Part III

I－Interviewer P－Professor

I: And now we have an interview with Professor J. T. Lingo, Professor of Linguistics at Chimo University, who is here to talk to us about the growing business of teaching English. Good morning, Professor Lingo.

P: Good morning.

I: Professor, I understand that teaching English is becoming “big business” all around the world.

P: It seems that language schools are springing up everywhere.

I: Why is that?

P: With the move toward a global economy, English has become the most widely used language in the world. It is the language of business, aviation, science and international affairs and people find that they must learn English to compete in those fields.

I: And do people find English an easy language to learn?

P: Well, every language has something about it that other people find difficult to learn. English is such a hodgepodge of different languages－it’s essentially Germanic but a lot of its vocabulary comes from French, and technical words stem from Latin and Greek. This feature makes English fairly adaptable－which is a good thing for a world language－but it causes irregularity in spelling and pronunciation.

I: English spelling baffles me, too.

P: Yes, well, anyway, English also has the largest vocabulary. Often there are words for the same thing, one that is Anglo-saxon and one from the French－like “buy” which is Anglo-Saxon and “purchase” which is from the French. The French word often has more prestige.

I: Anglo-Saxon?

P: That’s the word for Old English. The Norman Conquest in 1066 brought the French language to Britain and helped English evolve into the language it is today.

I: I see. Is there anything else particularly difficult about English?

P: Well, the idioms in informal English pose a problem for some students.

I: Informal English?

P: As with any language, there are different varieties: slang, colloquial, formal, written, as well as the different dialects－British, American and Canadian English.

I: And how is Canadian English different from American and British?

P: Well, Canadian English is closer to American in pronunciation and idiom. Some of our words and our spellings do reflect British usage, however. We wouldn’t use the British term “lorry” for truck, but we have kept the “o-u-r” spellings in words such as “honour”and “colour”.

I: This has been very interesting, professor. I’m afraid we’re out of time. It has been a pleasure talking to you.

P: Thank you.

I: We have been talking to Professor Lingo of Chimo University.