Job Discussion Forums

[MotherF]

We use a British textbook, so the book and the audio that accompanies the book is British.

It's really not all that different. I hear it everyday from my colleagues and never have any problems with it.

[Isla Guapa]

So then your students are learning British English, interesting . . . I guess it will help them do well on the Cambridge exam, but I wonder if they will be at any disadvantage if they end up studying in the US. Not a criticism, mind you, just a question.

[MotherF]

I really don't see how they would be disadvantaged.
Do you think people won't understand them? Or they won't understand people? Don't you ever read British novels or watch British films? Do you have problems understanding them? Is it really such a bridge to cross?

But interestingly enough, more Mexicans do postgrad studies in the UK or Canada than in the US. There is just more economic support for study in those countries. Most of the Mexican professors I know who studied abroad studied in the UK. (I think notamiss could corroborate.)

[notamiss]

Have you ever said something perfectly ordinary (in Spanish) to a Spaniard, and had them look at you in blank incomprehension� so you think you made some mistake in your Spanish, but then further discussion shows that it�s because you used a word or expression which unbeknownst to you, is only used in Mexico, or only in Latin America. (I have.)

I suppose that to avoid the analogous thing happening to English learners, you have to point out to them those few words and expressions that won�t be understood (or will be misunderstood) on opposite side of the Atlantic.

[Isla Guapa]

[Samantha]

Isla wrote:

[Isla Guapa]

[Dragonlady]

[MotherF]

I've found that people from Central Canada, speak much like people from the Central part of the US. And people from Western Canada, speak much like people from the Western United States. But those Eastern Providences, you've got to make sure that they can grade their English for outsiders if you want to talk to them!

[Guy Courchesne]

[MotherF]

Sorry, I'm out of COFFEE!!

[Phil_K]

[mejms]

I think there are two ways to look at the British English vs American English issue.

1) English is a global language and as such you shouldn't limit your resources and opportunities to educate your students of all it's uses. Like MotherF said, having course books in British English gives you the opportunity to teach British vocabulary that as an American you might not have mentioned.

2) Teach the actual language that you use. There are lots of expressions that are common to British English that I've never used and didn't understand the first time I heard them. I stick to teaching what I commonly watch, listen to, read, and speak, most of which comes from the US. It's a nice idea to learn the language from widespread resources and countries, but I'm happy enough to know Mexican Spanish. I don't need to learn Venezuelan Spanish, Chilean Spanish, etc. If my Mexican Spanish, even more specifically my Queretaro Spanish, is pretty good, I should be alright in other contexts. But learning a whole new set of vocabulary, spelling, and pronunication would just bog me down.

Of course, I live in Queretaro, Mexico, so knowing the Spanish here serves me the most. I guess it depends on the students' goals in learning and applying the language. If they're working for an international company, I think American English would be the most practical to focus on. If they're planning on living in England, that would be a different matter. You as a teacher can certainly throw in odd words in both forms of English occasionally, but I think trying to really incorporate both into your daily lesson plans is too much.

[Isla Guapa]