首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
Is English Appropriate for a Global Language? Several intrinsic features of English language have made it an appropriate choice
Is English Appropriate for a Global Language? Several intrinsic features of English language have made it an appropriate choice
admin
2017-04-25
83
问题
Is English Appropriate for a Global Language?
Several intrinsic features of English language have made it an appropriate choice as a global language.
I. The【T1】_____ of English’s vocabulary【T1】______
1. Large amount of English words in common use
2. Large numbers of【T2】_____【T2】______
3. The wealth of English idioms and phrases
II. The【T3】_____ of the language【T3】______
1. Word order.
2.【T4】_____ as active or passive【T4】______
3. The same word as both a noun and a verb
4. New words can easily be created
A. By the addition of prefixes or suffixes
B. By【T5】_____ or fusing existing words together【T5】______
III. Generally simpler【T6】_____【T6】______
1. No noun genders
2.【T7】_____【T7】______
3. No distinction between【T8】_____ addresses【T8】______
4. Almost no case forms for nouns
IV. Simple spelling and pronunciation
1. No subtle【T9】_____variations【T9】______
2. Few consonant clusters
3. Between【T10】_____ and 52 unique sounds in English【T10】______
4. Consonants are fairly regular in pronunciation
5. No accents or diacritical marks
6. Preserving the original spelling of【T11】_____【T11】______
7. Some inconsistencies help to distinguish between【T12】_____【T12】______
V. A cosmopolitan language
1. Adopting thousands of words from other languages
2. Concise, as shown in the length of【T13】_____【T13】______
3. Less prone to misunderstandings
4. No distinction between formal and informal【T14】_____【T14】______
5. No complex【T15】_____ distinction【T15】______
【T14】
Is English Appropriate for a Global Language?
Good morning, everyone. Today, we will continue our discussion about English as a global language. Some have argued that there are intrinsic features of the English language that set it apart, and make it an appropriate choice as a global language and it may be worthwhile investigating some of these claims. Today, I will give you a brief account of these features and approach the question whether English is appropriate for a global language.
[1]First of all, the richness and depth of English’s vocabulary sets it apart from other languages. The 1989 revised "Oxford English Dictionary" lists 615,000 words in 20 volumes, officially the world’s largest dictionary. If technical and scientific words were to be included, the total would rise to well over a million. By some estimates, the English lexicon is currently increasing by over 8,500 words a year, although other estimates put this as high as 15,000 to 20,000. It is estimated that about 200,000 English words are in common use, as compared to 184,000 in German, and mere 100,000 in French.[2]The availability of large numbers of synonyms allows shades of distinction that are just not available to non-English speakers and, although other languages have books of synonyms, none has anything on quite the scale of "Roget’s Thesaurus". Add to this the wealth of English idioms and phrases, and the available material with which to express meaning is truly prodigious, whether the intention is poetry, business or just everyday conversation.
[3]Secondly, English is a very flexible language.[4]One example of this is in respect of word order and the ability to phrase sentences as active or passive—e.g. I kicked the ball, or the ball was kicked by me. Another is in the ability to use the same word as both a noun and a verb, such as drink, fight, silence, etc.[5]New words can easily be created by the addition of prefixes or suffixes—e.g. brightness, fixation, unintelligible, etc, or by compounding or fusing existing words together—e.g. airport, seashore, footwear, etc. Just how far English’s much-vaunted flexibility should go or should be allowed to go is a hotly-debated topic, though. For example, should common but incorrect usages be accepted as part of the natural evolution of the language, or reviled as inexcusable sloppi-ness which should be summarily nipped in the bud?
[6]Thirdly, its grammar is generally simpler than most languages. It dispenses completely with noun genders,[7]and often dispenses with the article completely.[8]The distinction between familiar and formal addresses was abandoned centuries ago. Case forms for nouns are almost non-existent, with the exception of some personal pronouns like I/me/mine, he/ him/his, etc, as compared to Finnish, for example, which has fifteen forms for every noun, or Russian which has 12. In German, each verb has 16 different forms, while English only retains 5 at most(e.g. ride, rides, rode, riding, ridden)and often only requires 3(e.g. hit, hits, hitting).
Well, in the fourth aspect, some would also claim that it is also a relatively simple language in terms of spelling and pronunciation, although this claim is perhaps more contentious.[9]While it does not require mastery of the subtle tonal variations of Cantonese, nor the bewildering consonant clusters of Welsh or Gaelic, it does have more than its fair share of apparently random spellings, silent letters and phonetic inconsistencies.[10]There are somewhere between 44 and 52 unique sounds used in English pronunciation, depending on the authority consulted, almost equally divided between vowel sounds and consonants, as compared to 26 in Italian, for example, or just 13 in Hawaiian. This includes some sounds which are notoriously difficult for foreigners to pronounce, and some sounds which have a huge variety of possible spellings. In its defense, though, its consonants at least are fairly regular in pronunciation, and it is blessedly free of the accents and diacritical marks which festoon many other languages.[11]Also, its borrowings of foreign words tend to preserve the original spelling rather than attempting to spell them phonetically. It has been estimated that 84% of English spellings conform to general patterns or rules, while only 3% are completely unpredictable.[12]Arguably, some of the inconsistencies do help to distinguish between homophones like fissure and fisher; seas and seize; air and heir; aloud and allowed; weather and whether, chants and chance; flu, flue and flew; reign, rein and rain; etc.
Finally, some argue that, from its adoption of thousands of words from other languages with which it came into contact, the cosmopolitan character of English gives it a feeling of familiarity and welcoming compared to other languages, such as French, for example, which has tried its best to keep out other languages.[13]Despite a tendency towards jargon, English is generally reasonably concise compared to many languages, as can be seen in the length of translations. A notable exception is Hebrew translations, which are usually shorter than their English equivalents by up to a third. It is also less prone to misunderstandings due to cultural subtleties than, say, Japanese, which is almost impossible to simultaneously translate for that reason. The absence of coding for social differences may make English seem more democratic and remove some of the potential stress associated with language-generated social blunders.[14]/[15]In many other languages, one has to distinguish between formal and informal verb forms and sometimes other more complex social distinctions. The extent and quality of English literature throughout history marks it as a language of culture and class. As a result, it carries with it a certain legitimacy, substance and gravitas that few other languages can match.
OK. I have outlined five linguistic reasons to justify English as the global language. On balance, though, the intrinsic appeal of English as a world language is probably overblown and specious, and largely based on chauvinism. It is unlikely that linguistic factors are of great importance in a language’s rise to the status of world language, and English’s position today is almost entirely due to the aforementioned political and economic factors, which is the topic of next lecture.
选项
答案
verb forms
解析
讲座提到在许多其他语言中,正式用语和非正式用语的动词形式是有区别的,由此说明英语是不存在这种区别的,因此这里填入verb forms。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/vbsK777K
0
专业英语八级
相关试题推荐
WhoisconsideredtobethegreatestEnglishdramatistsinceShakespeare?
______wasconsideredasthebeginningofEnglishliteratureandthefirstepicinthehistoryofEnglishliterature.
______washonoredas"theFatherofEnglishPoetry".
TheofficiallanguagesofNewZealandincludeEnglishand
______referstoamarginallanguageoffewlexicalitemsandsimplegrammaticsrules,usedasamediumofcommunication.
Arbitrarinessoflanguagewasfirstdiscussedby
Mentalistsholdthatlanguageisacquiredwiththehelpof
Losingweightiseasierwhenthereismoneyontheline,U.S.researcherssaidonTuesday.Theysaidweight-lossprogramsthat
随机试题
某甲在劳动中被砸伤,致使双腿被截肢。根据我国民法的有关规定,现某甲仍应享有的权利是()
心原性水肿常伴有
黄芩具有而黄柏不具有的功效是()
根据税收征收管理法规,关于从事生产、经营的纳税人账簿,下列哪些说法是正确的?(2012年试卷一第69题)
某采石厂开采地点距国道大桥16.7m,1987年采矿由村办企业转为乡镇企业,王某某承包经营该厂,破碎车间由李某某承包并作为负责人兼安全员。1989年7月,由于该采石厂在出事故地点的开采处已经形成明显伞檐,王某某发现李某某在原开采点和出事地点两处之间进行
施工机械工作时间中的不可避免的无负荷工作时间应属于()。()是合理确定建设工程项目投资的基础。
岗前培训的特点不包括()。
计算机内部信息的表示及存储往往采用二进制形式,采用这种形式的最主要原因是:
窗体上有一个命令按钮,数据文件data.txt的内容如下:"语文""2001",87"数学""2002",75"英语""2003",92"体育""2004",66
一个运动队有多个队员,一个队员仅属于一个运动队,一个队一般都有一个教练,则实体运动队和队员的联系是
最新回复
(
0
)