|
Job Discussion Forums
"The Internet's Meeting Place for ESL/EFL Students and Teachers from Around the World!"
|
| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
lou_la
Joined: 04 Oct 2005
Posts: 140
Location: Bristol
|
 Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2007 4:38 am Post subject: |
 |
|
| John Hall wrote: |
Does anyone here use English with L2 interference as a way to get your point across to beginners? I used to know English teachers in Japan who would use Japlish for the entire lesson with their beginner classes. |
I realised the other day why my classes of 11 year olds here in Taiwan understand the (rather simple) grammar points much better if they are tought by the Taiwanese teacher - she doesn't use articles, to be etc etc. They seem to be confused by me speaking normally (because no one else here does) to the point where they can't figure the bit they should be listening to, but if Irene tells them, it's a lot simpler for them.
And some of my kindy kids I HAVE to speak Chinglish with, or they have no idea - "Teacher very no like push, push make teacher very sad" and the one I hate the most "bye bye blah blah blah" if I want them to put something away. I hate doing it, and thankfully need to resort to it less and less these days (the kids have only been at school for a few months). |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
Sgt Killjoy
Joined: 26 Jun 2004
Posts: 438
|
| Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2007 9:57 am Post subject: |
|
|
| I was in Mexico with a friend talking about food. She told she liked to eat jam with bread, mayo and tomatoes. Ok, I just smiled and said I like it with peanut butter and bread. She got a gross look on her face and told that's gross. I said, why? It's a lot better than jam and tomatoes. We are both mortified so I asked her again using the Spanish word for jam and she agreed tomatoes and jam were gross. Jamon is the Spanish word for ham, not jam. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
ilaria
Joined: 26 Jan 2007
Posts: 88
Location: Sicily
|
| Posted: Sat Mar 24, 2007 3:45 pm Post subject: |
|
|
John Hall wrote:
| Quote: |
| Does anyone here use English with L2 interference as a way to get your point across to beginners? I used to know English teachers in Japan who would use Japlish for the entire lesson with their beginner classes. |
I once observed a lesson with a teacher who was speaking a kind of baby talk with her adult students. 'You throw ball Julia. Julia say name. Julia throw ball Jin Feng.' I wrote in the observation notes, 'It's right and necessary to grade your language with beginners, but please don't simplify to the point where it's no longer English.'
If students aren't exposed to normal features of English such as auxiliaries, tenses, contractions, stressed and unstressed words in sentences, etc by their own native-speaker teacher, then where on earth are they going to learn about these things?
I have experience of being spoken to in 'pidgin Italian' by a colleague who was convinced that I wouldn't understand if she spoke normally. It may seem counter-intuitive, but 'Lezione, lezione, scheda, tu stampa?' (Lesson, lesson, handout, you print?) is actually MUCH harder to understand than 'Ilaria, hai gi� stampato quella scheda che mi serve per la lezione?' (Ilaria, have you printed that handout I need for the lesson?) Over-simplifying language removes all the clues of grammar and context that help us to understand what someone is banging on about.
Really, a teacher who is using this kind of language in class is seriously underestimating the students, and believe me, any student over the age of three knows when they are being patronised. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
|
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum
|
This page is maintained by the one and only Dave Sperling.
Contact Dave's ESL Cafe
Copyright © 2018 Dave Sperling. All Rights Reserved.
Powered by phpBB © 2001, 2002 phpBB Group
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
