Топик по английскому «Изучение иностранных языков» (Learning Foreign Languages). Learning Foreign Languages

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.

Перевод текста: Learning a Foreign Language - 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.

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.

Использованная литература:
1. 100 тем английского устного (Каверина В., Бойко В., Жидких Н.) 2002
2. Английский язык для школьников и поступающих в ВУЗы. Устный экзамен. Топики. Тексты для чтения. Экзаменационные вопросы. (Цветкова И. В., Клепальченко И.А., Мыльцева Н.А.)
3. English, 120 Topics. Английский язык, 120 разговорных тем. (Сергеев С.П.)

We know a legend about the Babylonian Tower: once people decided to build a tower which would be so high that it would reach the heavens. Certainly, to build it lots of people gathered together. All of them were able to understand each other because one language was spoken then. The work was being done successfully but God became angry about it and punished the builders: he created lots of languages. The people lost contact with each other. The work couldn’t be completed.
These legend makes us think about the importance of languages and ability to understand each other. Actually, we take the language we speak for granted — it seems to be just a means of communication. But once we are in other countries, we are baffled because we can’t explain what we need! Using gestures can be fun but certainly it takes a lot of time and it’s often imprecise.
So here comes the question: how could all people understand each other? Probably, one language should be chosen to be learnt by everyone?
No one chose English to be that one but, nevertheless, we must admit that English nowadays could be called a world language. Here are facts which prove it:
— geographically, English is the most widespread language on Earth, second only to Mandarin Chinese in the number of people who speak it;
— it’s the official language of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, of the United States of America, of Australia and New Zealand;
— English is used as one of the official languages in Canada, the Republic of South Africa and the Trish Republic;
— another 100 million people chiefly living in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and in many African countries speak English in additional to their own language;
— 75 % of the world’s mail and 60 % of the world’s telephone calls are in English;
— it’s the language of business, technology, sport and aviation.
We see that it’s a must to know the English language nowadays. Perhaps, that’s why English is the most popular language taught at school in our country. Many pupils start to learn it at the age of six. I assume that it’s good — it’s a well-known fact children can master a language more easily in comparison with adults. And it takes much time to do it: in order to have perfect knowledge you are to learn all aspects of English: grammar, vocabulary, phonetics. Four activities: speaking, listening, reading, writing — will lead you to mastering the language.
Though lots of people claim that the English language is an easy one, there are its own difficulties. Like articles, for example. For us, who speak Russian as a mother tongue, articles have often been a problem. Tenses usually confuse learners, too. And I suppose the most difficult things in English are prepositions and set expressions — only by learning them by heart you will master them.
Naturally, there are lots of pluses of English. For instance, verbs have rather few inflec¬tions, and adjectives do not change according to the noun. English is a very flexible language: the same word can operate as many different parts of speech. For example, we can water flowers and have water to drink; time to go and to time a race; a paper to read and to paper a bedroom. Moreover, English has a very open vocabulary (this involves the free admission of words from other languages and the easy creation of compounds and derivatives). Most world languages have contributed some words to English at some time, and the process is now being reversed. Purists of other languages are resisting the arrival of English in their vocabulary — too many English equivalents started to substitute original words.
Another aspect of English which is not considered to be simple is pronunciation. Lots of words in English are written in the same way, but they are pronounced differently. There are even some funny poems about it.

Think of comb and tomb and bomb,
Doll and roll and home and some.
And since pay is rhymed with say,
Why not paid with said I pray?
Think of blood and food and good;
Mould is not pronounced like could.
Why is it done, but gone and lone –
Is there any reason known?
A moth is not a moth in mother
Not both in bother, broth in brother,
And here is not a match for there
Nor dear and fear for bear and bare.

We should bear in mind that a language is not simply words: it’s part of culture. A word, its pronunciation and spelling can tell us a lot about the past of a country. We can notice that frequently words from different languages are similar. What historical information can this fact give us?
Well, let’s take a look at the history of English.
When Julius Caesar invaded Britain in BC 54-5, the ‘Celtic’ tribes lived on the British Isles. Their Celtic languages still survive as ‘Gaelic’ in Scotland and Ireland, ‘Welsh’ in Wales, and ‘Manx’ in the Isle of Man, as well as ‘Breton’ in France.
So, the Romans brought Latin to Britain, but even before them the tribes from the East (the territory which is now known as Germany) had brought different dialects of the Germanic language in there. That’s why modern German and English have many similar words.
Later, the Vikings brought the Norse language, and the Normans from France (led by King William the Conqueror in 1066) brought the Old French language.
What is known as Middle English is the mixture of Old English and French. Nowadays even for native English speakers it’s very difficult to understand.
When the Renaissance came in Europe, English was not very different from the English used today. And the most famous writer of that time is William Shakespeare. Today we use lots of sayings Shakespeare gave us, and often we don’t realize that they came from his plays and poems. Probably you know some of these: «All the world’s a stage», «All’s well that ends well», «Love is blind».
As settlers from Britain moved across the world, English continued developing. First of all, it borrowed lots of words from other languages. Secondly, English started to fall into categories: British English, American English, Australian English and the like. Though the differences between them are slight, they exist.
Certainly, the fact that English is so widespread, has a very rich vocabulary and is comparatively easy to learn contributes to the popularity of this language. But, of course, not everyone is satisfied with the primary position of English. Actually, why not any other language be a world one? Does it mean that English is better in some way? People from France still can’t put up with the fact that French is no longer as popular as it used to be. And it’s bad that native speakers of English sometimes feel superiority: they needn’t take pains to learn other languages.
We know that there was an attempt to create an artificial language. It was called Esperanto. It would be a very good idea to use this neutral language as a world one. Moreover, it’s said to be very easy to learn and, at the same time, you can express the most sophisticated ideas with the help of it. Though Esperanto nowadays is not extremely widespread, its popularity is growing.
Anyway, I’m sure English will remain to be a very important language. Surely people will continue to learn it because it’s very pleasant both to speak and to listen to English. The rich vocabulary enables you to describe the slightest changes of emotions, the most exact thoughts. Famous writers entertain and amaze you and the convoluted history of English itself attracts more and more people to start learning this language.

Language is the means of communication. The most common way of expressing an idea for people is to say it out loud. Language enables people to understand each other. At the same moment language can be a major barrier to understanding because there are thousands of different languages on our planet. From the earliest time, with the development of trade and exchange of ideas and techniques people saw the necessity of learning foreign languages. Egyptian pharaohs had scribes and interpreters at their disposal.

A language that is used as a means of communication by people of different nations is called international. International language helps people of different nations to understand each other. Different epochs had different international languages. As a rule the existence of the language as an international one is determined by political, cultural and economic development of the country which language is spoken as international.

International language is not the phenomenon of our age only. The first international language appeared on the Earth with the birth of civilisation. The Biblical myth about the mixture of languages during the construction of the Babylon Tower, when the people lost their universal language and thus could not communicate, was a reflection of how dearly the people of ancient periods held the gift of speech and understanding. Ever since those times the foreign languages and people who knew them played a significant part in the development of international relations and trade of different countries.

The first international language that we know about was the language of the Phoenicians. The Phoenicians were a nation of industrious merchants and brave seafarers who settled originally on the territory of the Lebanon. Their trading ships travelled across the Mediterranean, they often appeared in Egypt, Italy, and Greece, they voyaged across the Indian and Atlantic oceans. They were the first to round the Cape of Good Hope, the southernmost point of Africa. The Phoenicians were the first to create the alphabet, that later was borrowed by the Greeks. It is not surprising in this context that Phoenician was the international language for many centuries.

The Greek language replaced Phoenician as a means of international communication. After the military expeditions of Alexander of Macedonia the Greek language won recognition all over Asia. The Greek culture and language were imposed in all Hellenistic centres and states, including Egypt, Syria and Persia. The Romans went a little further. The Roman legionary marched to the ends of the earth carrying Latin, their language, with the help of their orators and philosophers to Europe, Asia, and Africa. From that time on the role of languages in the historical development of humanity has increased. Latin survived the collapse of the Roman Empire. Until the establishment of national states, new national languages that originated from Latin (French, Spanish, and Italian) were still emerging. In such circumstances although the native speakers of Latin were gone, it was a universal language of Mediaeval Europe for fifteen centuries. In Europe Latin was used for the serious business of government, diplomacy, and philosophy. A person who did not know Latin was unable to become educated because Latin was also the language of the Universities. In the Middle Ages students and professors travelled from one country to another, from one University to another, and nowhere they had any difficulties in understanding their colleagues and friends as all lectures were delivered in Latin.

Then with the emergence of national states and development of national languages the need to learn foreign languages became especially acute. Besides classical languages modern languages were introduced in the list of school studies. Educated people of Europe were to know several modern languages. For example, Rubens, the greatest painter of the Western civilisation who lived in Flanders in the 17-th century, spoke and wrote six modern languages.

It should be said that not all the languages had equal importance in different centuries in the world. Preference was given to that one which country was more powerful at that time. In the 15-th and 16-th centuries Spain was in the vanguard of European and world expansion and the Spanish language could be heard in the far reaches of our planet. French became the dominant language of the Western world in the 17-th and 19-th centuries. In the 19-th century French was the official language of our country. Since childhood Russian aristocrats were learning French. For example, Pushkin wrote his first poem in French. Russian was spoken only by common people.

In the first half of the 20-th century, during the period between two World Wars, English started gradually to replace French as the international language. Moreover, in the second half of the 20-th century the United States became the world"s dominant power. The USA had enormous political, economic and cultural influence on the Western world.

The transition from French to English as the international language was relatively easy because in many countries of the world people already knew English by that time. The British Empire brought English not only in the North America, but in the Australia, Africa, and India as well. The leadership of English in the modern world can be explained by numerous factors. Over 300 million people who live in Great Britain, Australia, New Zealand and the United States of America speak English is as a native tongue. English is one of the official languages in the Irish Republic, Canada, the South African Republic. It is also the second official language used in the former British and U.S. colonies. English is one of the official languages of the United Nations Organisation and other political organisations. It is the language of literature, education, modern music, international tourism.

The dominance of English in the contemporary world is explained by the appearance of lots of people who want to learn English not for pleasure or prestige but because English has become the key to international scientific, technological and commercial innovations of today.

Previously the reason for learning any foreign language was not well defined. Knowledge of foreign languages was regarded as a sign of a well-rounded education, but few had really questioned why it was necessary. The problem of learning languages is very important today, Foreign languages are socially demanded especially at the present time when the progress in science and technology has led to an explosion of knowledge. The total knowledge of mankind doubles every seven years. English is needed as the main and the most efficient means of information exchange. With the acceptance of English as the international language of technology and commerce appears a new generation of people who know why they are learning the language. Scientists and scholars need it to keep up with developments in their fields. Many students need English because their course of studies includes textbooks avail able only in English. Young people around the world need English in order to be able to use the Internet, communicate with their partners in other countries, understand films and songs.

Unfortunately, there is no universal or ideal method of learning languages. Everybody has his own way. Sometimes it is boring to study grammar or learn new words. But it is well known that reading books in the original, listening to the BBC news, communicating with native speakers will help a lot. When learning a foreign language one learns the culture and history of the native speakers. One must work hard to learn any foreign language.

When do children start learning foreign languages in Russia?

Much depends on the parents. Some children start to learn foreign languages very early, in kindergartens for example. They are taught ABC English there: they sing songs, recite nursery rhymes and learn to construct some phrases. Others start learning languages at school. At some specialised schools foreign languages are taught from the second to the eleventh class. But generally pupils learn foreign languages from the fifth to the eleventh class.

Are foreign languages included in entrance exams?

Many Universities include foreign languages in entrance exams. Students who specialise in humanities, such as History, Sociology, and Philosophy need to know foreign languages for their professional career.

Why do people learn foreign languages in Russia?

Russia is integrating into the world community and the problem of learning English for the purpose of communication is especially urgent today. In Russia people learn English to be able to exchange the latest information concerning science, technology and commerce with their colleagues; to be able to read foreign newspapers and books. Learning foreign languages is especially popular among young people. For them English is a way of exploring a completely new world. A person who travels a lot also needs English. Even in the countries where English is not an official language people will generally be able to understand it.

In how many countries is English the official language?

English is the official language of some thirty states which represent different cultures. Many countries, which have more than one official language have English among other official languages.

What is a distinguishing feature of English?

English belongs to a group of Germanic languages. Thus German is relatively close to English. At the same time England had numerous contacts with France, so French had tremendous influence on English. Today a person who knows both English and French will easily find numerous similarities in these languages. Those who already know English will have less difficulties learning French.

Is English an easy language to learn?

Yes, it is. Basically English is an easier language to learn than almost any other language. Its grammar is not difficult at all.

What do you think is the most difficult about English?

The richness of the vocabulary makes English a difficult language. Moreover, spelling and pronunciation make trouble. An other thing is that Russian and English are very different. It is not easy for a Russian to learn how to use definite and indefinite articles properly because there are no articles in Russian. In this context it should be said that the Germans and the French have less difficulties with English.

Why are foreign languages important for specialists?

Specialist should know foreign languages to communicate with their colleagues at the conferences, through books and journals or the Internet. Today it is not enough for a professional to know only one foreign language. That is why many young people who begin to think about their future early start learning several languages. For Russian specialists it is good to know not only English, but German and French as well. Undoubtedly, English is number one language that specialists should learn.

What kind of foreign language do specialists have to know?

Specialists have to know that kind of English which will help them to solve their professional problems. They need English for specific purposes. It has been established that there are important differences between, say, the English of commerce and that of engineering. That is why a great deal of English courses for specific groups of learners have been developed. The discovery that language varies from one situation of use to another allowed to determine the features of the specific situations making them the basis of the learners course. Today specialist of different branches of sciences and professionals can learn English for their specific purposes. Nowadays there are English courses for Biology, Geography, Law, History, Mathematics, Medicine, Economy, and other sciences.

Список литературы

Для подготовки данной работы были использованы материалы с сайта http://nota.triwe.net/

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.

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

Еще я собираюсь изучать испанский, потому что это также широко распространенный язык.

Существует поговорка: чем на большем количестве языков вы говорите, тем больше раз вы человек.

Questions:

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?

Vocabulary:

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

Топики на тему образования: Learning Foreign Languages.

It is necessary to learn foreign languages. That"s why pupils have got such subject as a foreign language at school. Everybody knows his own language, but it is useful to know foreign languages.

I learn English, because I understand that I can use it. For example, if I go to England I"ll be able to speak English there. If I go to the USA, I"ll speak English too. English is used not only in England, but also in other parts of the world.

I learn English because I want to read foreign literature in the original. I know and like such English and American writers as Charles Dickens, Mark Twain, Lewis Carroll and others. I understand that I must learn English. If I know English well, I"ll be able to go to the library and take books by English and American writers in the original.

I like to travel. But it is difficult to visit countries, when you don"t know the language of these countries. If I know the language of the country, where I am going to, it will be easy to travel there. If I want to ask something, I can do it in English.

I like to read books. And I like to read newspapers, too. If I know, for example, English I"ll be able to read English newspapers and magazines. Knowledge of foreign languages helps young people of different countries to understand each other, to develop friendship among them. For example, we have a foreign exhibition in Moscow. If I know a foreign language, it is easy for me to visit this exhibition.

You can see a lot of advertisements, signboards, names in the streets. They are in foreign languages. Very often they are in English. If you know English, you can read and understand them.

Now we buy many clothes from other countries If you know English well, you can read something about the size of this or that thing. It is clear for you what it is made of.

There are a lot of films in foreign languages. If you know foreign languages, you can understand films without any help.

There are international friendship camps in the world. If you can speak foreign languages, it will be easy for you to visit such camps and speak with the boys, girls, men even they don"t know Russian.

In short, I understand that I have to learn English in a proper way and I try to do it.

Перевод текста: Learning Foreign Languages

Необходимо изучить иностранные языки. Именно поэтому ученики имеют такой предмет как иностранный язык в школе. Каждый знает его собственный язык, но полезно знать иностранные языки.

Я изучаю английский язык, потому что я понимаю, что я могу использовать это. Например, если я пойду в Англию, то я буду в состоянии говорить на английском языке там. Если я пойду в США, то я буду говорить на английском языке также. Английский язык используется не только в Англии, но также и в других частях мира.

Я изучаю английский язык, потому что я хочу прочитать иностранную литературу в оригинале. Я знаю и как такие английские и американские авторы как Чарльз Дикенс, Марк Твен, Льюис Карролл и другие. Я понимаю, что я должен изучить английский язык. Если я буду знать английский язык хорошо, то я буду в состоянии пойти к библиотеке и взять книги английскими и американскими авторами в оригинале.

Я люблю путешествовать. Но трудно посетить страны, когда Вы не знаете язык этих стран. Если я буду знать язык страны, куда я иду в, то будет легко поехать туда. Если я хочу спросить кое-что, я могу сделать это на английском языке.

Я люблю прочитать книги. И я люблю прочитать газеты, также. Если я буду знать, например, английский язык, то я буду в состоянии прочитать английские газеты и журналы. Знание иностранных языков помогает молодым людям различных стран понимать друг друга, развивать дружбу среди них. Например, мы имеем иностранную выставку в Москве. Если я знаю иностранный язык, это легко для меня посетить эту выставку.

Теперь мы покупаем много одежд от других стран, Если Вы знаете английский язык хорошо, Вы можете прочитать кое-что о размере этого или той вещи. Это ясно для Вас, из чего это сделано.

Есть много фильмов на иностранных языках. Если Вы знаете иностранные языки, Вы можете понять фильмы без любой помощи.

В мире есть международные лагеря дружбы. Если Вы можете говорить иностранные языки, это будет легко для Вас посетить такие лагеря и говорить с мальчиками, девочками, мужчины, даже они не знают русский язык.

Короче говоря, я понимаю, что я должен изучить английский язык надлежащим способом, и я пробую сделать это.