...they became less than open and cordial. This was hardly surprising given the religious differences between a Protestant England and Catholic Spain, although joint suspicion of the Guises was sufficient to keep the two powers reasonably friendly. Despite this, relations dropped markedly in 1568 as a result of the issue of sovereignty and crises that ravaged the Netherlands. It is true that Elizabeth did much to antagonise the Spanish during these years of conflict, although there are many instances where her policy towards Spain was nothing more than a reaction to circumstance. It can, therefore, be argued that Spanish actions, as well as other influencing factors such as religion, contributed significantly to the deterioration of Anglo-Spanish relations between the years 1558 and 1568. The cracks in Anglo-Spanish relations first began to appear after the 1568 trading activity of English naval commander John Hawkins. This trading activity was perceived by the Spanish as an English attempt to break the extensive Spanish trading monopoly and therefore a direct threat to their authority and prosperity. As a result, the Spanish launched a blockade of Hawkins’ fleet. What followed was a ‘tit-for-tat’ approach to foreign policy by both Elizabeth and Philip. It may be argued that this chain of events is proof of Elizabeth’s reactionary foreign policy as a result of Spanish actions that lead to the decline in Anglo-Spanish relations. Despite this, however, it can be argued that, had...
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...Raymond Williams argues that ‘Culture is one of the two or three most complicated words in the English language’ (1983: 87). With reference to at least one of the key readings other than the extracts from Williams that you’ve studied in weeks 1-5, discuss (1) why Williams argues this and (2) some of the different ways in which culture has been defined. Culture is one of the most difficult words to define as there are so many modern and traditional meanings that come across as being the ‘true’ definition. Williams said that it is because ‘it is now used in important concepts in intellectual disciplines and systems of thought’, however a more modern way of putting this is that it is part of spiritual development and a way of life. Arnold describes culture as a ‘study of perfection’, which, if you look at the dictionary definition of culture, applies to it; ‘Noun: The arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively’, referring to high culture. High culture, as Leavis put it is ‘the use of such language’, meaning the appreciation of finer living. Finer living means people who visit the theatre, art galleries, drink fine wines; are socially higher than the majority of society who most of the time cannot afford to live like that, they would swap the theatre for a cinema, the art gallery for ‘Madame Tussards’ and the wine bar for a nightclub. Such definition of the word culture makes it seem like a class division; something that Shakespeare picked...
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...European countries like France, England and Netherlands set up various colonies in America in the 17th century. After the initial struggle against disease, malnutrition and resistance from Native tribes, most of the colonies were well established by end of 17th and start of 18th century. Though every colony developed differently from 17th to 18th century, but all were still ruled by British government. There were significant changes in commerce, religious beliefs, cultural liberty but no major changes in the social equality and political liberty of the colonies during this time. All colonies developed different economic systems based upon the weather and local resources. The major part of economy was based on export to England and other European countries. The northern colonies had fishing and shipping industries with small manufacturing. The Southern colonies exported crops like tobacco, rice, indigo and corn to England. In return all colonies imported manufactured goods from England for common use at home. The business and farming depended on apprentices and slave labors. The demand of low cost labor increased in African American slave population in agricultural Southern states and more immigrants settled in other colonies. The colonies looked more like British cities and British made goods were in good demand thus increasing the commerce between two countries. The gap between rich and poor widened as the rich farmers continued to acquire more land and became richer. The...
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...Why is English the international language? The fact that English is now the main international language is indisputable. In all aspects of international life – trade, science, diplomacy, education and travel – the common language is English and has been for decades. There are two main reasons why English is the current lingua franca; political history and economics. First, one of the main reasons why English is the international language in the world today is the fact that Britain was the global superpower in the nineteenth century and America is the global superpower in the twentieth and twenty-first. For example, these two English-speaking countries were the most important countries in terms of the military and trade. By conquering and colonising so much of the world, their customs, culture and way of life became common in those parts of the world. This is why so many ex-British colonies now have English as the national language, with many of their people speaking English as a first language. Second, a further reason for the spread and of English is economics. By being the global political and military superpower, these two countries also became the leading trading nations and many countries and territories needed to learn English in order to trade with them. The USA is currently a major trading partner with almost every other country on the planet due to the size of the consumer economy. This explains why in many countries, English is a...
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...advantages and disadvantages of studying Mathematics and Science in English and whether you support its abolishment. Justify your answer. LECTURER NAME : MRS ZAKIAH GROUP MEMBER’S NAME : 1. MARY CHEE TEAN MIN 2. TRACY TAN LI TING 3. TAN YEE HANG 4. LIM CHUN JIAN 5. SELVA TAMILAN Provide your opinion the advantages and disadvantages of studying Mathematics and Science in English and whether you support its abolishment. Justify your answer. The advantage of learning Mathematics and Science in English is to trains the students in valuable skills with English language. The student can learn more English language before they enter to the workplace. English is an international language for us to communicate but badly our daily life language is not English. They used different kind of languages to communicate with everyone so English language getting lesser and lesser. We need a better strategy to improve the standard of English in the country. Students have to made efforts to speak more often in English and most of them are thinking in English, judging from the manner they phrase their questions when they seek information and help from their friends. They even need to improve their slang while speak English. The subjects should teach in English because we should support students to improve their English language more. If the government doesn’t find a way to improve our poor English in school, we will be nowhere when countries like China catch up...
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...PERCEPTION OF CSU STUDENTS ON THE IMPLEMENTATION OF ENGLISH ONLY POLICY IN ENGLISH CLASS A Research Paper Submitted to Ms. Vanessa Natulla A Faculty of College of Arts and Social Sciences Caraga State University Ampayon, Butuan City In partial fulfillment of the course requirement in English 2 (Writing in the Discipline) Second Semester, A.Y. 2014-2015 By Horlic Mae Masocol Airene Faye Anoda Ronie Casinginan Melody Antonida (Section B2, MTh 9:00-10:30AM) March 2015 I. Introduction A. Rationale English is a West Germanic language that was first spoken in early medieval England and is now a global lingua franca. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/English_language). It may not be the most spoken language in the world but is it the official language in a large number of countries. English is the most dominant business language and it has become almost the necessity for people to speak English if they are to enter the world of business where communication is most often conducted in English. Of course not just business in alone, many books, top films, music and also in the internet are produced and published in English. To date, English will have more importance; let it be in Trade and Industry, Tourism, Politics, Jobs, Travels and most especially in Education. Knowing English will allow you to access huge amount of information needed which may not be otherwise available. Basically, the world needs a global language and that particularly in a...
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...Country Paper By Irwin Anderson BMGT 392 Professor Joseph Wade September 12, 2011 This country analysis is for the beginning of a new business venture in South Korea. The business is an English private school/ tutoring center that focuses mainly on learning the language of English. The nature of this business is to bring new alternatives to learning English in South Korea. The organizational structure of this business will be mostly staffed with qualified English teachers. The overall mission statement of this business is to bring the best possible level of English language education to South Korea. This analysis will bring about the relevance of different country variables to this new business opportunity. The country variables consist of cultural environment, political and legal environment, economic environment, ethical environment, trade, investment, and foreign policy profile. Cultural Environment The cultural environment is one of the first things to consider when opening up a business in another country. Daniels mentions, “Most cultural variables are universal. Every society, for example, has its own daily routines and rules, codes or social relations, language, and the show of emotions—even concepts of luck” (Daniel, 2011). Therefore, some sort of study of the culture should be done. The Journal of Management & Marketing Research states, “Since the entry mode is crucial for the success of a new business in the overseas...
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...Why English is important IF YOU are currently learning English in a school, college or institute of further education, you join approximately one billion other people around the world who are engaged in the same pursuit. However, as you try to memorise proper grammar, and try to avoid the mistakes common to most students of English, you may wonder why you are learning the language in the first place. So, why is English important? After Mandarin, English is spoken by more people than any other language, and is the native language of more than 350 million people. More people speak English than those who speak the Arabic and French languages combined. Moreover, English is the international language of diplomacy, business, science, technology, banking, computing, medicine, aviation, UN & NATO armed forces, engineering, tourism, Hollywood films and arguably the best pop and rock music in the world. English has plenty of words to choose from. In fact, an English speaker is offered the biggest vocabulary of any language with a choice of 500,000 to 1,000,000 words (including technical and scientific terms). But don’t panic, most English speakers do very well with a vocabulary of around 20,000 words. English can be fun too. For instance, the music of such stars as Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, Michael Jackson and Madonna has encouraged fans to speak the language of their idols, whilst others have enrolled in English classes to improve their understanding...
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...The Development of the Theory of World Englishes In our modern world there are more non-native speakers of English than native speakers. This is because there is a growing necessity of people to acquire English as a second language for different purposes. As a result of this growing spread of English, new English varieties have risen all over the world. These are commonly called ‘World Englishes’ which suggests the several variations of English spoken in different countries (Seargeant, 2012) As new ‘Englishes’ develop new theories about their formation, similarities and differences arise around the world. English is no longer seen as a unique structure but as a multicultural and plural concept. Hence, the Theory of World Englishes has been developed. According to Seargeant (2012: 6) the theory of World Englishes is “…used to refer to the general discipline that examines the nature and use of English worldwide or of English in globalised contexts”. Thus, it is vital to consider the cultural issues that influence the contexts of those who want to acquire English as a second language. This helps to understand English variations and improves communication in the world. Therefore, this assignment will firstly explain the development of the Theory of World Englishes, then describe its present and future applications and finally evaluate the cultural impacts on speakers of world Englishes. Firstly, it is relevant to provide a clear explanation of the development of the theory of...
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...MALAYSIAN ENGLISH AND MANGLISH Generally, the terms ‘Malaysian English’ is always misinterpreted by most Malaysians as ‘Manglish’, let alone by the foreigners or the outsiders. People seem to be unaware of the fact that ‘Malaysian English and Manglish are actually two different forms of English. As a matter of fact, Malaysian English is normally known as Malaysian Standard English; a form of English used and spoken in Malaysia as a second language. It should not be confused with Malaysian Colloquial English which is famously known as Manglish, a portmanteau of the word Malay and English, or Street English. Basically, Manglish is a Malaysian speaking style with many similarities with the Singaporean Singlish. It is a distorted usage of English that is mainly spoken between the locals. It is also the English spoken by Malayalees of Kerala state in India who have not got good English education. Due to the multi-language environment, the English language in Malaysia has evolved into a creole with its own phonology, lexicon and grammar. WHY AND HOW MALAYSIAN ENGLISH AND MANGLISH ARE SPECIAL? Malaysian English is generally non-rhotic, regardless of the fact that all /r/s are pronounced in native Malay. Malaysian English originates from British English as a result of British colonialism in present-day Malaysia. It has components of American English, Malay, Chinese, Indian, and other languages: vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar. Malaysian English employs a broad A accent,...
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...AND ITS SETTING Introduction Unsurprisingly, English is the second most spoken language after Mandarin. To add on to this fact, more people can easily communicate in English compared to any other language. Undoubtedly, the popularity of the language has termed English as the international language of diplomacy, business, science, technology, banking, computing, medicine, aviation, engineering, tourism, and even the UN & NATO armed forces, Hollywood films and the best pop and rock music of the world. Apart from these unfamiliar and strange facts, there are still several other reasons that state the importance of learning the universal language, English. To cite some of them, they are as follows: After graduating high school, if a student is seeking admission in a reputable college or university, one must be very knowledgeable in English, otherwise he/she won’t be admitted. And if after finishing college he would then apply for a job but most companies welcome those candidates who are fluent in English and have the relevant qualification and skill set. However, candidates with the relevant qualification without having proper knowledge of English language are being rejected after some sort of personal interviews. Also, most of the businesses engaged in dealing with international clients and suppliers prefer using English as the primary source of communication. While people have their own native languages, English serves as the most common and user-friendly language...
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...School Students’ oral English Interest Abstract With the opening-up of China, English teaching has been getting more and more attention, especially since Beijing won the bid to hold the 2008 Olympic Games，the economy and society developed quickly in China and different cultures have come into contact more and more, there is no denying that English will play an important role in communication. As a result, English teaching and reform are coming to a turning point, how to improve students' spoken English is the core issue of students and teachers. Students are more and more eager to learn English well especially the oral English, but a lot of difficulties and barriers in the way. Therefore, how to stimulate middle school students' oral English interest becomes more and more important. In this paper, the author pays attention to studying the present situation of Middle school students Oral English study, and propose some personnel but effective strategies to stimulate students’ oral English skills. Key words：Oral English, interests, communication. Table of Contents Abstract…………………………..........................….............................................……….ii Table of Contents…………………………………………………………........…………iii Outline…………………………………………………………………………………… v 1. Introduction…………………………………………………………………………… 1 2. The Significant Value of Oral English………………………………………………… 2 2.1 English is the most widely used languages…………………………………………. 2 2.2 Oral English Skills is the Necessary...
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...Introduction English language was introduced in South China in the eighteenth century. It took root in the mid nineteenth century when a school teaching English was started. The first missionary schools lasted for 10 years (1835-1851). After the 1860 war the schools were reopened and they spread to other parts of china. Between 1872 and 1925 over 7,000 missionary schools were operational with over 260,000 students. Learning English was a means to learning modernized military methods and an opening for china to work with foreign countries and create alliances. Strained relations with USSR when Russian language was to replace English gave the Western culture a better impact opportunity (Hughes, 2006). The support of English has undergone many difficulties but since the 1980’s China has encouraged working relations and study opportunities in English as it has helped them economically, politically and in its cultural dynamics. English has received much support in recent years as it has made Chinas world market expand astronomically. On other hand, China is obliged to use English language for the purposes of international trade and interaction. This is because English has remained to be the world largest spoken language (Wu, 2012). Economical China has enjoyed successful relations with on a global scale for its conformation to the English language. Since 1980’s, Mainland China has been doing business with different international countries but especially those with an English support...
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...English and Englishes in the Philippines: A World Englishes Approach to MTBMLE Isabel Pefianco Martin, Ateneo de Manila University Abstract ! In the past two years since DepEd Order 74 (series 2009) was implemented, teacher training sessions have been conducted that focussed on the development of teaching strategies and the preparation of instructional materials for teaching in multilingual settings. One area of utmost concern among basic education teachers, and often a source of anxiety to both teachers and parents, is how to approach the teaching of English using the first language (L1). This presentation hopes to address these concerns by proposing a World Englishes (WE) approach to English language teaching (ELT) in the Philippines. Introduction ! Just recently, a college freshman who interviewed me for his research paper on mother-tongue based multilingual education (MTBMLE) asked why I supported its promotion even it meant possibly losing my job as an English teacher. The question did not surprise me as it was something that I often encountered whenever teachers, especially English teachers in Metro Manila, are confronted with this unfamiliar creature that is MTBMLE. ! To many stakeholders of the English language--lawmakers, school administrators, teachers, and parents--MTBMLE is perceived as a threat. It is specifically perceived to be anti-English. These perceptions may be traced to beliefs about English that may largely be considered as...
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...How to Learn English Well Improve your English All English learners want to improve their English, but as you know, it can be difficult! For you to learn, you need to work on all areas. The four main areas for you to focus on are: Reading, Writing, Speaking, and Listening. Our English courses promote these 'core skills' because all need to be worked on for you to learn English well. Here are some proven ways to help you learn. Good Luck! Speaking Speak as often and as much as possible! This is the best way to learn English! There is nothing better than conversation to help you improve. Whereas, you can practise reading, writing, and listening on your own, it’s obviously better to speak English with someone. The best way to do this is to be in an English speaking environment. Take an English course in an English language school, or better still, learn English in an English-speaking country. The quickest way to learn English is to surround yourself with English speakers. Also, get into the habit of thinking in English, don’t translate from your own language into English, it will slow you down. When you talk, use the sentences which instantly and naturally feel right to you, these are often the correct ones. Many students learn to develop an ‘intuition’ about English, use yours and trust it. This might sound a little strange and embarrassing at first, but record yourself talking and listen to your own pronunciation, talking speed and the flow of your speaking...
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