Blog - Paper 4 Section A
English is the world’s top ‘global’ language and the world’s favorite lingua franca. This comes directly from the text which can be seen by the title of the article, “Can English remain the ‘world’s favourite’ language?” and later on in the text where the author states, “English is the world’s favourite lingua franca - the language people are most likely to turn to when they don’t share a first language. This is due to language imperialism which is a phrase introduced by Rober Philipson. Since linguistic imperialism refers to imposing one language (which is associated with power and control) upon others who speak a different language. This can be applied specifically to the U.S. because gradual language death occurred for some languages as speakers drifted into the use of the more dominant language of English in their daily lives which is a result of colonial expansion and the increasing economic importance of the dominant nation (the U.S.).
The English language is prevalent in China and India and this could extend to other countries as well. This could be due to one main reason for example according to Forbes, which uses studies from Education First (EF), “China’s English proficiency has improved significantly over the past seven years, reflecting its economic growth and its efforts to internationalize its workforce and economy, according to EF…Besides economic competitiveness, higher English proficiency is also linked to social development and innovation. Countries with higher proficiency tend to have higher average incomes, a better quality of life and greater investment in research and development, according to EF.”
The development of translation technology could have a great effect on the status of English throughout the globe. It could completely change the dominance of English as a global language and ‘even the playing field’ for the rest of the world in terms of their individual languages since with translation technology there would be no need to learn the more dominant language since the language people receive the information could be easily changed to the language they are comfortable with.
If computers can do all the difficult work as it is stated in the article, “But with a couple of clicks on your computer, or taps on your tablet, you could just as easily be reading it in German or Japanese…” then translation may replace learning English as a second language. This is a potential benefit for every single country in the world that is already technologically adept since they would be able to buy and use the new translation technology or just use the translation technology for free on their already bought laptops or devices (since the technological advanced countries will probably already have access to devices).
Understanding English is important in order to do “business internationally”, or to “play the latest video games, or listen to the latest popular music”. So if you don’t speak any English then you’re going to have a difficult time with these things. This helps to support the dominance of the English language since English is the language that is needed in order to stay updated with the world. This is due to the U.S. being an economic powerhouse which determines the potential success of other countries’ economies.
English is also very popular in terms of it being used as a second language especially when compared to Americans speaking in English as their first language. This can be seen in the article, “There are probably more people in China who speak English as a second language than there are Americans who speak it as their first.”.
The development of both translation and voice-recognition technology by a South Korean computer scientist for Gridspace, Wonkyum Lee, could also be potentially beneficial in addressing the language divide debate.
A01) There is a detailed understanding of the text. The meaning, context, and audience. The understanding of the audience isn't there, but the other two are. There is an effective reference to specific points, such as reference to the voice recognition technology and to China's English acquisition. 8 marks
ReplyDeleteAO2) There is effective expression, with few minor errors that do not impede communication. The content is relevant and ideas are developed in an effective manner. 4 marks
AO4) There is a detailed understanding of linguistic issues, concepts, methods, and approaches represented in the text. There is an a clear reference to wider studies of linguistic issues, concepts, methods, and approaches. 7 marks
19/25
Cory!
ReplyDeleteNice job! Looking at the AO1, I can see that you showed a very detailed understanding of the text in terms of meaning, context, and audience. This can be seen as you discussed, in detail, different aspects of the text and how they relate to the prompt. For example, you discussed the proficiency of English in China and related it to the meaning and overall topic of the article provided. Additionally, you demonstrated a clear reference to specific points. I say clear because I believe that some of your reference quotes were a bit too long. Some felt as though they lacked elaboration as well. All in all, however, I feel that you deserved 7 marks for this column.
In terms of the AO2 column, I can clearly see an expression that only features few minor errors that do not impede overall communication. You organized your thoughts clearly, however as previously mentioned, the longer quotes threw off the flow of the response. Although your content was relevant and I saw developed ideas, I would award you 3 marks here for the aforementioned reasons.
Under the AO4 column, I would venture to say that you had a clear understanding of linguistic issues, concepts, methods and approaches represented in the text. I say clear because although you mentioned the issues, you did not reference them back to theories from linguists such as David Crystal or even Kachru's circle model. For a high mark in this column, you would need to refer to these theories. Because of this, I would have to award you with 5 marks.
Total - 15/25
Hey Cory,
ReplyDeleteAO1- 6/10
I think that you showed a clear understanding of text with clear reference to specific points. You showed this in writing, "English is also very popular in terms of..." These points made were backed but not necessarily elaborated on and I will get to that in AO3, although if I were to give advice it would be to prioritize organization of your clauses after and prior of quotation.
AO2- 3/5
I gave you this score based off of your clarity of expression with a few minor errors which do not impede communication. An example of this was in writing, "...states, 'English is the world’s favourite lingua franca - the..." This beginning quote bracket before "English" was never connected and left alone which was sort of confusing upon first reading since I though the entire rest of the paragraph was a quote you were using. Otherwise you had relevant content and the ideas you developed were all clear.
AO3-4/10
The reason for the low score was due to your lack of further understanding and development of issues that were raised in the text. Despite the clear analysis you showed it wasn't as enticing due to its missing theories. If you had included external research and stated clearly that it was external you would have scored much higher, so it's an easy fix!
Overall, 13/25
Cory M - AO1 - Hi Cory, Great job detailed understainding the concepts of the text. Using the audience and connecting them with the purpose of your writing. You earned yourself 7.
ReplyDeleteAO2 - Effective expression with no errors which was effective in not impeding errors so good job you also talked relivently with good ideas in an effective manner. Good job 4 marks.
AO4 - You had clear quotes with well understanding of methods shown in the text. The concepts were shown well with clear references like quotes.
Total 15/25
Hey cory, I liked your blog and thought that it was very well written
ReplyDeleteThere is a detailed understanding of the text in your blog and I felt like you did good when it came to referencing specific points of the text that was given to us since you understood the meaning, context, and audience 8 marks
You also had effective expression with minor errors that didn't get in the way of communication. Not only this but you had relevant content and your ideas were developed in a good manner that was thought through and planned 4 marks
You also had detailed understanding of linguistic concepts and methods that were shown in the text and used reference to wider study of linguistic features and approaches like theories 8 marks