Learning a Foreign Language

Foreign languages are absolutely necessary for people nowadays, because of our growing international contacts with foreign countries.

There are many reasons, why we begin to study foreign languages. One studies a foreign language to be able to communicate with other people who speak this language, other study it for future career.

If we are planning to travel to countries where the language we can speak is spoken, we can communicate with people there and understand what they are saying to us.

If we are working in any branch of science, we naturally wish to read scientific books and magazines in other languages to raise our professional level. Making business nowadays also means the ability of speaking foreign languages.

The ability of speaking one or two or even more foreign languages helps people from different countries to develop mutual friendship and understanding. We can also make our intellectual and cultural horizons wider through contacts with people of another culture.

It is also very interesting to read foreign literature in its original form. We can also read foreign newspapers and magazines and understand films in foreign languages without any help and translation.

As for me I learn English, because English is a very popular language all over the world. It is used in many parts of the world and there is a lot of business correspondence and literature in English.

Also I am going to learn Spanish, because it is also a widely spread language.

I think, it is very important to speak at least one foreign language either English or German or French and Spanish or any other one.

There is a saying: the more languages you speak, the more times you are a human being.

Изучение иностранного языка

Иностранные языки абсолютно необходимы для людей в настоящее время из-за возрастающих международных контактов с зарубежными странами.

Имеется много причин, почему мы начинаем изучать иностранные языки. Одни изучают иностранный язык, чтобы общаться с другими людьми, которые говорят на этом языке, другие изучают его для будущей карьеры.

Если мы планируем поездку в страны, где разговаривают на языке, на котором мы можем говорить, мы можем общаться с людьми там и понимать то, что они говорят нам.

Если мы работаем в каком-нибудь научном отделе, мы, чтобы поднять наш профессиональный уровень, естественно желаем читать научные книги и журналы на других языках. Занятие бизнесом в настоящее время также означает способность общаться на иностранных языках.

Знание одного или двух или даже большего количества иностранных языков помогает людям из разных стран развивать взаимную дружбу и взаимопонимание. Посредством контактов с людьми другой культуры мы можем также развивать наш интеллектуальный и культурный потенциал.

Что касается меня, я изучаю английский язык, потому что английский язык очень популярен во всем мире. Он используется во всем мире и на английском пишется много деловой корреспонденции и литературы.

Еще я собираюсь изучать испанский, потому что это также широко распространенный язык.

Я думаю, что очень важно говорить по крайней мере на одном иностранном языке: английском или немецком, французском или испанском или любом другом.

Существует поговорка: чем на большем количестве языков вы говорите, тем больше раз вы человек.

Questions:

1. Are foreign languages necessary for people nowadays?
2. Why do we begin to study foreign languages?
3. What language do I learn?
4. What language am I going to learn?

Vocabulary:

foreign - иностранный
necessary - необходимый
nowadays - в наши дни
growing - возрастающий
reasons - причины
to be able - быть в состоянии, уметь
to communicate - общаться, разговаривать
branch of science - отрасль науки
to raise smb"s professional level - поднять чей-либо профессиональный уровень
mutual - взаимный
horizon - горизонт
wider - шире
through - через
in the original - в оригинале
compulsory - обязательный
secondary school - средняя школа
higher school - высшая школа
correspondence - корреспонденция, переписка
at least - по крайней мере

Speaking (p. 7) Task 1 (Suggested Answer)

Many people nowadays are learning foreign languages. It’s important for anyone who wants to work or study abroad. For example, if you’re interested in working in another country, or in having a job that involves working with foreigners, it’s necessary to know at least one foreign language.

In my country, nearly every university student knows another language. English is the most popular, but it’s not the only one people are learning. I have friends who have learned two or more new languages. Most of them study languages at school, but there are other ways to learn. For example, there are free courses on the Internet.You can also learn with CDs and DVDs. And, of course, you can always buy a book and study without a teacher. But learning only from books can be a bit boring, so it’s nice sometimes to do some extra things to make learning more enjoyable. For instance, it’s fun to watch films from other countries, or to listen to international music and try to learn the song lyrics. And there are many people who improve their English by making friends on the Internet and staying in touch with them.

I speak English and French, and I like them both because you can use them in so many countries. But I’d also like to learn an Asian language. I’m considering Japanese, because I’m interested in travelling in Japan.

Extra Questions (Suggested Answers)

Yes, it’s better to begin learning a foreign language from a young age, because it takes many years to master a language.You are also more likely to speak with a better accent if you begin speaking the language as a child.
I’d love to take a summer course in a foreign country. It would be an excellent way to improve in a foreign language, and it would also be a wonderful travel experience.
I can speak English well, but I’d still like to improve. In particular, I’d like to have a larger vocabulary. I also make mistakes in grammar.
In my opinion, the hardest thing about a new language is the grammar. Even if you know a language well, it’s still easy to make mistakes when you are speaking, and it takes many years of practice to avoid those mistakes.

Task 2 (Suggested Answer)

These days, it seems that wherever you turn, you see or hear something in what has become the world’s lingua franca, English. Because of this, it has been suggested that all children should learn English from a young age. There are, however, both pros and cons to this complicated issue. There are many reasons why learning English at a young age is a good idea. To begin with, children learn quicker and better than adults. There minds are still developing and are receptive to new concepts. In addition, having another language when they leave school will be an incredible advantage in the job market.

On the other hand, there are those that say that learning another language as a child is useless. Firstly, many children will not need another language in their daily lives. Also, that children should be concentrating on their native reading and writing skills, not those of a foreign country.

To conclude, there are two very different sides to this controversial issue. It is very much a matter for the individual parents involved. But we should not forget the Czech proverb, ‘Learn a new language and get a new soul.’

We know a legend about the Babylonian Tower: once people decided to build a tower which would be so high that it would reach the heavens. Certainly, to build it lots of people gathered together. All of them were able to understand each other because one language was spoken then. The work was being done successfully but God became angry about it and punished the builders: he created lots of languages. The people lost contact with each other. The work couldn’t be completed.
These legend makes us think about the importance of languages and ability to understand each other. Actually, we take the language we speak for granted — it seems to be just a means of communication. But once we are in other countries, we are baffled because we can’t explain what we need! Using gestures can be fun but certainly it takes a lot of time and it’s often imprecise.
So here comes the question: how could all people understand each other? Probably, one language should be chosen to be learnt by everyone?
No one chose English to be that one but, nevertheless, we must admit that English nowadays could be called a world language. Here are facts which prove it:
— geographically, English is the most widespread language on Earth, second only to Mandarin Chinese in the number of people who speak it;
— it’s the official language of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, of the United States of America, of Australia and New Zealand;
— English is used as one of the official languages in Canada, the Republic of South Africa and the Trish Republic;
— another 100 million people chiefly living in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and in many African countries speak English in additional to their own language;
— 75 % of the world’s mail and 60 % of the world’s telephone calls are in English;
— it’s the language of business, technology, sport and aviation.
We see that it’s a must to know the English language nowadays. Perhaps, that’s why English is the most popular language taught at school in our country. Many pupils start to learn it at the age of six. I assume that it’s good — it’s a well-known fact children can master a language more easily in comparison with adults. And it takes much time to do it: in order to have perfect knowledge you are to learn all aspects of English: grammar, vocabulary, phonetics. Four activities: speaking, listening, reading, writing — will lead you to mastering the language.
Though lots of people claim that the English language is an easy one, there are its own difficulties. Like articles, for example. For us, who speak Russian as a mother tongue, articles have often been a problem. Tenses usually confuse learners, too. And I suppose the most difficult things in English are prepositions and set expressions — only by learning them by heart you will master them.
Naturally, there are lots of pluses of English. For instance, verbs have rather few inflec¬tions, and adjectives do not change according to the noun. English is a very flexible language: the same word can operate as many different parts of speech. For example, we can water flowers and have water to drink; time to go and to time a race; a paper to read and to paper a bedroom. Moreover, English has a very open vocabulary (this involves the free admission of words from other languages and the easy creation of compounds and derivatives). Most world languages have contributed some words to English at some time, and the process is now being reversed. Purists of other languages are resisting the arrival of English in their vocabulary — too many English equivalents started to substitute original words.
Another aspect of English which is not considered to be simple is pronunciation. Lots of words in English are written in the same way, but they are pronounced differently. There are even some funny poems about it.

Think of comb and tomb and bomb,
Doll and roll and home and some.
And since pay is rhymed with say,
Why not paid with said I pray?
Think of blood and food and good;
Mould is not pronounced like could.
Why is it done, but gone and lone –
Is there any reason known?
A moth is not a moth in mother
Not both in bother, broth in brother,
And here is not a match for there
Nor dear and fear for bear and bare.

We should bear in mind that a language is not simply words: it’s part of culture. A word, its pronunciation and spelling can tell us a lot about the past of a country. We can notice that frequently words from different languages are similar. What historical information can this fact give us?
Well, let’s take a look at the history of English.
When Julius Caesar invaded Britain in BC 54-5, the ‘Celtic’ tribes lived on the British Isles. Their Celtic languages still survive as ‘Gaelic’ in Scotland and Ireland, ‘Welsh’ in Wales, and ‘Manx’ in the Isle of Man, as well as ‘Breton’ in France.
So, the Romans brought Latin to Britain, but even before them the tribes from the East (the territory which is now known as Germany) had brought different dialects of the Germanic language in there. That’s why modern German and English have many similar words.
Later, the Vikings brought the Norse language, and the Normans from France (led by King William the Conqueror in 1066) brought the Old French language.
What is known as Middle English is the mixture of Old English and French. Nowadays even for native English speakers it’s very difficult to understand.
When the Renaissance came in Europe, English was not very different from the English used today. And the most famous writer of that time is William Shakespeare. Today we use lots of sayings Shakespeare gave us, and often we don’t realize that they came from his plays and poems. Probably you know some of these: «All the world’s a stage», «All’s well that ends well», «Love is blind».
As settlers from Britain moved across the world, English continued developing. First of all, it borrowed lots of words from other languages. Secondly, English started to fall into categories: British English, American English, Australian English and the like. Though the differences between them are slight, they exist.
Certainly, the fact that English is so widespread, has a very rich vocabulary and is comparatively easy to learn contributes to the popularity of this language. But, of course, not everyone is satisfied with the primary position of English. Actually, why not any other language be a world one? Does it mean that English is better in some way? People from France still can’t put up with the fact that French is no longer as popular as it used to be. And it’s bad that native speakers of English sometimes feel superiority: they needn’t take pains to learn other languages.
We know that there was an attempt to create an artificial language. It was called Esperanto. It would be a very good idea to use this neutral language as a world one. Moreover, it’s said to be very easy to learn and, at the same time, you can express the most sophisticated ideas with the help of it. Though Esperanto nowadays is not extremely widespread, its popularity is growing.
Anyway, I’m sure English will remain to be a very important language. Surely people will continue to learn it because it’s very pleasant both to speak and to listen to English. The rich vocabulary enables you to describe the slightest changes of emotions, the most exact thoughts. Famous writers entertain and amaze you and the convoluted history of English itself attracts more and more people to start learning this language.

Здесь Вы можете найти топик на английском языке: Learning Foreign Languages.

Learning Foreign Languages

The great German poet Goethe once said: He who knows no foreign language does not know his own one. Learning foreign languages is especially important nowadays. Some people learn foreign languages because they need them in their work, others travel abroad, for the third studying languages is a hobby. Every year thousands of people from Russia go to different countries as tourists or to work. They can not go without knowing the language of the country they are going to. A modern engineer or even a worker can not work with an imported instrument or a machine if he is not able to read the instruction how to do it. Ordinary people need language to translation the instruction or the manual to the washing-machine or a vacuum-cleaner, medicine or even food-products. Some people are as a rule polyglots.

Historian’s diplomats need some languages for their work. If you want to be a classified specialist you must learn English, the language of international communication. English is one of the world languages. It is the language of progressive science and technology, trade and cultural relations, commerce and business. It is the universal language of international aviation, shipping and sports. It is also the major language of diplomacy. Hundreds and hundreds of books, magazines and newspapers are printed in English, most of the world"s mail and telephone calls are in English. Half of the world"s scientific literature is written in English. English is spoken by more than 350 million people. Geographically, it is the most widespread language on earth, second after Chinese. It is the official language of the UK, the USA, of Australia and New Zealand; it is used as one of the official languages in Canada, the South Africa. Millions of people study and use English as a foreign language.

In our country English is very popular. It is studied at schools, colleges and universities. Learning English is not an easy thing. It is a long process and takes a lot of time and patience. But to know English today is absolutely necessary for every educated person. I want to know English because it"s interesting for me to know foreign countries, their cultures and tradition. English will be of great use in my future profession connected with computers.

будут тебе в помощь! Удачи!

Learning foreign languages — топик, который должны знать все. Он поможет не только узнать новые фразы на английском по теме, но и раскроет вам некоторые нюансы изучения языка.

Learning foreign languages is not easy at all, especially for adults. It is easy to perceive language and to acquire new information when we are young; however, we sometimes are forced to learn a new language for business or school purpose.

When you learn a foreign language, you should develop all your skills. You should study grammar, do exercises, read texts and even books, listen to the speech of native speakers, speak and do writing tasks. It is essential not to concentrate only on some aspects and ignore others.

Studying grammar and doing exercises on vocabulary may be boring and difficult at the same time. You may lose an interest to them very quickly. That’s why you should vary your studies. Nowadays it is much easier to do it, as we have the internet connection and the access to many useful resources.

You may start from watching cartoons with subtitles which are not very difficult to understand. When your vocabulary will be broadened, you may turn to movies and series. Eventually, you will be able to feel at ease watching them even without subtitles.

Moreover, you have an opportunity to learn a foreign language with the help of native speakers. And this is not about lessons on Skype. I am talking about modern social networks by means of which you can get in touch with people from other countries and practice their mother tongue chatting or talking with them.

Thuswise, it is possible to learn a foreign language and to make the process exciting and interesting. Train all parts of the language, collaborate with foreigners and share your own knowledge!

Перевод:

Изучать иностранные языки – совсем не просто, особенно для взрослых. Куда легче воспринимать язык и новую информацию, когда мы молоды. Однако, иногда мы вынуждены учить новый язык для учебных или рабочих целей.

Когда ты учишь иностранный язык, следует развивать все свои навыки. Следует изучать грамматику, делать упражнения, читать тексты и даже книги, слушать речь носителей языка, говорить и делать письменные задания. Очень важно не заострять внимание лишь на некоторых аспектах и игнорировать остальные.

Изучение грамматики и выполнение упражнений на лексику могут быть одновременно скучными и сложными. Ты можешь очень быстро потерять к ним интерес. Поэтому следует разнообразить свои занятия. Сейчас это сделать куда проще, ведь у нас есть выход в интернет и доступ ко многим полезным ресурсам.

Можешь начать с просмотра мультфильмов с субтитрами, так как их не сложно понять. Когда твой словарный запас будет расширен, можешь перейти к фильмам и сериалам. Со временем, ты сможешь чувствовать себя свободно, даже смотря их без субтитров.

Более того, у тебя есть возможность выучить иностранный язык с помощью носителей языка. И речь идет не о занятиях по Скайпу. Я говорю о современных социальных сетях, посредством которых ты можешь связаться с людьми из других стран и потренироваться писать или говорить с ними на их родном языке.

Таким образом, это реально выучить иностранный язык и сделать процесс изучения увлекательным и интересным. Тренируй все области языка, взаимодействуй с иностранцами и делись своими знаниями!

Полезные фразы и слова:

To perceive – понимать, постигать

To acquire – усваивать, овладевать

To be forced to – быть вынужденным что-то сделать

To lose an interest to – потерять интерес, охладеть

Subtitiles – субтитры

To broaden vocabulary – расширять словарный запас

To feel at ease – чувствовать себя свободно

To get in touch with – связаться с