Korean Job Discussion Forums

[Chonbuk]

Hi.

Hope all of you are well and have settled into your new terms.
I'm doing alright in Sydney, the Master's of Education, is proving to be more interesting than I anticipated. The best news is that I'll be finished by the end of November. YAHOOO!!!

I'm working on my 1st essay for a class called Language as Social Practice. We are looking at the globalization of English and the spread of World Englishes. It is so interesting.

My question is as an English teacher do you teach a standard variety of English based upon what you learnt in your 'native' countries or do you accept a Koreanized variety of English- think in terms of Konglish: handphones, eyeshopping...

Very interested in know your opinions on this.

Cheers,

Chonbuk

[the_beaver]

[schwa]

I teach what I know too (how not?) -- Canadian english, which I'd say is almost American but still retains a few vestiges of British usage. Though I've always been a proponent of American spelling -- lose those useless u's!

I use text material from a broad range of sources & I'm happy to point out regional variations. As native speakers, we're quite adept at interpreting some pretty far-out english, it kinda goes with the territory. But honestly, I've been at a loss at times trying to understand some Kiwi, Scottish, & South African speakers.

I was in the sauna last week chatting with a young Korean guy, raised & schooled in London. Completely fluent, but I had to say pardon a lot -- thick Brit accent & slang & issit? at the end of every sentence. News anchors on Arirang speak a nice clear formal British english but I know they flummox my students, who otherwise have excellent listening skills. That worries me actually. I've had a lot of my students for 3 years now, some 5, & I fear they've grown accustomed to one manner of speaking.

But I suppose they'd adapt quickly enough if forced to re-tune their listening. I do think there are real advantages to studying english from a variety of teachers of different nationalities.

My students are pretty attuned to konglishisms. They've slipped into my own speaking & my students are quick to point them out. Some usages, like handphone & ballpen, are widely international now & easy to understand -- I accept them as legitimate english. I also think some konglish terms deserve broader acceptance -- eyeshopping is quite apt, & skinship is a very clever construction for a concept that lacks expression in english. Another other english phrase I like comes from Nigeria: they call a traffic jam a go-slow.

A lot of english has crept into Korean-to-Korean conversation, a word here a word there, the higher the education the greater the frequency but its trickling down to everyone. Its all around them on signs too. I think average Koreans who claim no english (only long-forgotten school lessons) in fact know hundreds of english words -- certainly enough to cobble together some basic communication, especially if theres a bit of soju involved! Serves nicely to thaw the brain-freeze, the panicky inability to turn out a grammatically correct construction. Just getting meaning across the language divide is fun.

Of course Koreans have no need to use english among themselves, unlike in the Philippines or other linguistically diverse countries, so a true pidgin will never develop here. But as better schools & jobs increasingly emphasize language skills, the influx of native speakers & popularity of study-abroad programs will continue apace.

So what do I teach? Jump in, use what you know. Foreigners arent alien beings. English takes work but youre smart & capable.