1. The most spoken language
2. Reasons to study
3. Extinct languages
4. Reasons for disappearing
5. No more in use
6. The most learned worldwide
7. A dying language
8. National and important
A. A dead language is a language that no longer has any native speakers, although it may still be studied by people or used in certain contexts. If there are only a few remaining elderly speakers of a language and it is no longer used for communication, then that language is effectively considered dead even before its last native speaker has passed away. Some of the most well-known examples of dead languages include Latin, Sanskrit, Old English, Aramaic, Ancient Greek, Old Norse, Coptic, Iberian, Etruscan and Proto-Indo-European, just to name a few.
B. In the Native American Navajo nation, which sprawls across four states in the American southwest, the native language is dying. Most of its speakers are middle-aged or elderly. Although many students take classes in Navajo, the schools are run in English. Street signs, supermarket goods and even their own newspaper are all in English. Not surprisingly, linguists doubt that any native speakers of Navajo will remain in a hundred years’ time.
C. People reject the language of their parents when a crisis of confidence begins, when a small community finds itself alongside a larger, wealthier society. People lose faith in their culture, and when the next generation reaches their teens, they might not want to be induced into the old traditions. Often, governments try to kill off a minority language by banning its use in public or discouraging its use in schools. For example, in the 19th century reforming Victorian educators reported the Welsh backward and children speaking Welsh in school received punishments.
D. The wide spread of English around the globe and its presence in some of the world’s most economically influential countries have given English its place as one of the world’s most spoken language, especially on the internet. It is interesting to note that the number of non-native English speakers (371 million in 2018) nearly doubles the number of native English speakers (611 million in 2018) making it the world’s most learned and spoken foreign language.
E. Many academics study dead languages to learn more about the history of a culture. Studying dead languages can be very important if people want to learn about the history of the people who spoke them. Knowing a dead language can open a window, by allowing people to read contemporary accounts of historical events. Learning dead languages gives us interdisciplinary access to the thoughts and ideas of human beings hundreds or thousands of years ago and allows us to hear their voices and learn from their wisdom.
F. Mandarin Chinese takes the cake as the world’s most spoken language based on its tremendous number of native speakers – about 897 million and also non-native speakers – 193 million. It is widely spoken in China, Taiwan, and Singapore. As the standard official and literary form of Chinese language based on the Beijing dialect and one of the official languages of the United Nations, Mandarin is the second most popular online language, and it continues growing. The Chinese is reported to be one of the top 10 most important languages of the future.
G. Welsh, the native Celtic language of Wales, is one of the oldest languages in Europe. In spite of a variety of pressures over the centuries, the language has survived into the present day. Even though almost all Welsh people can understand and use the English language, the Welsh language is an important part of W’elsh culture and children in Wales have to study it. English books and newspapers have been translated into Welsh. For example, “Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone” was translated into Welsh as “Harri Potter a Maen yr Athronydd”.
- Подробности
-
18189
 |
||
| Прочитайте текст с пропусками, обозначенными номерами. Эти номера соответствуют заданиям А22-А28, в которых представлены возможные варианты ответов. Обведите номер выбранного вами варианта ответа. TEST 28 ( part 3) |
Language Extinction
Language death is nowadays a phenomenon with a much more frequent A22 occurrence than the death of animals or plants species. Every two weeks, one language goes out of A23 use. Although language extinction is a natural process, it raises controversial issues A24 related to society and culture.
Linguists have defined a language as being dead the moment its last speaker passes A25 away. What causes the extinction and final death of a language? Usually, a language has higher chances to die when people speaking it are assimilated by other cultures. In this case, the language dies slowly, by merging with the language of the assimilators. Or its death can be a more accelerated process when the speakers A26 give up their own language because they don’t find any benefit in using it. Many of the dying languages have no written records, so once they go, they will be lost forever. Of course, speaking one of these languages is not seen as an asset within the business or working environment today. But it can be an asset from cultural and even scientific point of A27 view.
Preserving your own language is a proof of self-respect and of respect for your past. Learn as many foreign languages as possible, but never forget your native language just because you can’t find any benefit in using it throughout your day-by-day life. And if you are one of the few speakers of a language, contribute to getting it out of the death threat. A28 Share your knowledge with others who are interested in expanding their horizons by learning a foreign language.
|
А22 |
1) appearance появление |
2) existence существование |
3) occurrence происшествие |
4) occasion событие |
|
А23 |
1) world |
2) use Go out of use — не использоваться, перестать использоваться;устоявшееся выражение |
3) mind |
4) way |
|
А24 |
1) concerned |
2) dealing |
3) regarding |
4) related Relate to — относиться, быть связанным с чем-либо; три других слова не употребляются с TO в таком контексте |
|
А25 |
1) over Pass over — проходить; передавать |
2) away Pass away — умереть |
3) out Pass out — терять сознание |
4) off Pass off — не употребляется без дополнения |
|
А26 |
l) change |
2) break |
3) end |
4) give Give up smth — забрасывать, бросать что-либо; три других слова не могут упоребляться с UP SMTH |
|
А27 |
1) order |
2) interest |
3) view Point of view — точка зрения; устоявшееся выражение |
4) opinion |
|
А28 |
1) Share Share smth with smb — поделиться чем-либо с кем-либо; три других слова не могут быть использованы в такой конструкции |
2) Give |
3) Pass |
4) Convey |
Understanding Extinct Languages: When and Why They Die Off
Understanding Extinct Languages: When and Why They Die Off
If you look back through history, it’s easy to spot examples of languages that were once prominent and later disappeared from use. Take Latin for example—you may have studied the language in high school, but it’s a dead language; written and studied, but not spoken.
Many people confuse dead languages with extinct languages. A dead language is still used or studied in some contexts.
Extinct languages, on the other hand, are no longer spoken or used for any purpose. Many extinct languages are totally lost to history, with only the record of the language name itself remaining.
When and why languages die off is an interesting study in history and culture, but it is not limited to the past.
According to the National Geographic Society, out of more than 7,000 languages spoken on our planet, a language dies every two weeks, ceasing to be actively spoken. That means there are many languages going extinct even as you read this article.
When and Why Extinct Languages Die
Why do languages go extinct? The process of a culture and a people completely abandoning an entire language takes a long time, even spanning several generations. When a new dominant language appears on the scene, an eventual erosion of the older language occurs.
Linguists have outlined the stages that languages going extinct follow:
- A language is considered vulnerable when children speak the language of their parents only at home or in the company of relatives.
- A language is considered endangered when children no longer study it, although it is their mother tongue.
- Also, a language is considered critically endangered when the youngest people who can speak it are grandparents.
Language shifts happen throughout history as one tongue overtakes another. For example, in the UK, the shift from Cornish to English has been occurring for decades, and continues today.
Across the globe, Mandarin is becoming the dominant language all across China, except in the trade cities of Hong Kong and Kowloon, where Cantonese is spreading rapidly.
Farther into history, after the Greeks conquered most of the known world, the Greek language spread—and a common form, koine Greek, containing many words borrowed from the conquered cultures, became the common language of the Greek empire.
As a result, the more formal Attic Greek dialect became rare and is now only found in ancient writings. Koine Greek is closer to the modern Greek language spoken today.
Classical Latin is perhaps the most well-known of the dead languages.
Over time, and as the Roman Empire dissolved, Latin broke up into the more common languages of the conquered peoples of Rome.
Hence were born the Romance languages of Europe, the former Roman Empire: French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, and Romanian.
When answering the question “Why do languages go extinct?,” one must point the finger at political persecution, globalization, and a lack of preservation.
For much of the 20th century, governments across the world have coerced indigenous peoples to adopt a common national language, thus forcing native languages to the sidelines—and eventually, to the ash heap of history.
Known Extinct Languages
Currently, there are 573 known extinct languages. These are languages that are no longer spoken or studied. Many were local dialects with no records of their alphabet or wording, and so are forever lost. Others were major languages of their time, but society and changing cultures left them behind.
Between 1950 and 2010, the world added 230 extinct languages. Today, one-third of the world’s languages have less than 1,000 speakers. An estimated 50 to 90 percent of dying languages are expected to disappear by the next century.
Among the lists are 10 extinct languages from the United States, mostly from Native-American tribes. They are:
- Eyak—This language was still actively spoken in Alaska until 2008.
- Yana—This was spoken by the Yahi people of north-central California until 1916.
- Tunica—Was spoken by the Native American Tunica tribe across Louisiana until the 1930s.
- Tillamook—Was spoken by an Oregon-based tribe of the same name until the 1970s.
- Susquehannock—Was an old Iroquois language from the 1640s.
- Jersey Dutch—A variation of the Dutch language spoken in the New Jersey counties until the early twentieth century.
- Eastern Abnaki—The language of the Penobscot tribe in Maine until the 1990s.
- Eastern Atakapa—Only 287 words were ever written down. This language was primarily spoken around Franklin, Louisiana, in the 1800s.
- Suislaw—A well-preserved language of the Oregon Pacific Coast region, although no one has spoken it frequently since the 1970s.
- Martha’s Vineyard Sign Language—Spoken by the deaf population of Chilmark, Martha’s Vineyard. It combined Chilmark Sign Language, French Sign Language, American Sign Language, and Old Kent Sign Language. The last deaf person fluent in this language died in 1952, and no written records of it exist.
Preventing Extinct Languages
Field linguist David Harrison affirms that 85 percent of languages have yet to be documented. If languages are to be preserved, they must be reduced to written records that include a dictionary.
That may seem like a daunting prospect for the many languages that remain only spoken and not written, but it is vital if these languages going extinct are to persist.
A key to making this happen is the involvement of indigenous peoples.
Fluent speakers are those who can best define and diagnose their own language and help linguists understand it, record it, and translate it for others to discover and use.
Linguists agree that for any language to be salvaged, the drive and effort must come from among the people speaking it. Pride in their language and culture—and a passion to preserve it—will be the deciding factor in whether or not we add it to the lists of living languages or extinct languages.
At International Language Services, our team includes highly experienced native language translators who are also subject matter experts. We are dedicated to the preservation, progression, and proliferation of human language for all your business or organization needs.
Not Just for External Audiences: Your Guide to Translating Internal Communications
DOWNLOAD NOW
Share This Story, Choose Your Platform!
Related Posts
Page load link
Почему это так важно изучать иностранные языки?
I think, nowadays it is very important to know foreign languages. Some people learn languages, because they need them for their work, others travel abroad, for the third it`s just a hobby. People want to know languages, to write to their pen-friends or to communicate with people from different countries, to meet more people and make new friends. Also, they want to read books of famous writers in original, to read newspapers and magazines. It helps them to know more about different events, people`s life, customs and traditions.
Learning foreign languages broadens our minds, people become educated. In my opinion, languages are especially important for those who work in different fields of science and technology, in politics. A foreign language helps to know the native language better. People, who know many languages are called polyglots. We know the names of some of them: German professor Shlimman, famous writer Shakespeare, philosopher Socrates and many others.
Nowadays, English has become an international language. Over 300 million people speak it as a mother tongue. As for me, I learn English from 7 years age. This language helps me very much, to speak free with people from all over the world, make new friends and participate in international contests.
I like one proverb of Johann Goethe:» He who does not know foreign languages does not know anything about his own.» I speak Ukranian, Russian, English, a little Italian and Spanish. And I`m very proud of it, because languages-it`s my second life. Also, I would like to learn Germany, French and Serbian, but this year I dedicate myself to learning Italian. You know, dream from my childhood — to be an an interpreter and I`m sure, I get it.
Personally, I think that to know foreign languages today is absolutely necessary for every educated man, for every good specialist. So let`s to learn foreign languages and discover with them many interesting things in our life!
Перевод:
Я думаю, в наше время, это очень важно знать иностранные языки. Некоторые люди учат языки, потому что они им нужны для роботы, другим путешествовать за границу, и для третьих это просто хобби. Люди хотят знать языки, писать друзьям по переписке или общаться с людьми с разных стран, встретить больше новых людей и завести друзей. К тому же, они хотят читать книги известных писателей в оригинале, читать газеты и журналы. Это помогает им узнавать больше о разных событиях, жизни людей, обычаях и традиций.
Изучение иностранных языков расширяет наш кругозор, люди становятся более образованными. На мой взгляд, языки особенно важны для тех, кто работает в разных сферах науки и технологии, политики. Иностранный язык помогает узнать родной язык лучше. Люди, которые знают много языков — полиглоты. Мы знаем некоторые имена полиглотов: немецкий профессор Шлимман, известный писатель Шекспир, философ Сократ и много других.
В наши дни, английский стал международным языком. Около 300 миллионов людей говорят на нем, как на родном языке. Что касается меня, я учу английский с 7 лет. Этот язык очень мне помогает, говорить свободно с людьми со всего мира, заводить новых друзей и принимать участие в международных конкурсах.
Мне нравиться одна пословица Йогана Гете: «Тот, кто не знает иностранных языков, не знает ничего про свой родной язык». Я разговариваю на украинском, русском, английском, немного на итальянском и испанском. И я очень горжусь этим, потому что языки — это моя вторая жизнь. Также, я бы хотела выучить немецкий, французский и сербский, но в этом году я посвящаю себя изучению итальянского. Вы знаете, мечта моего детства — быть переводчиком и я уверенна я буду.
Лично я думаю, что знать иностранные языки сегодня это абсолютно необходимо для каждого образованного человека, для каждого хорошого специалиста. Поэтому, давайте учить иностранные языки и открывать с ними много интересных вещей в нашей жизни!
Эссе на тему причины изучения английского языка
Сочинения по английскому языку: Learning a Foreign Language — Изучение иностранного языка 
Сочинения по английскому языку: Learning a Foreign Language — Изучение иностранного языка
Learning a Foreign Language
Foreign languages are absolutely necessary for people nowadays, because of our growing international contacts with foreign countries.
There are many reasons, why we begin to study foreign languages. One studies a foreign language to be able to communicate with other people who speak this language, other study it for future career.
If we are planning to travel to countries where the language we can speak is spoken, we can communicate with people there and understand what they are saying to us.
If we are working in any branch of science, we naturally wish to read scientific books and magazines in other languages to raise our professional level. Making business nowadays also means the ability of speaking foreign languages.
The ability of speaking one or two or even more foreign languages helps people from different countries to develop mutual friendship and understanding. We can also make our intellectual and cultural horizons wider through contacts with people of another culture.
It is also very interesting to read foreign literature in its original form. We can also read foreign newspapers and magazines and understand films in foreign languages without any help and translation.
As for me I learn English, because English is a very popular language all over the world. It is used in many parts of the world and there is a lot of business correspondence and literature in English.
Also I am going to learn Spanish, because it is also a widely spread language.
I think, it is very important to speak at least one foreign language either English or German or French and Spanish or any other one.
There is a saying: the more languages you speak, the more times you are a human being.
Изучение иностранного языка
Иностранные языки абсолютно необходимы для людей в настоящее время из-за возрастающих международных контактов с зарубежными странами.
Имеется много причин, почему мы начинаем изучать иностранные языки. Одни изучают иностранный язык, чтобы общаться с другими людьми, которые говорят на этом языке, другие изучают его для будущей карьеры.
Если мы планируем поездку в страны, где разговаривают на языке, на котором мы можем говорить, мы можем общаться с людьми там и понимать то, что они говорят нам.
Если мы работаем в каком-нибудь научном отделе, мы, чтобы поднять наш профессиональный уровень, естественно желаем читать научные книги и журналы на других языках. Занятие бизнесом в настоящее время также означает способность общаться на иностранных языках.
Знание одного или двух или даже большего количества иностранных языков помогает людям из разных стран развивать взаимную дружбу и взаимопонимание. Посредством контактов с людьми другой культуры мы можем также развивать наш интеллектуальный и культурный потенциал.
Также очень интересно читать иностранную литературу в оригинале. Мы можем читать иностранные газеты и журналы, без какой-либо помощи и перевода понимать фильмы на иностранных языках.
Что касается меня, я изучаю английский язык, потому что английский язык очень популярен во всем мире. Он используется во всем мире и на английском пишется много деловой корреспонденции и литературы.
Еще я собираюсь изучать испанский, потому что это также широко распространенный язык.
Я думаю, что очень важно говорить по крайней мере на одном иностранном языке: английском или немецком, французском или испанском или любом другом.
Существует поговорка: чем на большем количестве языков вы говорите, тем больше раз вы человек.
1. Are foreign languages necessary for people nowadays?
2. Why do we begin to study foreign languages?
3. What language do I learn?
4. What language am I going to learn?
foreign — иностранный
necessary — необходимый
nowadays — в наши дни
growing — возрастающий
reasons — причины
to be able — быть в состоянии, уметь
to communicate — общаться, разговаривать
branch of science — отрасль науки
to raise smb’s professional level — поднять чей-либо профессиональный уровень
mutual — взаимный
horizon — горизонт
wider — шире
through — через
in the original — в оригинале
compulsory — обязательный
secondary school — средняя школа
higher school — высшая школа
correspondence — корреспонденция, переписка
at least — по крайней мере
Сочинение на английском языке — Зачем мы изучаем английский язык
Learning A new language
Learning a new language is not easy. So when we want to learn the language, we should be confident and should not be shy. Therefore, we should practice language as much as we can. To learn language we should follow certain steps.
As matter as fact, students who wish to learn the language should follow certain steps. First, we should listen to the new language as much as possible. We have better listening to a native speaker that because we will learn pronunciation correctly. Also, we can use radio, audio programmes and watching T.V in listening language. Moreover, we should try ad much as possible listening to the language four hours everyday.
Second, to speak a new language we should be confident. For example, we should be confident and do not fear of our mistakes when we speak. Therefore, If we shy and do not want to make a mistake, we can not speak because we are afraid to make a mistake.
Third, read in the language as much as we can. For instance, read from general books which have topics we like it. Also, read from children’s books and read from magazines.
Fourth, to learn writing we should draw our planning and think of what we want to write about. In addition to that we can learn writing by writing our daily.
To conclude, we should practice these skills as much as we can. In addition to that if we have desire we can overcome the abstracts that we face when learning language.
Сочинение на английском — Зачем изучать английский язык с переводом
Learning foreign languages is important nowadays
I think that any educated person must learn foreign languages. But I prefer English to other foreign languages. Why? English is becoming a global language. A half of billion people in the world use English at home or work. English is the language which is known for the most part of our fine, magnificent and surprising world. English is so widespread that it has become the standard language for all kinds of international communication.
A lot of problems of the 21st century, such as the problems of war and peace, ecology, can not be solved without speaking the same language.
The English language is now the first language of about 350 million people, the native language of 12 nations and the official language of more than 33 nations. It means that one of seven people in the world speaks English.
Some people learn English because they need it in their work; others to travel aboard and for lots of people learning English is just a hobby.
I have been learning English since the age of 11. I like learning English very much. But I like and know well my native language, Russian. The great German poet Goethe once said: “He, who knows no foreign language, does not know his own one.” I agree with him. The knowledge of English helps me to learn Russian.
Зачем изучать английский язык
Изучение иностранных языков важно в наши дни. Я думаю, что культурный и современный человек должен изучать иностранные языки. Но я предпочитаю английский язык. Почему? Английский становится глобальным языком. Половина миллиарда человек в мире используют английский дома или на работе. Английский – это язык, который известен всему нашему прекрасному, величественному и удивительному миру. Английский настолько распространен, что он стал стандартным языком всех видов международных общений.
Проблемы 21-го века, такие, как проблемы войны и мира, экологии, не могут быть решены, если не говорить на одном языке.
На английском языке говорят более 350 миллионов человек, он является родным языком 12 наций и официальным языком более чем 33 национальностей. Это означает, что каждый седьмой человек в мире говорит на английском языке.
Некоторые люди изучают английский язык, потому что они нужны им в работе, другие много путешествуют за границу,а для многих изучение английского языка любимое занятие. Я начала изучать язык с 11 лет. Мне он очень нравится. Но я также люблю свой родной русский язык. Великий немецкий поэт Гёте однажды сказал: «Тот, кто не знает иностранного языка, не знает и своего собственного». Я согласна с ним, все познается в сравнении. Знание английского языка помогает мне познавать русский язык.
Источники: http://iloveenglish.ru/topics/anglijskij_-_mezhdynarodnij_yazik_obshcheniya/pochemy_eto_tak_vazhno_izychat_inostrannie_yaziki, http://abc-english-grammar.com/1/sochinenia_po_angliiskomu_yaziku27.htm, http://www.english-source.ru/other-articles/348-learning-a-new-language