KLISH EDUCATION | IELTS BUD WRITING ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAYS

THE TOPIC
H IS TO R Y A N D LA N G U A G E S

Disappearing Languages
Read the following article and discuss what could happen when a language dies.

FOUR THINGS THAT HAPPEN WHEN A LANGUAGE DIES

This World Mother Language Day, read about why many say we should be fighting to preserve linguistic
diversity.

A still from El Primo Amanecer, a short film narrated in Huichol, an indigenous language of Mexico that UNESCO classifies as
‘vulnerable’. The film will be shown as part of a Smithsonian festival about endangered languages this week. (Courtesy Center for
Folklife and Cultural Heritage)

Languages around the world are dying, and dying fast. Today is International Mother Language Day,
started by UNESCO to promote the world’s linguistic diversity.

The grimmest predictions have 90 percent of the world’s languages dying out by the end of this century.
Although this might not seem important in the day-to-day life of an English speaker with no personal ties
to the culture in which they’re spoken, language loss matters. Here’s what we all lose:

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 KLISH EDUCATION | IELTS BUD WRITING ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAYS

1. We lose “The expression of a unique vision of what it means to be human”

That’s what academic David Crystal told Paroma Basu for National Geographic in 2009. Basu was writing
about India, a country with hundreds of languages, at least seven major language families and rapid
language loss.

The effects of that language loss could be “culturally devastating,” Basu wrote. “Each language is a key
that can unlock local knowledge about medicinal secrets, ecological wisdom, weather and climate
patterns, spiritual attitudes and artistic and mythological histories.”

Languages have naturally risen and fallen in prominence throughout history, she wrote. What makes this
different in India as well as throughout the world is the rate at which it’s happening and the number of
languages disappearing.

2. We lose memory of the planet’s many histories and cultures.

The official language of Greenland, wrote Kate Yoder for Grist, is fascinating and unique. It’s “made up of
extremely long words that can be customized to any occasion,” she writes. And there are as many of
those words as there are sentences in English, one linguist who specializes in Greenlandic told her.
Some of those, like words for different kinds of wind, are disappearing before linguists get the chance to
explore them. And that disappearance has broader implications for the understanding of how humans
process language, linguist Lenore Grenoble told Yoder. “There’s a lot we don’t know about how it works,
or how the mind works when it does this,” she said.

Yoder’s article dealt with the effect of climate change on language loss. In sum: it hastens language loss
as people migrate to more central, “safe” ground when their own land is threatened by intense storms,
sea level rise, drought and other things caused by climate change. “When people settle in a new place,
they begin a new life, complete with new surroundings, new traditions, and, yes, a new language,” she
wrote.

3. We lose some of the best local resources for combatting environmental threats.

As Nancy Rivenburgh wrote for the International Association of Conference Interpreters, what’s
happening with today’s language loss is actually quite different from anything that happened before.
Languages in the past disappeared and were born anew, she writes, but “they did so in a state of what
linguists call ‘linguistic equilibrium.’ In the last 500 years, however, the equilibrium that characterized
much of human history is now gone. And the world’s dominant languages—or what are often called
‘metropolitan’ languages—are all now rapidly expanding at the expense of ‘peripheral’ indigenous
languages. Those peripheral languages are not being replaced.”

That means that out of the around 7000 languages that most reputable sources estimate are spoken
globally, only the top 100 are widely spoken. And it isn’t just our understanding of the human mind that’s
impaired, she writes. In many places, indigenous languages and their speakers are rich sources of
information about the world around them and the plants and animals in the area where they live. In a time
of mass extinction, that knowledge is especially precious.

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 KLISH EDUCATION | IELTS BUD WRITING ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAYS

“Medical science loses potential cures,” she writes. “Resource planners and national governments lose
accumulated wisdom regarding the management of marine and land resources in fragile ecosystems.”

4. Some people lose their mother tongue.

The real tragedy of all this might just be all of the people who find themselves unable to speak their first
language, the language they learned how to describe the world in. Some find themselves in the
unenviable position of being one of the few (or the only) speakers of their mother tongue. And some, like
many of Canada’s indigenous peoples, find their language in grave danger as the result of a campaign by
government to stamp out their cultures.

This loss is something beyond all the other losses, linguist John Lipski told Lisa Duchene for Penn State
News: “Imagine being told you can’t use your language and you’ll see what that undefinable ‘more’ is,” he
said.

What can you do about all this? Educate yourself, to start with. The Smithsonian’s annual Mother Tongue
Film Festival takes place every February in Washington, D.C. And projects like National Geographic’s
“Enduring Voices” are a great place to learn about endangered languages and their many speakers, and
UNESCO’s own website is another resource. There’s still hope for some of these languages if we pay
attention.

Source: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/four-things-happen-when-language-dies-and-one-thing-you-
can-do-help-180962188/#j5bEDYcvz5TMKxP5.99

Watch the following videos on the idea of a global language and note important expressions.

THE BENEFITS AND DETRIMENT OF ENGLISH BEING USED AS A GLOBAL LANGUAGE

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ENGLISH THE GLOBAL LANGUAGE

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 KLISH EDUCATION | IELTS BUD WRITING ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAYS

THE BODY PARAGRAPH

IELTS W R ITIN G TASK 2 ESSAYS

Features of A Paragraph
Read the following sample answer by Simon and analyze the body paragraph.

Several languages are in danger of extinction because they are spoken by very small numbers of
people. Some people say that governments should spend public money on saving these
languages, while others believe that would be a waste of money.
Discuss both these views and give your opinion.

SAMPLE ANSWER
It is true that some minority languages may disappear in the near future. Although it can be argued that
governments could save money by allowing this to happen, I believe that these languages should be
protected and preserved.

There are several reasons why saving minority languages could be seen as a waste of money. Firstly, if a
language is only spoken by a small number of people, expensive education programmes will be needed
to make sure that more people learn it, and the state will have to pay for facilities, teachers and
marketing. This money might be better spent on other public services. Secondly, it would be much
cheaper and more efficient for countries to have just one language. Governments could cut all kinds of
costs related to communicating with each minority group.

Despite the above arguments, I believe that governments should try to preserve languages that are less
widely spoken. A language is much more than simply a means of communication; it has a vital connection
with the cultural identity of the people who speak it. If a language disappears, a whole way of life will
disappear with it, and we will lose the rich cultural diversity that makes societies more interesting. By
spending money to protect minority languages, governments can also preserve traditions, customs and
behaviours that are part of a country’s history.

In conclusion, it may save money in the short term if we allow minority languages to disappear, but in the
long term this would have an extremely negative impact on our cultural heritage.

(IELTS Simon – 258 words – Band 9)

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 KLISH EDUCATION | IELTS BUD WRITING ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAYS

Body Paragraph Method

Review Simon’s sample answer and identify the two strategies used in the body paragraphs.

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Analyze the arguments made in each of the body paragraphs in Simon’s sample answer.
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 KLISH EDUCATION | IELTS BUD WRITING ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAYS

BRAINSTORMING & OUTLINING

IELTS W R ITIN G TASK 2

Brainstorming
Use the 6Ws method, brainstorm for the following topic.

People who live in foreign countries should follow the traditions and customs of such countries.
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this statement? (12/12/2015)

Outlining
Create an outline for the topic above.
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 KLISH EDUCATION | IELTS BUD WRITING ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAYS

HOMEWORK
G R A M M A R P R A C TIC E A N D C O LLO C A TIO N R E S O U R C E

Identify the error in each sentence and correct it.

61. The spread of the Internet has profound influence on education and thought in many countries.
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62. The growing use of computers are causing enormous and far-reaching changes in work and the
quality of life in both industrialized and developing countries.
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63. Automobiles have been mass-produced and sold at a price average person could afford.
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64. For instance, the washing machine was invented and devised to less the drudgery of washing
clothes.
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65. At the distinctions between home and the workplace fade, more and more people go online from their
offices to perform the tasks they are used to doing at home.
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66. Unemployment in market economies is always a consequence of structural change, which can
further trace their root in technological change.
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67. Introducing new technologies and replacing old ones is always a highly controversial matter,
especially when the cost incur is particularly high.
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68. Solutions to our problems do not lie in waiting hopefully for new technologies to emerge, but rather
using public and private funds to make optimal use of existing technology.
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69. The dispose of unwanted by-products of industrialization is one of the thorniest problems in
developing countries.
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70. In hospitals or on aircraft, mobile phone use is forbidden because of its possible interference with
communication or other electronic equipments.
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71. The use of the Internet is now greater than television, radio and other media combined.
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 KLISH EDUCATION | IELTS BUD WRITING ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAYS

72. Perhaps one of the most far-reaching changes in the last century is the change from the labour-
intense economy to the knowledge-based economy.
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73. A flexible timetable can make employees less likely to be stressful and sick.
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74. Despite television is the dominant entertainment medium across the world, the Internet is gathering
momentum.
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75. With distance education, many working people are possibly to augment their careers and personal
interests without giving up their jobs.
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76. The same as any other mediums, the Internet provides entertainment for people of all ages and
tastes.
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77. As lifetime employment is dying out and jobs are more scarce, people could hardly expect to spend
their working lives at the same company.
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78. There are not time and place limitations in online shopping and there are not boundaries, either
geographical or political.
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79. Because of the rapid evolution of worker skills, training has become a more recurring process than
an one-time event.
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80. The ultimate financial value of working at home is that if managed time well, the homeworker should
be able to achieve more during the day than he or she would in a workplace.
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81. One of the greatest ironies of the 20 century is that although many technologies were intended to
enhance our well-being, they have undermined our health over time.
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82. The notion that a knowledge-based economy is replacing the industrial economy is not wide
accepted among people.
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83. As a general rule, pollution problems increase during the early stages of a country’s industrial
development then diminish as increasing industrial development generates adequate resources to tackle
such problems.
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 KLISH EDUCATION | IELTS BUD WRITING ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAYS

84. The allure of computers stems mainly from the fact that it can be used for a wide range of purposes.
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85. Of the many machines invented in the last century, none has a great impact on our daily lives than
computers.
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86. Many architects have received wide recognition by fusing classic architecture with elements of
modern art.
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87. Given the competitive pressure, not a few young people have fallen into the habit of using drugs
(such as sleeping pills), drink and smoke to relieve stress.
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88. Loss of leisure time and family disruption are normally recognized as the negative results of extra job
hour.
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89. When people go shopping, they are not only with desire for consumer goods, but also abstract
desires like for the respect or acceptance from other people.
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90. It is not coincidence that we now take fewer vacations for shorter periods of time and find the
boundaries between work and play increasingly blurred.
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 KLISH EDUCATION | IELTS BUD WRITING ARGUMENTATIVE ESSAYS

ANSWER KEY.
61. profound influence à a profound influence (danh từ đếm được số ít cần ‘a’)
62. are à is (chủ ngữ là ‘use’, không phải ‘computers’)
63. average person à the average person (danh từ đếm được dùng với nghĩa chung chung)
64. less à lessen (sau ‘to’ cần động từ)
65. are used to doing à used to do (thói quen trong quá khứ bây giờ không còn nữa)
66. trace their root à trace its root (‘its’ thay cho ‘structural change’ là một danh từ số ít)
67. incur à incurred (mệnh đề quan hệ rút gọn ở dạng bị động, vì câu đã có động từ là ‘is’)
68. rather using public and private à rather in using public and private (cấu trúc song song với ‘lie in
waiting hopefully’)
69. dispose à disposal (cần danh từ làm chủ ngữ)
70. equipments à equipment (danh từ không đếm được)
71. greater than television à greater than that of television (so sánh đồng loại: ‘that’ thay cho ‘the use of’)
72. most far-fetching à the most far-fetching (so sánh nhất phải có ‘the’)
73. less likely to be stressful and sick à experience a lower stress and sickness level
74. Despite à Although (Despite + N/V-ing / Although + S + V)
75. are possibly to à are likely to (sau ‘to be’ không dùng trạng từ, hơn nữa ‘possible’ không đi với
‘people’)
76. any other mediums à any other medium à (bất cứ cái nào khác à danh từ số ít)
77. more scarce à scarcer (so sánh hơn của tính từ ngắn)
78. not à no (time / boundaries…) (not + any + N / no + N)
79. an one-time event à a one-time event (‘one’ phiên âm bắt đầu bằng /w/ là một phụ âm à ‘a’)
80. if managed time well à if managing time well (hai vế chung chủ ngữ, hành động ở dạng chủ động)
th
81. the 20 century à the 20 century (số thứ tự phải có đuôi –th/-st/-nd/-rd)
82. wide accepted à widely accepted (‘accepted’ là động từ ở dạng V-PII, cần trạng từ bổ nghĩa)
83. then diminish à but then diminish (hai vế đối lập nghĩa nhau à cần liên từ tương phản)
84. it à they (đại từ ở đây thay thế cho ‘computers’ ở số nhiều)
85. a great impact à a greater impact (câu có ‘than’ à cần so sánh hơn)
86. classic architecture à classical architecture (kiến trúc cổ điển, tuân theo quy chuẩn à classical, còn
‘classic’ là mang tính đại diện, đặc trưng, bất biến qua thời gian)
87. drink and smoke à drinking and smoking (cấu trúc song song với ‘using’)
88. extra job hour à extra job hours (danh từ đếm được dùng với nghĩa chung chung cần để số nhiều)
89. but also abstract desires à but also with abstract desires (cấu trúc song song với ‘not only with’)
90. not coincidence à no coincidence (tương tự câu 78)

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