Every Year several Languages Die Out – IELTS Writing Task 2

The Essay Writing section of the IELTS Writing Module can be a difficult task for many IELTS Aspirants. Thus, it is vital that you polish your essay writing skills before attempting the IELTS.

Below is a sample IELTS Essay for the IELTS Essay topic:

Every year several languages die out. Some people think this is not important because life will be easier if there are fewer languages. To what extent do u agree or disagree with this opinion?

Outline

Essay Type

Opinion Essay (Agree/Disagree)

Introduction

Sentences 1, 2 & 3 – Introduce the topic.

Sentence 4 – I disagree with the notion of the essay.

Body Paragraphs

Paragraphs 1 – Less language may lead to autonomy and extinction may lead to loss of ancient knowledge.

Paragraph 2 – Vocabulary will be limited with a limited number of languages and will affect the development of cognitive abilities.

Conclusion

Sum up and state your opinion.

Sample Essay 1

Language has always been an integral part of our existence, be it some notes of music or some complicated string of words. There are a great number of languages that have come into existence since time immemorial. Unfortunately, a large section of those languages is losing importance and becoming obsolete due to various reasons. In this essay, I am going to discuss the reason for my disagreement with some people who think having fewer languages can make their life easier.

It is impossible for a person to live through ages and know the history of different ancient and modern cultures. As a result, texts, songs, paintings from those past ages are the only sources to appreciate the intellect and events of that time. They even inform of many ingenious features of the ancient civilizations that can be applied even today, for example, the drainage system of the Harappa civilization. If the language of that period is lost, then the importance of the text and the valuable information is also lost to us. Secondly, fewer languages will mean that the country whose language gains global importance or people who are well-versed in it may develop pretentious behaviour. People who are unable to communicate in that language or group of languages will be considered mediocre. For example, English is an international language, and people who are incompetent to interact in English is treated unjustly. So, multiple languages prevent the autonomy of a single or group of languages.

Being bilingual or multilingual has its own benefits. Psychological studies have proven that such ability is a strong point to develop our analytical process. It boosts our problem-solving skills, decision-making ability and exercises our brain activities. Finally, if languages continue to fade away, our vocabulary will become limited. No language can survive independently. For instance, global languages like English have been greatly affected by French, Latin, Indian languages like Hindi, German among others. For that reason, if any of these languages become extinct, the words will also lose their context and meaning.

Nevertheless, with fewer languages, learners can learn less. When they move to foreign countries, they will be able to communicate with others using those few languages and social interaction will become a piece of cake. Other than this advantage, giving up on languages has no great value.

In the end, I would like to state that letting languages die out just to avoid confusion or ease of communication might impede our cultural heritage and limit our means of communication, all the while losing an important part of our past. So, even though our languages may not gain the importance of an international language, we can make an effort to help our language or ancient languages to live among us.

Sample Essay 2

Possibly, the human race is the only living creature that carries diverse and distinct languages for the purpose of communication. The vital means of language is to communicate seamlessly. Every nation, community and tribe have their own language, and the formations of these languages have been extremely different than what we see today. If communication is the primary reason to have our own languages, I would agree with the fact that fewer languages are much better for communication. Hence, we must not worry even if certain languages get extinct. I will explain my opinion in the next few paragraphs.

Some people argue that a language helps preserving the tradition, history and culture of a group. This is true to some extent, and it is no longer possible to comprehend history when the language does not exist anymore. But the changes in languages and their assessment cannot be averted. Even the English language that we use these days is way different from what it was a century ago. Languages undergo a change as people require a better and effortless way of communication. Keeping this in mind, if some modern and rich languages are used across the world, the communication among people would get better. This would decrease the cultural and language barriers that exist in the world.

Generally, languages that are getting lost are spoken only by fewer people. Only the uncommon languages that a few people speak are in danger. Most of these languages are spoken by a tribe, and people belonging to such tribes also develop in terms of lifestyle and education; hence, they accept a new language. In certain situations, we must put more priority on the life standards of people instead of just concentrating on the spoken language. Finally, modernization is one natural trend, and humans cannot prevent it. The prominent languages would prevail, and they would be used by people quite naturally. The fewer the languages, the more effective and richer they would be.

Of course, languages are the core of any community and they hold people together, but if people adopt other languages, even if their cultural ones are on the extinction, it will not make a huge difference.

In conclusion, we must accept and foster the diversity of languages because of the tradition and uniqueness. However, we should also accept natural trends of evolution and modernization of the language. We should not worry a lot about the disappearance of languages and should accept as few as possible for better communication.

Band 9 Sample Essay

As we progress further into the 21st century, the widespread prevalence of major languages like English is overshadowing the indigenous dialects. Due to the lack of any significant use of such vernaculars outside the communities that they are native to, the threat of extinction faced by these unique tongues, which are notable elements of culture, is amplified. It is commonly believed that this phenomenon is a positive occurrence as it facilitates convenience in the realms of communication. I strongly disagree with this notion, and in the following paragraphs, I will explain and justify my views on the topic.

Firstly, we must acknowledge the fact that the native tongue of any community forms the basic identity of the people belonging to that fraternity. Consequently, when conversing with an individual, the subtle peculiarities in their accent can be an indicator of the origins of that person, which might be helpful in various social situations. Furthermore, language is not limited to the words uttered verbally but includes mannerisms and diction as well, which are important in understanding the intrinsic values and attributes of an individual.

Additionally, for many people, the most commonly used languages might be entirely alien, and adopting such modes of speech can be quite an ordeal. The act of implementing the jargon and terminologies of an unfamiliar tongue into the routine discourses requires mastery of that language to the highest levels. Such a degree of proficiency may be unattainable for many individuals, thus creating a social handicap also known as the language barrier.

Nevertheless, it is understandable that in the grand scheme of things, the protection of every aboriginal language is impractical. However, we must nurture the foundations of our heritage the best we can as a homage to our roots.

In conclusion, the disappearance of various native dialects may not seem like a grave issue, but in reality, it is an immense loss to the entire human race.

Vocabulary

• Immemorial

Meaning: for a very long time

Eg: This painting has been in her family for time immemorial.

• Obsolete

Meaning: no longer used or needed, usually because something newer and better has replaced it

Eg: “I am afraid your writing style will become obsolete in a few years.”

• Ingenious

Meaning: clever and inventive, or someone who is smart, clever or original

Eg: The scientist came up with many ingenious ways to handle the crisis.

• Well-versed

Meaning: having a lot of knowledge about something

Eg: The old man is well-versed in twenty different languages.

• Pretentious

Meaning: attempting to impress by affecting greater importance or merit than is actually possessed

Eg: The actor has become pretentious after winning an award.

• Mediocre

Meaning:  just acceptable but not good; not good enough

Eg: He was a mediocre student.

• Incompetent

Meaning:  lacking the skills or knowledge to do a job or perform an action correctly or to a satisfactory standard

Eg: The carpenter was incompetent to mend the broken window.

• Autonomy

Meaning: capacity of a system to make a decision about its actions without the involvement of another system

Eg: The autonomy of the ruler ended when he was murdered by a group of revolts.

• Multilingual

Meaning: the ability to speak multiple languages or the use of multiple languages

Eg: Our professor is multilingual and has taught us some phrases in Latin.

• A piece of cake

Meaning: something easily done

Eg: Walking on the thin rope is a piece of cake for her.

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