Assignment 1

Both articles mention the fact that English is now the lingua franca, but there is a small disagreement about the number of Mandarin speakers in comparison to the number of English speakers. In the first article it is claimed that there are twice as many Mandarin speakers than English speakers, also taking the people who speak English as a second language into account (Jacques, 2006). In the second article though, the writer claims something else: "it is not the most spoken as a first language, but if you include people who speak English as a second language, it leaves Mandarin Chinese for dust" (Holt, 2006). 
Both articles argue in favour of learning a second language. The writer of the first article mentions several arguments for learning a second language. First, not everyone else in the world now speaks English. Second, language is more than a tool of communication, it is also the expression of culture. The writer states "in the era of globalisation, we should not expect everyone to speak our language, it is incumbent upon us to speak the language of other" (Jacques, 2006). And third, the linguistic texture of the world could look rather different in 50 years (Jacques, 2006). In the second article the arguments for learning a second language are focused on the educational benefit: "As both a student and teacher of foreign languages, I have found that the experience of learning another tongue greatly deepens your understanding own language" (Holt, 2006). Learning another language forces you to think analytically rather than just instinctively, and this skill should be worked on by all students (Holt, 2006). In the second article there is a focus on amendment of education for solving the problem and the importance of language teaching in school: "it does not take a huge leap of imagination to realise that the downgrading of the importance of language teaching in schools is self-perpetuating: the less of us that study languages the less people there will be qualified to teach them in the future" (Holt, 2006). In the first article three things are mentioned that should be done to solve the problem. It should be compulsory to learn a foreign language from the age of five. Second, Chinese should be widely available since we are living in a global era now. Third, the language skills of newer citizens who speak foreign languages should be used as a means and a resource for those who only speak English. So both articles argue in favour of learning a second language but different arguments and solutions are mentioned. 
Jacques, M. (2006). Does it matter if we only speak English? The Guardian. Consulted via http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2006/dec/15/doesitmatterifweonlyspea?INTCMP=SRCH 
Holt, R. (2006). Why bother learning foreign languages? If politicians and teachers' leaders don't act now language teaching in schools is going to. The Guardian