Life Will Be Easier If There Are Fewer Languages In The World

IELTS Writing Task 2 Question & Answer

Cambridge IELTS Book 9

You should spend about 40 minutes on this task. Write about the following topic:
Every year several languages die out. Some people think that this is not important because life will be easier if there are fewer languages in the world.
To what extent do you agree or disagree with this opinion?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.

You should write at least 250 words.

IELTS Writing Task 2 Answer

The fact that certain languages have disappeared and ceased to be used is a well documented fact, and there is no reason to believe that this process will change in the future. Quite the contrary, it is likely that even more languages will begin to disappear as a natural result of the globalization process.

We can clearly see the dominance of English as the language of the internet, although many other languages are also catered for. However, people now have much more cross-border interaction with people from other countries and parts of the world, both for work and social reasons. It could be assumed that only those languages which possess a large enough user base; such as English, French, Spanish and various versions of Arabic, for example, will survive in the long run. Many other less well known language spoken or used by only a small minority of people in the world are likely to disappear in time.

This would seem to be quite natural as each generation shares more common cultural bases provided and distributed through the internet which is now seen as the primary source of influence in many countries and the first portal of information for young people. As people share more in common, there will be a tendency to become more and more alike in many aspects of life and there may be a blending of cultures to produce one world culture which dominates over others. Language will also likely transform and it will certainly be easier for business and various other interactions if the majority of people in the world all speak or can use the same language to interact.

It may not make the world a more interesting place, but fewer languages would certainly make the need for translation less necessary than now and it could possibly be eventually eliminated altogether.