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Non Sequitur · Joined: 23 May 2010 Posts: 4724 Location: China

In the process of decluttering my life, I found a resource I developed for English majors. Happy to make this available to anyone who needs that extral evel of challenge for high performing students.
The resource consists of 51 words and phrases from foreign languages - ranging from 'Cul de sac' to 'Tzar'.
There are 28 French, 6 Italian (including 'Mama mia'!), 3 Spanish, 4 German, 2 Greek, 6 Latin and 2 Russian. Each with definition and illustrative sentence.
They have professional graphics and are presented 3 to an A4 page with dotted lines for cutting.
My set got so worked over that I resorted to laminating them. Printing on day-glo type stock adds to the impact and stops them 'walking'.
Anyone interested can PM me including a workable email address.
Best
NS

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

For English Majors ? Is this not something you learn in High School ? Maybe school really is dumbed down since my days.

Non Sequitur · Joined: 23 May 2010 Posts: 4724 Location: China

We are talking about C H I N A.

fluffytwo · Joined: 24 Sep 2016 Posts: 139

Although I currently live on a cul-de-sac, and have lived on another in the past, this fascinating fact has never cropped up in any actual conversation I can recall. I suppose one might teach that item of vocab on the off-chance that students (if eventually consulting property listings etc) would object to ever needing a dictionary, but that still seems rather too abstract a reason. Or, if you are going to teach only marginally-useful items, at least try to make them as "crazily" broad-ranging as possible e.g. although one can say a dead-end job, one can't say a cul-de-sac job, same thing probably with whatever policy area tsar versus mandarin LOL. Mamma mia though, why not just teach a few English exclamations, or was that Abba-inspired movie all the rage once.

Non Sequitur · Joined: 23 May 2010 Posts: 4724 Location: China

The resource is 'FOREIGN LANGUAGES USED IN ENGLISH'.
It isn't English slang or colloquialisms.

fluffytwo · Joined: 24 Sep 2016 Posts: 139

As I explained, I don't use or hear cul-de-sac much even though I live on one in the UK (and the road sign tends to be visual rather than verbal). And why not teach dead end (etc?) while you're at it. And I've never heard Mamma mia used in English except for in that film title, which should be an easy enough item to learn in passing as almost a one-off. Tsar may be of use in (Russian) history texts or as a figurative extension in (western) news, but a) it's as you say C H I N A and b) there may be more useful examples of "FOREIGN LANGUAGES USED IN ENGLISH" anyway.

Ultimately a lot depends on quite what you mean by simply "used". Much? Or only a little? I suspect generally the latter. Oh, and 51 items would seem quite a lot for a single lesson, unless it's all just meant as a somewhat throwaway team game activity, or a handout they can refer to in their own time. Plus it all takes time away from other, possibly more productive stuff. Why not simply type up the full list and post it so we can straightforwardly "have at" it here?

Non Sequitur · Joined: 23 May 2010 Posts: 4724 Location: China

It's a typeset pdf resource which if you read the original post is available FREE. Just PM me a workable email address and lo and behold it will appear.

fluffytwo · Joined: 24 Sep 2016 Posts: 139

No, I read your OP fine, it's just that I myself have no need of 51 more or less random words printed only 3 per A4 page, 'dotted lines for cutting' and 'professional graphics' notwithstanding. Or, I feel my email address is worth a bit more than that LOL.

Non Sequitur · Joined: 23 May 2010 Posts: 4724 Location: China

'There are 28 French, 6 Italian (including 'Mama mia'!), 3 Spanish, 4 German, 2 Greek, 6 Latin and 2 Russian. Each with definition and illustrative sentence'.
Hardly random. Hardly just 'words'.
Maybe you could guide us with your China experience insights - especially uni English majors?

fluffytwo · Joined: 24 Sep 2016 Posts: 139

Somebody sent me the pdf unsolicited, presumably to get my take on it or because they'd seen I was "interested". My main impressions are 1) the examples are inauthentic/"purpose-written" (they certainly shouldn't be taken as representative of how most people talk) and with the foreign phrases always put in quotation marks, 2) the items selected have varying degrees of usefulness, some more useful than others, and 3) some of the items have been part of English for long and/or frequently enough that it seems strange to consider them as particularly foreign anymore (e.g. amateur, from French in the late 18th century).

In short that stuff may "look the part" but IMHO is just filler. Yes, English majors may need to study that bit more but it would help if you laid out your principles of selection, "writing" etc.

I haven't taught in Chinese universities per se but by all accounts that can be a bit of a slog for all involved. I have however taught that thing called English here and there, so I know a bit about that at least.