Every year several languages die out. Some people think that it
is not important because life will be easier if there are fewer languages in
the world.
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?
It is argued that the annual
extinction of many languages is not a problem because having just a few
languages leads to a more convenient life. It is disagreed that the convenience
of using just a few key languages makes the dying out of less spoken dialects
acceptable. This essay will first discuss the importance of language to
culture, and secondly the fact that learning a few common languages is
unrealistic, followed by a reasoned conclusion.
A language is not just a group of spoken
words but the key to someone’s culture. Language has evolved over thousands of
years to reflect what it means to be from a particular place. For example, the
Irish language has one of the widest vocabularies in the world and reflects
their tradition of storytelling. Despite this, English has become the first
language of the Irish, as many feel it makes it easier to communicate with the
world.
By speaking just a couple of
languages, such as English and Chinese, you alienate billions of people
throughout the world. English may be common, but it is not the ‘lingua franca’
many people think it is and it would take generations for everyone to learn it.
Countries like Korea and Vietnam have been trying to adopt English as a
second language for a long time, but most of their people still can’t fully
grasp it. However, English has been the language of business for a long
time and it should be encouraged to help a country become more economically
competitive.
To conclude, commonly spoken languages
may make life more straightforward, but this should not be at the expense of
less prevalent languages, in order to avoid the erosion of culture and the
alienation of many countries. (289 words. Band 9)
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