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Keith_Alan_W · Joined: 26 Mar 2006 Posts: 121

I just got back to Canada after 2.5 years overseas teaching ESL. After a couple of days in the Vancouver area, I realize that many non-native speakers are doing a better job of speaking the language than the native speakers of Canada.

Sure, your students make tense errors and you try to correct them. You try to teach them correct English so they can someday travel to countries like Canada and be able to carry on a conversation, but is teaching them correct English the best way for them to be able to communicate with native speakers?

In the two days I have been back in Canada, I have found that I miss being in a foreign country where I can easily block out all the chatter around me. If you suddenly find yourself in an English speaking country, it is much harder to block out the conversations around you. This is a problem in and of itself, but having to listen to people speaking unintelligible (at least to those who are only familiar with English from their English classes in their own country) English is bloody frustrating.

Like everywhere I like go, I like hear people, like using the word "like" all the time. Like I don't know what like they are like trying to like do by like using the word "like" as like most of their like sentences. So I was like listening to these like young people, like talking about their like problems. Like one guy was like talking about his like love life with his like female friend. And they like talked, like for like a long time and they like used "like", like all the like time. I like felt like getting up and like yelling at them to like learn the fu#king language!!!!!!

What the hell is wrong with the school system in Canada? Why would any teacher or university professor tolerate such retarded English in their classrooms? Why are we teaching our students correct English for, as they won't be able to understand anyone once they get to an English speaking country?

I don't know what is worse, listening to non-native speakers or listening to native speakers speak English. What do you think?

karinb · Joined: 05 Feb 2006 Posts: 33

Haha I'm a West Coaster (20 something) and this is definetely (unfortunately) how I talk. I can speak properly, but I have to actually think about it despite being a native speaker. I agree that non-native speakers often have better English than myself especially in casual conversations.

Super Mario · Posted: Sat Apr 22, 2006 1:49 am Post subject:

Wow, its like unreal. I'm like in Australia, y'know, teaching high school. Like after 5 years in China, right? An everyone talks like this.

Yeah, no. It must be US television. Its the same pervasive influence. What else are all English speaking youth exposed to? Like.

I'm totally with you on this Keith. When I parody my students, they don't even pick it up.

Stephen Jones · Joined: 21 Feb 2003 Posts: 4124

ls650 · Joined: 10 May 2003 Posts: 3484 Location: British Columbia

william wallace · Joined: 14 May 2003 Posts: 2869 Location: in between

Perpetual Traveller · Joined: 29 Aug 2005 Posts: 651 Location: In the Kak, Japan

And I bet that I, like totally don't! Wink

Actually I think those of us who live in non-English-speaking countries are far more likely to speak without such little affectations. Mostly because if we did start using 'like' or similar every few words, we would totally confuse anyone we were speaking to.

angrysoba · Joined: 20 Jan 2006 Posts: 446 Location: Kansai, Japan

gaijinalways · Joined: 29 Nov 2005 Posts: 2279

I hear you Keith, I similarly dislike the overuse of some profanity when some people try to cover up their ignorance of the topic being discussed. Then again, I'd like to teach a class using Sterling Johnson's 'English as a F*ucking Language' Smile

!

valley_girl · Posted: Sat Apr 22, 2006 2:18 pm Post subject:

The university students on our campus talk like that, too. It's actually extremely difficult to grasp what they are saying in between all the 'likes' and 'ya knows'. I had one student last term (Chinese) who spent a lot of time with Canadian students outside the classroom and she actually talked like that as well. Combine all those unnecessary interjections with poor pronunciation and the result is almost unintelligible speech. Confused

wildchild · Joined: 14 Nov 2005 Posts: 519 Location: Puebla 2009 - 2010

Kieth_Alan_W

chrispy · Joined: 03 Mar 2006 Posts: 80 Location: Canada

LOL! I tend to use the word 'like' a lot too but not nearly as much as you used it. Girls tend to use it most and it does get annoying. It's really valleyish but its not THAT bad. I'm also Canadian as well so I can understand why your soooo irritated. It's like soooo overused sometimes here which I came to accept it and you should too.

Perpetual Traveller · Joined: 29 Aug 2005 Posts: 651 Location: In the Kak, Japan

Guy Courchesne · Joined: 10 Mar 2003 Posts: 9650 Location: Mexico City

I can't use rad or gnarly anymore? Next thing you're going to tell me is that Jimminy Crickets is out too?

Golly gee willickers, how times a-change.

chrispy · Joined: 03 Mar 2006 Posts: 80 Location: Canada

In my view, I think the word 'like' is going to last a very long time because its soo convenient to use when someone is stuck on a word.