| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | Accented teachers may be better for second language learners
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| | Nicole Schnell 
United States
Local time: 03:25
English to German
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In memoriam | I love it! :-) | May 10, 2010 |
Samuel Murray wrote:
Nicole Schnell wrote:
Here I am today, an American citizen, and I yet have to encounter any stranger who will not start a conversation with "Where's your accent from?".
Just give them the name of some state on the opposite side of the continent. 
I simply answer: "Portland". 1.) that's my city, 2.) there is another Portland in Maine, on the opposite side of the continent. Weird thing: Nobody ever thinks that I am German. For whatever reason, people think I am from Russia.
| | | | | There aren't bad teachers (colleges) | May 10, 2010 |
There are bad students.
My studentship dates back to 'iron-veil' times of marxist-leninist methodology applied towards foreign languages being taught. No native speakers as English teachers in class whatsoever made us feel pissed off.. The only one thing that proved real good in the years afterwards was 'native language-based method of teaching a foreign language'. It's proved most productive with regards to all layers of the language (practical phonetics, too). The best doctor is the on... See more There are bad students.
My studentship dates back to 'iron-veil' times of marxist-leninist methodology applied towards foreign languages being taught. No native speakers as English teachers in class whatsoever made us feel pissed off.. The only one thing that proved real good in the years afterwards was 'native language-based method of teaching a foreign language'. It's proved most productive with regards to all layers of the language (practical phonetics, too). The best doctor is the one who fought the ailment successfully himself, which is the grounds sufficient enough to treat others, isn't it?
Those of us who had 'good ear' for the language (and yours truly, too) ware listening to the BBC World service from London (remember the lively promo tune )) which fact was in itself a heroic deed (for which you might well be kicked out of the dear varsity). All nights away we did it.. often skipping one night stands and drinking sessions..
I'm probably growing too pathetic about that method and may sound old-fashioned. It's age -related, is it?..
Oh, btw, very shortly after I got a position in an English company in Moscow (consumer goods imports, betting shops, construction projects), my employers (englishmen, no university education) picked my queen's English articulation up as too much of my hobby-horse. I sounded 'too military', 'a real English gentlemen', 'pain in the neck, as we call it'..
So, .. life's real tough, isn't it?
[Edited at 2010-05-10 13:46 GMT]
[Edited at 2010-05-10 15:31 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | | | Esther Hermida
United States
Local time: 03:25
English to Spanish
+ ...
| There goes Arizona, again. | May 14, 2010 |
When I came as a child to the East Coast of the US I was placed in a bilingual program. My teachers were all Spanish speakers, I don't remember whether they had an accent or not. What I do remember is that when I had trouble understanding something in English they explained it to me in Spanish. It was helpful.
Children, are exposed to English through many media not just the classroom. Besides, teachers follow a program of lectures and grammar skills that children are supposed to lea... See more When I came as a child to the East Coast of the US I was placed in a bilingual program. My teachers were all Spanish speakers, I don't remember whether they had an accent or not. What I do remember is that when I had trouble understanding something in English they explained it to me in Spanish. It was helpful.
Children, are exposed to English through many media not just the classroom. Besides, teachers follow a program of lectures and grammar skills that children are supposed to learn. Spoken English is learned mostly through movies, TV, and friends.
An anecdote: an anesthesiologist that assisted me once, spoke beautiful, well educated English with a Russian accent. When I asked where she was from she said Argentina. It blew me away! She told me she came here as a young adult and took ESL classes but many of her classmates were Russians and she practiced English with them. Thus, her accent.
By the way, I'm an American Citizen, and I don't mind when people tell me that there's a trace of an accent there and they are very curious to know where it's from. There are many US born individuals who have regional accent or barrio accents worst than any foreign born accent. ▲ Collapse
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| Couldn't agree more! | May 15, 2010 |
Benno Groeneveld wrote:
I still speak with a slight Dutch (or as I prefer to call it: a suave, sophisticated) accent in my English. Probably because I started learning English "late", at the age of 12.
Blaming your teachers for your accent is ridiculous, you would have had an accent in your English even if you had been taught by native speakers.
A friend of mine grew up in the US with parents who came to the US after surviving the holocaust and insisted everybody spoke English at home. So when the kids got to kindergarten, they were the only ones speaking English with a German accent. Which has since disappeared and they're doing quite well.
Teachers who speak English with an accent, probably had to LEARN the language instead of "ingesting" it with their breakfast cereal. When you have to learn something, you'll probably do a better job explaining things to students, because you know what the sudents are going through and what they'll have problems with, since you went through the same experience. Native speakers, unless they are taught well, probably don't know what non-native speakers face.
[Edited at 2010-05-07 15:27 GMT]
[Edited at 2010-05-07 15:28 GMT]
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