The International Character of English

English is preeminently the most international of languages. Though the name of the language may at once remind us of England, or we may associate it with the United States, one of the world's superpowers, English carries less implications of political or cultural specificity than any other living tongue. At one and the same time, English serves the daily purposes of republics such as the United States or South Africa, sharply different in size, population, climate, and national philosophy; and it serves the ancient realm such as the United Kingdom.

Commonwealth partners, themselves are as different from each other as they are from Britain herself. English is spoken as a native language by more than 300 million people. In about 25 countries English has been legally designated as an official language. It has been estimated that English is a second language for well over 300 million people: the number of second- speakers may soon exceed the number of native-speakers, if it has not done so already.

The extent to which English is studied at the school level is shown in the analyses of 112 countries, where English is not a native language. The study estimates that over 46 million primary school students and over 71 million secondary school students were in English classes in 1970s. Outside the primary and secondary schools, there are large numbers of students in institutions of higher and further education who are learning English for a variety of purposes: as the medium of the literature and culture of English-speaking countries; for access to scholarly and technological publications; to qualify as English teachers, translators or interpreters; to improve their chances of employment or promotion.

To put it in bluntly, English is a top requirement of those seeking jobs, and is often the language in which much of the business of good jobs is conducted. It is needed for the access to at least half of the world's scientific literature. It is thus intimately associated with technological and economic development and it is the principal language of international aid. The great manufacturing countries such as -Germany and Japan use English as principal advertising and sales medium; it is the language of automation and computer technology. It is also the major language of diplomacy, and is the most frequently used both in the debates of the United Nations and in the general conduct of UN business.

Task 19.Act dialogues on the following topics with your

partner. Make use of the following phrases

As far as I know; as far as I am concerned, just on the contrary; I dare say that …; that’s quite wrong, that’s not quite true; speaking of; I am inclined to think

1.Your prediction of the future of English.

2. Will the international importance of English increase or decrease in the 21 century?

3. What foreign language should be introduced into general studies at higher educational establishments of Ukraine? Please motivate.

4. How many foreign languages should be included into the Law School curriuculum?

Task 20. Read, memorise the words, make up your own sentences

tongue – язик, мова

inhabitant– мешканець, житель

perish– гинути, умирати

share– ділити, розподіляти

spread– поширюватися

source– джерело

conquer – завойовувати, підкоряти

whatever – який би не, будь-який

dialect– діалект

settle– поселитися

attain– досягати, добиватися

promote– просувати, сприяти, заохочувати

degree – ступінь, рівень

far-reaching– широкий, далекосяжний

flourish– процвітати

remove– переміщати, відсувати

reduce–послабляти, зменшувати

utterly– зовсім, надзвичайно, цілком, абсолютно

rapidly– швидко, стрімко

preserve– зберігати, охороняти

search– шукати, досліджувати

unchecked – безперешкодний, неперевірений

adopt – усиновляти, засвоювати, запозичувати

revival – відновлення

Task 21. Read and translate the text into Ukrainian