You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
Some governments try to control the way a national language is used. For example, they may restrict the introduction of foreign words, or the use of dialects, or they may demand that a certain language be used in schools. What are the benefits and disadvantages of these policies? Do you think they can ever be effective?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
You should write at least 250 words.
Sample Answer
Often governments try to control the use of any specific language at different levels and it begins from schools. Basically, the government wants to underscore on state language other than anything. Such policies have some advantages and demerits too. A comparative discussion is done in the following paragraphs.
First of all, the government puts emphasis on the mother tongue of the state so that the kids could learn the state language effectively and communicate. As a result, the kids turn expert on national language. Further, as they are expert, communication is easier for them inside the national boundary. Actually, when kids are in schools and they are to learn several languages, it becomes difficult for them to cope with the words, dialects and other linguistic issues. Thereby, importance on certain language in school is reasonable. For instance, in most of the Asian countries, it is compulsory to study the mother tongue in elementary schools.
On the other hand, teaching a certain language may create a sense of excessive dependency on that specific language. As a result, it may hamper their communication skills in a different perspective. They will lose confidence to communicate in the international environment.
My 5-year old daughter, Samantha, is in her elementary school here in France. The school strictly forbids using English or any other language than French during the school hours. The intentions are respectable and kids are learning French perfectly. But at the same time, kids are losing their ability to communicate in English or in other international languages. Learning it in a later phase of life is less effective than learning at an early age, I think.
Finally, after the aforesaid arguments, I believe adoption of such policies is ineffective. The ratio of demerits is almost equal to its benefits. So, if we justify the needs, the outcomes will be under satisfactory level. In a true sense, there are no advantages of this initiative at all, mere a waste of time. Hence, governments should deeply investigate the matter to make the right choice.