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The Importance of English

The document discusses the global importance and economic value of the English language. It notes that teaching English through language courses, textbooks, and other materials generates hundreds of millions for the UK and US economies. The novelist Malcolm Bradbury is quoted describing English as an ideal export that requires little maintenance. The document also outlines how English became established as an official or recognized language in former British colonies like Nigeria, Zambia, and Singapore.

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207 views2 pages

The Importance of English

The document discusses the global importance and economic value of the English language. It notes that teaching English through language courses, textbooks, and other materials generates hundreds of millions for the UK and US economies. The novelist Malcolm Bradbury is quoted describing English as an ideal export that requires little maintenance. The document also outlines how English became established as an official or recognized language in former British colonies like Nigeria, Zambia, and Singapore.

Uploaded by

morgaine81
Copyright
© Attribution Non-Commercial (BY-NC)
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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NAME: THE IMPORTANCE OF ENGLISH

COURSE:

British or American, the language is basically the same, and its global stature is backed up by massive English-language training programmes, an international business that in textbooks, language courses, tape cassettes, video programmes and computerized instruction is worth hundreds of millions of pounds or dollars to the economies of the US and the UK. The English language is now one of Britains most reliable exports. In the ironic words of the novelist Malcolm Bradbury, it is an ideal British product, needing no workers and no work, no assembly lines and no assembly, no spare parts and very little servicing, it is used for the most intimate and the most public services everywhere. We call it the English language ... Dr Robert Burchfield, former Chief Editor of the Oxford English Dictionary, has remarked that any literate, educated person on the face of the globe is deprived if he does not know English. The first level of the global sway of English is to be found in those countries, formerly British colonies, in which English as a second language has become accepted as a fact of cultural life that cannot be wished away. In Nigeria, it is an official language; in Zambia, it is recognized as one of the state languages; in Singapore, it is the major language of government, the legal system and education.

QUESTIONS 1. Answer the following questions using your own words. (2 points) a. Is the teaching of the English language worth a lot of money?

b. According to Bradbury, what is the difference between the English language and traditional industry?

2. Are the following statements true or false? (1 point) a. Dr. R. Burchfield is not the Chief Editor of the Oxford English Dictionary currently. b. Malcom Bradbury is a novelist that works at an assembly line. 3. Find a word or phrase in the text which, in context, is similar in meaning to: (1 point) a. Essentially: ____________________ b. That can be trusted: ____________________ 4. Choose a, b or c in each question below. Only one choice is correct. (2 points) 1. The English Language a. is a good source of money for UK and USA.
1

b. is not a good source of money for UK and USA. c. is a good source. 2. The English Language a. has not been accepted in the British colonies. b. has been accepted in the British colonies. c. has become obsolete in the British colonies. 3. The English language is an official language a. in Zambia and Singapore. b. in Nigeria. c. in Nigeria and Zambia. 4. Dr. Robert Burchfield a. is not a novelist. b. works for the OED. c. worked for the OED. 5. Composition (100-150 words) Is the English language big business? (4 points)

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