We study a foreign language
The students of our Institute study one of four foreign languages. I
studied English at school so I’m going to perfect it at the Institute.
But my friend Galina studies German, and Natasha studies French.
The total number of languages in the world is about 5000. The most
widespread languages are Chinese, English, Spanish, Russian and others.
These languages are alive, i.e. they are in use. In addition to these,
there are ”dead” languages which are no more means of communication.
There are old Greek, Latin, Old Slavonic. There is also a number of
artificial or universal or world languages. The world-known artificial
language is Esperanto. There are also programming languages that are
used in computers. These are specialized languages.
English is one of the richest languages and spoken practically all over
the world. But the language itself has a long history of development.
The ancient inhabitants of Great Britain were the Celts. The language
then was not like the English of today. Only a few their words remained
in the language now, spoken by the English people. Then G.B. was
occupied by the Romans. The Roman period of British history lasted 465
years. The Romans brought a few Roman words into the English: Street,
Lincoln, Doncaster and some other names. Then the Saxons came and
settled down in the land they conquered. These Germans were the founders
of the English nation. By and by came other Germanic tribes who settled
on different parts of the coast. Among these tribes were people called
the Angles. When the Angles and Saxons grew into one, they were called
Anglo-Saxons or Angles (English). The general name they gave to the
country in which they had settled was England. The Saxons as well as the
Angles called their speech English.
The Normanns came then. Though the Normanns became the masters of
England and the Saxon became their servants, the Saxons didn’t want to
speak their language and the Normanns had to learn English to make the
English people understand their orders. In this way Anglo-Saxons’
changed a little by the Normanns became real English language of the
future, and that’s why the pronunciation of English words differs so
much from their spelling.
Now English is the mother tongue throughout the continent of North
America (the USA and Canada) in the British Isles, South Africa,
Australia and New Zealand.
For a long time English was the most important of the languages of the
colonial countries in Africa, Asia, Australia and Oceania. English was
imposed of the enslaved nations as the only means of communication. With
the growth of national liberation movement most of the former British
colonies have gained their independence. With the end of the British
Empire, English, however, has not lost it’s dominant position in the
former colonies.
English is also the international language of commerce. It is one of
five languages used in the United Nations Organisation. English is
studied as a foreign language in our secondary and higher schools. I am
a first year student of State TAX Service Academy . I study English. It
is one of my favourite subjects.
At our English lessons we learn to speak English. We study
pronunciation, vocabulary and grammar.
I can understand spoken English all right, but I find it difficult to
speak. My????????????????????????????????????????›???????????????????
1. The total number – загальна кількість
2. the most widespread languages – найпоширеніші мови
3. alive – живий
4. in addition – на додаток
5. all over the world – в усьому світі syn. throughout the world
6. the ancient inhabitants – древні жителі
7. to occupy – займати
8. to settle down – оселитись
9. to conquer – захоплювати
10. that’s why – ось чому
11. to differ from – відрізнятись
12. spelling – правопис
13. to impose – нав’язувати
14. as the only means of communication – як єдиний засіб спілкування
15. liberation movement – визвольний рух
16. to gain one’s independence – здобути свободу
17. to speak fluently – розмовляти вільно
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