Discuss this before you read the text. 1. Why have you decided to go on learning English?

1. Why have you decided to go on learning English?

2. What do you expect of this course?

3. How old were you when you began learning English?

4. Did you enjoy your lessons then?

5. How long have you been learning English?

6. How do you keep up your English?

7. Have you ever been abroad?

8. Have you been to any English-speaking countries?

9. Do you read books in English?

10. What kind of books do you like?

11. Do you read English newspapers?

12. Do you use the dictionary when reading?

Read the text and make sure that you understand it. The list of new words on p. 10-11 will help you.

ENGLISH AS AN INTERNATIONAL LANGUAGE*

The present-day world status of English is the result of two main factors: the expansion of British colonial power, which peaked towards the end of the nineteenth century, and the emergence of the United States as the lead­ing economic power of the 20^th century. It is the latter factor, which explains the position of the English language today (much to the displeasure of some in Britain who find the loss of historical linguistic priority unbearable). Nowadays the USA contains nearly four times as many English mother-tongue (EMT) speakers as the next most important EMT nation (the UK), and these two coun­tries comprise 70 per cent of all EMT speakers in the world. Such numerical dominance, accompanied by political and economic factors, gives the Ameri­cans a controlling interest in the way the language is likely to develop.

This, however, is a matter of opinion. Most books on English imply in one way or another that English is superior to all other languages. Robert Burchfield, the editor of the Oxford English Dictionary, writes: " As a source of intellectual power and entertainment the whole range of prose writing in English is prob­ably unequalled anywhere else in the world." " I would like to think he's right, " Bill Bryson retorts in his national bestseller The Mother Tongue, " but I can't help wondering if Mr Burchfield would have made the same generous asser­tion had he been born Russian or German or Chinese."

Yet there are one or two small ways in which English has an advantage over other languages. For one thing its pronouns are largely, and mercifully, uninflected. In Russian, if you wish to say 'you', you must choose between at least eight words: «ты», «вы», «тебя», «вас», «тебе», «вам», «тобой», «вами». A similar difficulty exists in many other languages. In English these problems are avoided by relying on just one form: 'you'. English is free of gender and declension and is from this point of view a godsend to students everywhere.

At the same time it would be most misleading to assert that English is easy to learn, for it has its own booby-traps. The number of English tenses is re­ally frightening and so are the different functions of the so-called /ng-forms, the stiff word order and the proverbial inconsistency of English spelling. Phrasal verbs are another learner's headache. Let's not forget that in each EMT nation people speak their own variety of English so that even native speakers cannot always communicate effectively, as almost every American learns on his first day in Britain. Indeed, Robert Burchfield created quite a stir in linguistic circles on both sides of the Atlantic when he announced his belief that American Eng-

* Based on " The Mother Tongue" by Bill Bryson. Bard, 1990.

Unit one

lish and British English are drifting apart so rapidly that within 200 years the two nations won't be able to understand each other at all. That may be. But if the Briton and American of the 22^nd century baffle each other, it seems al­together likely that they won't confuse many others - not, at least, if the rest of the world continues expropriating English words and phrases at its present rate. And here comes another important reason why English has the right to be considered " The World's Language". There is no denying the fact that many important inventions, made in major English-speaking countries, have become an integral part of modern life. Once " the thing" is borrowed, its name is bor­rowed together with it. Such words as 'computer', 'email', 'Internet', 'casting', 'image', etc. have found their legitimate place in other languages. In Russian, for instance, PR (Public Relations) has even been changed into a verb mean­ing 'promote', 'make known', 'advertise'. For most international airlines it is an agreed language of communication.

When Volkswagen set up a factory in Shanghai they found that there were too few Germans who spoke Chinese and too few Chinese who spoke German, so now Volkswagen's German engineers and Chinese managers communicate in a language that is alien to both of them.

So, for better or worse, English has become the most global of languages, the lingua franca of business, science, education, politics and pop music.

New Words

expansion [iks'paenjbn] n расширение, экспансия

expand [iks'paend] урасширять(ся), развивать(ся) peak [pi: k] v достичь максимума, достичь вершины

peak л вершина, пик, максимум emergence [i'm3: d3ans] л возникновение, появление

emerge [I'imids] v возникнуть, появиться latter ['lseta] adj второй (последний) из двух unbearable [лп'ЬеэгэЫ] adj невыносимый

bear [Ьеэ] v(bore, borne) выносить, терпеть contain [kan'tem] v содержать, вмещать comprise [kam'praiz] v составлять, иметь в своем составе numerical [nju'menkal] adj численный dominance ['dommsns] л превосходство controlling interest контрольный пакет акций (не менее 51 %),

зд. (в переносном смысле) решающая роль imply [im'plai] v подразумевать, иметь в виду, намекать entertainment [.enta'temment] л развлечение

entertain [.enta'tem] v развлекать range [гетф] л объем, диапазон

unequalled [An'iikwald] adj непревзойденный

syn. incomparable [т'котрэгэЫ] adj несравнимый

retort [n'to: t] v резко возразить, парировать can't help... не могу не...

generous ['djengrgs] adj щедрый

assertion [3's3: Jan] л утверждение, суждение make an assertion высказать утверждение assert [s's3: t] v утверждать, заявить

advantage [ad'vamtids] л преимущество

mercifully ['m3: sifuli] adv милосердно, великодушно

avoid [a'void] v избегать

rely [ri'lai] (/полагаться, рассчитывать

godsend ['godsend] л милость божья

misleading [mis'li: din] adj вводящий в заблуждение

booby-trap ['bu: bi traep] л ловушка, западня

stiff [stif] adj жесткий, негибкий

proverbial [ргэ'уз: Ь1э1] adj вошедший в пословицу proverb ['prDV3: b] л пословица

inconsistency [mkan'sistgnsi] л непоследовательность consistent [ksn'sistant] adj последовательный

stir [st3: ] л переполох, суета, суматоха

drift apart разойтись, отдалиться друг от друга

rapidly ['raspidh] adv быстро, с большой скоростью rapid ['raepid] ad/быстрый (о темпе)

baffle ['baefl] v озадачить, сбить с толку

rate [reit] л темп, скорость

integral ['mtigral] adj неотъемлемый

legitimate [h'cfeitimat] adj законный, легитимный

public relations (PR) пиар, установление связей с общественностью

alien ['eilian] ad/иностранный, чуждый

lingua franca ['hngwa Чхгепкэ] лингва-франка, особого рода язык, развив­шийся для удовлетворения потребности в межэтническом общении, не являющийся родным для людей, его использующих

Grammar Terms

uninflected [.Anm'flektid] adj неизменяемый (о слове)

inflect [m'flekt] узд. склонять, спрягать

inflection [m'flekjan] л флексия, грамматическое окончание gender ['dsenda] л род

(feminine - женский род, masculine - мужской, neuter- средний) declension [di'klenjan] л склонение

и

Unit one

Questions for discussion.

1. According to the text English has become an international language. Do
you agree or disagree? Give your reasons.

2. Another assertion, contained in the text is that the whole range of writing
(i.e. literature, etc.) in English is unequalled anywhere else in the world.
If you don't agree give your counter-arguments.

3. Do people in the former British colonies still use English as an official
second language?

4. Do you think that English is easier to learn than other languages?

5. What do you think of the present status of the Russian language?

6. Is borrowing foreign words a normal process or is it harmful for the
mother tongue?

7. Do you agree or disagree with the prediction that within 200 years the
British and the Americans will speak two different languages? Give your
reasons.

8. Do you think English will preserve its world language position in the fu­
ture?

9. Which language may, in your opinion, replace English as an international
language in the future?

10. Do you think the Russian language needs protection?

11. What do you think can be considered standard Russian?

EXERCISES

1. Find English equivalents in the text for the following (you may think of better Russian translations).

1. Именно последним фактором объясняется положение английско­
го языка на сегодняшний день.

2....в четыре раза больше...

3....на долю этих двух стран приходится 70 % всех естественных но­
сителей английского языка.

4. Это, однако, спорный вопрос.

5....тем или иным образом...

6....весь объем (диапазон) прозы на английском языке...

7. Большинство книг об английском языке...

8....я не могу не задуматься...

9....во-первых, его местоимения широко и милосердно избавлены
от окончаний.

10....в этом отношении является милостью божьей...

11....наделал много шума...

12. ...удаляются (отдаляются) друг от друга...

13....похоже на то, что они вряд ли затруднят...

14....с нынешней (теперешней) скоростью...

15....нельзя отрицать того, что...

16....стали неотъемлемой частью...

17....согласованный международный язык общения...

18....к лучшему или к худшему... (к добру или к худу)