Last summer I taught at Wuhan University's first Intensive English Institute, and a large part of the curriculum was focused on preparing students for speech contests. I'm now writing a pro seminar paper for my M.A. in Linguistics/TESOL on the teachers' experiences in that program, and I'm trying to find some cultural/philosophical background of these pervasive English speech contests in China. Can anyone provide any insight or direction for research?
Xie Xie!
Thank you!
Elena
Researching Speech Contests in China
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woodcutter
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Speeches are a big part of life here in Korea, and it seems to me that respectfully listening to the long-winded words of the big boss is firmly interwoven into East Asian culture. It is even more the case in China, because despite the fact that China is no longer truly communist, the Communist Party officials remain and have little to do other than make speeches. The students at the university (Jiangxi Agricultural) I went to listened to many, many speeches, and would even attend rather dry talks for fun - there was little else to do. Against that background, the endless round of English speech competitions seemed to make perfect sense.
I was also asked to make several speeches myself, at the drop of a hat, so I could have used some training myself. Luckily hardly anyone could understand a word of it!
I was also asked to make several speeches myself, at the drop of a hat, so I could have used some training myself. Luckily hardly anyone could understand a word of it!