Monologue 4 «Language»
Active Vocabulary: 30, Grammar Structures: 11, Linkers: 12, Total: 952 words.
«Knowing many languages means having many keys to one lock» (Voltaire). In this quote, the
lock is other cultures and languages are the very keys that allow you to plunge into these
cultures. Now there is a cult of self-development and self-education, due to which more and
more people are beginning to learn languages. And that is great!
Let’s talk about the reasons for learning foreign languages. Firstly, some languages are
international languages. For example, English standardize international community. So, you
need to at least pick up the basics of the English. Secondly, knowledge of a foreign language is
simply necessary if we plan to more abroad or just go on an internship or business trip. Thirdly,
learning a language will help you get on the way to get ahead in your career or personal life. For
instance, knowing the language, you will find partners for your business or a foreign spouse
faster and easier. It is also useful if you want to dominate in any area, for example, in the already
mentioned business. Fourthly, very often tourists abroad are at a loss of words. Therefore, they
waste a lot of time on explanations. This can be avoided by knowing the language. It also builds
trust with local residents. Fifthly, very often people learn languages in order to understand
foreign music, read books in a foreign language and also communicate with foreigners. And
finally, this is another reason to be proud of yourself!
Well, we found out that knowing another language gives benefits from many areas of life. But
how do you learn it? There are many ways. The first way is courses. If you have enough money
and time, then you can attend a fully-supported course. The courses will help you develop
accurate pronunciation, proofread one’s writing and give a broad understanding of language. The
main advantage is that here teachers check your progress. Also you can get a certificate.
Secondly, if you are a high flyer at languages or you are just a cheapskate, you can learn
languages on your own using tutorials and videos. A good way is communicate with foreigners.
There are many sites and apps for finding people, for example, «Slowly». I think this is a great
opportunity to take up a language with a native speaker without going abroad. And the last, most
effective way is to practice the language abroad. It will help to take off the language level,
because only among native speakers can a person most effectively perfect one’s accent and
become fluent quickly.
As for me, in the school I fell behind in learning the language, because we were preparing for
exams and the English teacher did not require much. Maybe I am trying to pass the buck, but I
always wanted to master the language and speak it fluently. Therefore, in the 9th grade I decided
to take the English language exam and began to study with a repeater. Now I sometimes watch
videos, listen music and learn various materials on social networks.
Now most people adopt English as their first foreign language. And it is for a reason, because
learning English has some advantages over other languages. As I already mentioned, this
language is generally accepted, so, knowing English, you can explain something or just
communicate with anyone and anywhere. For instance, abroad you will not find it difficult to ask
for directions or order something in a café. Also, learning English is easy enough for Europeans,
since these languages are part of the same language group. And in general, English has a fairly
simple grammar. It is believed that each level of knowledge of English takes only 6-9 months to
study!
If we talk about the future of languages, then, I think, English will not give up the leading
position, at least in the near future. Now Chinese is gaining momentum, so soon it will be next to
English. German, French, Spanish are spoken by a large number of people, but I think that none
of them will dominate. As for Russian, I cannot predict its future, but I want the area of its and
its popularity among foreigners use to increase.
Being online, people may have some problems. The most common problem is that sites have a
complex interface and people make an effort to do something or find information, but they fail.
Still very often information is written in not plain language, that people have to either try to
figure it out or look for another source of information, which takes a lot of time and effort. The
bigger problem is that fraudsters can steal your identity and reveal one’s info. Also scammers
can rip you off, for example, by selling something broken.
To avoid this, you need to follow a couple of simple rules. Try to upload the minimum of
necessary personal information to the network. Before using the site, try to familiarize oneself
with sites’ policies about some info. And do not follow suspicious links. These tips will help you
get by with difficulties online.
Interesting fact: in the state of Illinois, USA, the official language is «American» and English in
prohibited by law.
So, in this essay we discussed language learning, the future of English and avoiding online
mistakes. In particular, I thought about why people learn languages and how they learn them,
what are the benefits of the English and what language will dominate in the future and what
problems can arise online and how to avoid them. Thus, learning a foreign language is simply
necessary, because it opens up new opportunities, broadens one’s horizons and also this
knowledge has many advantages and is very useful in everyday life and career. Learn languages!
