Inter Language Meaning

If some burly, impatient builder were to shout 'Slab!' at a construction site, and subsequently stare in my direction, what is my reaction to be' As his stare transforms to a glare, his eyes becoming more savage by the second, I begin to feel rather ill at ease. What meaning am I to extract from this single word statement' Am I to ponder the nature of the object just uttered' Am I to shout something equally arbitrary back in his direction' Or am I to fetch this object post-haste' As anyone familiar with the 'language-game' of a construction site might tell me: surely the latter, if I don't want to be thrown from the side of the scaffolding.The term 'language-game' was coined by the Austrian-born philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889-1951) to refer to the idioms adopted by and...  [Read more]

In today's world the term 'global' takes on an entirely new meaning. Initially termed to mean in reference to the world as a whole, as opposed to individual countries, but today, while still holding true, it also means something more. The internet, modern media, email, and even to a lesser extend telephones, have made it possible to communicate with almost every person on the planet, a thought not even considered possible one hundred years ago. People separated by thousands of miles have never been closer and it takes nothing more than a touch of a button. The French can talk to the United States of America, the Brazilian to the United Kingdom, Africa to Asia; you could probably even speak to someone studying in the Antarctic if you tried hard enough. Or at least these people ...  [Read more]

The English language is undisputedly one of the most challenging languages to learn, predominantly due to the vast number of inconsistencies and frequent irregularities and exceptions to the rule (am almost clichéd term).English, like all languages, is constantly developing and evolving – it is not fixed, and not unlike to physical environment, is being subjected to an increasing number of changes (possible the result of increasing globalization). Historically, England was the birthplace of English – it has, however, spread widely, and not exactly, to many parts of the world. As language spreads, words become altered, words become are added, and possibly most frequently – words are lost. One only needs to read Shakespeare to appreciate that language is...  [Read more]

Since the meaning is an important device in teaching grammar, it is important to contextualize any grammar point. Songs are one of the most enchanting and culturally rich resources that can easily be used in language classrooms. Songs offer a change from routine classroom activities. They are precious resources to develop students' abilities in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. They can also be used to teach a variety of language items such as sentence patterns, vocabulary, pronunciation, rhythm, adjectives, and adverbs. Songs also give new insights into the target culture. They are the means through which cultural themes are presented effectively. Since they provide authentic texts, they are motivating. Prosodic features of the language such as stress,...  [Read more]

'The acquisition of language 'is doubtless the greatest intellectual feat any one of us is ever required to perform.''Regardless of where we come from in the world we all have the innate ability to use language. In the early stages of our lives we will actively seek out ways of interacting with our parents through various methods such as babbling.Over the past 50 years three theoretical approaches to explaining how early language development takes place, namely, behaviourist, innatist and interactionist approaches.It was Noam Chomsky, who in 1983 proposed that language development should be described as 'language growth,' because the 'language organ' simply grows like any other body organ.The vast majority of people are not exposed to 2nd language learning until they are teenagers...  [Read more]

My first language, or "mother" language, is English, and I can´t remember learning any bit of it as a child. I have brief memories of learning grammar in grade school, but as far as I´m concerned, I could speak just fine before Kindergarten. Then why did it take me over eight years to feel slightly comfortable speaking German' How come I could learn so much better as a drooling baby than a university student' Let us consider the differences in learning a first language vs. a second languageIn defense of the hardened university student, studies show that a baby´s brain is more apt to learn a mother language when compared with an adult brain learning a second language. According to http://www.fcs.uga.edu/pubs/PDF/FACS01-6 , "The baby´s brain is actually ´primed´ to...  [Read more]

Everyone agrees that learning a second language is more difficult than picking up our native language. However, why this is so is still a question of great debate in the scientific community.Most children with normal intelligence and neurological development will easily pick up their native language. The ease of this process is something that still mystifies scientists. Furthermore, parents do not usually make painstaking efforts to teach their children to speak. In many ways, the process appears innate; the child either “absorbs” the language through immersion or models the language that he or she hears her parents speaking.Although we speak of language learning as innate, recent scientific studies seem to point to the fact that the brain is not hard- wired with...  [Read more]

Reading is a process by which a reader gives meaning to text. The reader relies on a series of skills which they, depending on the age of the English language learner, may already possess in their native tongue. An older child or adult reader will read text knowing its purpose and meaning i.e. to give or request information, persuade, criticise, to give pleasure to or entertain. Further, they can make logical predictions as they read because of pre-existing experience or knowledge. All these skills are used by fluent readers, and as such, will be second nature to an older child or adult. A young English language learner may not have these skills or are developing them at the same time as learning a new language. This will necessitate the adoption of differing texts for reading....  [Read more]

Everyone agrees that learning a second language is more difficult than picking up our native language. However, why this is so is still a question of great debate in the scientific community. Most children with normal intelligence and neurological development will easily pick up their native language. The ease of this process is something that still mystifies scientists. Furthermore, parents do not usually make painstaking efforts to teach their children to speak. In many ways, the process appears innate; the child either ?absorbs? the language through immersion or models the language that he or she hears her parents speaking. Although we speak of language learning as innate, recent scientific studies seem to point to the fact that the brain is not hard- wired with...  [Read more]

The word rapport originates from the French word, rapporter, meaning to bring back and the Oxford English Dictionary definition is one of “a close and harmonious relationship in which there is common understanding”. But what is the reality of rapport and is it of any importance in the classroom' With so many teaching methods, practises, aids and testing means at a teachers disposal, do we even need to spend time considering rapport and trying to build it with students' The short answer is most definitely yes. Rapport is a key characteristic of human interaction. It is a commonality of perspective. It is about basic interaction at every level. The relationship and rapport developed between a teacher and their students is a vital ingredient in the success of any...  [Read more]

It was while attempting to wrap my brain around the meaning of the construction "must needs", which I had encountered so often in classical English Literature, that I was incidentally drawn to an inves-tigation of modals. Modals, I learned, are semantic expressions of modalities: which is to say that they are nuanced constructions designed to express the speakers point of view with regards to his subject: be it his degree of certainty regarding the truth of a proposition he is propounding, his expression of permission, obligation, or necessity implicated in a situation, or his opinion regarding someone's- or something's- ability or volition with respect to a potential.Said differently, a modality is merely a point of view, and a modal a linguistic vehicle for expressing that...  [Read more]

According to Webster's Dictionary an idiom is 'an expression whose meaning cannot be predicted from the usual meaning of its constituent elements.' I also like the definition of T.C. Cooper's that 'An idiom can have a literal meaning, but its alternate, figurative meaning must be understood metaphorically.' In the last week, since choosing 'idioms' as a subject for this paper, I have been particularly aware of how many of these phrases are used in everyday speech -' 'It's a piece of cake,' 'I'm fed up!' 'It's raining cats and dogs,' 'Let sleeping dogs lie.' These are enough to make a student who has consulted an English dictionary shake his head and say, 'I can't make heads or tails of what these phrases mean,' which, of course, he cannot do until he has been taught the ...  [Read more]

Language acquisition is the process by which language ability develops in humans. There are two types of language acquisitions- firs language acquisition and second language acquisition. While the former deals with early childhood language development, the latter has a nurture aspect to learning in adults. Humans have long debated whether language can be developed in the absence of speech and various experiments by Psammeticus, King James V and Akbar support the hypothesis that language in the absence of speech is not possible.First language acquisition or the native tongue of a person is the language a child has heard from birth. The speed with which the language is acquired is indeed remarkable. All children go through certain stages in language development even if the rate...  [Read more]

When observing children, the speed and accuracy to which they acquire their native language is quite remarkable to adults. There are many different cultures and many ways in which children are raised, but the rate at which they acquire this information is consistent all over the world. In the scientific community, language acquisition by humans is one of the most unexplainable and highly studied feats in our everyday lives. Parents do not teach their children the grammatical structure of language or how to speak it, rather it is something that is acquired early in life and continues to progress into adulthood. It is said that by the time a child enters pre-school, he or she already has mastered most of the mechanics of their mother language (Galasso). By studying the ...  [Read more]

My first language, or "mother" language, is English, and I can´t remember learning any bit of it as a child. I have brief memories of learning grammar in grade school, but as far as I´m concerned, I could speak just fine before Kindergarten. Then why did it take me over eight years to feel slightly comfortable speaking German? How come I could learn so much better as a drooling baby than a university student? Let us consider the differences in learning a first language vs. a second language In defense of the hardened university student, studies show that a baby´s brain is more apt to learn a mother language when compared with an adult brain learning a second language. According to ...  [Read more]

The English language was created in England. Throughout history, this language has spread to many parts of the world. It is used as a link language for International business and diplomacy.According to Madhukar N. Gate, it has taken thousands of words from other languages such as French, Latin, German, Greek and so on. We can even find Sanskrit words in English. For example: Guru and Pundit are two Sanskrit words used in English. English grammar is quite simple, in many languages nouns have grammatical gender which makes some verbs and adjectives change. This doesn't happen in English. The adjective 'big' is used with all nouns such as man, woman, child, book etc, as well as applying to both singular and plural nouns.Counting large numbers in English is very simple. For example,...  [Read more]

When observing children, the speed and accuracy to which they acquire their native language is quite remarkable to adults. There are many different cultures and many ways in which children are raised, but the rate at which they acquire this information is consistent all over the world. In the scientific community, language acquisition by humans is one of the most unexplainable and highly studied feats in our everyday lives. Parents do not teach their children the grammatical structure of language or how to speak it, rather it is something that is acquired early in life and continues to progress into adulthood. It is said that by the time a child enters pre-school, he or she already has mastered most of the mechanics of their mother language (Galasso). By...  [Read more]

Language acquisition is the process by which language ability develops in humans. There are two types of language acquisitions- firs language acquisition and second language acquisition. While the former deals with early childhood language development, the latter has a nurture aspect to learning in adults. Humans have long debated whether language can be developed in the absence of speech and various experiments by Psammeticus, King James V and Akbar support the hypothesis that language in the absence of speech is not possible. First language acquisition or the native tongue of a person is the language a child has heard from birth. The speed with which the language is acquired is indeed remarkable. All children go through certain stages in language development even if...  [Read more]

TEFL is Teaching English as a Foreign Language; TESOL is Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages. The two terms are generally interchangeable. A TEFL/TESOL certificate is the major qualification required to teach English abroad. There is a huge demand for teachers around the world with opportunities in almost every country. Taking a TEFL/TESOL Certificate course provides the opportunity to travel and work around the world, to gain knowledge and experience of foreign cultures and languages and to embark upon a career in teaching. No previous teaching experience or specialist qualifications are required. The only requirement is fluency in English. TEFL/TESOL employment prospects for graduates of our courses are excellent. You will find teaching job opportunities throughout the world,...  [Read more]

  Even though many people use "may" and "might" interchangeably, they actually have slightly different meanings. The word "may", for example refers to a possibility, while "might" conveys slightly more uncertainty. In the example "There are dark clouds in the sky. It may rain later", we use "may" because the dark clouds suggest the possibility of rain. The sentence "I'm sick but I might come to the party" uses "might" because it is not certain the person will go to the party. This means, you should use 'may' when there is some kind of a sign that predicts or indicates future happenings. You should use 'might' when expressing something a little more unlikely or uncertain. Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification...  [Read more]

In a world full of languages how does one place the English language' Most languages have a full history going back thousands of years. Can this really be said of English' No, but we can say that the history is full, one full of war and violence as well as compromise and inclusion. We might start in the year 449 AD in the island of Britain. At this time the Anglo-Saxons invaded Britain as the Romans left to defend their homeland. The local Celtic people quickly adapted the ways of the German tribe and we saw the beginning of English, it is said that the majority of its words can be traced to this. As the next thousand years progressed we saw the invasion of the Danes, French Normans as well as the influence of the Church. This leads us up to the time when this...  [Read more]

There are many different methodologies for teaching a foreign language. Here at TEFL international, we are exposed to the ESA (engage-study-activate) method, put to use in the classroom in a total emersion context, which is quite effective, yet very different from the way that many of us have been exposed to learning a second language in our native countries. Second language study in school in the United States was always done with the 'Grammar translation' method, usually in a bilingual classroom, a different yet somewhat effective way to learn some languages. These are contrasting methods yet they seek the same result, to increase communication skills in a tongue you are not familiar with, and until you are exposed to the both of them it's hard to say which is more...  [Read more]

A. Why choosing this topic''Studying the peculiarities of English unlocks a wealth of interesting aspects about the language. 'Full command of the English language is not possible without mastering the difficulties of these peculiarities. 'To get students thinking about the way in which the language is used correctly.B. OriginsToday, English is the 'lingua franca' of the world ' a legacy of the former British Empire's political, economic, and maritime superiority. English dialects are spoken in many former British colonies such as India, the Philippines, and Australia. English is also studied as a second language by millions of people worldwide.Why the peculiarities' Just like many other world languages it is a mixture of several languages, starting with words of the Anglo-Saxon...  [Read more]

Language. It's something that we have to use on a daily basis in order to function. Communication is essential to the human existence, without it we simply can't survive. Yet as each of us get up in the morning and begin our day, the last thing that crosses our minds is why we use the type of language that we do. Rarely does it occur to us the many oddities that compose the English language. Can we then imagine what it must be like for someone attempting to learn English as a foreign or second language'! When we examine the peculiarities of our native tongue we can sympathize with those seeking to learn it.In taking a close look at the peculiarities of the English language, I want to draw attention to two main aspects: grammar and usage of words and phrases. Many people...  [Read more]

During the history of mankind, there have been several more or less universal languages such as Latin (and Greek) in the Roman empire, medieval Latin in Western Europe, later French and English.No language has been really universal (global), but the current position of English comes closest..A ccording to a recent survey that was carried out among the U:N officials regarding the langauge that is best suited for receiving corresponce and publications,the officials had to choose among english,french,and spanish.and the result was 130 nations chose english,36 chose french and 19 chose spanish. This means the representatives of 97% of the earths population picked english. English is the language most often studied as a foreign language in the European union(by 89% of...  [Read more]

As I was scanning the list of research options this topic caught my eye and made me stop and contemplate the status of the English language in the world today. As past units in this course have mentioned, many students of English take up the language in an effort to improve their salaries or their chances at a decent job in their home countries. If English is not even the official language in these countries, why then does a certain percentage of financial, economic, and industrial success depend on the knowledge of English' Is a world that speaks only one language really as simplistic and good as it seems'English is the most widely spoken of the Germanic languages and was initially spread to other parts of the globe with the expansion of the British Empire. By the end of...  [Read more]

English has had a tremenduous evolution over the ages, where it's expansion as a global language is one of the most remarkable phenomena of both the 20th and 21st century. In its earlier history, English denoted imperialism; after all it was the language of the dominating colonial world powers in conjunction with its neighbouring colonial languages, namely French and Spanish. The historical timeline of the English language divided itself into three main phases, namely Old English, Middle English and Modern English. However, it is crucial to note a recent growing phase in the growth of English; this latest development is growing remarkably rapid. It is nevertheless Non-native speakers around the world that shape this new phase, as they satisfy their need to communicate and...  [Read more]

Here I was, waiting to teach a 'Lets Learn English' session with the Pacific and Asian newcomers to Australia. I was to continue the conversational English lessons with them. The attendees were looking forward to the class. I could tell this by the enthusiasm in their greeting as they arrived and by their hunger to learn in previous sessions. What's more we were having fun as we journeyed into the English language together. What's the biggest problem these students have I thought' The simple answer is 'the peculiarities of the English language, or more specifically'words. So what are words anyway' They're just sounds or noises that we utter after all. Unlike lower animals we may not bark neigh, moo, roar, purr or growl, but we do react instinctively to what's happening around...  [Read more]

English is currently spoken by more people all over the world than any other language. Every time we turn on the television to find out about what is happening in the world, local people are being interviewed in English. Wherever one travels in the world these days English becomes the common language of communication between nationalities. Much has been made of the Internet as an instrument for circulating English around the globe. Eighty percent of what’s on the Internet is in English.I quote Barbara Wallraff in her article from the Atlantic November 2000 on What Global Language' Technology is expanding English by requiring us to come up with new words to describe all the possibilities it offers. English is used more often in various technological domains such as...  [Read more]

Language and culture are inextricable extensions of each other. As globalization increasingly homogenizes mainstream culture worldwide, it follows, too, that a single language would complementarily spread across the globe. That language is English, which, although it does not have the largest number of speakers (that would be Mandarin Chinese), it is the most widely spoken language throughout the world (Wallraff, 2000).While many are familiar with the fact that English is spoken around the world, not as many are aware of the intense debate revolving around what the language's future direction should be. Some wish to spread English to every corner of the globe, believing that if everyone could communicate in the same language, then we could essentially achieve world peace and...  [Read more]