Job Discussion Forums

ecocks · Joined: 06 Nov 2007 Posts: 899 Location: Gdansk, Poland

You ever run into those creepy guys (gals too maybe) that get all mysterious about everything?

I met a guy the other night who said he was from extreme western Poland. The odd part was that after about 3-4 sentences it was clear his language had come from an American origin and he was using words in common usage with a trace of regional accent rather than a standard dictionary-centric, Polish-influenced approach. My guess was that he had spent at least a few months in one of the work and travel programs.

However, he insisted he had never had a native-speaker teacher, just Polish schooling and years of Cartoon Channel. Then he disappeared. Three weeks and he didn't return to the group meeting.

No accusations and there ae always all sorts of possibilities but...

I was reminded of when I met the fugitive American masquerading as a Brit a few months before the FBI caught up with him.

You guys run into any of these sorts in your travels and excursions? I don't mean just skirt-chasers, drunks or neurotics, but folks who actually get a real return on your radar that makes you wonder?

dragonpiwo · Joined: 04 Mar 2013 Posts: 1650 Location: Berlin

The Rev John Mountford deceased. One of the lads had a creepy feeling about him and did a Google search. He was involved in kiddy fiddling cases in Thailand and Australia. He was stabbed to death by a teenage boy in Tripoli a few years ago. The boy said he (JM) had tried to molest him. The story is on the net.

ecocks · Joined: 06 Nov 2007 Posts: 899 Location: Gdansk, Poland

The guy I worked with is doing a minimum of 41 years at a Texas prison.

I was curious about Poland in general but more specifically another issue.

We all teach English (presumably at least) and routinely have contact with speakers from different language groups which should develop an "ear" for the common mistakes, 1LC issues, mispronunciations, accents and inflection challenges, consonant combinations and such. Unless you are really dense most teachers eventually reach a point where after a few minutes of conversation, sometimes only a few sentences, you can tell quickly if someone has had a native-speaker teacher, whether they were working from the Brit or American version and often if they have traveled and spent significant time in a host country.

Don't most of you see, okay "hear", this when working with a new student? How confident are you in your assessment?

To be even more specific do you really think someone can acquire a Brit accent from watching Teletubbies or an American accent from the Cartoon Channel?

dragonpiwo · Joined: 04 Mar 2013 Posts: 1650 Location: Berlin

I think it's easy to tell if someone's had a Brit or North American teacher and or lived in Britain or North America. It's not just the accent but the lexis and grammar/structures too.

I've also met plenty of self-taught students who claimed to have learnt English from TV and developed their own ideolects.

BadBeagleBad · Posted: Thu Dec 12, 2013 11:04 pm Post subject:

ecocks · Joined: 06 Nov 2007 Posts: 899 Location: Gdansk, Poland

Hmmm, I'm not talking a top International School but a claim to speak at UI/Adv level based upon Cartoon Channel without formal instruction from a native-speaker?

Personally, I am doubting the most recent contact.

The question though is have you ever met people who just don't quite ring true to you based on what you hear in their speech and claimed history?

sparks · Joined: 20 Feb 2008 Posts: 632

JustinC · Posted: Fri Dec 13, 2013 9:15 am Post subject:

I'm quite sure an ex-boss was Hitler reincarnate.

delphian-domine · Joined: 11 Mar 2011 Posts: 674

There's one chap in Poznan that I'm certain is using a language school as a cover for dealing in illegal goods.

scot47 · Joined: 10 Jan 2003 Posts: 15343

EFL is full of Walter Mitty types who spin everyone a line. Walk away from them.