LING 115 - MIDTERM 2 REVIEW
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Global language - Correct Answers -A language which has a special role and dominant
widespread use throughout the countries of the world
Mother tongue - Correct Answers -First home language
Mother tongue most spoken - Correct Answers -Spanish; mother tongue in 20+
countries
In how many countries is English an official language - Correct Answers -over 70
Countries where English was newly recognized as official language - Correct Answers -
Rwanda
Namibia
Main competitors to English in terms of being official language - Correct Answers -
French
German
Spanish
Russian
Arabic
3 ways languages can have a special status in a country - Correct Answers -1. If it is the
mother tongue
2. If it is recognized as an official language
3. If it is strongly promoted in education
Most widely taught foreign language in schools throughout the world (+ example) -
Correct Answers -English, Algeria replaced French w/English as chief foreign language
Number of people who speak English fluently or competently - Correct Answers -
between 1.2-1.5 billion people,
nearly a quarter of the world's entire population
What is directly linked to success of a language as a widespread form of
communication? - Correct Answers -Military
Economic
Cultural power of its speakers
, Success of a language NOT due to what? (+ example) - Correct Answers -A language
being linguistically easy to learn and use, Latin
How did English spread? - Correct Answers --18th & 19th centuries b/c of military and
colonization by British
-Britain became world's leading industrial and trading country (beginning of 19th)
-USA had a larger population than any country in w. Europe & economy thriving (end of
19th)
-Leading role of USA in world's economy led to the growth and spread of English (20th)
Linuga franca - Correct Answers -Language used because of need for communication
between people of different mother tongues
Need for global lingua franca stressed by what? - Correct Answers --Increased
availability of international air travel
-Development of modern international communication systems (email, internet, phone)
Possible dangers of a global language - Correct Answers --More restricted cultural
knowledge
-Less awareness of other ways of life
Is language death a danger of global languages? (+ examples) - Correct Answers -No;
more concerned with local languages.
-Existence of Sorbian in Germany challenged by the growth of German as a national
lang
-Existence of Galician in Spain threatened by Spanish
**These not threatened by development of English as a global language
Could Chinese replace English as global language? Why or why not? - Correct Answers
-Not likely; tone language, difficult in terms of pronunciation and writing system
Ways English could possibly be replaced as global language - Correct Answers -1)
different language
2) machine translation
Is machine translation plausible replacement? - Correct Answers -Not at the moment,
still primitive, not advanced enough vocally
Why did English become the world's first really global language? - Correct Answers -
Early british empire included crucial territories:
North America, Caribbean, Australia and New Zealand, South Africa, Southeast Asia,
colonies in Africa, South Asia
Inner Circle of English - Correct Answers -Traditional bases: USA, Britain, Ireland,
Canada, Australia, New Zealand (320-380 million)
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Global language - Correct Answers -A language which has a special role and dominant
widespread use throughout the countries of the world
Mother tongue - Correct Answers -First home language
Mother tongue most spoken - Correct Answers -Spanish; mother tongue in 20+
countries
In how many countries is English an official language - Correct Answers -over 70
Countries where English was newly recognized as official language - Correct Answers -
Rwanda
Namibia
Main competitors to English in terms of being official language - Correct Answers -
French
German
Spanish
Russian
Arabic
3 ways languages can have a special status in a country - Correct Answers -1. If it is the
mother tongue
2. If it is recognized as an official language
3. If it is strongly promoted in education
Most widely taught foreign language in schools throughout the world (+ example) -
Correct Answers -English, Algeria replaced French w/English as chief foreign language
Number of people who speak English fluently or competently - Correct Answers -
between 1.2-1.5 billion people,
nearly a quarter of the world's entire population
What is directly linked to success of a language as a widespread form of
communication? - Correct Answers -Military
Economic
Cultural power of its speakers
, Success of a language NOT due to what? (+ example) - Correct Answers -A language
being linguistically easy to learn and use, Latin
How did English spread? - Correct Answers --18th & 19th centuries b/c of military and
colonization by British
-Britain became world's leading industrial and trading country (beginning of 19th)
-USA had a larger population than any country in w. Europe & economy thriving (end of
19th)
-Leading role of USA in world's economy led to the growth and spread of English (20th)
Linuga franca - Correct Answers -Language used because of need for communication
between people of different mother tongues
Need for global lingua franca stressed by what? - Correct Answers --Increased
availability of international air travel
-Development of modern international communication systems (email, internet, phone)
Possible dangers of a global language - Correct Answers --More restricted cultural
knowledge
-Less awareness of other ways of life
Is language death a danger of global languages? (+ examples) - Correct Answers -No;
more concerned with local languages.
-Existence of Sorbian in Germany challenged by the growth of German as a national
lang
-Existence of Galician in Spain threatened by Spanish
**These not threatened by development of English as a global language
Could Chinese replace English as global language? Why or why not? - Correct Answers
-Not likely; tone language, difficult in terms of pronunciation and writing system
Ways English could possibly be replaced as global language - Correct Answers -1)
different language
2) machine translation
Is machine translation plausible replacement? - Correct Answers -Not at the moment,
still primitive, not advanced enough vocally
Why did English become the world's first really global language? - Correct Answers -
Early british empire included crucial territories:
North America, Caribbean, Australia and New Zealand, South Africa, Southeast Asia,
colonies in Africa, South Asia
Inner Circle of English - Correct Answers -Traditional bases: USA, Britain, Ireland,
Canada, Australia, New Zealand (320-380 million)
