| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
mejms
Joined: 04 Jan 2010
Posts: 390
|
 Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 8:17 pm Post subject: Knowing your first language before learning a second |
 |
|
If we're speaking about the 'challenge' of teaching English in Mexico, we need to consider education in Mexico as a whole.
Reading and writing skills are lacking throughout all class levels of Mexican society. I see small shop owners hang up signs with all sorts of spelling mistakes and lawyers prepare documents with run-on sentences and various grammatical mistakes.
Of course, the 'b' and 'v' is often confused, as well as the 'c' and 's'.
As someone who has learned Spanish as a second language and so more purposefully focused on it, I find that my spelling is actually better than many Mexicans.
Watch this video to see some examples of this and get a chuckle: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tTH7oagQIM0. Unfortunately, it's not a parody. |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
Phil_K
Joined: 25 Jan 2007
Posts: 2041
Location: A World of my Own
|
| Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 9:28 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| I'm not sure it's an absolute necessity, it depends what your objective is. If it's communication, then I'd say no. After all, if you speak/write your own language badly, but communicate, then there's no reason you can't do the same in another language. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
spiral78
Joined: 05 Apr 2004
Posts: 11534
Location: On a Short Leash
|
| Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 10:25 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: |
| Reading and writing skills are lacking throughout all class levels of Mexican society. |
I'm currently working on a team of educated professionals who are native English speakers. I happen to be the Secretary-Director of this group, and am in charge of communications. This means that they all send me their input in writing via email on a variety of issues, and I collate, format, add my own stuff, and disseminate to about 1,000 stockholders.
I am HORRIFIED by the poor English skills of my compatriots (not being language teachers, they won't see this, so I can vent safely). They are professionals, native speakers, and I forgive the occasional clearly inadvertent spelling/grammatical error.
But, my god -
the lack of skill in prepositions 'I'll attend on the course'
the misused expressions 'to all intensive purposes'
the hideous grammatical errors 'if I would have known'
I'm tempted to go through the archive to mine further examples - there are hundreds - but it's too depressing.
Anyway, my point is: Don't diss the Mexicans. Professional native English speakers consistently make appalling errors as well. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
MotherF
Joined: 07 Jun 2010
Posts: 1450
Location: 17�48'N 97�46'W
|
| Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 10:56 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| I can't watch the video where I am now, but I think learning a second language as an adult or you adult, makes a big impact on your own language. So it's not that you need to learn your own first, but by learning a to use a second you will be more aware of how you use your first. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Dragonlady
Joined: 10 May 2004
Posts: 720
Location: Chillinfernow, Canada
|
| Posted: Mon May 07, 2012 11:26 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Title of thread
Knowing your first language before learning a second
Post by native speaker teaching at university level
| wrote: |
| I can't watch the video where I am now, but I think learning a second language as an adult or you adult, makes a big impact on your own language. So it's not that you need to learn your own first, but by learning a to use a second you will be more aware of how you use your first. |
Please tell me volcanic ash is causing one's keyboard to malfunction. 
DL |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
the peanut gallery
Joined: 26 May 2006
Posts: 264
|
| Posted: Tue May 08, 2012 12:45 am Post subject: |
|
|
Yeah, she aint done did good.  |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Phil_K
Joined: 25 Jan 2007
Posts: 2041
Location: A World of my Own
|
| Posted: Tue May 08, 2012 1:56 am Post subject: |
|
|
| MotherF wrote: |
| I can't watch the video where I am now, but I think learning a second language as an adult or you adult, makes a big impact on your own language. So it's not that you need to learn your own first, but by learning a to use a second you will be more aware of how you use your first. |
Despite the amusing criticism of this post, I think it proves my point. I didn't even notice the errors until DL posted, so MotherF communicated perfectly well what she wanted to say, which I agree with by the way. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
MotherF
Joined: 07 Jun 2010
Posts: 1450
Location: 17�48'N 97�46'W
|
| Posted: Tue May 08, 2012 3:43 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Hey, Phil, nice to agree for a change.
I'm careless with my posting on Dave's. I've never tried to hide that. I find the cafe interesting enough to keep it open on another window on my rather slow work computer. While I'm waiting for something to load, I'll whip off a post without ever bothering to re-read it. Sometimes I make typos, I'm not a great typist and I go back and forth between a computer with an English keyboard and a computer with a Spanish one. Sometimes I make spelling mistakes, as a very fast reader, I never learned to register how a word is actually spelt. Sometimes I change my mind mid-sentence and finish it differently than how I started it and since I don't check before I hit send, it's posted as it. Yes, I'm careless, because I actually care a lot less about Dave's than I do about the other things I'm doing at the same time.  |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Phil_K
Joined: 25 Jan 2007
Posts: 2041
Location: A World of my Own
|
| Posted: Tue May 08, 2012 4:09 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: |
| Hey, Phil, nice to agree for a change. |
Watcha mean? We're kindred spirits!  |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
davidmsgi
Joined: 01 Feb 2011
Posts: 62
Location: Mexico City
|
| Posted: Sat May 12, 2012 9:50 pm Post subject: |
|
|
I talk English good.
I teach for my students the more better Inglish at my intire Universidad.
And I'm finding your post to be vary offensively making me too angry.
Please refrain to making these posts for the future.
singed,
Natively speaking University Professir |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
ontoit
Joined: 18 Jun 2006
Posts: 99
|
| Posted: Mon May 14, 2012 2:45 am Post subject: Language |
|
|
| If you do something professionally, you tend to notice non-professionals' mistakes. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
