Never has there been a language quite like English. A bold statement, yet nevertheless tru
of the Dutch population claim now that they can hold a conversation in English quite comfortably ," Mr. Graddol said. "For them , it is not a textbook-based foreign exercise. They are already exposed to English in the environment. People have learned a little bit of it before they get to school , and they can see immediately that it has some use in their lives. In countries like the Netherlands , Sweden or Denmark you need English to complete your education. "
"In other countries , however , English is more truly a foreign language ," said Mr. Graddol , whose consulting firm , The English Council produced a worldwide report titled "The Future of English" for the British Council a few years ago. "In some countries , like China , there is not very much English in the environment and people may be learning it from teachers who may not speak English very well themselves."
In a third group of countries , like India and Nigeria where English has been used a long time , distinct local varieties of the language are emerging , complete with their own
dictionaries , textbooks and literature.
"English is so important in these countries that people use it in part to create their own social and even national identity ," Mr. Craddol said. "When that happens , the language starts going its own way. The variety of English that proficient speakers in such countries are learning may not be terribly useful in an international context. "
"Thus , the very reason for the rise of English - its guarantee of mutual intelligibility among people of different cultures - could dissolve if the language continues to split up into a variety of ‘ Englishes’."
21. 30 % of the Dutch population claim they can communicate in English very freely. ()
22. People in the Netherlands , Sweden or Denmark use English to complete their education. ()
23. According to the English Council , in some countries like China there is not very much English in the environment and English is more truly a foreign language. ()
24. In countries where distinct local varieties of English are emerging like India , people no longer use their native language. ()
25. According to the speaker , English is so popular in some European countries that it has started going its own way because people use it in part to create their own social and even national identity. ()
On some occasions it is important to adhere to the conventions that characterize serious public discourse and to avoid expressions that we might use in more casual situations. Among the features of formal English are the careful explanation of background information, complexity in sentence structure, explicit transitions between thoughts, and the use of certain words that are reserved chiefly for creating a formal tone. Situations that normally require formal usage would include an article discussing a serious matter submitted to a respected journal, an official report by a group of researchers to a government body, a talk presented to a professional organization, and a letter of job application.
While it may be true that some countries have found answers to these basic problems of humanity, this does not mean that their societies are problem-free. Indeed, in the solving of age-old problems more economically, advanced societies have found themselves facing new social problems, problems that are a direct outgrowth of their economic advancement. One such problem is that of aging.
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