Track 8

Unit 2

linguistics

global English

Page 13

build your vocabulary

1) most people acknowledge that English is used all over the world. There is very little disagreement about that.

2) in many international situations people communicate in English.

3) English is used widely in certain domains such as business and science.

4) the Portuguese taxi driver in the German tourist used English to facilitate communication because it was the only language they both knew.

5) English is considered a global language because it’s used on every continent.

6) Many people in Japan can speak some English. Nevertheless, this doesn’t mean English as their primary language, Japanese is.

7) English is one of the official languages of the European Union. It’s used among EU representatives and major meetings.

8) Because the flight attendant was proficient in English, French and Spanish. He could speak with almost all of the passengers.

9) The hotel employees in Beijing learned English but of course retained their ability to speak Chinese now they use both languages at work.

10) the number of people who currently speak some English is unprecedented. More people speak it now than ever before.