Englishes in Asia: Communication, Identity, Power and Education

By Kirkpatrick, Andy, Ed.

Abstract:

This collection of papers comprises proceedings from the 5th English in South East Asia Conference, held in December 2000 at Curtin University of Technology in Perth. The 19 papers include the following:

(1) “Global English and Local Language Policies” (Robert Phillipson);

(2) “Hong Kong Parents’ Preference for English-Medium Education: Passive Victims of Imperialism or Active Agents of Pragmatism?” (David Li);

(3) “Implications of the Recommendation that English Become the Second Official Language in Japan” (Kayako Hashimoto);

(4) “Culture and Identity in the English Discourses of Mayalsians” (Azirah Mashim);

(5) “Englishization and Nativization Processes in the Context of Brunei Darussalam: Evidence for and Against” (Hajaj Rosnah Haji Ramly, Noor Azam Haji Othman, and James McLellan);

(6) “Kissing Cousins? The Relationship between English and Tok Pisin in Papua New Guinea” (Geoff Smith);

(7) “Chaos in Aboriginal English Discourse” (Farzad Sharifian);

(8) “Language, Literature and Culture–and Their Meeting Place in the Dictionary” (Susan Butler);

(9) “Even Obituaries Reflect Cultural Norms and Values” (Maya Khemlani David and Janet Y. Yong);

(10) “Recent Research into the Pronunciation of Singapore English” (Low Ee Ling and David Deterding);

(11) “Languages in Contact: Hong Kong English Phonology and the Influence of Cantonese” (Tony Hung);

(12) “Canon and Pedagogy: The Role of American Colonial Education and Defining Standards for Philippine Literature” (Isabel Pefianco Martin);

(13) “ASEAN and Asian Cultures and Models: Implications for The ELT Curriculum and for Teacher Education” (Andy Kirkpatrick);

(14) “From TEFL to TEIL: Changes in Perceptions and Practices: Teaching English as an International Language in Chinese Universities” (Xy Zhichang);

(15) “Reflective Discourse in Teacher Education in Brunei Darussalam” (David Lochmohr Prescott);

(16) “Alternative English: Vernacular Oral Art among Aboriginal Youth” (Ian Malcom);

(17) “A Study of the Language of Pre-School Malaysian Children” (Kow Yip Cheng);

(18) “Communication Behaviours of EFL Learners in a Native English-Speaker Teacher’s Class: A Case in Hong Kong” (Jasmine Luk); and

(19) “Multilingual Practices in Rural Malaysia and Their Impact on English Language Learning in Rural Education” (Hazita Azman). (Papers contain references.) (SM)

Download the full paper in pdf format by visiting http://www.eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal

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Pronunciation points you can cover with Business classes

By Alex Case

his is a brainstormed list of things that could be included on a syllabus for a Business English and/ or ESP speaking and/ or pronunciation course, including a few teaching ideas on how to tackle those points. For more information and resources on pronunciation practice for Business students, see the Market Leader Practice files (workbooks- the sections near the back) and my article from English Teaching Professional Magazine on the Articles page of TEFLtastic.

Language Points to Include and Possible Words/ Expressions for a Business English Speaking and Pronunciation course

Key Basics
alphabet and acronyms- inc. e-mail address
names of countries and cities
weights and measures???
numbers?

Making distinctions
Stressed and unstressed aux verbs= use of short forms
Short and long vowel sounds
ow and O
or and O
o and O
i and ee
for and four
to and two
we go and we’ll go

Read the rest of article at http://www.tefl.net/alexcase/articles/bus-eng-esp/business-english-pronunciation-points/

Alex Case has been a teacher, teacher trainer, Director of Studies, ELT writer and editor in Turkey, Thailand, Spain, Greece, Italy, Japan, UK and now Korea, and writes TEFLtastic blog (www.tefl.net/alexcase)

*ELTWeekly would like to thankAlex Case for contributing this article.

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Children’s Literature in Language Education, International Conference, Hildesheim University, Germany,   February 25-27, 2010

Hildesheim University and the Young Learner & Teenager SIG, IATEFL, are organising an exciting and innovative international TEFL conference on children’s literature which will cover a wide area in English language teaching, from the youngest learners to advanced language students. We are delighted to have secured plenary speakers of international renown for each one of the strands. We invite proposals for

PRESENTATIONS – which will be grouped into one of the following STRANDS 1, 2 AND 3, and WORKSHOPS/READINGS – by authors and storytellers in STRAND 4.

The International Conference Children’s Literature in Language Education – from Picture Books to Young Adult Fiction intends to disseminate information and provide a forum for the exchange of ideas and experiences on the power of literature for the young; approaches to children’s literature and young adult literature as a bridge to reading beyond school; gender considerations – the different attitudes of different readers – and the resulting consequences with regard to the canon of literary texts for EFL; and the debate around original children’s literature and graded readers.

For further details and pre-registration, please visit: http://www.childrenslit.de/

Supporting the advanced bilingual learner, St Marylebone school, Westminster

St Marylebone school, Westminster, is organising a conference jointly with the Specialist Schools and Academies Trust in order to help tackle communication as a barrier to learning.

In many London schools pupils new to English are increasingly well provided for, however, are the more advanced bilingual pupils being pushed and challenged? Is their English language acquisition reviewed and prioritised? Or are our bilingual pupils considered to no longer need support once their oral fluency reaches an acceptable level? Advanced Bilingual Learners do benefit from further support to help them achieve their true potential however without more information on how best to support, challenge and encourage them their needs will continue to go unnoticed. The conference will explore:

• Current research on providing for Advanced Bilingual Learners
• Issues in recognising and challenging Gifted and Talented EAL pupils
• Ways to develop your own school’s provision for Advanced Bilingual Learners

Speakers at the conference: Lynne Cameron is professor of Applied Linguistics at the Open University. She began her career teaching English in Tanzania with VSO and then in Bradford. After various kinds of teaching and teacher training, she moved into higher education, where she has carried out research into writing in English as an additional language. Her other research interest is in how people use metaphor. Ian Warwick is Senior Director of London Gifted and Talented and also Director of The REAL Project, a national project for the Department for Children, Schools and Families which works to improve the provision of G&T education for BME and EAL students. His chief areas of interest are urban education, disadvantaged and underachieving students, e learning, exceptional ability, critical thinking, professional development and the issues surrounding BME and EAL education. He is also a consultant editor for Gifted Education International and is a member of the Tower Group, an independent, worldwide think tank of G&T experts. For more information email eca@ssatrust.org.uk or download the flyer.

International Conference on Content Based Instruction (CLIL) for Young Learners: Breaking through Traditional Boundaries, Brazil, July 8-10

This conference has three main aims: to spread the idea of TEYL (Teaching English to Young Learners) through content; to provide a good forum for debate, information exchange, and dissemination of good practice for those who already use content-based instruction; and to contribute to the improvement of the level of TEYL in Brazil. The participants will include teachers from the private and public sectors, school coordinators, directors, and policy makers.

The structure of the conference will be a little different from what is generally done. There will be plenaries, workshops, and six-hour courses on relevant topics. Participants will choose their course as they register for the conference. We believe that these courses can contribute to the participants’ wider range of knowledge. Our intent is to make this event as fulfilling and memorable as possible, both professionally and personally.

Plenary Speakers

Dr. ROY LYSTER Roy Lyster is Professor of Second Language Education in the Department of Integrated Studies Education at McGill University in Canada. He has a PhD in Applied Linguistics as well as a B.Ed. and M.Ed. from the University of Toronto, and an MA from the Université de Paris VII. His research focuses primarily on immersion and content-based classrooms, including both observational and experimental studies of teacher-student interaction, form-focused instruction, and corrective feedback. He is past president of the Canadian Association of Applied Linguistics and author of Learning and Teaching Languages Through Content: A Counterbalanced Approach, published by Benjamins in 2007.

PEETER MEHISTO Has researched factors contributing to successful CLIL programme development, as well as potential barriers to the implementation of CLIL initiatives. Peeter Mehisto is the author of several textbooks, trainer of teachers and administrators, CLIL programme initiator and manager, as well as former CLIL educator. He has taught at the elementary, secondary and university levels and is the winner of several awards in education. He has extensive experience working with teachers in the classroom to support the implementation of best practice in CLIL methodology. He has also worked on the development of CLIL training materials, a major CLIL-related website, parent and other public relations materials and a handbook for teachers and administrators of immersion programmes. Peeter Mehisto is a frequent presenter at CLIL conferences.

Sandie Mourão Sandie Mourão is a freelance teacher, teacher trainer, consultant and materials designer based in Portugal. She specialises in pre-school and lower primary and is particularly interested in the use of free play and children’s literature to promote language acquisition. Sandie has presented widely in ELT conferences and also contributes to a number of ELT and academic journals. She has worked on writing projects with Scholastic USA, Mary Glasgow Scholastic, OUP and Macmillan Mexico. She is also co-author of the national guidelines for English in Portuguese primary education. At present she is completing a doctorate at the University of Aveiro in Portugal, her research involves investigating the role of picture book illustration in foreign language acquisition.

For further details and pre-registration, please visit: http://www.cbiintlconferenceyl.com.br/conference_information/

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Developing Good Reading Skills

By Prof (Dr) Shefali Bakshi

Reading Comprehension is understanding a written text which means extracting the required information from it as efficiently as possible. For example, we apply different reading strategies when looking at a notice board to see if there is an advertisement for a particular type of flat and when carefully reading an article of special interest in a scientific journal. We read various items, which sometimes we do not realize. Here are the main text-types one usually comes across: Novels, short stories, tales; other literary texts and passages (e.g. essays, diaries, anecdotes, biographies), Plays, Poems, limericks, nursery rhymes, Letters, postcards, telegrams, notes, Newspapers and magazines (headlines, articles, editorials, letters to the editor, stop press, classified ads, weather forecast, radio/TV/theatre programmes), Specialized articles, reports, reviews, essays, business letters, summaries, précis, accounts, pamphlets, (political and other), Handbooks, textbooks, guidebooks, Recipes, Advertisements, travel brochures, catalogues, Puzzles, problems, rules for games, Instructions (e.g. warnings), directions (e.g. How to use….), notices, rules and regulations, posters, signs (e.g. road signs), forms (e.g. application forms, landing cards), graffiti, menus, price lists, tickets, etc. One does not use the same sub-skills for reading different type of reading materials. For different materials we need different kind of reading skills. Therefore, listed below find the different forms of reading sub-skills to be developed in our learners.

READING

Reading at the elementary level is initially the process of linking symbol~sound~sense.

The most popular methods used are: The Alphabetical Method, The Phonic Method, The Word (Look-and-say Method), The Sentence Method/ The Story Method.

At the Secondary Level: The reading selections should be of quality, both in terms of human interest and literary value. The texts should have relevance to the pupil’s environment and experience, as well as to foster within the pupil a humane and tolerant world-view. Reading involves a variety of skills: 1.Recognizing the script of a language 2. Deducing the meaning and use of unfamiliar lexical items 3. Understanding explicitly stated information  4. Understanding information when not explicitly stated 5. Understanding conceptual meaning. 6. Understanding the communicative value (function) of sentences and utterances 7. Understanding relations within the sentence 8. Understanding relations between the parts of

text through lexical cohesion devices 9. Understanding cohesion between parts of a text

through grammatical cohesion devices 10. Interpreting text by going outside it. 11. Identifying the main point or important information. Today in modern trends, the learners are trained to read posters, applications, ads, notices, etc so that they can cope with the external world. Below in the task F of Gul Mohar series by Orient Blackswan  the learner is trained to interpret the poster and then write a paragraph as Reading is a receptive skill which takes on to the productive skill of Writing. Also the learner is advised to go to the web site to research more information about the topic, thus keeping in touch with the latest developments f technology used in our teaching-learning process.

In this way if our teaching materials are linked to the relevant situations, materials that our learners will come across in English, relevant age-levels, relevant world problems, etc then we’re in the right direction and our students will definitely reap the fruits of our efforts.

Prof (Dr) Shefali Bakshi is the Deputy Director at Amity School of Languages. She has done a Project on “A Study of Verbal Interaction in Waiting for Godot” for the M.A. degree and has ompleted her PhD thesis on “A Study of Verbal Interaction in the plays of Samuel Beckett” for the Degree of Ph.D. at University of Lucknow, India. She has conducted over 75 workshops on ELT in various parts of India for school teachers and principals.

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Banning language teaching rules will leave us tongue-tied

I went house-hunting last week. I drove off in pursuit of that elusive item, the perfect place to live. I was following directions printed on the estate agent’s glossy brochure. “Turn left,” it said, “then bare right.” Obedience could have led to arrest for indecency. Wouldn’t that have been a flashy way to greet potential new neighbours?

It is, of course, all in the spelling.

I am appalled to read that teachers in England and Wales are being told by the government to stop teaching the rule, “I before E except after C”.

Why banish what is one of the easiest pieces of linguistic guidance? It’s a catchy rhyme which has kept me right over the years as my pen hovered uncertainly over ceiling or piece; deceive or reprieve. Why ditch it?

http://www.theherald.co.uk/features/featuresopinon/display.var.2515867.0.Banning_language_teaching_rules_will_leave_us_tonguetied.php

A NEW APPROACH TO ENGLISH LANGUAGE

The last GCE O/L Level Examination witnessed a large number of failures in the English language paper. The decline in the subject at schools had been a recurring problem faced by the education authorities.

Time and again, different systems and methods were adopted to change this pattern but from the steep rise in the failure rate with each passing year it appears that the problem had only got aggravated.

There are many reasons that have been attributed to the deteriorating standards of English in the school system. Chief among them is the incompetent and in most cases unqualified teachers posted to rural schools. But the problem is much more complex and goes deep down to the attitudes and prejudices towards English as whole.

http://www.dailynews.lk/2009/06/23/main_Editorial.asp

ESL Teacher Opens Up World to Students

The English language is full of idioms that make it difficult to understand, says ESL (English as a Second Language) teacher Robert Davis, who gives some examples: “‘Let’s go over that’ makes it sound like you’re flying over something; ‘Stand behind a product’ is another confusing statement,” says Davis, an associate director at the Boston Language Institute. Davis teaches advanced level classes that prepare foreign students for the linguistic and cultural challenges of such MBA programs as MIT Sloan and other business schools, but he also has experience teaching what he calls “true beginners” – those who have never been exposed to English before.

For immigrants living in the U.S. who don’t know English, life can be difficult, whether asking for directions or listening to a lecture at college. But with the help of teachers like Davis, who are certified to teach English to non-English speakers, every lesson makes a big difference in helping often-befuddled students get through the day. Davis starts with the general building blocks of language, like the verb “to be” and expands from there. “ His lessons start slowly: “I begin with, ‘I am,’ ‘she is,’ ‘you are,’ and then pair with an adjective or noun. Like, ‘I am a teacher,’ or ‘I am happy.’ I stick to present tenses, and then start to branch out,” says Davis, who encounters students from all over the globe, including Brazil, France, Vietnam, and Japan.

http://www.boston.com/jobs/news/jobdoc/2009/06/esl_teacher_opens_up_world_to.html

Now Koran to be taught in Kannada, English

MANGALORE: Seyyid Madani Sunni Kannada Education Board of Karnataka has prepared a syllabus to teach Koran, the holy book of Muslims in Kannada  and Englishmedium.

Addressing reporters here on Friday, board president U K Monu said their efforts in the direction of teaching Koran in Kannada and English languages at schools have proved to be successful. At present the experiment was made at Seyyid Madani Hazrath English Medium School in Ullal.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Mangalore/Now-Koran-to-be-taught-in-Kannada-English/articleshow/4693870.cms

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Ideas That Really Work!: Activities for Teaching English and Language Arts

By Cheryl Miller Thurston

With a wealth of practical lessons and activities—from how to correctly use apostrophes to creating “word snapshot” posters—this guide contains information that can help any English or language arts teacher inspire middle grade and high school students. Because of its humor, accessible content and format, and often unusual approach to traditional subjects, this fun book has remained popular since its introduction in 1991, with this new edition updating topical references and adding dozens of new lessons and activities.

Cheryl Miller Thurston is a former teacher, a playwright, and author of many books for teachers, including Attitude!, Capitalization, and The Extra Book. She is a winner of the Pacific Northwest Writer’s Conference Play Award. She lives in Loveland, Colorado.

Book Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
• Spiral-bound: 204 pages
• Publisher: Cottonwood Press, Inc.; 4 Spi edition (April 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1877673846
• ISBN-13: 978-1877673849

No matter the age (we are a high school), students like to be silly and some of the plans in this book will allow the students to be learning while having fun…

Luann Cogliser

When the well runs dry, IDEAS THAT WORK can really help teachers find interesting ways to teach English and the language arts. This book is guaranteed to stimulate many positive classroom activities.

Hank Kellner “Jerry”

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‘Millionth English word’ declared

By Michael Berman

Which language contains the largest number of words, and approximately how many does it contain? The answer is English and the number is approximately a million. What implications do you think this has for foreign students when choosing what kind of dictionary to use?

Now read through the article below to find words in it which mean the same as:

a. the most recent / b. number one position / c. are not convinced that this is true / d. people who live in a very poor part of a city / e. it has a negative meaning / f. people who write dictionaries / g. a stricter definition of / h. much more than / i. manage to survive with / j. it is not surprising (When you find the words in the passage that you need, underline or highlight them).

‘Millionth English word’ declared

A US web monitoring firm has declared the millionth English word to be Web 2.0, a term for the latest generation of web products and services.

Global Language Monitor (GLM) searches the internet for newly coined terms, and once a word or phrase has been used 25,000 times, it recognises it.

GLM said Web 2.0 beat out the terms Jai ho, N00b and slumdog to take top spot.

However, traditional dictionary makers are casting doubt on the claim and the methods behind it.

GLM, based in Texas, makes its money telling organisations how often they are mentioned in new media, such as the internet, but it can also track new words and expressions.

Once a word has been used 25,000 times on social networking and other sites, GLM declares it be a new word.

The terms Jai ho and slumdog originate from the hit movie Slumdog Millionaire, about India’s slum dwellers.

But N00b comes from the gaming community, the company said, explaining that it is used as a disparaging term to describe a neophyte in a particular game.

It is also the “only mainstream English word that contains within itself two numerals”, GLM said in a statement posted on its website.

Landmark doubted

However lexicographers doubt GLM’s claim, says BBC arts correspondent Lawrence Pollard.

Dictionaries have tighter criteria about what constitutes a new word. For example, it has to be used over a certain period of time.

Lexicographers say the exact size of the English vocabulary is impossible to quantify, but if every technical term or obscure specialist word is accepted then we are already beyond one million, according to our correspondent.

And if the inclusion of specialist slang is restricted, then there are possibly three quarters of a million words in English.

All of which is way beyond the 20-40,000 words a fluent speaker would use, or the few thousand you could get by with in English.

But with 1.5 billion people speaking some version of English, it is small wonder it is the fastest growing language in the world, our correspondent adds.

Discuss the following questions in small groups, and then elect a spokesperson to present your findings to the rest of the class:

1. Which dictionary or dictionaries do you use to help you with your English, and why? And now that you’re aware of all the facts, are you going to make any changes in future?
2. What’s your favourite English word or a word in English you find yourself using a lot?
3. What about your favourite word in your own language or a word you find yourself using a lot?
4. What word best sums up these times we are living in (a word from any language)?
5. Invent a new word in English, and then be prepared to tell the rest of the class what it means.

Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/1/hi/world/americas/8092549.stm

Published: 2009/06/10 11:14:01 GMT

© BBC MMIX

ANSWERS: a. the latest / b. top spot / c. are casting doubt on the claim / d. slum dwellers / e. it is used as a disparaging term / f. lexicographers / g. tighter criteria about / h. way beyond – much more than / i. get by with / j. it is small wonder

***

Michael Berman BA, MPhil, PhD, works as a teacher and a writer. Publications include A Multiple Intelligences Road to an ELT Classroom and The Power of Metaphor for Crown House, and The Nature of Shamanism and the Shamanic Story for Cambridge Scholars Publishing. Shamanic Journeys through Daghestan and Shamanic Journeys through the Caucasus are both due to be published in paperback by O-Books in 2009. A long-awaited resource book for teachers on storytelling, In a Faraway Land, will be coming out in 2010. Michael has been involved in teaching and teacher training for over thirty years, has given presentations at Conferences in more than twenty countries, and hopes to have the opportunity to visit many more yet. For more information please visit www.Thestoryteller.org.uk

** This lesson plan is submitted by Michael Berman.

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