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Sign up with Google Sign up with FacebookQ: Which English do you teach ?
As most of us are aware there are some differences in English depending where you come from .
Mum v Mom colour v color center v centre
which is the most popular ?
8 years 6 days ago in Teaching & Learning - China
silverbutton1:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Empire Under LEGACY....BWHAHAHA!
British English forever!
I tell my students that British English sounds more classy than American English. It's an uphill battle though. Textbooks here (even the IELTS ones...) use predominantly American English.
I was recently looking through a vocabulary list with a student, and writing example sentences. The book said:
waft (v.) / wa:ft / <----- what?
So I wrote "The disgusting smell of an American waaafted into the room."
To hell with Americans and their crass, ugly, classless bastardisation of the English language.
icnif77:
I think, we're on the way to count 'downs' here. Again!
Stats show 6 'downs' in 24h. Not bad.... What concern me, is 9 'ups'. Are there more Ozz/UK posters at 'tities' than Americans....?
He might get few extra 'ups' for his 6-pack avatar....LOL
Votes count updated hourly....O2, o2
silverbutton1:
Ive met plenty of older scottish people. ha, are they even speaking English? Surely not. The USA bastardizing it? You are a narrow minded fool. The Brits have done well among their own to chop it up piecemeal. Is it pronounced waTer, or wah-ah...boTTle or Boh-uh.
Samsara:
I couldn't care less.
Oh wait. I'll translate that into retarded American language for you.
I could care less.
coineineagh:
It's the colonials who take these things too seriously. You born again britons like stirring up animosity towards us with the States, don't you?
Zethe:
To date, there is still no authority to the English language in the form of an academy.
Just a fact to consider.
While I AM a U.S. citizen and I do admit that our English is somewhat more simplified, I argue that this has more pros to it than cons.
What is the purpose of a language?
To communicate, express, and inform.
The U.S. version of English accomplishes this purpose just as efficiently as British English does.
That's just my opinion.
bayuvar139:
The English people themselves have bastardized their own language with some real horrible sounding dialects
bayuvar139:
The English people themselves have bastardized their own language with some real awful sounding dialects that don't even sound close to the English language you are speaking about
silverbutton1:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_Empire Under LEGACY....BWHAHAHA!I don't teach any English especially, 'cause I am not that good.
As I come across the word I know both versions, I let them know different spelling, and for correct pronunciation I usually suggest English online websites. I have an American pronunciation (I think) and British English they can listen at Focus.
I also tell them movie titles, where they can listen either USA or UK English.
They all know that after they'll land abroad, English pronunciation will differ depends on the origin of speaker. We watch flick 'The Party' and similar .....
I think, Chinese students are too up-tied concerning proper English pronunciation. I'd say, it isn't that important as it is when they speak their native language.
I correct pronunciation only when I don't understand pronounced word or when they say 'smell' instead 'smile' and similar, I show them the difference.
the americans will say they improved the english, move house, how do you move a house, although i do find a lady with a british accent to be sexier than an american accent even if the British girl comes across in public as frigid, I know its just an act. cheers to you bloody lymies.
silverbutton1:
So lift is a better way to say it as compared to elevator then smartypants?!
ambivalentmace:
i do like the car being a woman, check under bonnet and put the tire in the boot. i have had a few cars that were temperamental like a woman and leaked red transmission fluid in the middle of the body about once a month also.
silverbutton1:
"the americans will say they improved the english". -You
ambivalentmace:
silver, my british friends say americans raped the queen's english, decimated, ripped it apart, when i smile and say we improved it, im trying to be the nice guy, but when my friend drinks gin straight up in 40 c weather at room temperature, he might be insane anyway.
silverbutton1:
ok then. Here is a short take on what I see and hear from tme to time on my travels:
4 UK at the pub. What to they talk about?
1) How great the UK is.
2) the Problems of the UK, and debate how to fix them.
3) as #2, but with the EU.
4) a bit of sport, usually soccer.
5) talk shit/ rant all night about the dumb yanks. USA sucks etc.
4 Americans at the pub:
1) how great the USA is.
2) problems of the USA, and debate how to fix them.
3) a bit of sport, usually American football, NBA, baseball...maybe even hockey.
4) maybe some talk of guns and hunting/camping
The moral of the story:
If the USA is so inferior/insignificant?... why O why are the Brits obsessed with it?!
Americans only occasionally talk about Europe, and even less about the UK. Why? It IS insignificant. Period.
freelancer2:
Silver, could you tell me something about the history of America? I would really love to know when the history of the USA starts. I don't look down on American people at all, I've got a lot of friends coming from the States... But saying that the UK is insignificant... Come on...
Shining_brow:
"The UK folks can whine, moan, and attempt to belittle the USA all it wants, but at the end of the day they are simply whimpering voices of a bygone era of the "Great British Empire"."
Yanks do a HUGE amount of (quote) "belittl"-ing (unquote) themselves - as you can see from this "Americans only occasionally talk about Europe, and even less about the UK. Why? It IS insignificant. Period."
I believe that is called 'hypocrisy'!
Now, when the yanks ignore UN resolutions (not to mention, veto a HUGE number of them) and invade various countries (especially after ignoring things like 'due process' and 'evidence'), then I think it's only right that people in other parts of the world bitch about them.
When a nation's people do the "we are the greatest nation on earth" crap, then you can expect other people to start cutting them down pretty damn fast!
Q: Silver (and I'd make it a new thread, but I'd hate to have people think I'm all "USA is great" just by posting it), can you actually envisage a time when the US is at the bottom of the heap? Or has become another Greece? (sorry Greeks on here - I'm just trying to show how one nation can be the most powerful and influential nation in the world... and end up bankrupt and in serious dire straits!)
silverbutton1:
@freelancer2
As for your question about the history of America. I took 2 years of it in Jr. High, the first was US History from a white male, ex-coach (heck we even called him coach Zachary even though he hadn’t coached in years…) Im sure this fella had a conservative slant on it, but being a 7th grader, one doesn’t think outside the box at that age.
8th or 9th grade was Civics class from a black female, whom I thought at the time had some odd (again, im a young teen, so it could be argued that she was actually radical, as she made it known a bit that "the white folk always has and always will be oppressing the black folk")
This is early to mid 80s.
Fast forward to college. I took a US History class and the lecturer was a white male, but I would say liberal. He droned on and on about how the white Americans from Europe exploited the indigenous Americans (Cherokee, Choctaw, Apache, Seminole, etc), and continued the enslavement of the blacks from Africa, etc.
In a nutshell, the two US History classes were more or less polar opposites of each other. Each was based on the text and the instructors perception/interpretation/etc. of it.
I learned a lot during the college US history class, as it allowed me to envision that indeed history isn’t a 100% "in agreement" fact, but rather can be fluid.
___________
As for when the USA starts…that is open to interpretation as well. Many in the USA would argue that it began July 4th, 1776, the day of Independence. Others could/would argue it began a few years later, when Britain finally made a statement that the USA is a sovereign nation.
And there are folks who would claim US history began earlier than 1776, using the original 13 colonies/ Continental Congress and such as a "precursor US govt in the making".
Im sure there are other angles/views among the history academics, but you get the idea…
______________
"... But saying that the UK is insignificant" -You.
Well, I have been a bit harsh calling the EU insignificant, as it is a supra-organizational body. Granted, Im biased, but to me the UK is a leader of sorts (along with the other two EU3 consisting of France and Germany respectively) of the EU. Thus, on the global stage its significance has diminished considerably (one only needs to look at the hasty rise of China, and to an extent the other BRIC nations to get the big picture). I have many other personal reasons (over the years) to snub and sneer at the UK.
One blatant topic that comes to mind is when a person from the UK talks about US gun control and advocates gun confiscation. The irony in such a person making such a statement is flabbergasting.
To which a UK journalist by the name of Piers Morgan was a regular on CNN, with his continued bombastic comments against the pro second amendment folks.
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2014/04/03/piers-morgan-just-couldnt-resist-an-anti-gun-tweet-after-latest-ft-hood-shooting/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piers_Morgan
Our founding fathers are surely rolling over in their graves, I have no doubt.
Zethe:
The example you used, "move house" is purely contextual and only understood in certain circumstances.
Will I call this an improvement of the language overall? No, I would call it efficiency when used contextually.
That is the beauty of language in itself: being able to accomplish its purpose (to communicate, inform, and express) in more ways than just formal, non-contextual structure.
"which is the most popular ?" OP
Unequivocally, the consensus globally is the American version of English that reigns supreme.
Why? Three things come to mind, but Im sure there are others.
1) The population of the USA dwarfs the UK, being around 5x its size by comparison (approx. 320 million vs 65 million respectively
2) The USA generally produces some of the best Hollywood Films that are seen in cimenas globally. This alone promotes the American version of English as best suited to speak
3) Lastly, the USA is the only nation that is a super power. The UK folks can whine, moan, and attempt to belittle the USA all it wants, but at the end of the day they are simply whimpering voices of a bygone era of the "Great British Empire".
Shining_brow:
2) Ummm... of course the US produces the "best Hollywood films"... it's like saying women produce better babies than men. (ie, Hollywood is in the USA - not in the UK.. d'uh!)
3) serious question - where would the Brits be if they hadn't been involved in two world wars (and a host of other ones)? Where would the US be if they were??
TheShadowBroker:
America is currently approaching the end of it's empire just as Britian did before it. Countries are abandoning the USD world reserve currency at an accelerating rate. We are transitioning into China / Asia becoming the next great empire to dominate.
This doesn't happen over night but everyone can see the west is in decline.
icnif77:
I got 'bitten' here, when I said the same some 3y ago with 'US stock market traders talk about declining US empire since 15 years ago'.
I even posted Reserve currency graph here, but I was labeled as 'basher of USA'.
coineineagh:
I say tomato, and you say tomayto. I say banana, and you say banaynay.
silverbutton1:
2) Ummm... of course the US produces the "best Hollywood films"... it's like saying women produce better babies than men. (ie, Hollywood is in the USA - not in the UK.. d'uh!)
Shining_brow:
"
Shining_brow:
Oh, just a quick add... the Hollywood, CA accent is also rather specific. People (such as Chinese students) don't want an "American" accent - they want a "film star" accent.
Back in the day, the American colonists and the British spoke the same English. Makes sense since they came from the same place. The English they spoke is not the same as modern British English because the royals in England later spruced up their language to differentiate themselves from the plebs and then the royal English stuck. So kudos to American English for preserving the language.
AFTER (Current)
Typical UK Expat = "has been".
Has-been | Define Has-been at Dictionary.com
http://www.dictionary.com/browse/has-been
Has-been definition, a person or thing that is no longer effective, successful, popular, etc. See more.
UK Fella: That US Aircraft Carrier is huge compared to ours.
USA Fella: It sure is…it is in the Nimitz Class of Carriers!
UK Fella: Hmm, seems the Americans are needing to compensate for something…
USA Fella: We are.
UK Fella: Care to tell us why?
USA Fella: Weak allies
silverbutton1:
Yeah, the USA invented war, just like we invented slavery too. Isnt it wonderful how well the media educates the clueless masses.
Shining_brow:
Care to try that one again, Silver?? (you should probably start at the beginning...)
(I've just thought of a thead...)
Yeh Phil I do the same, but I also mention the different pronunciation, esp with the 'a' sound, i.e. bath, dance, graph etc. I'm an Aussie & for me British Eng is the best...no question.
However, in China what do they mainly hear? That U.S. slang.!
From movies, music, TV & sports etc. so I kinda get why they are more comfortable with the lingo...
of course american english perfect examples boot sounds like something u wear jumper sounds like someone just jumped off a building bonnet sounds like something u put on your head people grom england think there chit dont stink well i will tell u i does if its raining just stand under there big nose
It's a moot point.
You teach what you know how to teach and are familiar with and you use what ever works to communicate from each other.
If I go the the UK, I can turn my American English to British, easy! It will take about 10 or 15 minutes to hear what they are talking about and how....bring on the charm...everybody gets a laugh at me trying, and then we get down to business.
You communicate in the manner that gets your point across. You have to sell yourself.
You don't ever want to force your side and be prideful over nothing: you will not get ahead at anything. We all have to work together.
I am not a native speaker, I have studied English at the University long ago. And I remember we have had a problem which one dialect is preferable - "Oxford English" or American English. Our Professor taught us: you should know Oxford English! Because Oxford English is more universal, i.e. it is comprihensible among all english- speaking men - in USA, Britain, Australia, India and so on. But American English or any other dialect may be not quite clear in other regions of the globe. So, though American dialect sounds rather fashinable, Oxford English is more convenient. I would like to ask native speakers, was our professor right? Can one of USA, Australia, India understand each other quite well?
The problem here is less about the spelling, and much much more about the accent! And, Nixan - no, not all NES understand all other NES.
Aussies & Kiwis have it best... we were brought up having both spellings, vocab and accents thrown at us - as well as our own.
A good teacher knows their subject - and that means being aware of the differences. Make it clear as needed when different spellings arise, and different pronunciations - but also make it clear when you CAN'T do something... REcord is always accented on the first syllable or it will have a different meaning (ie, reCORD).
BTW - how do you pronounce...
Merry
Marry
Mary
??
For me, they are 3 fairly distinct & different pronunciations.
It depends on where the students plan to go:
My students primarily are going to the U.S, hence 'Murican English for TOEFL.
If they were making the mistake of heading to the land of buggery and pinkie-in-the-air tay snarfing, it'd be Bri'ish Anglisch for Iyoltz.
Should they be of a criminal bent, or had a predilection for sheep-shagging, then Aussieland or New Zealand (where no one has ever been accused of being able to speak intelligible English.)
If they were really interested in education, they'd head for Canada where East-West, North-South (save Quebec and Newfoundland) the lingo and 'accent' is the same. And the people look better.
ambivalentmace:
yes, and you forgot 51 percent on a test is passing with a D mark. 85 percent is honor roll, wish i had this grade curve in america for college.
Sinobear:
Agree. Like trying to explain a 4.0 GPA, near perfect marks in every course...the impact of GPA on trying for a Masters or PhD...where 60% doesn't cut it.
Shining_brow:
Just to join in the accent BS story - actually Australia would be a good place to head to for education. Our government has total oversight, so standards are maintained (which is probably why 80+% of Australian universities are listed in the top 1000 in the world (although - I'd suggest many other countries have similar statistics)), professors are paid to research and to teach - not just to write.. and accent-wise, we're actually all fairly similar (unless you go bush). Certainly the accent variety isn't as bad as the UK or USA.
RE: grade boundaries - oh hell yes!!! When I did my under-grad, HD was about 95%+, Distinction about 85-90%, and Credit around 75%. So, my grades look ok. Now, those borders are lower, and I've got Distinction as the norm, with a few HD's thrown in! (I've always been about an 80% student... too lazy to put in real work & effort... like right now, when I should be doing research & writing for an essay due last week :p)
British English with American influences for me, though I'm not a typical native speaker. I'm half Dutch.
I left Scotland at 9yo, and had most of my language input from the BBC, which also broadcasts American shows. I was a big fan of Star Trek and other scifi, back when I had free time to waste. Britain doesn't do scifi well, sadly. Dr. Who is like Sun Wukong in a police phonebooth: what's the point of watching if he will always win with nothing ever at risk? Now, most of my interaction is online, where Americans are in majority again.
And since I love political comedy, I'm more involved in the US election than British politics.
My wife can't place my accent. I do have one, but it's not British, not American, and only with a slight hint of Dutch influence.
I'll be a bit pretentious, and call myself Cosmopolitaine. It goes well with my Huguenot ancestry.
Shining_brow:
"Britain doesn't do scifi well"
WTF????? How can you say that??
Sure, Dr Who is a bit of a laugh with the effects back then, and the story always, but that's hardly the best of their sci-fi! And, it was never meant to be.
Name a single lead role in Star Trek who ever died.. and then, filter that with "who died without the melodrama". (and then, filter that with "who didn't come back later somehow")
I think the best sci-fi (and probably in all genres) would be the co-op programs.. where production has a good mix of people from different countries.
I PREFER BRITISH ENGLISH THOUGH
Shining_brow:
I PREFER SENTENCE CASE (contrary to the first half of this sentence)
I teach both. I give the students the choice to pick whichever they wanna speak.
I don't teach anything. Quite often I just stand by the window for the whole 45' period. The students can be initially bemused by this but soon revert to their default behaviour. To break up the boredom of standing by the window for the whole lesson I might succumb to temptation and chuck the odd one out the window.
* Behaviour.