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| How long have you been (or do you plan to be) in the EFL/ESL field? |
| Thirty + years |
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18% |
[ 12 ] |
| Twenty-five - Thirty years |
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4% |
[ 3 ] |
| Twenty - Twenty-five years |
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7% |
[ 5 ] |
| Fifteen - Twenty years |
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15% |
[ 10 ] |
| Ten - Fifteen years |
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20% |
[ 13 ] |
| Five to Ten years |
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13% |
[ 9 ] |
| One to Five years |
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20% |
[ 13 ] |
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| Total Votes : 65 |
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| Author |
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spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash
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 Posted: Sun Jun 24, 2012 11:01 pm Post subject: |
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| Quote: |
scholar wrote:
This is called "linguistic drift" where the language user is separate from the main user base for too long and does not learn the new slang and popular phrases and so on. Language constantly changes, you can learn this in a basic linguistic class. |
| Quote: |
Cormac wrote:
I don't need a basic linguistic class to see whats in front of my face.
Language constantly evolves... especially in regards to slang, and the slang from my hometown is vastly different from the slang in my capital city. Nevermind considering the various different english speaking countries and their respective divisions. Then throw in the different generations and their own continous contributions to language and you've got a major mess beyond belief.
In other words, what you're describing is of no real practical value for me as a language teacher. I teach "normal" "accepted" English. Frankly, teaching slang does very little to prepare any language learner and only takes away time from teaching of the mainstream language itself. God knows, removing the confusions between American English, British English, and the various Internet standards of English take enough time by themselves without having to teach slang....
I leave that to the students themselves when they watch TV, Movies or such. If they ask me, and I don't know, I admit that I don't know. Simply because I probably wouldn't have known anyway even if I'd stayed in Ireland or the UK |
Ditto what cormac said. Teaching slang and popular language is not best done from afar. Students who are going to study abroad will most certainly be coached in the local linguistic items by their new friends in situ. It would be impossible for EFL teachers to predict exactly what such items a given student will really need, regardless of how long that teacher's been away from the language base. |
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scholar
Joined: 18 May 2012
Posts: 159
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| Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 12:46 am Post subject: |
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| Beyond slang, a lot of items change, and if you are away too long, you end up teaching the students outdated language. In business, you can look at "going forward" versus "moving forward" ... there's subtlety that you won't pick up if you aren't immersed in the language. Or maybe you're still teaching people about the "personnel" department when nowadays you should teach "human resources" department ... or even "human resource" department! Gotta stay current! |
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spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash
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| Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 1:26 am Post subject: |
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| Beyond slang, a lot of items change, and if you are away too long, you end up teaching the students outdated language. |
I think the insertion of some modal verb(s) would do the sentence above a useful service in terms of increasing its accuracy.
Further, most of us use current materials and (believe it or not) spend time listening to/reading current English-language media; it's very unlikely that most EFL teachers are innocent of the majority of current language items to any great degree. |
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tttompatz
Joined: 06 Mar 2010
Posts: 1951
Location: Talibon, Bohol, Philippines
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| Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 2:12 am Post subject: |
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| scholar wrote: |
| This is called "linguistic drift" where the language user is separate from the main user base for too long and does not learn the new slang and popular phrases and so on. Language constantly changes, you can learn this in a basic linguistic class. |
50 years ago, in deepest, darkest Africa or on some remote island in Oceania that may have been the case.
With:
*current technology,
*globalization of music, film and video
*instant (voice/video/written) communication with friends and family back home
*the ability to make friends from around the planet and stay in touch easily after you separate/move onward
*the ability to watch TV from home or other English speaking countries (often on demand)
there appears that there is more a case of convergence than drift.
Personally, I actually find it difficult, despite being immersed in a foreign culture and having the foreign language all around me, to learn said foreign language because of the "English bubble" that surrounds me.
Empirically, at least, your idea that a return to one's homeland to
| scholar wrote: |
| "refresh your English abilities by being in a native environment for a while." |
would be a bit ... dated.
. |
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teacheratlarge
Joined: 17 Nov 2011
Posts: 192
Location: Japan
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| Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 5:49 am Post subject: |
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| it's very unlikely that most EFL teachers are innocent of the majority of current language items to any great degree. |
"it's very unlikely that most EFL teachers are unaware of the majority of current language items to any great degree.", sounds better, no?
Well, I'd like to agree, but I feel it really depends on how and where you are 'plugged in' so to speak. I remember being surprised by the usage of 'single' in social media. A student had to inform me what the text was talking about when it talked about a young student becoming single again after he broke up with his girlfriend. I also certainly wouldn't be up on current texting lingo because I almost never text. |
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spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash
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| Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 11:56 am Post subject: |
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Spiral:
it's very unlikely that most EFL teachers are innocent of the majority of current language items to any great degree. |
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| Teacher-at -"it's very unlikely that most EFL teachers are unaware of the majority of current language items to any great degree.", sounds better, no? |
Not to me, no.
I'm entirely capable of choosing my own words, which carry exactly the subtle and/or obvious meaning(s) I intended. |
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cormac
Joined: 04 Nov 2008
Posts: 768
Location: Xi'an (XTU)
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| Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 4:25 pm Post subject: |
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| scholar wrote: |
| Beyond slang, a lot of items change, and if you are away too long, you end up teaching the students outdated language. |
Mainstream English hasn't changed enough in decades for anyone to be outdated. You would have to be comparing the English used from the 50's to modern day english.
Once again, you're placing unusual emphasis on slang, and local language which has no real place in a English teaching environment. Unless, of course, you have been directly hired to teach such... and I'm hoping your employer has specified which district/area/country background for the slang/cultural language to be taken from.
| Quote: |
| In business, you can look at "going forward" versus "moving forward" ... there's subtlety that you won't pick up if you aren't immersed in the language. Or maybe you're still teaching people about the "personnel" department when nowadays you should teach "human resources" department ... or even "human resource" department! Gotta stay current! |
You earlier threw out a comment about basic linguistic classes and then once again focus on rather irrelevant language problems. But then I suppose thats proof that you are involved in linguistics rather than practical teaching.
All of your examples above are only relevant to people working constantly in business circles and even then, it seriously depends on the company and the industry in question. Once more, this is about regional or individual changes of english in small areas. Mainstream business language which a student learns from an ESL teacher has not changed in any major way since the 90's. If we're talking about Competitive advantage, the terms and language that porter used are still used, just as the term coined by Peter Drucker remain in place. If, on the other hand, you're teaching business english from the angle of letters, memos, meetings etc, this language too hasn't changed much in decades.
You keep focusing on slang. Local slang originally, and now office slang. All of which is entirely dfependent on location, and the student being immersed in the environment.
In basic terms, they're not going to learn to understand these terms, the concepts, and actual usage of the material without being there firsthand. |
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Phil_K
Joined: 25 Jan 2007
Posts: 2041
Location: A World of my Own
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| Posted: Mon Jun 25, 2012 4:48 pm Post subject: |
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| Unsurprisingly there's no category for those who no longer teach, but somehow still feel attached. I know I'm a rarity in admitting that I never particularly enjoyed TEFL, yet the whole dirty business still fascinates me. |
No as rare as you think. I always enjoy passing on my knowledge to those who really want it, but it is those who are rare, in my experience. |
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Qaaolchoura
Joined: 10 Oct 2008
Posts: 539
Location: 21 miles from the Syrian border
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| Posted: Sat Jun 30, 2012 10:09 am Post subject: |
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After a year in Korea I came to Turkey in person and find I have no desire to leave anytime soon. Ideally I'd like to spend 4-5 years in Turkey and/or another nice emerging economy, maybe three years in the Gulf to save up some money, and then return to the United States and do a Master's in computer science and engineering. Of course seeing these comments, I may well end up doing nothing of the sort.
~Q |
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KenMc
Joined: 31 May 2012
Posts: 7
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| Posted: Mon Jul 02, 2012 7:11 am Post subject: |
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| I've been teaching 6 years now, and loving it since. No plans to change. |
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Sashadroogie
Joined: 17 Apr 2007
Posts: 11061
Location: Moskva, The Workers' Paradise
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| Posted: Wed Jul 04, 2012 11:23 am Post subject: |
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| teacheratlarge wrote: |
| Quote: |
| it's very unlikely that most EFL teachers are innocent of the majority of current language items to any great degree. |
"it's very unlikely that most EFL teachers are unaware of the majority of current language items to any great degree.", sounds better, no?
Well, I'd like to agree, but I feel it really depends on how and where you are 'plugged in' so to speak. I remember being surprised by the usage of 'single' in social media. A student had to inform me what the text was talking about when it talked about a young student becoming single again after he broke up with his girlfriend. I also certainly wouldn't be up on current texting lingo because I almost never text. |
I didn't understand this. What's the issue with the word 'single'? |
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johnslat
Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 13859
Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
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| Posted: Wed Jul 04, 2012 1:02 pm Post subject: |
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Dear Sasha,
Not a single thing - as far as I can see.
Regards,
John |
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Sashadroogie
Joined: 17 Apr 2007
Posts: 11061
Location: Moskva, The Workers' Paradise
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| Posted: Wed Jul 04, 2012 2:53 pm Post subject: |
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Dear Johnslat
Phew! That's a relief! For a second there I thought that English had moved on at home without me knowing it. Imagine the embarrassment of needing a student to tell you what a perfectly everyday word meant. At least I have avoided that now.
Singular Sasha |
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cheezsteakwit
Joined: 16 Sep 2011
Posts: 11
Location: There and back again.
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| Posted: Tue Jul 10, 2012 11:44 pm Post subject: How long ESL ? |
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| Sashadroogie wrote: |
| teacheratlarge wrote: |
| Quote: |
| it's very unlikely that most EFL teachers are innocent of the majority of current language items to any great degree. |
"it's very unlikely that most EFL teachers are unaware of the majority of current language items to any great degree.", sounds better, no?
Well, I'd like to agree, but I feel it really depends on how and where you are 'plugged in' so to speak. I remember being surprised by the usage of 'single' in social media. A student had to inform me what the text was talking about when it talked about a young student becoming single again after he broke up with his girlfriend. I also certainly wouldn't be up on current texting lingo because I almost never text. |
I didn't understand this. What's the issue with the word 'single'? |
I believe the previous writer was referring to a relationship status update on facebook. When a person goes from being 'in a relationship' or 'married' to ' single' , they change their relationship status on facebook, so ALL their facebook friends / acquaintances will instantly know.
As for the OP's poll, I have just started teaching English in Korea at the ripe, old age of 40. I have no intention of going back to the states any time soon. (perhaps for a decade, at least)
I have always wanted to travel / live abroad and now that I've finally done it, I absolutely love it. My first vacation from Korea will be in a few weeks, when I finally check the Great Wall of China off my bucket list.
I have an MA in Education from the states, and I have a basic 100 hour online certificate. I realize I may have to upgrade to a CELTA or something, but I'll cross that bridge later.
I'll see how the next year or so in Korea plays out, then I'll explore my options here or elsewhere, with an eye on Univ. gigs or international school gigs.
Cheers. |
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Sashadroogie
Joined: 17 Apr 2007
Posts: 11061
Location: Moskva, The Workers' Paradise
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| Posted: Wed Jul 11, 2012 4:53 am Post subject: Re: How long ESL ? |
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| cheezsteakwit wrote: |
| Sashadroogie wrote: |
| teacheratlarge wrote: |
| Quote: |
| it's very unlikely that most EFL teachers are innocent of the majority of current language items to any great degree. |
"it's very unlikely that most EFL teachers are unaware of the majority of current language items to any great degree.", sounds better, no?
Well, I'd like to agree, but I feel it really depends on how and where you are 'plugged in' so to speak. I remember being surprised by the usage of 'single' in social media. A student had to inform me what the text was talking about when it talked about a young student becoming single again after he broke up with his girlfriend. I also certainly wouldn't be up on current texting lingo because I almost never text. |
I didn't understand this. What's the issue with the word 'single'? |
I believe the previous writer was referring to a relationship status update on facebook. When a person goes from being 'in a relationship' or 'married' to ' single' , they change their relationship status on facebook, so ALL their facebook friends / acquaintances will instantly know.
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You may very well be correct, but the poster did say that it was the usage of the term 'single' that puzzled him. It appeared, to me at least, that he didn't not know what the word itself meant in terms of relationship status. Which is strange, as it is a typical term used in daily life, even legal documents, and cannot be considered a trendy term connected to social media alone. |
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