ENGLISH IS A CRAZY LANGUAGE

ENGLISH IS A CRAZY LANGUAGE!!

Regarding the topics that were worked in class last week, I was looking for some extra information in the Internet and I found some interesting web sites which show that English is really a difficult language. Most of the webs that I have consulted say that the most difficult skills of English are spelling and pronunciation.

The reasons are all the roots that English has. We have already talked about that in class but I would like to explain a curious comparison that I have found: “English is a mixing bowl!!”

We have to take into account the place where English was born: a small island that was invaded by different groups of people: Celtics, Romans, Germanic tribes (Jutes, Anglos, Saxons and Frisians), Vikings and French. All the groups had different languages and they left their influence on English. It is a big bowl because it is made up of elements and words taken from different languages.

Besides, I didn’t know that English people don’t adapt the words that have been taken from other languages. In Spain, we change the “borrowed words” and adapt them to our spelling system but they write and pronounce them in the original way so; when we try to speak in English properly, we found many difficulties because we have to learn vocabulary from different languages!

It is thought that English is an easy language to learn at the beginning because the general structures (grammar and vocabulary) are extremely simple. However, there are so much exceptions and little rules for everything that English is very difficult in the last stages of learning.

There are other factors that make English a hard language: the enormous vocabulary, the synonyms and its spelling system. In the following web site, there are many funny sentences that prove that English is really a hard language. Try to pronounce and understand all these sentences!!

http://www.i18nguy.com/english-is-tough.html

As Richard Lederer (The author of the book “Crazy English”) says, the only reason is that “English was invented by people, not computers, and it reflects the creativity of the human race”. It is the same reason that makes Spanish or Chinese difficult to learn!

What do you think? Is it easy to pronounce the web site’s sentences? They are really tongue-twisters!!!

(Gonzalo García)

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT...

While I was watching the video “Otra snapshot de realidad” that Francisco sent us some days ago, I was thinking it was necesary writing some words about it.

It is an amazing short which shows the inequality between men and woman. Men can do whatever they want and they can arrive at home when they want, while woman have to be always at home doing home tasks. For men, their job is the most important thing and they think that it is harder than things woman make. So, when men arrive at home, they want to have the dinner at the table and if it isn´t prepared they argue with their wifes. Sometimes most of men shout their woman and hit them although they say later that they don´t beat them and that woman are crazy.

This short is quite similar to “Virgen Negra” which we saw in assembly hall of University. Men could have a lot of woman and children, but woman could only have a husband. Woman had to have sex with her husband although they didn´t want because woman who had more children was the most praised. Why can´t woman have more than one husband if we are in the same conditions?

I think this is a good topic to teach in our classrooms because children have to know, since they are childs, that men and woman have to have the same values, conditions and oportunities. Nowadays it´s horrible that some people think that both sexs are diferents, so I think that we should work in it to avoid discrimination and to inculcate the equality. What do you think?

(Lydia)

TO SPEAK IN ENGLISH OR NOT TO SPEAK IN ENGLISH (THAT MUCH), THAT'S THE QUESTION

As you, my classmates, will become teachers one day as me as well, I would like to ask you a question or doubt which has been around my mind for a while already.

My worry is related with the topic we have just seen in the lesson. Do we have to talk our children in our own language while we are teaching them? Is it good if we translate them some vocabulary which they may do not know?

As I see it, to learn a new language it is much better to hear the new language as much as possible. Teachers should speak using the foreign language most of the time during the lesson. But from my point of view, that would just work in higher levels when children have already enough knowledge to understand the explanations, definitions or new vocabulary without the necessity of using your own language.

It is said that translating words or using your own language from time to time is not good for children. But right now I want to post you a question: What about if the pupil cannot understand any word of what you are saying? What about if the student cannot follow any of the explanation which of course influence his learning?

Students who are in first or second grade cannot even read perfectly in Spanish, how can we ask them to read properly in English? We know that all our students are different and each one has their own level or learn in a different way.

Most of the students who come from kindergarten cannot even spell a word or they cannot transcript correctly the words they are listening, for example while doing dictation. As you all know, words in English are not written as they sound. That makes them even more difficult to learn this new language. My experience with a first year child has taught me that even if he has studies a word and the child has written it twenty times before, when you ask him to write it again saying the word using the correct pronunciation, he won´t know the word. Young students have difficulties relating words and sound.

We were taught using a translating method and generally, our oral and hearing skills are very low. New students are being taught without using it, without even translating a word. Do you think that it will work out?

I consider that we should mix up both methods, what is your idea about it?

I am really looking forward to hearing your opinions, thoughts and arguments. I will probably learn from you all.

Thanks.

Julia.