A Global Language looks at the possibility of English used by most people in the world. At the end of this lesson, you will be able to consider to what extent language impacts our culture and identity and the advantages and disadvantages of having a global language.
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Watch a video introducing the Endangered Languages Project. It is a website for people to find and share the most up-to-date and comprehensive information about the over 3,000 endangered languages of the world. What does preserving a local language help tp support in that community?
Read the text about why English should not be the international language of the world.
Adapted from Why English should not be the International Language of the World by Robert Neilsen.
Here are the keywords and phrases to learn:
- academic articles
- burdens
- conscience support
- equivalent
- erecting barriers
- historical baggage
- linguistic reasons
- native speakers
- outright random
- privilege
- prospect
- sidetracked
- surrendering
- unjust system
Answers for the Reading Comprehension
1. F 2. F 3. T 4. T 5. F 6. T 7. F 8. T
- Watch the film Sound and Fury or watch Heather Artinian's TED Talk to see how important language and culture are in relation to her identity.
- Imagine your school has developed a new policy with the aim of improving students' language skills that says students should speak English at school, both in class and in social situations. How would you feel if you were forced to use only English at school? Write a social media post to your friends describing your feelings about the new policy.
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