English Essay by Brian Southwick, Niigata City ALT

50 English, the World’s Language ＲＥＡＤＩＮＧ (slow) (fast)

　　Earlier this year the Japanese internet company Rakuten said that all of its high- level company meetings would be held in English. A few weeks later the clothing company Uniqlo announced that its staff would use English in meetings. The two companies want to grow their business around the world, so it has become important for them to use English, the international language.　
　　How many countries use English as the main language? Nations Online, an internet site about the world’s countries, says that English is the main language in sixty-five countries. Australia, England, and the USA, are well-known to Japanese students. But students may be surprised to learn that English is an important language in nineteen countries in Africa. Two of the countries are Kenya and Nigeria. In total, more than 500 million people in the world use English as their main language.
　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　ＲＥＡＤＩＮＧ (slow) (fast)

　　I think it is a good idea to study a foreign language. Studying a language used by people in another country and learning about the culture of that country can help us to understand our own language and culture better. And, because we live in an era of internationalization, there are more career chances for those who can speak a foreign language. For example, English is the international language of scientists, doctors, and business people. English is the language of the internet and entertainment. And, if you are interested in becoming a pilot, you will have to learn to speak English well.
　　English is a difficult language for Japanese students to learn because it is quite different from their own language. I am a native English speaker, so Japanese is very hard for me to learn. But if we use study aids such as movies and music, as well as textbooks, we can improve our ability to communicate in a foreign language.
＜注＞
company（会社），high-level company meeting（重役会議），clothing（衣料），
announced＞announce（発表する），staff（社員），grow（発展させる），business（会社），
main（主要な），site（ウェブサイト），well-known（よく知られた），in total（合計），
million（100万），era of internationalization（国際化時代），
career chance（進路選択の機会）， doctor（医師），business people（実業家），
entertainment（娯楽），pilot（パイロット）， native（生まれつきの），study aids（教材），improve（上達する），ability（力量）





Question and Answers:　Please answer the following questions
in English in a complete sentence, with a subject and　a verb.


Q1. Which Japanese companies have decided to use English in their meetings?
A1.

Q2. How many African countries use English as an important language?
A2.

Q3. What can we understand by studying another country’s language and culture?
A3.

Q4. Do you think that English is quite different from Japanese? Why?
A4.

Q5. What is a good way for you to improve your English ability?
A5.





＜解答例＞

Ａ１．Rakuten and Uniqlo have.

Ａ２．Nineteen countries do.

Ａ３．We can understand our own language and culture better.

Ａ４．Yes, I do. Because the order of the words is different.

Ａ５．It is a good way for me to use study aids such as movies and music.