The proportion of people who speak English as their mother tongue is falling fast (A). In a study published to day in the journal Science, David Graddol, an expert in the development of languages, calculates that by 2050 the number of native English speakers will have fallen to about 5% of the world's population, from about 9% in 1950. Nine years ago, English was second to Chinese in the number of native speakers, with 1.1 billion native Chinese speakers, and 372 million native English speakers. By the middle of this century there will be more native speakers of Hindi and Urdu, and the number of native Arabic and Spanish speakers will virtually match that of native English speakers (B).
The study also found that Chinese and Arabic could soon be chosen ahead of English by people around the world seeking to learn a second language. Mr Graddol, who is managing director of a language consultancy called the English Company, based in Milton Keynes, suggests that while English "will indeed play a crucial role in shaping the new world linguistic order (C)", its main effect will be to create new generations of people who speak two or more languages-one of which is likely to be English.
..."The implication is that we should really spend more time in this country learning other languages, and stop being a monolingual society (D)". Mr Gilroy-Scott added that English had become the bedrock of many global activities, including computing, science and air traffic control (E).
..."The implication is that we should really spend more time in this country learning other languages, and stop being a monolingual society (D)". Mr Gilroy-Scott added that English had become the bedrock of many global activities, including computing, science and air traffic control (E).
However, in each of those disciplines the language being used was a specialised slice of English. He also pointed that "Employers in parts of Asia are already looking beyond English - in the next decade, the new 'must-learn' language is likely to be mandarin [Chinese]".
However he predicted that 90% of the 6,000 languages in existence today could disappear through lack of use over the next century (F). "We may now be losing a language every day," but Mr Graddol added, as older, rural languages were lost, new urban hybrids could replace them. "Cities are place where languages mingle and where language change speeds up".
By Charles Arthur
TO ANNOTATE
(A): tỉ lệ những người nói tiếng Anh như tiếng mẹ đẻ đang giảm hạ rất mau.
+ mother (n./attrib.):mẹ > người / nhân tố sinh thành
Look how the mother chimpanzee cares for her youngs.
Necessity is the mother of invention.
+ mother tongue: tiếng mẹ đẻ
mother country: đất mẹ / quê hương
(B): số người nói tiếng Ả Rập và Tây Ban Nha như là bản ngữ thật ra sẽ sánh ngang số người nói tiếng Anh.
+ native (adj.): bản địa - quê hương - bẩm sinh
Her native language is Korean.
He has a great deal of native intelligence.
+ native speaker: người nói một ngôn ngữ nào đó như tiếng mẹ đẻ.
Her English accent is so good you would think she is a native speaker.
+ native (n.): (người) bản xứ
The kangaroo is a native of Australia.
(C): Anh ngữ tất nhiên sẽ còn đóng vai trò tối quan trọng trong việc định hình trật tự ngôn ngữ trong thế giới mới.
(D): hàm ý cho rắng trong xứ này, chúng ta không thể cứ sống mãi trong một xã hội chỉ biết nói một thứ ngôn ngữ duy nhất, phải dành thêm nhiều thời gian để học hỏi các ngôn ngữ khác nữa.
+ implication (n.): sự hàm ý <>
Failure to say 'No'may by implication, be taken to mean 'Yes'.
(E): Anh ngữ đã trở nên cái nền tảng vững chắc cho nhiều hoạt động toàn cầu, bao gồm cả điện toán, khoa học lẫn kiểm soát không lưu.
+ bed rock (n.): phiến đá làm nền
Let's get down to bedrock.
Humanism has always been the bedrock of his beliefs.
(F): 90% trong số 6,000 ngôn ngữ hiện hữu có thể biến mất trong thế kỷ tới vì ít được sử dụng.
+ lack (v./ n.): thiếu
What he lacks in experience, he makes up for in enthusiasm.
The project had to be abandoned for lack of funds.
LÊ MINH
Follow: Khoa hoc pho thong No 720
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