Tag Archive: English as a foreign or second language


TEACHING ENGLISH : WHAT MAKES CONVERSATION REALISTIC?

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April 15, 2011

Mrs Doyle, in Father Ted, always knew when to offer a nice cup of tea.

Frequently in ‘real’ communicative situations, even between mother tongue speakers, there is the need to reformulate what we say to make our meaning clear. It is common to ask for clarification of what has been said.

In his book ‘How Conversation Works’,  Ronald Wardhaugh wrote that “much that is said in conversation is so ambiguous as to be virtually incomprehensible outside the framework in which it occurs“.

Therefore, we should not be surprised when students of English as a second language find most of  the so called ‘realistic’ dialogues hard to follow or even unintelligible.

A lot of  listening material places students in the role of eavesdroppers where they are expected to comprehend conversations which they are :  (a) certainly not part of  and  (b) probably not remotely interested in. Continue reading →

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TEACHING ENGLISH TO JOHNNY FOREIGNER

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April 14, 2011

Image from The How to be British collection by Martyn Ford & Peter Legon (Lee Gone Publications)

Johnny Foreigner:
1. Anyone who isn't British.
2. Anyone likely to be given a metaphorical 'bloody nose' by a plucky Brit.
(definition courtesy of Urban dictionary)

Images of British Culture and the role of English Language Teachers

In 1998 Lord St John of Fawsley stated in the British House of Lords that alongside the common law and parliamentary government, English language and literature was the greatest contribution to world civilization. He added that “at the heart of all three lies the idea of liberty. I do not believe that we can export our institutions indiscriminately, but by informing people of how they work and flourish, by imparting thoughts about them, we can enhance the chances for freedom elsewhere”.

English language teachers applying the communicative method actively seek to show language in context through the use of authentic texts. This means that material has to be selected to illustrate not only fundamental grammar structures but also to depict images of Britain through its culture and customs.

If, as Lord St John Fawsley strongly suggests, these images are chosen with a view to selling the cultural superiority of British culture, it contradicts any notion that teaching English can be politically neutral. Continue reading →

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