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BEST IELTS Writing Task 2, 4th December
IELTS WRITING TASK 2
IELTS WRITING TASK 2
Some of the world’s languages are now spoken very little, so steps should be taken to prevent their complete decline. To what extent do you agree or disagree?
SAMPLE ANSWER
There are valid arguments both for and against trying to reverse the decline of minority languages.
On the one hand, all languages are intrinsically interesting, and can provide valuable insights into the people who speak them. Therefore the loss of any language is regrettable. Language is also one of the chief ways in which people identify themselves, and so the decline of a language must have a negative impact on those for whom it is their mother tongue.
On the other hand, there are good reasons for not attempting to rescue declining languages. Firstly, it is probably not possible to engineer language use for any length of time. Change is natural. All social and cultural behaviour is constantly changing, and language is no exception. So at various times in history certain languages have briefly gained the ascendancy, for social, economic and/or political reasons, and others have similarly declined in importance.
For example, the government of a country might decree that a declining language variety becomes the medium of education, and so briefly engineer its recovery. But if a different language is perceived to have greater currency, then those who can will find ways of acquiring it, such as choosing to study abroad.
Secondly, even if it were possible, the attempt to preserve a language artificially may not be worthwhile. The attempt diverts resources, which are usually scarce, for the sake of pursuing a goal which could be regarded as an expensive luxury. In addition, proficiency in languages which have wider currency, and are arguably more useful, may suffer as a result.
In conclusion, I disagree with interventions to prevent the decline of languages, as such interventions are neither practical nor desirable.
IELTS Writing Task 2