Topic 1 English-learning Anecdotes

1. Please share with us your history of learning English.

2. What is your favorite material(s)/tool(s) for strengthening your English?

3. Language skills are often measured with four main categories; Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing. Would you tell us which skill, you think, is the most important for learning English, and its reason(s)?

4. What is the purpose(s) of your journey to acquisition of the English language?

Topic 2 English as a Lingua Franca Today, or Global Language

English, used to be a combined dialect of several West-Germanic tribes, or was only spoken by only humble, depressed people in the British islands from the Norman Conquest era to the late 15th century. English today is, and most likely will be, the global language, spoken not only in the native nations (i.e. the U.S. and U.K.) but in the entire world; hundreds of millions of people learn and speak English as the first or second language–this is a tired cliché, or banal expository writing for the language.

Having only one global language may be beneficial, efficient, and convenient in business, academic activities, or traveling around the world; it has been a dream of people at least since one of the myths written in Genesis in the Bible, Tower of Babel, was created. Still however, debates are ongoing on the current linguistical disequilibrium and unfairness.

1. Please enumerate and discuss pros and cons of English being the only one global language. Do the benefits outweigh the disadvantages?

2. What do you think were the key factors that destined English to be the sole winner among other languages?

The Japanese language possibly had so many chances to hold the dominating position in the world as English has now. Japan enjoyed major wars as a triple-crown winner (Sino-Japanese war, Russo-Japanese War, and the World War I) in the imperialistic past, savored miracle economic growth for decades after WWII, and had diverse and attractive pop cultures, such as anime and manga, but currently the chances of its language becoming popular are seemingly failing.

3. What factors were lacking or are needed for the Japanese language to acquire a huge number of population of speaking the language? (EXCEPT FOR winning or avoiding participating the World War II (sorry, but isn’t it too obvious as a factor to be discussed?))

SOURCE MATERIAL

https://hubpages.com/business/Pros-and-cons-of-letting-English-remain-the-international-language-for-business