Importance of English in our life. The role of foreign languages in modern society

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Federal Agency for Education

State educational institution

Higher professional education

Lipetsk State Pedagogical University

English in the modern world

Completed by: 2nd year student

Muravlev A.S.

Checked by: Zhilina I.S.

Lipetsk 2013

None of the languages ever invented by man has ever become a universal world language. Based on the real distribution of languages in the world community, the United Nations has chosen the following six languages as its official or working languages: English, French, Spanish, Russian, Arabic and Chinese. A special place among them belongs to the English language.

English is the native language for more than 400 million people living in 12 countries of the world, including: the USA, Great Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand. It also ranks first in the world among foreign languages studied in secondary and higher schools, in circles and in adult education courses.

English, being the most taught language, does not replace other languages, but complements them.

300 million Chinese - more than the entire population of the United States - are learning English. English language phonetic lexical

In 90 countries, English is either a second language or widely studied.

In France, in public secondary schools, students are required to study English or German for four years, the majority - at least 85% - choose English.

In Japan, students are required to study English for six years before graduating from high school.

English takes the 1st place in the world among foreign languages studied in secondary and higher schools, as well as in various courses of the adult education system. In Russia, for example, about 70% of students in secondary and higher educational institutions study English. In Germany, in one public opinion poll, 45% of those surveyed said they knew English. In Italy, knowledge of English is a prerequisite for many positions related to the operation of modern technology. Proficiency in English is becoming the norm for the scientific and technical intelligentsia of most developed countries. It is the main means of communication in the contacts of foreign tourists with service personnel on all continents. It is believed that at present, about 1 billion people, that is, 1/5 of the population of our planet, speak English to one degree or another.

Already today, English occupies a very special position and is turning into a lingua franca - the language of interethnic communication of all mankind. But half a century ago, English was just one of the international languages.

Today, English has strengthened its position as the language of interethnic communication not only in Europe, but throughout the world. Although there are still regions where other languages hold their positions, such as French in a number of African countries, Russian in the countries of the former Soviet Union. However, here too there is a trend towards a wider use of English in international contacts. Those. English today plays the same role that Latin played in Europe in the Middle Ages.

Thus, studying the role of the English language in the modern world, it is interesting that there are several variants of modern English, but two of them occupy a special position: British and American.

The American and British variants are not different languages, and it is important here to identify the differences between the two variants of the language and the general patterns of their development. The influence of the British version is due to the fact that it is traditionally used as a subject of study in the education system of most countries of the world.

However, the English language cannot be uniform. A number of phonetic and lexical features distinguish the speech of a resident of England, Canada, Australia, etc. But these features hardly interfere with their understanding of each other in oral speech and do not interfere at all in written speech. Such is the case with the so-called literary English. Of those formed on the basis of the English language, the most important are: pidgin English (pidgin english) - arose at the beginning of the 18th century, is widely used in China, Japan and California; beachlamar (beach-la mar) - used in the Pacific Islands; kru-english (kru-english) - used in Liberia and Guinea.

Philip Durkin, creator of the Oxford English Dictionary, chooses five events that have shaped the English language.

Anglo-Saxon settlement.

It is always difficult to determine exactly when a particular language originated, but in the case of English we can at least say that it makes sense to talk about it as a separate phenomenon. It is very difficult to say anything with certainty about this period, but we know for sure that the Germanic invaders arrived and settled in Great Britain on the northwest coast of Europe in the fifth and sixth centuries. They spoke a Germanic proto-language (related to the later Dutch, Frisian, German, and Scandinavian languages), but we will probably never know how different their speech was from that of their neighbors. It is worth noting that, perhaps, the settlers could speak the same language.

The reason for so little knowledge about the linguistic situation of this period is that we have no written archives or documents on the Germanic languages of earlier periods. The appearance of different dialects, although they were not so significant, could be traced from documents dating back to the 7th-9th centuries. They all belonged to the language that Alfred the Great in the ninth century called English.

The Celts had already settled in Britain when the Anglo-Saxons arrived. Their language has left a big mark in the vocabulary of modern English. Some scholars have suggested that its grammatical development was influenced by Celtic, especially in some parts of the country. The number of loan words coming from Old English is very small. For example, brock (badger) is a badger.

Scandinavian settlements.

Scandinavians were the next invaders. From the middle of the ninth century, Norwegian invaders settled in Great Britain, mainly in the northern and eastern regions, and in the eleventh century the Danish king Cunute ascended the English throne. The speech of the Scandinavians greatly influenced the English language, this can be seen from the words borrowed from their language. They include the simplest words, such as, for example, to take - to take. This similarity between them meant that Old English and the language of the invaders had something in common. Some words, for example, to give, show a kind of "crossing" of the grammatical structures of English and Scandinavian languages. And, although the similarities between them are so great, in most cases it is impossible to accurately determine the origin of the word. However, this influence is not reflected in the written language until after the next great historical and cultural upheaval, the Norman Conquest.

Before and after 1066.

In the centuries following the Norman Conquest, great changes took place in the English language. During what is called the "Middle English" period, the rather rich inflectional system broke down. In general, it was replaced by the model that exists today in the English language, and it almost does not use the generic word endings characteristic of grammar. The vocabulary of the English language has also changed a lot: in addition to the Scandinavian language, which has already been mentioned, words were borrowed from French and Latin. Over time, they began to appear in written speech. Whereas there was a borrowing of words in Middle English, which, by the way, has been preserved in modern English, in Old English, as in German, there was a tendency to find equivalents for foreign words and phrases. Trilingualism for English, French and Latin was common. Most often, foreign words were found in business vocabulary. To make sure that the vocabulary of the English language consists of a huge number of loanwords, open an etymological dictionary and look at their origin - most of them came from French and Latin. This trend continued into the modern period, when there was an extraordinary interest in the writing of the ancient world.

Standardization.

The late medieval and modern periods were characterized by steady processes of standardization of the English language. The written and spoken language of London continued to develop, and gradually began to have a great influence in the country as a whole. During the Middle English period, a dialect was the language spoken in a particular area. This became noticeable when the London Standard language began to dominate. At the same time, other dialects began to stand out. As the London language model was more common, especially among members of high society, regional dialects began to disappear as they were not considered socially prestigious and indicated a lack of education. In the same period, a number of changes in pronunciation also took place (although not immediately in all dialects) - the so-called "great vowel movement". These were the linguistic sound changes that take place in every language at any time in history. Changes in pronunciation were not the result of certain social or historical events. Thus the so-called clear vowel that characterized most continental languages disappeared from English. The phonetic combinations of most long and short vowels, which were the reason for such a bizarre English pronunciation, also disappeared.

Colonization and globalization.

During the medieval and modern periods, English dominated the British Isles, and from the beginning of the seventeenth century its influence was felt throughout the world. The complex processes of research, colonization, foreign trade, which characterized the external relations of Britain for several centuries, became the causes of changes in the English language. This happened not only through the borrowing of words, but also through the gradual development of the language. Later, English became the lingua franca (that is, the language used by people from different countries), the global language, regularly used by many nations for which English is not their mother tongue. (See the Global English page for more information.) One can only speculate on the possible effect of these developments on the English language, as they are unlikely to be as important as anything that has happened to the English language in the last 1600 years.

The growing role of the American variant is explained by the place occupied by the United States of America in modern economic, scientific and cultural life and, above all, by the activities of the mass media (film, television, video, print). The American and British versions are not different languages, and this is confirmed by practice: Americans, Canadians, British, Australians and New Zealanders can easily communicate with each other. However, assuming that these variants of the English language have much more in common than different, one should not forget that such an assessment is of a qualitative nature. Naturally, there are a lot of specific differences, and they are especially noticeable in the vocabulary. A few words about the nature of the lexical features of American English.

This option has already four centuries of history. In the 17th century, the first settlers from England arrived on the Atlantic coast of the American continent, speaking different dialects. In the earliest "colonial" period, the settlers had a need to give names to local plants, animals, realities and traditions. Numerous Indian languages became the sources of new words:

Igloo igloo (Eskimo ice hut)

Skunk skunk (animal)

totem

wigwam

Another cultural contact that influenced the formation of the vocabulary of the American version was the French language of immigrants from France:

Brave brave

Depot depot, warehouse

prairie prairie

pumpkin pumpkin

rapids rapids

Many words were borrowed from Spanish:

corral cattle pen

lasso lasso

mustang mustang

Sombrero sombrero

The Danish colony of New Amsterdam, on the site of modern New York, also left its linguistic mark:

Boss boss, boss

waffle waffle

There were very few borrowings from African languages. For example:

Okra okra (plant)

Voodoo sorcerer

The largest influx of new words is observed in the 19th and 20th centuries, when millions of immigrants from many countries of the world arrived in the United States. The Italians brought, in particular, their national cuisine and the corresponding words:

pizza pizza

spaghetti spaghetti

There are also various words of German origin in American English:

Hamburger hamburger

Liverwurst liverwurst

semester

seminar

Another source of new words was American political institutions, traditions, way of life, scientific discoveries and inventions:

assembly assembly

Congress

President

Senator

telegram telegram

telephone telephone

Finally, words related to the development of culture: cinema, theater, music, television. Many of them quickly entered the British version, and even other languages of the world:

pop music popular music

Rock group

TV serial

Thus, the vocabulary of the American version is very diverse and its specific features are determined, on the one hand, by borrowings from other languages, and, on the other hand, by various kinds of innovations, word creation and, in general, the dynamic development of American society.

Comparing the vocabulary of the American and British variants, 3 main categories can be distinguished: 1. Common words; 2. General concepts - different words; 3. Words without analogues.

Common words

man man

Tree tree

head

Black

Cold

Biology biology

And thousands of others identical in both versions. This is one of the reasons why Americans and British people can easily understand each other. It is important to understand that for all its differences, the vocabulary of the British and American versions is based on one powerful foundation.

General concepts - different words

The second group includes a large number of examples where different words are used to denote concepts or realities that exist in British and American cultures.

Pants (Amer.) trousers

Trousers (UK)

Coat (Amer.) coat

Overcoat (UK)

Subway (amer.) subway

Underground (UK)

Gas (amer.) gasoline

Petrol (UK)

Student (amer.) student

Pupil (UK)

Soccer (amer.) football

Football (UK)

Words without analogues

The third group includes words denoting concepts or objects that have no analogues in another country. For example, geographical terms, names of plants and animals, national sports and their terminology.

Canyon (amer.) canyon

Caribou (Amer.) caribou (Canadian deer)

Cricket (brit.) cricket (sport)

Baseball (amer.) baseball

Spelling

The greatest influence on American spelling was provided by Webster, who at one time proposed a series of reforms that simplified the spelling of an entire category of English words. The most characteristic differences are as follows:

Aluminum

Catalog catalog

honor

program program

specialty

As for phonetics and grammar, the differences in these areas are small. The difference in the pronunciation of individual sounds and words, intonation, stress and rhythm, the use of individual grammatical structures is not an obstacle in the communication of educated people.

A curious experiment was carried out in one of the Polish universities. One group of students studied the American version, and the other - the British version. Tests at the end of the course revealed minor differences in grammar and vocabulary. As for phonetics, most of the students spoke English with a pronounced Polish accent. The conclusion is simple: it is necessary to study not the British or American version, but the ENGLISH LANGUAGE, adjusting certain elements of the content depending on the learning objectives.

Conclusion

The importance of the English language in the modern world is so great that its knowledge is not a privilege and luxury. Once upon a time, computers, as well as mobile phones, could only be afforded by people of a certain social class. Now these things are essential. The same can be said about English. It is taught by everyone and everywhere: in schools, universities, courses. And in our digital age, anyone can learn English via Skype without leaving home. It is understood that any educated person is simply obliged to speak English, since it is he who is his key to further self-education and self-improvement. That is why there are now so many organizations offering to teach you English. However, do not think that this is so easy to do. Learning any language is a long process that requires certain costs, both mental and financial.

Knowledge of English in the modern world is a kind of window to the world. Knowing this language of international communication, you will be able to achieve your goals with the help of new opportunities.

In general, the political, economic, scientific, sports life of the whole world "flows" in English. English, as noted earlier, is designated as the official and working language of the United Nations. All sorts of summits and meetings of heads of state, the signing of laws and decrees, negotiations and debates - all this is held in English. International trade, the operation of the banking system, the activities of the transport system on land, at sea and in the air are carried out in English. This language is a living communication tool for academicians, doctors of sciences, scientists around the world. After all, international conferences, the study of world experience and the exchange of information of scientific minds takes place only with the use of the English language. What can I say - the Olympic Games and all kinds of competitions between countries have chosen English as the official language.

So, one can talk endlessly about the role of the English language in the world. There is no doubt that English is an important component in the life of a modern person, and everyone can find for themselves more than one reason to study it and improve their skills.

Bibliography

1. Marchenko T., Khurshudyants A.S. "Features of the translation of synonyms, taking into account their belonging to the American or British version of the English language."

2. Sokolova L. “English language self-instruction manual: American version”.

3. Schweitzer A.D. "A systematic presentation of the main features of the American version in the field of phonetics, spelling, vocabulary."

4. Drozdov V.A. “Comparative study of vocabulary, phonetics, grammar of American and British English”.

5. Peshekhonov E.V. “On Some Peculiarities of American and British English”.

6. “English-Russian Dictionary” Muller V.K.

7. “Russian-English, English-Russian Dictionary” publishing house “Collins”

8. “Russian-English, English-Russian Dictionary” Romanov A.S.

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The Importance of English in the Modern World

In general, the political, economic, scientific, sports life of the whole world "flows" in English. English is designated as the official and working language of the United Nations. All kinds of summits and meetings of heads of state, the signing of laws and decrees, negotiations and debates - all this is held in English. International trade, the operation of the banking system, the activities of the transport system on land, at sea and in the air are carried out in English. This language is a living communication tool for academicians, doctors of sciences, scientists around the world. After all, international conferences, the study of world experience and the exchange of information of scientific minds takes place only with the use of the English language. But what can I say - the Olympic Games and all kinds of competitions between countries have chosen English as the official language.

The importance of the English language in the modern world is so great that its knowledge is not a privilege and luxury. Once upon a time, computers, as well as mobile phones, could only be afforded by people of a certain social class. Now these things are essential. The same can be said about English. It is taught by everyone and everywhere: in schools, universities, courses. And in our digital age, anyone can do it without leaving home. It is understood that any educated person is simply obliged to speak English, since it is he who is his key to further self-education and self-improvement. That is why there are now so many organizations offering to teach you English. However, do not think that this is so easy to do. Learning any language is a long process that requires certain costs, both mental and financial.

Still, learning English is worth it. Do you want not to feel like a black sheep, but to communicate freely with people of different nationalities? Do you want to become a student of a foreign university? Do you want a prestigious job with career advancement? Or maybe you want to work abroad? One tip - learn English. After all, over time, you will still understand that 75% of the world's correspondence is carried out in English, 80% of information on computers is also stored in this language, and most international documents, articles, literary works, instructions are written in English. And we have not yet taken into account the film industry and the musical Olympus. American-made films have firmly entered our lives, and any pop artist considers it prestigious to sing at least one

The modern world is becoming smaller all the time. Every day distances between different countries seem less. For this reason it"s becoming more and more important to know different languages, especially English.

One billion people speak English today. That's about 20% of the world's population. 400 million people speak English as their first language. For the other 600 million people it "s either a second language or a foreign language.

English is the first language in the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Australia and New Zealand. It is one of the official languages in Canada, the Irish Republic and the Republic of South Africa.

As a second language English is spoken in more than 60 countries. It is used by the government, businessmen and universities.

English is the language of politics and diplomacy, science and technology, business and trade, sport and pop music. 80% of all information in the world's computers is in English. 75% of the world's letters and faxes are in English. 60% of all international telephone calls are made in English. More than 60% of all scientific journals are written in English.

To know English today is absolutely necessary for every educated person, for every good specialist. Learning a language is not an easy thing. It "s a long and slow process that takes a lot of time and patience. But it" s a must.

English is taught throughout the world and a lot of people speak it quite well. In our country English is very popular: it is studied at schools (sometimes even at nursery schools), colleges and universities.

Everyone will speak English soon - I "m sure of it. We all need to understand each other. To do that we need an international language, and that" s English.

Translation:

The modern world is getting smaller. Every day the distances between different countries seem to get smaller. For this reason, it is becoming more and more important to know different languages, especially English.

One billion people speak English today. This is about 20% of the world's population. For 400 million people, English is their mother tongue. For the remaining 600 million people, it is either a second language or a foreign language.

English is the first language in the United Kingdom, the United States of America, Australia and New Zealand. It is one of the official languages in Canada, the Republic of Ireland and the Republic of South Africa.

As a second language, English is spoken in more than 60 countries. It is used by the government, entrepreneurs and universities.

English is the language of politics and diplomacy, science and technology, business and commerce, sports and pop music. 80% of all information in the world is in English. 75% of letters and faxes in the world are in English. 60% of all international phone calls are in English. More than 60% of all scientific journals are in English.

Knowing English today is absolutely necessary for every educated person, for every good specialist. Learning a language is not easy. This is a long and slow process that takes a lot of time and patience. But it is necessary.

English is taught all over the world and many people speak it very well. In our country, English is very popular: it is studied in schools (sometimes even in kindergartens), colleges and universities.

Everyone will be speaking English soon - I'm sure of it. We must all understand each other. For this we need an international language, and that is English.

English is the language of world communication. A language that unites millions of people around the world. Why is English considered an international language? Today we invite you to look into history and find the answer to this question.

How English Became International: Historical Background

Triumph of England. International trade - international language

English has not become an international language as quickly as it seems. It all started back in the 17th century, when England ceased to be a conquering country and became a conquering country, having been very successful in this matter. The English fleet was one of the most powerful in the world. All sea routes were subject to the British. Most of the land - half of the territory of North America, many countries in Africa and Asia, Australia, India - was under the rule of the British crown.

The English language has penetrated all corners of the globe. At that time, the most important task for England was to establish trade relations. Naturally, the language of the dominant and more developed country overshadowed the local languages. The golden rule worked here - whoever has gold, he rules, he chooses what language to speak. England gave impetus to the birth of the world economy and the development of international relations in the XVIII century, it was English that was used for trade.

Even when the colonized countries gained independence, trade relations with Great Britain continued to develop, and the English language remained. Firstly, because the languages of the conquered countries lacked the necessary words: there were no terms for trading. Secondly, because English has already taken root in this area and the locals knew it well. Those who wanted to earn their own bread had to communicate in English.

Did the English-speaking races make it their rule to speak anything else than English, the marvelous progress of the English tongue throughout the world would stop.

If the English people recognized a language other than their own, then the triumphal procession of the latter would cease.

But why didn't English become the native language in the countries of Asia and Africa? Because the British did not move to these countries as massively as, for example, to America, and did not spread their language, their culture and their way of life. Great Britain introduced a system of government and education into the conquered countries. English was used in certain areas, but it was not the language of communication, the language of the people.

In India, the English language has taken root much more strongly than in many other countries. For 30% of Indians, English is their mother tongue. Although more than 400 languages are spoken in India besides Hindi, only English is the second official language. You can read more about the features of the English language in India in the article "Indian English or Hinglish".

Rise of America

Another good reason that predetermined the use of English as an international language is the conquest of the New World, America. The British were not the only settlers. In addition to English, French, Spanish, German, and Dutch were spoken in America. At the beginning of the 20th century, the question of national unity arose sharply: something had to unite the country and the people who live in it. And the English language in this case acted as a link.

The United States had a strict policy of ousting languages, despite the fact that America does not have a single official language. Official documents were drawn up only in English. Many states banned education in all languages other than English. This policy has borne fruit. If the American government did not force out other languages, then Dutch, Spanish or any other language could become the national one. Then and now we would not talk about English as an international language.

In the second half of the 20th century, England faded into the background, the era of America began. After the Second World War, most of the powers were preoccupied with the reconstruction of their countries. In turn, the United States suffered less than the rest and continued to develop in all directions: economic, diplomatic, political and military. The country was especially active in developing economic relations. America made the right choice by continuing the English tradition. American goods flooded all countries. Naturally, a common language is needed to carry out an economic transaction, and again this language has become English. Why? Probably for the same reason as in the 17th century - whoever is stronger is right.

US influence has increased over time. But it is not enough just to win the championship, it is important to keep it. If in the 18th century trade played a key role for England, then America occupied its niche in history for other reasons:

The advent of the computer and the Internet
It is beneficial for any country if its language is international. Being one of the most powerful countries in the world, America led the language policy in the direction of the globalization of its language. And the key role was played precisely by the fact that two inventions appeared in the United States, without which our life is unthinkable - the computer and the Internet. These means of instantaneous dissemination of information have greatly contributed to the globalization of the English language.
American lifestyle fashion
In the second half of the 20th century, against the backdrop of post-war and dilapidated countries, the United States looked very attractive. The "American Dream" seemed to be an ideal, and people from different countries tried to somehow get closer to this ideal, and language is one of the ways to get closer. Films, music, youth movements came to us from across the ocean and brought with them the English-speaking culture.

Why is English the international language today?

1. English is the world language

Today, English has become the international language, it is the most widely spoken in the world. More than 400 million people speak English as their first language, 300 million use it as a second language, and another 500 million speak English to some extent.

2. English - the language of trade and business

In many countries, English occupies a very important place as the language of diplomacy, trade and business. 90% of global transactions are in English. World financial funds and exchanges operate in English. Financial giants and large corporations use English no matter what country they are in.

3. English is the language of education

English is the most popular foreign language in schools. The most prestigious universities in the world are English-speaking. In countries where English is the second state language, students prefer to study in English. Knowledge of English makes it possible to get a good education and build a successful career.

4. English is the language of travel

Large-scale travel of the British over the course of two centuries has borne fruit. In the 21st century, English is the language of travel. No matter what country you are in, you will be understood in English everywhere. , in a restaurant, at a bus stop, you can talk to the locals.

5. English is the language of science and technology

English has become the language of the 21st century - the century of technological progress and information technology. Today, all instructions and programs for new gadgets are written in English. Scientific reports, articles, reports are published in English. 90% of Internet resources are in English. The vast majority of information in all areas - science, sports, news, entertainment - is published in English.

English has become the language of youth culture. American actors, actresses, musicians have been and remain the idols of more than one generation of people. Hollywood today is the undisputed leader of the film industry. Cult American action films and blockbusters are watched in English all over the world. From America came jazz, blues, rock and roll and many more styles of music that are still popular today.

7. English is the universal language

In addition to all of the above, English is beautiful, melodic and easy to learn. English has one of the richest vocabularies in the world, but at the same time it has an uncomplicated grammar. Words themselves are attracted to each other, forming concise and understandable sentences. The international language should be simple and understandable to everyone. Perhaps we are very lucky that such a simple language has united the world. Read why English is easy to learn compared to other languages in our article.

What a thorny path a language can go through in a few centuries! Today, we can confidently say that in the 21st century, English is the No. 1 international language. How long it will remain international is hard to say. But, definitely, this status will remain for more than a decade.

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Importance of English in our life. The role of foreign languages in modern society

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Similar Documents

The Importance of English in the Modern World

How English Became International: Historical Background

Triumph of England. International trade - international language

Rise of America

Why is English the international language today?

1. English is the world language

2. English - the language of trade and business

3. English is the language of education

4. English is the language of travel

5. English is the language of science and technology

7. English is the universal language

Portal for the student. Self-training

Send your good work in the knowledge base is simple. Use the form below

Similar Documents

The Importance of English in the Modern World

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2. English - the language of trade and business

3. English is the language of education

4. English is the language of travel

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7. English is the universal language

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