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1.2.    How important is it to like the language one is studying?

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A positive attitude is always stimulating as it makes you morę enthusiastic and helps you learn morę effectively. Years ago Russian was the first foreign language in the curriculum. Although everybody had to take it for many years, only very few could use it fluently. The reason seems to have been a hostile attitude to anything to do with the Soviet Union, including the Russian language.

B

Attitude does not matter if one is learning for practical reasons only, i.e. one's motivation is purely instrumental.

1.3.    Why is English regarded as one of the most important languages of the modern world?

•    leading industrial nations use it as their mother tongue (USA, UK);

•    many post-colonial nations use it as their second language (India);

•    it is one of the official languages in the main international organisations (UN);

•    it is used in diplomacy, most fields of science and technology;

•    satellite television makes it possible to watch English-language channels, including news channels, all over the world;

•    it accounts for almost 90% of traffic on the Internet;

•    tourists who know English can communicate easily in many countries.

1.4.    Has English influenced Polish and Polish culture in any way?

English can be seen and heard almost everywhere. Many English words have been borrowed into Polish as they rad no Polish equivalents and they are used in different ways. Some English words and terms are commonly used, although their Polish equivalents do exist.

•    English words that have been borrowed into Polish and are used with their original meaning, spelling and pronunciation preserved: e.g. album, atlas, bar, chip, DVD, film, hotel, laptop, lunch, mini bus, modem, night club, palmtop, weekend, western, whisky.

•    English words which in Polish preserved their original meaning but whose spelling or pronunciation has been changed: e.g. aktor (actor), adres (address), aut (out), banknot (banknote), befsztyk (beef-steak), charakter (character), data (datę), fakt (fact), futbol (football), dyskoteka (discotheque), echo (echo), interfejs iinterface), koktajl (cocktail), komputer (Computer), tenis (tennis), wideo (video).

•    English words that are often used instead of their Polish equivalents: e.g. dancing (potańcówka, tańce), drink napój), leasing (dzierżawa), market (sklep), news (wiadomość), newsletter (biuletyn), pub (piwiarnia), shop sklep), snack (przekąska), snack-bar (bar przekąskowy).

The lyrics of an overwhelming majority of songs played on the radio and on TV musie channels are in English; morę and morę Polish singers release their records in English.

: .5. Do you think that most existing languages will die out because of the dominance of English?

u s not very likely. Languages are morę than just a mere means of communication. They make up a significant :n :regional cultures and identities, which means they do not disappear easily. English may be universally n:: n :ed and used in certain situations, but it will never wipe out all other languages. As history shows there will :-ys be native languages that will be used at home. Although Latin dominated a huge part of the ancient n : it did not eliminate other languages.