NUENGELS
LES 1
HISTORY OF ENGLISH AS A WORLD LANGUAGE
Questions:
Why is the popularity of english a relatively recent development?
400 years ago -> Because they were an island, they had to cross the ocean
Give 2 examples of historic events
1. Rise of the British empire (island -> cross ocean)
2. Emergence of American power
3. Industrial revolution (economic growth)
4. 2 World wars
Give 2 more recent developments that caused the growth of English
1. The internet -> Information technology
2. Fall of USSR (USA -> superpower)
3. Attraction of English popular culture
Vocab exercise:
1. I will first briefly discuss the (huidige) current situation of English in the world.
2. I will explain how it went from a marginal to a global language in so (weinig tijd) little
time.
3. English is learned as a second language in a (meerderheid van landen) majority of the
countries .
4. It is used as a (gemeenschappelijke) common language in important domains such
asbusiness, (wetenschap) science and aviation.
5. International (handel) commerce has always been England’s strength.
6. English as a language made an enormous (vooruitgang) progress in only 400 years.
How did the history of English as world language begin?
-> Norman Conquest: 1066 (Battle of Hastings / William The Conqueror)
-> Rapid growth of English speakers since Industrial Revolution + common language in rest of
British Isles
English has become a world language since 17th C:
Settlements in North America (18th C)
Australia (late 18th C)
Africa (19th C)
1
,United kingdom: Great Britain (england + scotland + wales) + nothern ireland
British isles: United kingdom + ireland + Smaller islands
Countries: USA – Canada – Alaska – Guyana – Belize – United kingdom - Ireland – Australia –
New Zealand – Tasmania -South Africa
Synonyms:
Settlements – Colonys
When was the American War of Independence: 4th of july 1776 -> 18th century
First president: Washington
What was his profession before: He was in real estate
Native English speakers: 400 million people
Native Dutch speakers: 23 million people
English is a West-Germanic language
It is a world language with many varieties
Differences British & American English:
Translate:
1. Hij is juist toegekomen
American English: He just arrived
British English: He has just arrived
2. Ik ga dat doen
American English: I’m gonna do that
British English: I’m going to do that
3. Als u vragen hebt over ons product, contacteer dan
American English: If you have any questions
British Englis: If you have got any questions
2
,4. Ik neem elke morgen een bad
American English: I take a bath each morning
British English: I have a bath each morning
1 woord heeft verschillende betekenissen:
Bv: Purse -> handtas en portomonee
Bv: To be sick -> ziek zijn en overgeven
Spelling:
Oefeningen:
1. EX 1 p4
a) Mag ik je boek lenen? Nee, ik heb het nog niet gelezen.
Can I borrow your book? No, I haven’t read it yet.
b) Ga je later komen?
Are you going to come later
c) Ze schreeft hem vanuit Frankrijk.
She wrote to him from France
d) Peter studeert vastgoed aan de AP Hogeschool in Antwerpen.
Peter studies real estate at AP university/college in Antwerp
3
, 2. EX 5 P5-6
a) It was getting near lunchtime and I needed some gas, so I left the freeway and drove
towards the nearest town. There was a gas station just outside the town and I
decided to stop and have a look round. I put the car in a parking spot and took a cab
to the center. It was noon and very hot, so I stopped at a little diner with tables on
the sidewalk. I started talking to a truck driver, who gave me a history of the town,
and afterwards he took me on a guided tour. It made a nice break.
b) It was getting near lunchtime and I needed some petrol, so I left the motorway and
drove towards the nearest town. There was a petrol station just outside the town
and I decided to stop and have a look round. I put the car in a car park and took a
taxi to the centre. It was midday and very hot, so I stopped at a little bar with tables
on the pavement. I started talking to a lorry driver, who gave me a history of the
town, and afterwards he took me on a guided tour. It made a nice break.
3. EX 3 P6
1. Apartment: flat
2. Faucet: tap
3. Elevator: lift
4. Drapes: curtains
5. Restroom: toilet
6. Garbage: waste, rubbish
7. Closet: wardrobe
8. Potato chips: crisps
9. Downtown: city centre
10. Baggage: luggage
4. EX 4 P
1. Color – colour
2. Humor – humour
3. Dullness – dulness
4. Center – centre
5. A practise – a practice
4
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