Русский
English
Here is one more IELTS essay about dying languages (Cambridge 9, Test 4, Academic Writing).
You will see that the topic was a bit tricky, because the second sentence actually holds a) the opinion “this is not important” and b) an argument “because life will be easier if there are fewer languages in the world”.
I chose the approach to refute the argument in my first body paragraph and to expand on my view in the second body paragraph.
If you need to improve your writing skills, you can benefit from IELTS online course.
Now, here’s the topic:
Every year several languages die out. Some people think that this is not important because life will be easier if there are fewer languages in the world.
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your knowledge or experience. Write at least 250 words.
And the essay:
Nowadays many linguists are worried about the tendency of language extinction. At the same time, some people claim that fewer languages would make communication easier. Personally, I strongly disagree with the latter argument and believe that endangered languages should be preserved.
First of all, it is not the number of languages, but the existence of one global language that would make the difference. Hypothetically, were the quantity of world languages to decrease from current six thousand to ten only, people would still have the same difficulty reaching understanding with foreigners who would not speak their language. In contrast, in case all seven billion people on Earth mastered the same global language, such as English, as their second language, life would become easier. Furthermore, they would not need to give up their mother tongues at all. A case in point is Finnish people, who learn several foreign languages at school in addition to theirs.
From my perspective, it is essential to safeguard a variety of tongues. First, languages constitute an important part of cultural heritage. If a language is lost, a whole layer of customs, traditions, art and ancestral knowledge can disappear. By way of illustration, it took centuries for scientists to decipher ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs. Even nowadays, archeologists still have no single explanation how giant Egyptian pyramids were constructed. Second, the more differences exist in humanity, the more tolerant people can become. For instance, travellers who visit India with its variety of indigenous languages can learn to respect other ways of life and develop greater understanding of the world.
In conclusion, I would argue that language disappearance does not improve human life. In contrast, it results in irrecoverable cultural loss, therefore, endangered languages ought to be saved.
In this essay, I used different types of Conditional Mood and some collocations:
language extinction
language disappearance
endangered languages
global language
to make the difference
to master a language
mother tongue
cultural heritage
indigenous languages.
