Language impurities and how to enjoy them

lolwhites · Post by **lolwhites** » Tue Mar 01, 2005 2:01 pm

http://education.guardian.co.uk/tefl/co ... 87,00.html

fluffyhamster · Post by **fluffyhamster** » Tue Mar 01, 2005 2:22 pm

I like that word, "disarmoury"...and hate the linguistic naivity of the Direct Method, which has never acknowledged multilingualism, code-switching, effectiveness of translation etc.

But the article is being a bit glib, ultimately, when it asks e.g.

How do you say 'Popstars' in your language? Does it sound better in your language or in English, or in any other languages you speak?

Okay, some of the slightly more nutty French are slightly nutteristic about keeping their language "pure", and making up silly, unnecessary and/or lengthy paraphrases in French when the borrowing would do and is in fact generally preferred, but there must be many endangered languages for which such borrowings consist not just of words, but of wholescale replacement of languages. "The French" are (i.e. French is) in a position to resist this trend long-term and presumably forever (or until English dominance declines, to be replaced by...Chinese?), but many languages aren't.

woodcutter · Post by **woodcutter** » Tue Mar 01, 2005 11:43 pm

What are you on about? If a direct method teacher takes a "Only English!" approach, then they are trying to gain the benefits of doing that. There are drawbacks, but the loss of a chance for a bit of a laugh with foreign words is hardly important. Translation from L1 will go on in the learners heads regardless.

Code-switching? How do you teach that then?

fluffyhamster · Post by **fluffyhamster** » Wed Mar 02, 2005 12:06 am

Granted, woody, the English language is the focus of most classes (taught by monolingual native speakers) for now, and nobody (neither the writer nor me) has said otherwise. All I've said (or rather, implied) is that there are advantages to looking beyond a strict enforcement of the Direct Method, and in many societies (where bilingualism is the rule rather than the exception), English, although obviously now important, cannot ultimately claim any special privilege (perhaps in those societies bilingual teachers are also the norm, but the point is, a monolingual Direct Method "specialist" would obviously have a tough time breaking into that market or convincing anyone there of his or her "abilities" or valuable claims to "knowledge", besides which, jabbering away in five different languages could just be the learners' preferred learning style!).

As for code-switching, you can't teach it, but you can certainly try banning it.

I'll try to skip ahead and fully read the eleventh chapter ('Bilingualization and localized learning') of Widdowson's Defining Issues in ELT, it looked pertinent to this discussion, but if I'm not back here to post my findings within a week or so then I suggest you try to take a look at it yourself (it's only 15 pages or so, so it would be possible to skim it in a bookstore if you can find a store with a copy).

woodcutter · Post by **woodcutter** » Wed Mar 02, 2005 12:21 am

I'm afraid my reading (and posting), lax as it is, is likely to slack off even more. It seems I am no longer eligible for "home fees" if I take an MA in applied linguistics in the UK. It's therefore very expensive indeed, and I also might fail again, being a stick-in-the-mud heretic.

I'm going to attempt, therefore, to slave at the Chinese language for the next 18 months (teaching there next September) and then go back to blighty, take an HSK, and see what I can see turning up in the field of being a "Chinese expert", since I'm already qualified in that. Therfore, more study, less Dave's!

Any of you lot know much about translation work?