On English in brief.

English language is a member of the West Germanic group of the Germanic subfamily of the Indo-European family of languages. Spoken by about 470 million people throughout the world, English is the official language of about 45 nations. It is the mother tongue of about 60 million persons in the British Isles, from where it spread to many other parts of the world owing to British exploring, colonizing, and empire-building from the 17th through 19th cent. It is now also the first language of an additional 228 million people in the United States; near of 16.5 million in Canada; near of 17 million in Australia; near of 3 million in New Zealand and a number of Pacific islands; and approximately 15 million others in different parts of the Western Hemisphere, Africa, and Asia. As a result of such expansion, English is the most widely scattered of the great speech communities. It is also the most commonly used auxiliary language in the world. English is used for communication across frontiers, listening to broadcasts, reading books and newspapers, in commerce and travel. Half of the world’s scientific literature is in English. English is associated with technological and economic development of the great manufacturing 54

countries and it is the principle language of international aid. It is the language of automation and computer technology. The United Nations uses English not only as one of its official languages but also as one of its two working languages.

There are many dialect areas; in England and in Scotland these are of long standing and the variations are striking; the Scottish dialect especially has been cultivated literarily. There are newer dialect differences also, such as in the United States, including regional varieties such as Southern English, and cultural varieties, such as Black English. Standard forms of English differ also; thus, the standard British (“the king’s (queen’s) English”) is dissimilar to the several standard varieties of American and to Australian, Canadian, New Zealand, and Indian English.

I learn English because I think that it will help me in my future job. Without doubt, English is the accepted language for the worldwide business. In a world of global sales and technological alliances, the young specialist who can speak English will gain the advantage. Besides knowing the culture is as important as knowing the language. A language is a mentality. If a person makes the effort of learning another language it means that he or she learns the culture too. Learning any foreign language helps you to communicate with many people to get in touch with them. If you talk to someone in their native language about a business relationship, the comprehension is at a much high level.

I think that my cultural horizon has changed since I began learning English. My knowledge of geography, history, literature and art has increased. There are many reasons why I began the study of English. My knowledge of geography, history, literature and art has increased. There are many reasons why I began the study of English. One of the main reasons is to be able to communicate orally or in writing with others who use this language. I want to travel all over the world and make my intellectual and cultural horizons more wider through contact with people of another culture. My knowledge of English will help me to develop understanding and to communicate orally.

Tasks to the topic.

1. What do you know about English?

2. How many English-speaking countries do you know? 55

3. What dialects and varieties of English do you know?

4. Why do you learn English?

5. How can you use English in your future life?

Date: 2016-01-05; view: 809