trends mentioned in Reading 1

about English being a global language and Hindi as a growing language.

Reading 2

PREPARING TO READ

A 1. combined

2. rate, roughly, died out

3. critically

4. express, highly, rapidly

5. perspective

6. political

B Answers will vary. Possible answers:

1. People also express themselves through body language such as gestures or facial expressions. / Singing is a way of expressing your feelings.

2. I think the best way to learn a new language rapidly is to move to a place where the language is used in everyday life.

C  Answers will vary. Correct answers:

 How do languages die? When dominant languages like English are spoken even in remote areas, fewer and fewer people speak the local

language, and eventually children stop learning the language altogether.

 Why should we be concerned? Different languages offer different ways of looking at the world, and when they become extinct, we lose these different perspectives along with the cultural, historical, and even scientific knowledge that come with them.

 How can we save dying languages? We can begin by documenting and recording these languages.

UNDERSTANDING THE READING

A 1. b

2. a

3. a

B 1. They predict that over half of the world’s languages will die out. (See Paragraph B.)

2. more powerful languages dominate; children choose to speak the dominant languages instead of their native languages; governments require the use of dominant languages (See Paragraphs C

and D.)

3. They are changing attitudes. / They are recording cultural and historical information. / They are preserving important information for future generations.

C 1. b

2. Northwest America, Central South America,

Central and Eastern Siberia, Northern Australia

3. Answers will vary. Possible answers: All of these places have a powerful dominant language that is used in schools and in work life. / Some of the places are remote and their populations may be

shrinking.

D 1. cultural

2.numbers

3. no words

4. color

5. green

6. blue

7. purple

8. dark green

9. skills

10. Seri

11. desert

12. sailors

13. maps

14. modern equipment

E 1. Paragraph B: According to linguists, within the next century, nearly half of the world’s current languages will disappear…

2. Paragraph F: … we might lose important scientific knowledge

3. Paragraph G: …, we may lose knowledge about plants that could someday lead to useful drugs / We may also lose information about the history and skills…

F Answers will vary. Possible answer: 2

 Additional counterargument: It’s not a real language anymore if we only have a record of the language with no speakers actively using it.

Writing

EXPLORING WRITTEN ENGLISH

WRITING SKILL

A Pros:

 Idea 1: Important in media

 Detail: over 500 mil. native English Internet users (Internet World Stats)

 Idea 2: Important in science

 Detail: 90% of scientific lit. is in Eng. (Montgomery)

 Answers will vary. Possible answer:

 Idea 3: Important in business

Cons:

 Idea 1: English declining as 1st language

 Detail: Eng. as 1st lang. will be spoken by only 5% of pop. in 2050 (Graddol)

 Idea 2: Mandarin becoming more important

 Detail: 898 mil. native Mandarin speakers; Eng. only 372 mil.

 Answers will vary. Possible answer:

 Idea 3: may lead to loss of cultural identity if one’s native language is abandoned

B Answers will vary. Possible answers:

 Pros:

 Young children are able to adapt to new languages more easily than adults.Second-language learning can be done more naturally at a young age.

 Cons:

 It’s expensive for parents to pay for secondlanguage education starting in preschool.Learning a second language and native

language at the same time might be confusing for a child.

C 1. Argument 1: It’s difficult for immigrant children to be bilingual.

Argument 2: Parents should encourage children to be bilingual.

2. Argument 2

LANGUAGE FOR WRITING

D 1. Although

2. should

E Answers will vary. Possible answers:

1. Although English might be useful in some situations, most children should learn Mandarin as a second language.

2. While Mandarin may be difficult to learn, it is useful in the world of business.

3. Even though language diversity can lead to misunderstanding or conflict, we must preserve smaller languages because of the important

knowledge they contain.

F Answers will vary. Possible answer:

 Although learning a second language may seem confusing for the child, children are actually able to acquire languages quickly and easily.

WRITING TASK

A Answers will vary. Possible answers:

 Agree: communication problems will be eliminated, people of different backgrounds can work and live together, global business will be made easier

 Disagree: cultural diversity may be threatened, smaller languages will die out, people will forget their histories and heritages, we will lose

untranslated words and concepts

B Answers will vary. Possible answers:

 Thesis Statement: Language diversity keeps us respectful of each other’s differences and keeps our brains active, which is why a single global

language is not necessary.

Body Paragraphs

 Topic Sentence 1: We learn about how varied the cultures and people of the planet are through our languages.

 Details: language is connected to culture, history; half the world’s languages are disappearing, and having a single global language speeds up language loss, etc.

 Counterargument 1: Even though a world where everyone speaks one language may seem convenient, …

 Concluding Paragraph

 Summary Statement: A world where people speak many languages is more respectful and supportive of different ways of life.

 Final Thought: Effective communication is about more than just speaking the same language; it’s about being open to hearing what others have to say.

REVISING PRACTICE

1. c, a, b

2. d. Even though an employee may/might perform their job well, it does not mean …

e. Sentence to cross out: Studies also show that people have a harder time learning to play an instrument when they are older.

f. Although some language learning programs promise fluency …

EDITING PRACTICE

1. While language instruction may be expensive, it is important that children learn a second language in order to compete in the global economy.

2. Even though Mandarin may soon become an important world language, it probably will be challenging for learners to learn its writing system.

3. Although French was an important language in the past, it shouldn’t be an official UN language; there are just too few native speakers.