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enjoyingenglish®
Enjoying English® Updated: 2010.07.21. i * The Manuscript * English for speakers of other languages ESOL * The Manuscript - selected passages from the completed work.
by Alan Cooper with Wang Bo. © Alan Cooper. 2006 & 2008. All rights reserved
Contents:
Introduction
General Comments
Using Words
Solving the Problems
Helpline.
Introduction.
Having taught Oral English since 2000, it has emerged that a number of problems beset students, businessmen and Chinese Teachers of English - CTE's. Sensible, practical solutions to such problems are very clear to a native speaker, but are not apparent, or are inaccessible to people struggling with oral aspects of a complex and enigmatic language.
The proposal is this: to examine the problems they face, and offer sensible, practical solutions. A difficulty which immediately springs to mind, is that we are dealing with two languages whose creation and evolution have matures over thousands of years. Two of the greatest languages in the world, yet ones which are worlds apart. Some phrases and phrases will not exactly translate. In the worst cases, the writers ideas may be completely lost. language is complex.
So, what are you going to do? Forget it? Ignore it? i don't think so. The solution is to re-read a passage once, twice, three times or even more. Make an evaluation of the situation, and try to Gage or assess what you think the writer's intention is.
This is not an English text book. Nor is it a set of instructions such as you may find at the top of an examination paper, telling you exactly what you have to do. This work is a Guide. It offers information and suggestions on the difficulties which students, their CTE's and business people wishing to expand their operation internationally, encounter tackling problems with Oral English. They are the same problems I have encountered through the years since I began my teaching career in 1968.
The solutions are from my experience; many have been concluded from discussions and suggestions from students and teachers themselves.
You will experience and become confused. Language is not like chemistry, physics or mathematics, where all the answers are 'in the book'. Language is colourful and creative.
We hope that you find it informative and and that it relieves some of your anxieties and frustrations relating to speaking English. More than that, we hope you find it entertaining and that will encourage you to write to us with questions and suggestions about how Oral English affects your work, and how you deal with the problems.
Our e-mail Helpline address is: eeenquiries@ymail.com
'Always a pleasure, never a chore!'
June, 2008.
General.
If you were in my classroom, lecture hall or theatre, the first thing you would hear me say is, 'Look at me... and Listen to me... all the time.' It is important that you look a the at the person who is speaking an unfamiliar language, as it aids concentration, but more important, it helps you see how sounds and words are formed.
Differences in the way English and Asian languages are spoken is a huge obstacle. English is phonetic; i.e. the letters or combination of letters are formed in a particular way, using the whole of the mouth, tongue and teeth in relation to each other. In some European languages, especially Spanish, the interaction is particularly pronounced. Ooops! I should have said 'noticeable'.
Many Asian languages, including Chinese, are tonal, where the word has a different meaning, depending which of the 4 tones are used. Sounds are made in the throat and the back of the mouth. Changing from one style to another isn't easy.
Although the English alphabet has only 26 letters, there are many combinations which alter the sounds they make. The letters C, E, G, J, M & N; Q, U, V, W & X are letters where non-native speakers commonly make mistakes. In English, 'Q' for example, is always followed by 'u' making a 'k..w' sound, as in 'quick. Chinese students often pronounce 'Q' as 'Ch' as in Qing Dynasty. The big daddy of them all is the sound made by 'th'. Many students pronounce it by putting the tongue behind the teeth. This produces a hissing sound, rather like 'snake'. The correct way is to put the tongue behind the teeth, breathe out and withdraw the tongue into the mouth. The result is a much crisper sound. In the UK, young children often pronounce 'th' incorrectly as ''v', with the result that you hear 'vis' and 'vat'.
But it's not as simple as that. We have combinations which look different, but sound the same; 'ea' as in 'each', 'ie' as in 'field', and 'ee' as in 'feet'.
But that's not the end of it either. Yo make more difficult, there are combinations which look the same, but have different sounds; 'ough' is probably the best example - 'enough', 'through', 'cough', 'bought', and 'bough' - the branch of a tree. Oh dear! No wonder I have problems teaching English!
Alright! Oh! That's something else. In the English language, hundreds of words - and 'alright' is one of them, have different meanings depending on the context in which they are spoken or written. They also change their meaning depending on the way they are said and the intonation used. Intonation is the way the voice moves up and down.
A teacher may say, 'Alright...', which indicates that they are going to change the topic. 'Alright?', used as a question, is enquiring for an answer, 'yes' or 'no', or it can mean, 'Are you OK?' Used with as an explanation, 'Alright!, indicates irritation. Your mother says, 'How many times have I told you to tidy your bedroom?' You say, 'Alright!'
My favorite is the way ethnically black American teenagers, roll down the street dressed in their uniform of basket ball shorts and baseball cap on back to front. They greet friends with a hand-slap and shout, 'AL...RIGHT1' The first part of the word is long and drawn out.
So, you see, it is relatively easy to begin with one word in a given situation, and add more to increase your vocabulary. Increasing vocabulary - the words you know, is important. They fall into two groups; everyday words; that is vocabulary you need to know in day to day situations. Secondly, are 'professional' words; i.e. words that you need for your study or work. Many of my students have found that an effective way to increase vocabulary is to collect everyday words which are around you in different situations. They are words which are familiar to you in Chinese, but not known in English.
To begin, take everyday, familiar situations. At home, or school, for example. People, places and things in your environment, or with friends. Play word games, they are often noisy, but fun.
Look carefully at words themselves. You can begin with a word such as, 'accurate' - which means to be correct. Add a 'prefix' - that is an addition to the beginning of a word, and the word changes it's meaning...'inaccurate'. It means the opposite of accurate; incorrect or wrong.
Suffixes are added to the end of many words. 'Situate' means 'to place'. However, 'situation' means position or a situation.e.g. 'I wouldn't like to be in his situation.' It is important that you 'think' about the language and how it is made up. Word games do just that and, of course, they make you talk.
One of the most common problems people face when learning to speak a foreign language is that they put words in the wrong order and use the wrong tense. I do exactly the same when I visit France after a long absence.
Does it really matter? Is it important? Experts disagree. I am firmly of the opinion that at the beginning particularly, it is not so important. The primary objective is to make students feel confident enough to open their mouths and speak. Of course they make mistakes; that's a fact of life. When children grow up and are learning to talk with their family, relatives and neighbours, they make mistakes. Mistakes can be corrected, and if you learn from that, improvements in your experience and expertise will naturally follow. Of course, if you are working for a company where you are using English for work, then your level of skill needs to be necessarily, much higher. But at the beginning, I don't think so.
My worst teaching nightmare occurred a few years ago near Chengdu. I had a 20 year old female student who never spoke one word to me throughout the whole of a two semester course. I had no idea whether she understood what I said, or whether or not she could speak.
People often forget that language is about communication. Communication is making yourself understood; giving or receiving information, finding your way around, or whatever. It is important that people talk to each other, exchanging interests and ideas, rather than attempting or worrying about getting everything precisely right. How often do you see people who are communicating with each other, using body or sign language, when they have a language blockage? A great deal, I think. Our need to talk to each other is a basic human instinct. I think it should be a pleasurable experience, which is why all our work comes under the banner heading, 'Enjoying English'.
Now a controversial idea which some teachers don't agree with. Don't learn or teach dialogues, because they seriously limit what you want to say. On occasions, students don't even understand what they are saying; this is especially the case with young children, particularly if they are having difficulties mastering their own language.
If I go into any school in China, and say, 'Hello. How are you today?', the reply is almost always, 'Fine thanks, and you?' Rarely do I receive replies such as, 'I don't feel very well.', 'I'm a little tired', 'I'm happy because it's my birthday and the sun is shinning.', or other things which they think or feel in their own language. It is necessary to listen carefully to what people say, to concentrate on television or movies to be able to understand what exactly is going on, to gain information or simply, to be entertained.
As I said earlier, concentrate on building useful vocabulary that you need to know for use in everyday situations. Begin with things which are familiar; everyday things which are around you all the time such as, at home, at school, in the street, your friends and things which interest you.. In a classroom, practice working in groups and practice speaking naturally.
You cannot learn to talk using books. You didn't learn to speak your native language from a book. Your parents didn't throw you a book and say, 'Learn to talk!' often students feel that they will 'lose face' if they make a mistake. My experience tells me that this doesn't actually happen in reality because everyone wants to do well, be able to perform confidently and for their friends and classmates to be successful.
Students are, of course, have differing levels of interest, ability and competence. They have different opportunities. Their teachers too, have different levels of experience. Some students may not really be interested in learning or speaking English. That is a fact of life. Naturally, if you were in a situation where you lived with native English speakers all the time, it would be easy; but for most, that is not a reality.
However, group work is usually supportive, and students help each other. I am very much in favour of this approach, partly because I believe that students should take some responsibility for organising their learning processes, and because it creates a pleasant relaxed atmosphere in the classroom.
Relaxed and happy students usually perform to the best of their ability and are successful. Whatever their ability, they perform to their maximum potential, gain confidence and learn quickly. Part 2. Using Words. I am very much in favour of trying to speak English naturally in ordinary situations. I encouage students to talk normally using the language skills they have aquired and vocabulary they have learnt. Although there are problems and sometimes embarrassment due to nervousness and inexperience, these can be overcome with practice. Prctice and he support of your classmates, builds confidence. as your confidence grows, so will your skill level.
Be normal. When we meet a friend or aquaintance we use greetings such as; 'Hello', 'Good morning / afternnoon or evening. This is the starting point or 'spring board' for developing a conversation, just as you do in your native language. Common topics in the UK at least, are the weather, what are you or have you been doing, and enquiries about friends or relatives.
'Oh! It's a bit cold today isn't it?' 'Hi Alan. I haven't seen you for a while.' 'Hello Sue, I haven't heard from your brother lately. How's he getting at university?' These, and other comments are called 'breaking the ice'; they are cmments which may or may not invite a conversation.
'Pop in for coffee sometime.' 'Do you fancy a drink?' or simply...'Lunch?' are similar. They are used because the person receiving the invitation is under no obligation to acept, which avoids embarrassing situations. Similarly, they can get out of the situation by making an excuse, whether it is true or not. Examples are... 'Thanks, I'd love to but...', 'I'm sorry but I have things to do this afternoon.'... and so on.
In written language, punctuation often indicates the meaning of words and phrases. When we speak the way a word is spoken is important. It may be harsh, expressing anger or annoyance, or soft. When I listen to one of my Chinese friends speak on the telephone, I can tell whether he is talking to his father, mother or a friend by the way he speaks. Of course, body language and intonation - the way the voice moves up and down, gives further clues.
Take a look at the following sentence. The punctuation give 3 different meanings. It also indicates so it should be spoken out loud.
Oh. The circus is coming to town. A statement of fact.
Oh! The circus is coming to town! An exclamation of excitement.
Oh! The circus is coming to town? A statement of surprise.
Questions are an absoloute certain way of begining, making or continuing a conversation. If you ask someone a question, you are inviting and expecting, an answer. Who? What.? When? Where? Why? Which? Do? How? Can? Shall?
It is easy to use in a classroom, working in pairs, using everyday or personal situations. 'Why did you miss my lesson yesterday?' What's wrong? Is that a new tee-shirt? Where did you buy it? How much did itcost? This is a technique I regularly use because all students are involved. Talking to other students, I might say, 'Where did he say he bought his tee-shirt? How much did he pay for it.
Some groups of words are relatively straight forward. Conjunctions such as; and, or, so and but are words which are used to join together two words , phrases, sentences or ideas. Comparisons like bigger than / smaller than, cheaper / more expeensive don't usually cause a problem. Prepositions, by contrast, are a differenet problem.
I am thinking of words which place or put things in position. In English, they are commonly used when giving other people, directions. They include; after, below, opposite, behind, above, , at, before, from, on top of, underneath, and next to... As an exercise and for a bit of fun, picture yourself in your classroom. who is sitting next to you? Behind you, infront of you. Get the idea? Great!
However, in my experience, it is negatives followed by a question which cause the most confusion, as I indicated in Part 1. 'You didn't close the door, did you?.' The answer is 'No.' (I didn't close the door is undersood).
Another example; 'You won't be home for dinner tonight , will you?' here clarification is important, because the person needs to know whether or not the person being asked is likely to be at home for dinner, or not. If th answer is 'Yes', does the respondent mean 'Yes, I will be home to dinner' or If he isn't going to be at dinner, the answer should be, 'No.'
Don't worry though, it's a problem. If someone doesn't understand what you say or what you mean, they will say so and ask for clarification... 'What do you mean? or very plainly they may just say, 'What?
Part 3 Confusing Words. Extracts from 'Enjoying English - Problems Solved by Alan Cooper. People teaching or studying English as a foreign language face a number of difficulties relating to words, their spelling and matters relating to pronunciation. They are often not only confusing, but downright baffling, which means that they make absolutely no logical sense at all. There is, however, a perfectly logical reason for the differences. It is a direct result of our history and the evolution of English as a language over 3 - 5,000 years. That in itself is a problem because we don't have records of how the early English of the Celts was spoken, although Welsh is a direct descendant of the Celtish languages, as is Cornish in south west England and Gaelic in Scotland and the north western Isles. The Celts inhabited the islands which are now the UK, three to five thousand years ago. The Orkney and Shetland Islands in the far north of the British Isles, contain some of the most complete iron age settlements in the world. About 2,500 years ago, the Romans from Italy invaded, driving the Celts westward into Wales and north to Scotland. The Romans brought them Latin. Other later invaders from what is Germany, Denmark and Holland, brought Germanic languages with them during the 5th 9th centuries. They were followed by the Normans from northern France in 1066. Later, other languages, parts of languages, phrases and words were absorbed into English during the period of the Great British Empire from the 16th - 19th. This included Asiatic languages from India, South East Asia and China. The result was the development of English as an enigmatic and complex language made up from a mixture of other languages. The Empire has long since vanished, but the legacy of language remains in regional differences and dialects This is not unlike the situation in China. Mandarin is the official language in China's press and media. In parts of the south, Cantonese is commonly used, which is often not understood by people in the north. Even 50km west of the city where I live, in villages in the foothills of the mountains, people speak local dialects which I cannot understand. Even the way Numbers are spoken is completely different. Like time itself, languages evolve, constantly undergoing change. The 'f***' word for example, now considered a bad or offensive expletive, has it's origins 1,500 years in Europe. It meant, 'to make love'. Similarly, but much more recently, 'to be gay' meant to be happy. Now it refers to intimate relations between members of the same sex. There are differences too, in the way English is spoken in different parts of the world. I am often asked, 'What is the difference between British and American English?' For example, the luggage space in the rear of a car is called 'a boot' It is written and pronounced the same as the word 'boot' which is a strong type of shoe. In the US it is called 'a trunk'. In the United States, trousers are called 'pants'. In British English 'pants' refer to underwear or shorts, which in the US are called 'trunks'. Only experience and practice becoming familiar with the language will help you overcome such problems. Now consider this; what is the difference between British English and English as it is spoken in Australia, New Zealand, the Caribbean or South Africa? They all have their own accents, dialects, pronunciations and specialized words. In England we have 'pavements' - the area beside a street where people walk. In the USA they are called 'side-walks'. In Roman times, 'pavements' were the areas between courtyards; recreational areas which were closed to traffic. Roads and streets were also called pavements if they were paved, i.e., covered with stone slabs or bricks. The dictionary definition of 'slab' is 'chunk' or 'hunk', - a slab of cake in the UK is referred to a 'piece of cake', however, the idiom 'a piece of cake' means a job or task which is easy. E.g., the examination was a piece of cake.' A slice or lump is sometimes called 'a brick', but the expression,'You're a brick!' means that you are a good bloke, or a dependable man. An excellent example of word usage is found if you look at the root word 'court'. Look it up in a good dictionary and see how many different meanings the word has depending on it's usage. A good example to summarise the things I have been discussing can be found in language differences between northern England and Scotland, which is only 250 kilometers or so farther north. In Yorkshire, northern England, the word 'bairn' means a small child. In Scotland the word looks the same and is pronounced the same, but the meaning is completely different - a bairn is a small stream. I have discussed words which look the same, but their pronunciation and meaning are different depending on the way they are used. One of my favourite examples is: There is no time like the present to present the present. The word in question is 'present'. It means: There is no time like now to give the gift. Got it? Good! English is a wonderful, if not confusing language, due to it's diversity. We have seen that, unlike many languages, we have words which mean more or less the same thing. Take; road, street, crescent, cul-de-sac (from French meaning a road which is blocked at one end), track and so on. We have words with similar pronunciation but different meanings; and words which look the same and have different pronunciations. Adding pre-fixes to the beginning of words can also alter the meaning of a word - national means of the nation or relating to one country. If you add 'inter' at the beginning of the word, making 'international' , the subject relates to many countries. You will find lists of prefixes and suffixes, with examples, in a good dictionary. So, there is a great deal of diversity and many complications in the English language. Simply 'learning the differences' is a long and tedious process, but there are ways to lighten the task and make it easier. They are often inexpensive and things which you can do in your spare time. Part 4 The Solutions. Extracted from forthcoming publication 'Enjoying English - Problems Solved' by Alan Cooper. Copyright 2006 & 2008. This is the fourth and final part of 'Enjoying English - Problems Solved'. There is no magical solution for solving the problems people face when learning to speak a foreign language. The advice here is a common sense approach to help students and teaches. It is based on almost 40 years experience. The most important elements of learning are; preparation, organisation and planning. There are 4 skills - reading, writing, listening and speaking. There are 3 principal problems - reading comprehension, building vocabulary and developing listening skills. Most things in life are learnt through experience; fire is hot. If we put our hand in a flame, we get burnt. Oral English is a combination of listening and talking; they are inextricably inter-linked. To be able to speak naturally, using correct pronunciation, intonation, accent and stress in the right places, it is also necessary to listen carefully to what someone else is saying. Practice makes perfect. Your goal, however difficult, is to make yourself understood. It is frequently the case that the teaching of oral English is poorly administered by teachers and 'foreign experts', who lack experience and place too much reliance on the use of text books. I have expressed my views on this subject elsewhere in this series and on the Blog under 'My Personal Thoughts'. It is impossible to learn to speak from text books. Speaking needs practice and experience. To be able to speak naturally, involves developing listening skills. It would be wonderful if every Chinese student lived with a native English speaker, as that would be a natural environment. Clearly that is not usually an option, but help is available by selectively watching television, listening to short-wave radio, tapes and pop music. Many students are naturally shy or nervous. Perhaps they don't even want to speak English! This is another reason for not using books, as it is easy to hide behind them and avoid taking part in oral activities. To a certain extent, learning to speak a foreign language is a state of mind. Li Yang (Crazy English) says, 'If you think you can...you can!' I think it's true. Using familiar situations helps broaden cultural experiences and vocabulary. Talk about your home, family members, relatives, friends and neighbours. What do they do? What do they look like; what interests, likes and dislikes do they have? Food is an excellent topic discuss and one which most Opel are familiar or have an interest. Your favourite food. How to prepare it. There are a multitude of experiences to discuss. Talk about your house, describing different rooms, the furniture they contain and what they are used for. Your college / university/ home town; their location, facilities, people, jobs, responsibilities. Discussing your hometown, is a good topic for discussion and to open conversations with others. Its facilities, things in the street - often referred to as street furniture, beauty spots, shops, government offices, public services, theatres, sports, museums, parks and gardens - the list goes on. The opportunities for talking are endless. I believe it is necessary for teachers to know and understand their students - what makes them 'tick', or how they will react in a certain situation. I encourage my students to talk. My approach is not, 'You've got to do this or that.' It's, 'Go on...have a go!'. The result is a relaxed and comfortable environment, with a busy 'hum' of activity and excitement. learning should be a pleasurable and enjoyable experience. I use discussion topics as a teaching aid because classes are often large. It give all students an opportunity to speak and encourages them to think, organise themselves and their approach to the topic under discussion. I am convinced that students should take some responsibility for their learning processes of preparation, organisation and planning of their work, rather than being 'spoon-fed' everything from teachers or textbooks. Careful preparation, planning and organisation are critical. Using external sources need not be expensive. You can use television, radio, the Internet, sharing experiences with friends, play games and sing songs. Games are useful for re-enforcing learnt vocabulary or introducing new words, often on a theme such as, 'In the Street' or 'At the Market'. Songs are helpful too for helping pronunciation. Discussion group work, with delegated tasks such as note taking, or making a summary presentation to the class, rotated over a number of lessons, encourages co-operation between students, building confidence and mutual support within the class. The teacher is free to help individual groups or students. It is helpful to have a support teacher to monitor students progress, achievement or to sort out problems which may arise. Whatever you do, and whatever the means you use to achieve it, remember that language and language skills are on-going and progressive in their development. language is about communication. Communication is making yourself understood. 'Always a pleasure - never a chore!' Notes: - contact our Team with questions, suggestions or problems on our Helpline: e-mail - enjoyingenglishinfo@yahoo.com - use English speaking media, television programmes in English CCTV - use short wave radio stations (SW) - BBC World Service, - RCI Radio China International - VOA voice of America - VOM Voice of Moscow - Check the Internet for games / educational programmes etc. Use Search Engines - see other features on Ed Webs and World Wide Webs © Alan Cooper. 2006 and 2008. All rights reserved. Publishers interested in using this material, the full manuscript in dual language English & Chinese should e-mail via the link at the top of this page. Please insert 'Publishing' in the subject box. English for speakers of other languages (ESOL) Improving your English can help you get more out of your life in the UK. It will also help if you want to study, improve your CV, or apply to become a British citizen. Improving your EnglishIf English isn't your main language, you can do a course to help you improve your English. These courses are called ESOL or English for Speakers of other Languages.
Improving your English will make it easier to:
What does an ESOL course involve?ESOL courses cover:
There are courses at different levels so you'll be able to start at the right level for you.
Where can you get advice?There are ESOL courses throughout the UK and advice is available to help you choose the right course for you.
For free advice call the Get On helpline. Lines are open from 8.00 am to 10.00 pm, seven days a week.
You can also book a free call back at a time to suit you, by using the interactive telephone service.
Advice in other languagesIf you'd like advice on learning and careers, you can speak to a Careers Advice Service advisor in the following languages:
The helplines are available from 9.00 am to 5.00 pm from Monday to Friday. Learning English onlineBBC Learning EnglishNews, webcasts, quizzes and message boards for learners of English across the world, plus resources for teachers.
British CouncilLearn English or practise your skills online on the British Council Learn English website.
'Life in the UK' testYou take the 'Life in the UK' test if you're applying to be a British citizen and your level of English is ESOL Entry 3 or above.
If your level of English is lower than ESOL Entry 3 and you wish to apply for naturalisation, you will need to attend combined English language (ESOL) and citizenship classes instead.
For advice on how to assess your level of English, phone the Careers Advice Service. Lines are open from 8.00 am to 10.00 pm, seven days a week.
To talk to someone about the 'Life in the UK' test, call the 'Life in the UK' helpline. Lines are open from 8.00 am to 10.00 pm, seven days a week.
You can also use the link below to ask for a 'Life in the UK' helpline advisor to call you back, at no cost.
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