Read the text. Match the sentences (A–F) to the gaps (1–5). One sentence does not match any of the gaps.
The Future of Language by Rod Childe
Like every other language in the world, English is always changing. The change is very slow so most people don’t notice it. 1_______ Compare JK Rowling with Shakespeare. Read their words and see how different they are. Read their works and see how different their vocabulary is.
So, why do languages change? First, they change because the world around is changing. We need new words to describe that change. 2_______ Words like internet, online, mobile phone and text message, are all quite new. You won’t find any of them in a play by Shakespeare. 3_______ Young people often use words that adults don’t know and these words can become part of our language. Examples of these are selfie and hoodie and words for different kinds of music. Sometimes people borrow words from other languages for example sushi. New words appear and at the same time words from the past become extinct.
Languages can become endangered too. 4_______ Maybe this is because people speak other languages and these other languages become more important. For example, people learn English or Mandarin or Spanish because these languages are important for their work and travel. Also sometimes people move away and stop speaking the language. 5_______ Many people think it’s important to keep all languages. What do you think?
A Many of the changes start with teenagers.
B They don’t teach their children the traditional language and it disappears.
C Think about new technology and all the new words we use to describe it.
D The easiest way to understand this is to look at books from the present and book from the past.
E Most people don’t speak a second language.
F In fact, people predict that half the languages in the world will become extinct in the next 100 years