Worlds of English

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How has the English language spread internationally - and is the worldwide influence of English a cause for celebration or concern? How is it changing in response to social, cultural, and technological developments? 'Worlds of English' investigates these notions by looking at the expansion of English in China since the 1970s, how it is now the dominant language used at the European Parliament and how a local vernacular in Singapore, known as 'Singlish' is causing controversy. It also examines the role of, and attitude towards, English since the end of Apartheid. This material forms part of the Open University course U214 Worlds of English.

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Type: Question • Score: 11 • Views: 7,061 • Replies: 88

@Butrflynet,

Interesting. Bookmark.

2 Replies

@Lustig Andrei,

Me too. Thanks.

0 Replies

I 've heard it predicted that English
will dominate the world.

David

1 Reply

@OmSigDAVID,

OmSigDAVID wrote:

I 've heard it predicted that English
will dominate the world.
David

So English people are lucky bags? Ouch, lucky dogs?

I know a lot of guys with PhD degree in China hang their heads in shame because of their crappy (or far worse than that) English. They know science very well, yet their extremely poor English has blocked their way to play on the international stage.

Chinese language is in fact harder to learn than English, but English scientists throw their head high, not shamed, when they are ignorant of Chinese language. That is why I say they are lucky dogs.

1 Reply

@oristarA,

OmSigDAVID wrote:

I 've heard it predicted that English
will dominate the world.
David

oristarA wrote:

So English people are lucky bags? Ouch, lucky dogs?

I shoud have said American English.
That is what I had in mind.

oristarA wrote:

I know a lot of guys with PhD degree in China hang their heads in shame because of their crappy (or far worse than that) English.
They know science very well, yet their extremely poor English has blocked their way to play on the international stage.

Where there is life, there is hope.
Thay can LEARN it.
Indeed, people who have returned from death (in hospitals) to human life
have said that one of the two criteria by which
we judge our human lives is LEARNING.

oristarA wrote:

Chinese language is in fact harder to learn than English, but English scientists throw their heads high, not ashamed,
when they are ignorant of Chinese language. That is why I say they are lucky dogs.

David

1 Reply

@OmSigDAVID,

OmSigDAVID wrote:

oristarA wrote:
I know a lot of guys with PhD degree in China hang their heads in shame because of their crappy (or far worse than that) English.
They know science very well, yet their extremely poor English has blocked their way to play on the international stage.
Where there is life, there is hope.
Thay can LEARN it.
Indeed, people who have returned from death (in hospitals) to human life
have said that one of the two criteria by which
we judge our human lives is LEARNING.

David

It requires enormous time and gigantic effort. Some said 50% of time and energy of Chinese students have spent in English learning and it was a great waste of resources.

2 Replies

@oristarA,

Quote:

Some said 50% of time and energy of Chinese students have spent in English learning and it was a great waste of resources.

The grammar/translation method, Ori?

2 Replies

@oristarA,

oristarA wrote:

I know a lot of guys with PhD degree in China hang their heads in shame because of their crappy (or far worse than that) English.
They know science very well, yet their extremely poor English has blocked their way to play on the international stage.

OmSigDAVID wrote:

Where there is life, there is hope.
Thay can LEARN it.
Indeed, people who have returned from death (in hospitals) to human life
have said that one of the two criteria by which
we judge our human lives is LEARNING.

David

oristarA wrote:

It requires enormous time and gigantic effort.
Some said 50% of time and energy of Chinese students have spent in English learning and it was a great waste of resources.

I did not find it that bad when I learned it, Oristar.

David

3 Replies

@OmSigDAVID,

Quote:

I did not find it that bad when I learned it, Oristar.

You don't have anywhere near the understanding needed to grasp just how different 'learn' is for your situation versus 2nd language learners, Om.

1 Reply

@JTT,

I find David's post absolutely hilarious. Comparing the learning of a language as a first 'milk language', as some Japanese call it, to learning English as a 2d language is preposterous, to be kind about it. Particularly for a person whose first language is not an Indo-European tongue.

2 Replies

@Lustig Andrei,

David's notion is preposterous, Merry, but it's a common enough preposterousness.

The distinction I had in mind is the manner of 'learn'. People still hold to the notion that we, adults, teach mother tongue/milk language children their language.

For children, it doesn't matter what the first language is, what language grouping it comes from, they learn a 2nd, 3rd, ... language pretty much like their first if they are immersed in the new language. There certainly is a "critical" period but the manner in which children 'learn' language is the distinctive nuance of 'learn' that I was thinking of.

0 Replies

@Lustig Andrei,

Lustig Andrei wrote:

I find David's post absolutely hilarious.

Thank u, Andy.
It was offered in that spirit; I 'm glad u saw it that way.

David

1 Reply

@OmSigDAVID,

A likely story.

0 Replies

@OmSigDAVID,

OmSigDAVID wrote:

I did not find it that bad when I learned it, Oristar.

Let me get this right, you're saying you learnt English? As a lawyer you might want to think about getting your money back. Happy New Year Dave.

0 Replies

@JTT,

JTT wrote:

Quote:
Some said 50% of time and energy of Chinese students have spent in English learning and it was a great waste of resources.

The grammar/translation method, Ori?

I didn't get you, JTT.

Quite often they feel very difficult to speak out even a simple sentence. Here is an "English" sentence spoken by a Chiense doctor, PhD in emergency medicine, can you understand him?

Good good study, day day up. Very Happy

The Chinglish is a mess. Smile

2 Replies

@OmSigDAVID,

OmSigDAVID wrote:

oristarA wrote:

It requires enormous time and gigantic effort.
Some said 50% of time and energy of Chinese students have spent in English learning and it was a great waste of resources.

I did not find it that bad when I learned it, Oristar.
David
[/quote]

What is your first language, Dave?

1 Reply

@oristarA,

My daughter is studying Mandarin at University, she says the main problem is pronunciation, followed by the different scripts. In terms of vocabulary she says it's not too bad, no January February March etc but Month 1 Month 2 Month 3 etc. No Monday Tuesday Wednesday but Week 1 Week 2 Week 3, an aeroplane is a flying machine.

She is really enjoying it though, and hopes to spend her third year studying at Qingdao University.

2 Replies

@oristarA,

Quote:

I didn't get you, JTT.

Quite often they feel very difficult to speak out even a simple sentence. Here is an "English" sentence spoken by a Chiense doctor, PhD in emergency medicine, can you understand him?

Good good study, day day up.

The Chinglish is a mess.

If there is a great deal of Chinglish, it likely comes as a result of using the grammar translation method to learn the new language. It is the dumbest way to teach a language that was ever invented.

A forced mixing of grammatical ensures that the patterns of the mother tongue will show up in the final results. It's the equivalent of teaching those students a bunch of false English grammatical structure. The idea in 2nd language learning is to break the patterns of the mother tongue and instill those of the target language.

2 Replies

@JTT,

Quote:

A forced mixing of grammatical ensures that the patterns of the mother tongue will show up in the final results.

should have read,

A forced mixing of grammatical structures ensures that the patterns of the mother tongue will show up in the final results.

0 Replies

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