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!!
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)
I totally agree with this comment. In fact, I´d say the skill most complicated of all is the pronunciation. It is a skill that must be taught in orden to learn it well.
ResponderEliminarIt is also true that there are plenty of English vocabulary.
Personally and I guess all of us who have spent some time (several years) giving english as a compulsory subject at school not stop learning new words they had never before seen or heard.
Gonzalo, I really like the web page! It is very good for practising pronounciation and also to learn new vocabulary.
ResponderEliminarFor me, and I think that for most of you, the most complicated skill is pronounciation, so it is very important to take advantage of every opportunity to speak in English.
Also we, as teachers, ahould have a good pronounciation... I can perfectly remember some words that I learnt when I was a child because my teacher pronounced them in one way, and as I have grown up, I have realized that I was totally wrong!
Oh my god!what are those sentences? haha!they are very very tricky!
ResponderEliminarI totally agree with both of you. Comunicative and oral skills are the most difficult for us. We do not have the fluency or accurate pronunciation as we should yet but we have to get it. This website Gonzalo is very good to start practicing. Thanks a million ;)
Anyways, regarding to the methods we have learnt in class. I can certainly asssure that we learnt through the "translation method". That is the cause why we are so bad at speaking. Normally, our writing and grammar are quite good, but our oral and listening skills are very low. We all should take it into account and we should solve it. There are many ways to do it: watching tv in english, listening to music, trying to talk in english with yourself or if it is possible, with a foreigner. But the best option to improve our English is going abroad!
We need to have a proficiency level of English if we do not want to teach our children incorrect words. Do we want that? Let´s find a solution to our problem!
It´s been worth to have read these paragraphs about where English comes from. But I think some English words have been adapted from their original version, like we do in the Spanish language with some foreign words. I do not know to expose some examples right now, but I believe there are some English words adapted from their original version.
ResponderEliminarI also think that the most difficult skill to be perfectsionised is pronunciation. We have been taught grammar along all our academic life, but what we really have to be better must be in my opinion, and I think more people think in the same way, PRONUNCIATION!!. The best way to improve that is what Julia has suggested: Either talk with foreign people in the foreign language or going to the foreign country and not mix up with people speak your same language.
I totally agree! Our speaking and listening "sucks"! hahaha. They are so important to learn a language, but the most important thing is pronunciation because if you don't know it you can't understand what people say and people can't understand what you want to say.
ResponderEliminarI am jealous of children that are studying Arts and Science in English right now, they are so lucky! Last year in my internship I was in 6th year but one day I was in Science with 4th year. The teacher only spoke them in English, no Spanish (that is a great point), and they could undertand most of the things, it was AMAZING! The level that they had was higher than my children of 6th!!!
I think we have to use other ways like Julia says because you meet a foreign person who is your same age and she/he has learnt English for 10 years and you for 16, and her/his English skills are more or less like an English person and Spanish people are far away from them. So the best is...GOING ABROAD to improve it!!
I like the web! I think that it is useful for practising pronunciation in a different and funny way.
ResponderEliminarI´m agree with María. For me, the most complicated skill is pronunciation, so it is very important. We have to teach this complicated skill and we need first know in well.
I would like to improve my pronunciation this summer and I think that this resource could help me.