Job Discussion Forums

[gypsygirl1475]

Well, I'm originally from Dallas,Tx and have lived in North Carolina for a few years now when I'm not home in Mexico. I HATE to watch a movie that's plot takes place in Texas, you know the ones, all the actors have that deep southern draw. Well this is simply not true, and many people talk to me can't guess where I am from. Of course growing up with an English major didn't help, but know one I have ever known in any part of Texas sounds like what is portrayed in movies. They should have used that accent for the movies plotted in the Carolinas. The most I get taunted about is not being able to replace "you all" with "yall" This one word is the hardest to correct, yall understand, right?

[jfurgers]

I would think American English would be what people in Mexico would want to learn since so much business is done with their nice neighbor to the north and since sooo many Mexicans move to the States for work. My students all tell me they like the sound of British English because it's more clear to them, but they need to understand North American English since that's the country they live and work in.

It's funny how so many places in the world think THEIR version of a language is the BEST. My students from Columbia always tell me that their Spanish is the BEST in the world! Even better than Spain! Then the Mexicans in the class say, no!!! Mexico has the BEST SPOKEN Spanish!!! Then another Mexican will say, only the northern part of Mexico where I am from has the best.

The people from DF sound terrible! The someone from DF gets mad and says...DF is the cultural, political, and economic heart of all of Mexico! Therefore, DF has the VERY BEST Spanish!!!

It's a good topic to use to get the students who are shy to speak up. Everyone gets into the conversation!!

Personally, I can't understand Mexicans from the north. They sound like they are singing when they speak. I'm used to the DF version of Spanish I guess.

[MO39]

[Guy Courchesne]

I learned Spanish in DF, so I find it easiest to work with. It's also fun to pick out the chilangos when traveling in the States or Canada. Northern and Chiapan Spanish I find interesting too...like singing as you say.

[TheLongWayHome]

[dixie]

I have no idea where it comes from, but I know Americans and Mexicans will look at me weird when I use the word knapsack (as in the bag kids carry their books in). I have always called my "backpack" or "book bag" a knapsack so I was taken by surprise when I was in Honduras, and the American VP asked me what that was! I have also had to �teach�my students what a knapsack is, as that is what I would always call it when telling them to pick it up, pack it up, move it, close it, etc., etc.

[MELEE]

[Guy Courchesne]

[MO39]

[quote="TheLongWayHome"]

[MELEE]

Yes! or at least call it something else.

[dixie]

[jillford64]

The students at the school were I taught preferred an American accent because they were more used to it from movies and television. Also, the books we used were American English not British English. On several occasions they complained about not being able to understand teachers with Irish and British accents.

[TheLongWayHome]

I think it's all in the mind. I used to teach a group of uni professors and one of them (of Spanish origin) made the comment that if your basic English is good you should be able to understand any variety of the language. The others (all Mexican) disagreed and kept whinging. I don't have trouble understanding different varieties of Spanish without that much exposure to them.

I have also had students that only found me difficult to understand when they found out I wasn't American! Those with the idea that one English is easier to understand than another tend to reflect that.

[Phil_K]