F2F Class Notes (Adam) [W]

As English is becoming the most common language in the world trade market, some people fear that minority languages may die out. From my perspective it is quite necessary to protect them.

It is a common understanding that minority languages are an identity of culture. Therefore, a language dying quickly leads to cultural decay. Some minority languages that use different characters which come from ancient cultures. For example several decades ago, Korean letters derived from Chinese characters were introduced to Korea by Korean scholars who had visited China and studied the Chinese system of writing. There is still a large number of Koreans who deny their letters come from Chinese. However, I believe Korean is more complicated than Chinese characters. Also this language has many adjectives which are over used, and emphasizes differences between formal and informal speech.

Moreover, minority languages can play a special role in travel. People like to travel around, sometimes for the local food and sightseeing. In this case, minority languages can make the place seem more exotic and unique. For instance, there are some minority lands on the map that still keep their original names. Tourists are curious about the local languages, especially the way local residents live, what they eat on a daily basis, and the origins of these customs. These countries are creating travel guides in order to attract more tourists. I believe this activity is a promotion to promote tourism, and offer fundamental information for foreigners.

The current trends of global common languages are leaning towards English, Spanish, and Mandarin. Taking steps towards the preservation of minority languages is still the highest priority, because we are living in a culturally rich world.

Vocabulary

Most resourceful city – most advanced city

Decay – to slowly disappear, rot away

eg: The food started to decay after being left outside for several days

Derived from – to come from something

eg: The Korean language is derived from Chinese

Emphasize – to place importance on something

eg: He emphasized the importance of finishing your work on time

Origin – where something started or began

eg: The origin of the river is up in the mountains

Minimalism – simple

eg: He lived a minimalist lifestlye