Every Year several Languages Die Out – IELTS Writing Task 2
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Contents
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.
More Writing Task 2 Essay Topics
- Computers are Being Used More and More in Education
- People’s Shopping Habits Depend More On The Age Group That They Belong to Then Other Factors
- Parents Are The Best Teachers
- Environmental Protection is The Responsibility of Politicians, Not Individuals As Individuals Can Do Too Little
- When a Country Develops its Technology the Traditional Skills and Ways of Life Die Out
Practice IELTS Writing Task 2 based on Essay types
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Janice Thompson
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4 Comments
Mehedi
Posted on Feb 10, 2022
It is argued that the annual extinction of many languages is not a problem because having just a few languages leads to a more convenient life. It is disagreed that the convenience of using just a few key languages makes the dying out of less spoken dialects acceptable. This essay will first discuss the importance of language to culture and secondly the fact that learning a few common languages is unrealistic, followed by a reasoned conclusion.
A language is not just a group of spoken words but the key to someone’s culture. Language has evolved over thousands of years to reflect what it means to be from a particular place. For example, the Irish language has one of the widest vocabularies in the world and reflects their tradition of storytelling. Despite this, English has become the first language of the Irish, as many feel it makes it easier to communicate with the world.
By speaking just a couple of languages, such as English and Chinese, you alienate billions of people throughout the world. English may be common, but it is not the ‘lingua franca’ many people think it is and it would take generations for everyone to learn it. Countries like Korea and Vietnam have been trying to adopt English as a second language for a long time, but most of their people still can’t fully grasp it. However, English has been the language of business for a long time and it should be encouraged to help a country become more economically competitive.
To conclude, commonly spoken languages may make life more straightforward, but this should not be at the expense of less prevalent languages, in order to avoid the erosion of culture and the alienation of many countries.
Reply
Janice Thompson
Posted on Feb 10, 2022
Band score: 5.5
Avoid using second person.
Since this is an opinion essay you are supposed to pick a side and support it in both paragraphs.
Task achievement: Both your body paragraphs must support your opinion. Discussing the importance of language to culture is
unnecessary and not relevant to the question asked.
June
Posted on Nov 2, 2021
There’s a huge variance of languages on our earth. But due to globalisation some of them become extinct every year. Can this reduction to a decreasing number of different languages bring any disadvantages to our global society?
While I can understand that some people argue that fewer languages will make communication among different cultures easier, there are some critical elements to consider.
Firstly, language is deeply connected to culture. Regional rituals and behaviours are often supported by the language that’s spoken. With the language abating the culture will fade away, too. Thus, people might struggle more with their identity and how to connect to their and their ancestors’ roots, which may lead to personal crisis and psychological problems.
Secondly, a number of languages have created words for things, emotions or situations that do not exist in other languages (e.g. the German word “Ohrwurm”, that means a melody which is stuck in someone’s head). With wiping languages out, these words may get lost forever, while with keeping a variety of languages, even the huge world languages like English or Spanish can learn from the others and incorporate foreign words.
On the contrary, a smaller number of languages might lead to a better understanding between nations and different cultures. If all people spoke the same tongue, there would be fewer misunderstandings and maybe more compassion and a greater solidarity between countries, too. So this could be a way to a more peaceful world society.
To conclude, I would like to point out, that I can see some advantages in reducing the languages spoken in the world to a minimum, because it can make life easier and could even be the key to world peace, but for me personally the disadvantages are more sincere because the diversity of cultures, origins, and personal stories is what makes us human and what makes people grow through learning from each other.
Reply
Janice Thompson
Posted on Nov 5, 2021
Band score: 5.5
Be careful when using pronouns like “which” and “that”.
Use “C2” vocabulary