Why Should We Teach Languages

楊洋

1. Introduction

English has become a global language as common cognition in modern society. In 21st century， English has delicate balance （Seidlhofer， 2005： 209）. Although it is not most widely spoken language， it is the most widely used language for business and communication. The statistics show there are 350，000，000 native speakers of English whilst 400，000，000 speakers of English as a second or foreign language （Kitao， 1996）.

2. The goals for teaching language

2.1 Education and employment purposes

English has become a global language these years. Many countries consider English as a curriculum in schools. English is a compulsory subject for many students to study. Moreover， as globalisation spread fast all over the world， a large number of foreign companies start to build up in other countries. English seems to be the tool for them to exchange.

The educational system requires students to obtain a second language with schools guidance （Cook， 2008： 206）. The same circumstance also takes place in high education system.

Another goal is for employment. English is a language for international communication tool to overcome barriers of national boundaries of information and goods exchange （Cook， 2008： 199）.

2.2 Bilingualism purpose

The second goal is for bilingual language learning. Many families choose bring up children as bilingual. This kind of choice is influenced neither by the education system nor society； this is their own choice （Cook， 2008： 196）. A variety of families choose to use this method to raise children because English is an international language. Some families have one of the parents who speak the local language while the other speak central language so the child could master two languages during his parents cultivation； meanwhile the child will perform like a native speaker of this two languages.

2.3 Communication Purpose

The third goal to explain is that learning L2 as a social change， in other word， in order to interact with others. L2 teaching can also be seen as a social change （Cook， 2008： 210）. No matter this social change is for political action or business enterprise， the main purpose， is to communicate through lingua franca. The accurate concept of language teaching that the teacher should bear in mind is teaching students how to use two languages not how to communicate. The communication goal is not for teaching but for acquiring by learners themselves. When communication becomes a goal of language learning， social psychological perspective should be considered relevant with it.

2.4 Personal Purpose

Having illustrated above goals for language learning， the next section will take about my own goals. My first goal of learning English also the most important goal as most students do is for the education system. As China have complemented the policy that regard English as a compulsory for all Chinese students from primary school to university. Moreover， when I entered university， I choose English as my major to study and decide to go abroad for postgraduate. English continues becoming my goal for higher education. In another aspect， to understand foreign culture is a purpose for me since I determined going to UK. Travel is a goal， as well. When travelling to other countries， I cannot say their languages； English is the only language for me to communicate with them.

3. Conclusion

The essay aims to explain why people teach language， no matter from individual or society perspective. This essay mainly focuses on three goals， which are education and employment， bilingualism and communication goals.

About education and employment goals， most of people learning English because of the education system. To fulfil government requirements， students may learn English without their own wish.

Second goal is about bilingualism some families choose to bring up their children by bilingual.

Last but not least is communication goal， this goal is for daily used. When travel to other countries cooperate between companies and countries. Communication becomes the main function in language.

To sum up， there are several goals of teaching English. Different individual may have different purposes； different purposes determine different teaching methodology.

Reference：

[1]Cook，V.J.（2002）.Language teaching methodology and the L2 user perspective.In V.J.Cook（ed.），Portraits of the L2 User，Clevedon： Multilingual Matters.

[2]Cook，V.J.（2008）Second language learning and language teaching.4th edn.London： Hodder Education.

[3]Kitao，K.（1996）'Why Do We Teach English'，The Internet TESL Journal，11（4），pp.36-38.

[4]McKay，S.L.（2002）'Teaching English As An International Language：Rethinking Goals and Perspectives'，TESL-EJ，7（1），pp.vi-150.

[5]Seidlhofer，B.（2004）'Research Perspectives on Teaching English As A Lingua Franca'，Annual Reviw of Applied Linguistics，24（10），pp.209-239.