Xxii республикалық студенттер мен жас ғалымдардың ғылыми конференция материалдары

50 
Today, English reigns supreme in all four respects. It is studied as a foreign language 
throughout the world and employed by a majority of Internet users. Of the 163 member nations 
of the U.N., more use English as their official language than any other. The easiest way to 
calculate the economic influence of a language may be to add up the gross domestic products 
(GDP) of all the nations where it is spoken. People who count English as their mother tongue 
make up less than 10% of the world's population, but possess over 30% of the world's economic 
power. Therefore, in terms of the quantity of transmitted information, English is the leader by 
far. After English, 26 nations in the U.N. cite French as their official tongue, 21 Spanish and 17 
Arabic. Each of these three languages forms a sizable linguistic constituency on the Internet. 
Generally speaking, English is the universal language on the Internet, but it has no 
official status, and it will never have. The reasons for the position of English are the imperialism 
and economical and political importance of English-speaking countries. 
The importance of the Internet grows rapidly in all fields of human life, including not 
only research and education but also marketing and trade as well as entertainment and hobbies. 
This implies that it becomes more and more important to know how to use Internet services and, 
as a part of this, to read and write English.
But although Internet services themselves are, generally speaking, easy to learn and use, 
you will find yourself isolated on the Internet if you are not familiar with English. This means 
that knowledge or lack of knowledge of English is one of the most severe factors that cause 
polarization. Learning to use a new Internet service or user interface may take a few hours, a few 
days, or even weeks, but it takes years to learn a language so that you can use it in a fluent and 
self-confident manner. Of course, when you know some English, you can learn more just by 
using it on the Internet, but at least currently the general tendency among Internet users is to 
discourage people in their problems with the English language. Incorrect English causes a few 
flames much more probably than encouragement and friendly advice. In different countries and 
cultures, English has different positions. There are countries where English is the native 
language of the majority, there are countries where English is a widely known second language, 
and there are countries where English has no special position. These differences add to the 
above-mentioned polarization. Specifically, it is difficult for people in previous colonies of other 
countries than Great Britain (e.g. France, Spain, the Netherlands) to adapt to the necessity of 
learning English. Locally, it may be necessary to learn the language of the previous colonial 
power since it is often an official language and the common language of educated people; 
globally, English is necessary for living on the Internet. And the more languages you have to 
learn well, the less time and energy you will have for learning other things. 

жүктеу/скачать 8,13 Mb.

Достарыңызбен бөлісу: