一、题目
Some people think the government should save minority language from dying out completely. Others say it is a waste of financial resources. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.
二、解析
这是一道语言政策类的观点型题目。题目要求采用平衡式双边讨论的思路。笔者是语言学专业出身，所以这个题目可以说是驾轻就熟，十分友好。赞成保护小语种的理由是：促进语言的多样性、保护少数族裔的文化和传统；语言是思维的载体，对一种语言的保护就是对一种思维方式的维护；反对投入小语种保护的理由是：小语种使用人数较少，保护的意义不大；语言是交流的手段，通用语比小语种更值得推广；政府有更紧迫的地方，比如教育、医疗、贫困等问题需要解决。说起小语种，我马上想到了世界语的推广问题、中国华南地区流行的语言活化石—粤语、以及爱斯基摩人的上百种描述雪花的词语、中国少数民族如藏族、维吾尔族、蒙古族等民族使用的语言以及英国威尔士地区使用的威尔士语和美国印第安人使用的本土语言。我的观点是政府应该投资保护小语种，因为保护小语种就是对人类文明和文化的传承、发扬和延续，是有利于千秋万代的大事。
三、一稿撰写
1、开头段
We have thousands of languages in the world according to linguists, but many of the minority languages are gradually diasappering from our world. What should we do? Should the government take measures to prevent this thing from happening? There are opposing views towards this issue. In the following passage, I’d like to examine both sides and present my own position in the end. （这一段我开门见山，直入主题，之后对题目进行了转述，最后引出下面的主体段落。）
二、主体#1段
First, those people who advocate the preservation of minority tongues usually argue that language spoken by minority groups of people representing their tradition and culture. By protecting their language from dying out is just a way to conserve their culture and promote the diversity of the world. Second, language is believed not only a way of communication but a way of thinking and perception of the world, therefore protecting a language is equal to the protection of documenting and observing the world. Take for example, the language of Eskimos, a minority group of people living in the Antarctic region has more than a hundred ways to describe the snow flakes which offer tremendous value for snow study. Third, many minor languages possess a great deal of cultural and historical value. For instance, the native language of the local folks of some places like Guangdong Province of China which is officially known as the Cantonese inherit a huge host of features of language spoken by people in the Tang Dynasty of ancient China. If people use spoken Cantonese to recite Tang Dynasty poems, they can usually get a melodious rhyme which sounds very pleasant to the ears. On the other hand, if we recite the poems with modern spoken Manderin the appealing sound delight is lost completely. （我在这段集中讨论了保护小语种的意义。）
三、主体#2段
While people who oppose the investment of minority languages by the government maintain that minority languages are only spoken by a small crowd of people, so it’s not so valuable to utilize the public resources to save them. Language is just a way of exchanging information and ideas, a Linga Franca like English or Manderin Chinese are better worth investment to serve the purpose. On top of that, the government more often than not has many other more pressing matters to deal with, like poverty, famine, education, medical care, they simply don’t have enough financial resources to devote to this field.
四、结尾段
In conclusion, there are both pros and cons preserving minority languages as listed in the above two paragraphs. To my mind, we should protect minority languages because protecting languages spoken by the minority group of people is just the same as preserving the culture, tradition and civilization of the whole human race and an endeavor to benefit decedents of the distant future.
五、晨间写作中场休息
范文比对和原稿修改稍后我会在下一篇简文里发给大家。各位同学请稍候。
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