English as an International Language
- Moe :
-
Mr. Brown,/
are you familiar with the history of English?// - Mr. Brown :
-
I’m not an expert,/
but I can tell you a little.// Are you interested?// - Moe :
-
Yes!//
- Mr. Brown :
-
Well,/
English was a local language/ People called Angles and Saxons/spoken around the border/ between Germany and Denmark.// spoke the language.// - Moe :
-
So,/
why is English spoken/ in the UK now?// - Mr. Brown :
-
Those people came to the southern part of Britain/
in the middle of the 5th century.// Then,/in 1066,/ They used French/people from France conquered and governed England.// in their daily lives.// That’s why many English words have their origins in French,/like beef, table, mirror, music....//
- Moe :
-
OK,/
I understand.// But what about English in the USA?//Did a lot of English-speaking people/ sail across the Atlantic Ocean to America?// - Mr. Brown :
-
Good guess,/
Moe!// They went to the North American continent/to avoid religious conflicts/ They created more new words/in the 17th century.// in their daily lives.// - Moe :
-
I know/
there are some differences/ in American and British English,/ like “elevator” and “lift.”// - Mr. Brown :
-
Also,/
the same word can be used/ For example,/to refer to different things.// “pants” in the USA are trousers.// In the UK,/it means underwear.// By the way,/do you know/ //that English is used in many other countries/ as an official language?
- Moe :
-
Yes.//
I sometimes notice/ that people from Nigeria,/ Singapore,/ Jamaica and the Philippines/ speak English very well.// - Mr. Brown :
-
Those countries were former British or American colonies.//
They needed to use English/ when they negotiated in political situations/ But they had their own local languages.//or when trading.// So,/ when they communicated with people/ Actually,/who spoke different local languages,/ it was convenient to use English/ as a common language.// it’s still the same today.// - Moe :
-
So people from those countries have chances/
to use English daily.// On the other hand,/we use English mostly in class.// - Mr. Brown :
-
Exactly.//
- Moe :
-
Mr. Brown,/
English has been influenced by other languages,/ hasn’t it?// - Mr. Brown :
-
Definitely!//
And now these influences are occurring faster than before/ because of the Internet.// In fact,/you can even use Japanese words/ And vice versa.//as they are,/ like emoji or cosplay .// Japanese has been constantly changing, too.// - Moe :
-
It’s interesting/
that languages influence each other!// I’d like to communicate in English/and learn more about the people and cultures/ of other countries.// - Mr. Brown :
-
Since you have fewer chances to use English,/
why don’t you find other ways to practice it,/ like watching English movies online and making comments?// - Moe :
-
Good idea!//