English In The World 1

Question 1

How long has english language existed

Answer 1

A little over 1500 years

Question 2

When did english become established as the language of England

Answer 2

14th century

Question 3

What influences the spread of english

Answer 3

• economic power
• political power
• military power
• entertainment industries
• control over media
• the internet

Question 4

David Crystal

Answer 4

• the reason why a language is widely used is due to the power of the people who speak it.
• he believed that english turned up at the right time during these last four hundred years or so which has produced the enormous cultural status that it has.

Question 5

How many people speak english

Answer 5

1.5 billion (only a quarter are native speakers)

Question 6

How many languages are there

Answer 6

There are over 7000, but only 23 make up for more than half of the worlds population

Question 7

Criteria for a world language

Answer 7

• the number of first language speakers must be high
• speakers must be spread over a wide geographical area
• political and economic affairs must be stable so that the language can spread without large-scale opposition

Question 8

English is used for…

Answer 8

• half of the worlds technical and scientific journals
• half of all the worlds newspapers
• all communications for international are and sea traffic
• seven of the largest TV broadcasters
• half of all European business deals
• many films and songs
• 80% of global information stored in computers
• three quarters of the worlds mail.

Question 9

Five levels of language endangerment

Answer 9

1) vulnerable - most children speak the language but it may be restricted to certain domains (e.g. home)
2) definitely endangered - children no longer learn the language as the mother tongue at home
3) severely endangered - language is spoken by grandparents and older generations, and while others may understand it somewhat they do not speak it themselves
4) critically endangered - the youngest speakers are grandparents and older generations, and they speak the language only partially and infrequently
5) extinct - the language is no longer spoken.