EFL refers to the use or study of English by speakers with a different native language. Language teaching practice often assumes that most of the difficulties that learners face in the study of English are a consequence of the degree to which their native language differs from English. A native speaker of Chinese, for example, may face many more difficulties than a native speaker of German, because German is closely related to English, whereas Chinese is not. This may be true for anyone of any mother tongue setting out to learn any other language.
Language learners often produce errors of syntax and pronunciation, thought to result from the influence of their first language, such as mapping its grammatical patterns inappropriately onto the second language, pronouncing certain sounds incorrectly or with difficulty, and confusing items of vocabulary known as false friends. This is known as "language interference". However, these transfer effects are typically stronger for beginner's language production.
Some students may have very different cultural perceptions in the classroom as far as learning a second language is concerned. Also, cultural differences in communication styles and preferences are significant. For example, a study looked at Chinese EFL students and British teachers and found that the Chinese learners did not see classroom discussion and interaction as important but placed a heavy emphasis on teacher-directed lectures.
This is the last of our 5 languages in 5 days posts.
Thursday, 24 February 2011
Wednesday, 23 February 2011
Hindi
Standard Hindi, also known as Manak Hindi is a standardised register of Hindustani identified with Hindus. It is one of the 22 official languages of India and is used as the primary official language of the Republic of India along with English. Standard Hindi is a sanskritised register derived from the khariboli dialect.
The number of speakers of Standard Hindi is ambiguous. According to the 2001 Indian census, 258 million people in India regarded their native language to be "Hindi". However, this includes large numbers of speakers of Hindi dialects besides Standard Hindi.
The dialect upon which Standard Hindi is based is khariboli, the common language of the Delhi region. This dialect acquired linguistic prestige in the Mughal Empire and became known as Urdu, "the language of the court." After independence, the Government of India set about standardizing Hindi as a separate language from Urdu.
Come back tomorrow for English as a foreign language
The number of speakers of Standard Hindi is ambiguous. According to the 2001 Indian census, 258 million people in India regarded their native language to be "Hindi". However, this includes large numbers of speakers of Hindi dialects besides Standard Hindi.
The dialect upon which Standard Hindi is based is khariboli, the common language of the Delhi region. This dialect acquired linguistic prestige in the Mughal Empire and became known as Urdu, "the language of the court." After independence, the Government of India set about standardizing Hindi as a separate language from Urdu.
Come back tomorrow for English as a foreign language
Tuesday, 22 February 2011
Portuguese
Portuguese is a Romance language that grew from the Latin-descende language that was spoken in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia. It also absorbed influences from the Romance and Arabic languages spoken in the areas that were conquered during the Portuguese reconquista. It was spread worldwide in the 15th and 16th centuries as Portugal established a colonial empire that included Brazil in South America, Goa and other parts of India, Macau in China, and Timor in South-East Asia. Many creole languages based on Portuguese have also appeared around the world, in Africa, Asia, and the Caribbean.
With over 260 million speakers, Portuguese is the fifth most spoken language in the world, the most widely spoken in the southern hemisphere, and the third most spoken in the Western world. It has official status in the European Union, the African Union, the Organization of American States, the Latin Union, the Community of Portuguese Language Countries and the Association of National Olympic Committees of Portuguese Official Language.
Like other languages, Portuguese has experienced a historical evolution, being influenced by many other languages and dialects, as it reached the form known today. Contemporary Portuguese comprises several dialects and sub-dialects, often very distinct, and two internationally recognized standards (European Portuguese and Brazilian Portuguese).
Today it is one of the world's major languages, ranked seventh according to number of native speakers. It is the language of about half of South America's population, even though Brazil is the only Portuguese-speaking nation in the Americas. It is also a major language in Portugal's former colonial possessions in Africa. There are sizeable communities of Portuguese speakers in various regions of North America, notably in the United States (New Jersey, New England, California and south Florida) and in Ontario, Canada (especially Toronto).
Come back tomorrow for Hindi.
With over 260 million speakers, Portuguese is the fifth most spoken language in the world, the most widely spoken in the southern hemisphere, and the third most spoken in the Western world. It has official status in the European Union, the African Union, the Organization of American States, the Latin Union, the Community of Portuguese Language Countries and the Association of National Olympic Committees of Portuguese Official Language.
Like other languages, Portuguese has experienced a historical evolution, being influenced by many other languages and dialects, as it reached the form known today. Contemporary Portuguese comprises several dialects and sub-dialects, often very distinct, and two internationally recognized standards (European Portuguese and Brazilian Portuguese).
Today it is one of the world's major languages, ranked seventh according to number of native speakers. It is the language of about half of South America's population, even though Brazil is the only Portuguese-speaking nation in the Americas. It is also a major language in Portugal's former colonial possessions in Africa. There are sizeable communities of Portuguese speakers in various regions of North America, notably in the United States (New Jersey, New England, California and south Florida) and in Ontario, Canada (especially Toronto).
Come back tomorrow for Hindi.
Monday, 21 February 2011
Chinese
The Sinitic languages, more broadly known as Chinese is a language family consisting of languages which are the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages. Over one billion people, about one-fifth of the world’s population, speaks some variety of Chinese as their native language. Internal divisions of Chinese are usually perceived by their native speakers as dialects of a single Chinese language, rather than separate languages. There are between seven and thirteen main regional groups of Chinese, of which the most spoken, by far, is Mandarin which is spoken by about 850 million people.
Standard Chinese is a standardized form of spoken Chinese, based on the Beijing dialect of Mandarin Chinese. Standard Chinese is the official language of the People's Republic of China and Taiwan, as well as one of four official languages of Singapore. It is one of the six official languages of the United Nations. Of the other varieties of Chinese, Cantonese is influential among overseas communities, and remains one of the official languages of Hong Kong(together with English).
Old Chinese, sometimes known as "Archaic Chinese", was the language common during the early and middle Zhou Dynasty (1122 BCE–256 BCE), texts of which include inscriptions on bronze artefacts and the poetry of the Shījīng. The phonetic elements found in the majority of Chinese characters provide hints to their Old Chinese pronunciations. The pronunciation of the borrowed Chinese characters in Japanese, Vietnamese and Korean also provide valuable insights.
Come back tomorrow for Portuguese.
Standard Chinese is a standardized form of spoken Chinese, based on the Beijing dialect of Mandarin Chinese. Standard Chinese is the official language of the People's Republic of China and Taiwan, as well as one of four official languages of Singapore. It is one of the six official languages of the United Nations. Of the other varieties of Chinese, Cantonese is influential among overseas communities, and remains one of the official languages of Hong Kong(together with English).
Old Chinese, sometimes known as "Archaic Chinese", was the language common during the early and middle Zhou Dynasty (1122 BCE–256 BCE), texts of which include inscriptions on bronze artefacts and the poetry of the Shījīng. The phonetic elements found in the majority of Chinese characters provide hints to their Old Chinese pronunciations. The pronunciation of the borrowed Chinese characters in Japanese, Vietnamese and Korean also provide valuable insights.
Come back tomorrow for Portuguese.
Sunday, 20 February 2011
German
German is a West Germanic language, closely related to English and Dutch and spoken by approximately 100 million native speakers. German is one of the world's major languages spoken primarily in Germany (where it is the first language for more than 95% of the population)
Other European German-speaking communities are found in Northern Italy in the East Cantons of Belgium, in the French regions of Alsace and Lorraine, and in some border villages of the former South Jutland County in Denmark.
German-speaking communities can also be found in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Russia and Kazakhstan. German is also a spoken language in other countries including Egypt, Israel, Spain, Turkey, and the United Kingdom.
The history of the language begins when Old High German dialects separated from Old Saxon. Old Saxon at this time belongs to the North Sea Germanic culture, and Low Saxon should fall under German rather than Anglo-Frisian influence during the Holy Roman Empire.
As Germany was divided into many different states, the only force working for a unification or standardization of German during a period of several hundred years was the general preference of writers trying to write in a way that could be understood in the largest possible area.
Check in tomorrow for Chinese.
Other European German-speaking communities are found in Northern Italy in the East Cantons of Belgium, in the French regions of Alsace and Lorraine, and in some border villages of the former South Jutland County in Denmark.
German-speaking communities can also be found in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Russia and Kazakhstan. German is also a spoken language in other countries including Egypt, Israel, Spain, Turkey, and the United Kingdom.
The history of the language begins when Old High German dialects separated from Old Saxon. Old Saxon at this time belongs to the North Sea Germanic culture, and Low Saxon should fall under German rather than Anglo-Frisian influence during the Holy Roman Empire.
As Germany was divided into many different states, the only force working for a unification or standardization of German during a period of several hundred years was the general preference of writers trying to write in a way that could be understood in the largest possible area.
Check in tomorrow for Chinese.
5 Languages in 5 days
Over the next 5 days I am going to be giving you little fact-files on 5 major world languages. They are going to include a few facts about the language, countries in which the language is spoken, a bit of history and some learning tips.
Monday – German
Tuesday – Chinese
Wednesday – Portuguese
Thursday – Hindi
Friday – English as a foreign language
Check in to check it out.
Monday – German
Tuesday – Chinese
Wednesday – Portuguese
Thursday – Hindi
Friday – English as a foreign language
Check in to check it out.
Friday, 11 February 2011
You must be joking?
It’s interesting really, when you think about it. I think the importance of communication is often underplayed. Take a joke for example. A joke has the power to make people fall down in tears of laughter. It has the power to bring amazing happiness to those people that hear it, and we have such a fascination with jokes and laughter that we spend hours and hours of our lives watching comedy films and going to see stand up comedians- a good sense of humour is even something most people look for in a partner.
Yet, on the other side of the coin- jokes can often be misunderstood. People can be hurt, offended and even feel bullied by not understanding a joke. Interestingly, humour is something that a lot of people find very difficult to translate into a different language. This is because the things we find funny are not just the words themselves, but the common associations we have with them.
I suppose, in theory, it is possible to learn a language from a text book. I suppose that all a language really is, is a series of words in specific patterns and structures that could quite easily be portrayed in a book or on a website. How hard would it be to learn what to say? Then again, I think the skill lies in how to say it. Nothing compares to learning a language from a real breathing human being. Human beings possess all the appropriate word associations and feelings, not just to say the right things, but to make sense.
For example, if you found someone attractive, you could say “Your face is aesthetically adequate” and you never know, it may be well received- but I personally feel that a phrase like “your very pretty” would go down with more success.
Do not settle for merely being heard. Aim to be understood.
Yet, on the other side of the coin- jokes can often be misunderstood. People can be hurt, offended and even feel bullied by not understanding a joke. Interestingly, humour is something that a lot of people find very difficult to translate into a different language. This is because the things we find funny are not just the words themselves, but the common associations we have with them.
I suppose, in theory, it is possible to learn a language from a text book. I suppose that all a language really is, is a series of words in specific patterns and structures that could quite easily be portrayed in a book or on a website. How hard would it be to learn what to say? Then again, I think the skill lies in how to say it. Nothing compares to learning a language from a real breathing human being. Human beings possess all the appropriate word associations and feelings, not just to say the right things, but to make sense.
For example, if you found someone attractive, you could say “Your face is aesthetically adequate” and you never know, it may be well received- but I personally feel that a phrase like “your very pretty” would go down with more success.
Do not settle for merely being heard. Aim to be understood.
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