語言題在 Part 3 越來越常見——特別是搭配「全球化」、「文化認同」這類 cluster。台灣考生對 language extinction 有切身經驗（台語、客語、原住民語），這恰好是 Part 7+ 加分的素材庫。
五個常見角度
| 角度 | 題目範例 | |------|----------| | 英文霸權 | Why has English become a global language? | | 語言消亡 | Should we worry about minority languages dying out? | | 學習動機 | Why do some people find it harder to learn languages than others? | | 翻譯科技 | Will AI translation reduce the need to learn foreign languages? | | 多語社會 | Are bilingual societies stronger than monolingual ones? |
5 題代表題 + Band 7+ 範例
Q1. Why has English become the dominant global language?
A combination of historical and economic factors. Generally speaking, the British Empire spread English across continents, and then American economic dominance after 1945 reinforced it. Arguably what locked it in was the internet — the early web was overwhelmingly English-language, and that’s set the default for science, business and academia ever since. It’s less about linguistic merit, more about timing.
Q2. Should governments protect minority languages from dying out?
I’d say yes, though it’s expensive and the results are uneven. Languages aren’t just communication tools — they encode local knowledge, history and ways of seeing the world. Once gone, that’s irreversible. Wales has put real effort into Welsh-medium schools and the language has stabilised; on the other hand, in Taiwan, Hokkien and Hakka have weakened despite recent policy efforts because of decades of earlier suppression. So intervention helps, but timing matters.
Q3. Will AI translation make language learning unnecessary?
For travel and basic transactions, probably yes — and that’s already happening. But arguably language learning was never really about translation; it’s about understanding a different culture from the inside. AI can give you the words; it can’t give you the perspective. So I’d expect language learning to become less utilitarian and more about cultural fluency over the next decade.
Q4. Why do some people find it easier to learn languages than others?
Several factors interact. Age clearly matters — young children pick up sounds and grammar effortlessly that adults have to drill for. Motivation is another big one; learners who actually need or want to use the language progress much faster than those studying for exams. There’s also a cultural element — people from countries that already speak multiple languages tend to find new ones easier, partly because the cognitive habits are already there.
Q5. Are bilingual or multilingual societies more dynamic than monolingual ones?
On the whole I’d say arguably yes, though it’s hard to isolate. Multilingual societies like Singapore or Switzerland tend to have stronger international trade links, better translation industries and more open cultural exchange. That said, monolingual societies can be more cohesive at home — language unity reduces certain frictions. So it’s a trade-off between adaptability outward and integration inward.
三層結構提醒
Claim — Generally speaking / Arguably / It depends on
Reason — because / partly because / the historical pattern
Example — Wales / Taiwan / Singapore / Switzerland / British Empire主題詞彙（Band 7 級）
| 詞彙 | 中文 | 範例 chunk | |------|------|------------| | lingua franca | 共通語 | English as the global lingua franca | | minority language | 少數語言 | minority languages under threat | | language extinction | 語言滅絕 | the rate of language extinction | | bilingual education | 雙語教育 | Welsh-medium bilingual education | | linguistic diversity | 語言多樣性 | protect linguistic diversity | | code-switching | 語碼轉換 | code-switching between Hokkien and Mandarin | | native speaker | 母語人士 | near-native fluency | | cultural fluency | 文化流暢度 | language learning builds cultural fluency | | heritage language | 傳承語 | teach the heritage language at home | | language policy | 語言政策 | Taiwan’s evolving language policy | | linguistic imperialism | 語言帝國主義 | concerns over linguistic imperialism | | dialect | 方言 | regional dialects are eroding | | globalisation | 全球化 | the cultural cost of globalisation | | code of identity | 認同密碼 | language is a code of identity |
台灣考生常見陷阱：「都用英文最方便」
"English is the most useful language. Other languages will disappear and that’s fine." ——一邊倒、缺乏文化視角，Band 6 上限。
修正：用 on the other hand 加入文化代價：
English’s dominance is convenient — and arguably essential for international cooperation. On the other hand, when a community shifts entirely to English, what they lose isn’t just words; it’s the songs, the proverbs, the way grandparents talk. In Taiwan, you can see this happening with Hokkien — young people understand it but can’t really think in it. That’s a quiet kind of loss.