Search results for 'tag:Genders tag:Accents' matching tags 'Genders' and 'Accents'

Re: Gramatical Mistakes Common to Chinese English-speakers

Goodman — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 00:22:42 GMT

Hblaw wrote:

Hi all,

My native language is Chinese and I am learning English as a foreign language. I am wondering if you could name a few mistakes that are commonly seen in Chinese people who speak/write English as a second language, so that I can be more conscious in avoiding them in the future.

Any advice (relating to gramma) will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

Best Regards,

- HBLaw

Well, I think this is right up my alley, so to speak. Speaking from experience, the most common problem for Asian learners, including Chinese are the followings:

In writing:

Capitalization

Third person/ singular rule

Gender (he/ she)

Space

Punctuations

Incorrect choice of word

Grammar Structure

Speech-wise:

Awkward Accent

Frequent Iteration

Unclear or incorrect pronunciation

Change of gender in mid conversation, i.e. switching he to she or vise versa.

Mixed grammar

Re: Why do english boys like french accents???

Arvsworld — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 10:00:32 GMT

Point 1/5. Few people think their native accent is sexy when they speak in English.

Point 2/5. People tend to develop some attraction to others who have accents that are foreign to their ears, most especially when the speaker is of the opposite gender.

Point 3/5. It's human nature to explore. And how much easier would it actually be to get a chance to explore a foreign person who is in your own homeland?

Point 4/5. Combine all of those things, and you get the situation you are in.

Point 5/5. Younger boys ALWAYS think girls are already sexy anyway. Your foreign accent just magnifies their "hormonal surge."

**And I agree with the post that said that the French culture is strongly associated with romance. This magnifies their attraction to you even further. So to your ears, your accent may not be sexy. But to their ears (and eyes, and ESPECIALLY in their minds, generally speaking), just for a few seconds, they will have already fantasized that you are the grandmother of their grandchildren.

Don't let these things discourage you from learning English.

Re: is there any difference between the pronunciations of fiance and fiancee

Marvin A. — Sun, 04 Feb 2007 19:14:45 GMT

They are both French loanwords. The "e" has an acute accent on it in both. In French, adding an "e" changes the gender of the word, but in this case does not affect the pronunciation.

Thus, both are pronounced: [ fiAnseI ]

Help for wprd game and poetry

Anonymous — Mon, 26 Jun 2006 07:39:48 GMT

Dear madam / sir,

Being possessor of an exploitation right concerning an innovating technology of communication described below, I solicit your attention in order to know if any utilization would eventually interest you.

Kind regards,

(letters into brackets are readable with a phonetic font)

The language's way game

Preamble

The phoneme is the smallest unit of pronunciation. As this time is slower than the time of thought, one can introduce some numbers in the communication. We can separate the sounds into two classes : the letters -1 and +1 which symbolize negative and positive, down and up, left and right, female and male, yin and yangâ¦

Because these successions of phonemes have different senses according to the languages, itâs possible to express them simultaneously, in order to add a large number of meanings for the same sound.

1) The phonemes

The international code retained is the following one :

â=1

b baby

c, s price, sense

ci, s, sh, ssi, ti [$] official, sure, fashion, session, emotion

d hard

d, t lacked, toll

e bread

e, ae, ea, ee, ie [i:] theme, paediatric, easy, see, piece

f, ph fire, phonetic

i, y eight, boy

m [m] meat

n nice

p peace

s, z as, zone

v [v] have

y [j] yes

sh [$] shade

th [Î´] that

th think

s, z allusion, seizure

a [eI] take

g, j [dZ] revenge, jug

ch [t$] chain

â=-1

a [@:] ask

a frost

a travel

a, e, o pagoda, the, oâclock

a, o [%:] ball, door

ea, o, u, w learn, how, house, now

g gate

h house

c, k, q , ch neck, king, quarter, ache

i, u [E:]/[U:] bird, nurse

l life

o on

o, u done, but

r [r] root

u, oo [u:] plume, pool

w why

-2

o [&U] no

ai [E&] stair

i, y [aI] I, by

ng [M] during

u [ju] use

x [gs, ks] exact, execute

[â] = H mute

Thanks to this phonetic key, we can get meaningful positive results in all languages. Itâs also possible to add the results of several people in a discussion, or to designate something (3 hours = on the right).

By insisting on a sentenceâs value, we can use many metaphors to designate this/these number(s) to any quantifiable meanings. For instance the hour, position, height, priceâ¦ By extending the other meanings (or degrees) of languages can be called words, jokes, and sound, air, wind, life, clothes and so on according to the given cases. Now you can read between the lines.

Example of utilization :

-Wake up !

[weIk ^p] = 0 and is the absolutely same phonetic as âway cupâ or âway upâ where can be âquââ = âonlyâ in French.

Even if people canât see all the possible meanings, they may understand the original one and their research promises a lot of dreams and motivation. Itâs necessary to be careful, human language includes tons of anagrams and other stylistic devices.

Anybody might at one given moment, from a certain number of sentences, recover the private written key of a person (which must be complementary to the international phonetic one).

Example to give the result of three keyâs sentences :

To do zeal I ate the large dose. [tu: du: zi:l aI eIt D& l@g d&Us] = 4.

= beware of the for numbers : two [tu:] + douze [duz] (French twelve) + eight [eIt] + dos [d%s] (Spanish two).

The mathematic operators broached in this document are :

For and : French et , Italian e , Spanish y , Russian a and Ð¸

For or : French ou , Spanish and Italian o , Russian Ð¸Ð»Ð¸ [ili]

Furthermore we can propose the following grid to communicate a lot of data through spellings and numbers :

A [eI] : one + est et [e e] (âis andâ in French) + e (âand in Italian) + he (âI haveâ in Spanish) + (âandâ in Spanish and Russia) + written A = âhasâ in French + âatâ in Spanish and Italian + âandâ in Russian.

B [bi:] : be + vi [bi] = âI sawâ in Spanish.

C [si:] : see + sea + å [sÃ¬] (âfourâ in Chinese) + si (âifâ in French) + si (âyesâ in Spanish and Italian)

D [di:] : di (âI gaveâ in Spanish) + âdiâ (âsayâ in Spanish) + dis (âsayâ in French) + di (âofâ for belonging in Italian) + die [di] (âtheâ for feminine plural in German)

E [i:] : I + Italian e i + French est et + Spanish he y (by this way the sound âiâ could become a new pronoun composed of English I + Spanish y + Italian i = I + the and).

F [ef] : French âfÃ©e faitâ = fairy does + Spanish âfeâ = faith

G [dZi:] : French [Ze] â [ZE] = jâai

H [eIt$] : ate eight + chez [$e] {âfromâ or âatâ somebodyâs place in French}

I [aI] : I + ahÃ [a'i] (= there in Spanish)

J [dZeI] : D + jâai + A

K [keI] : que [ke] = relative pronoun who/what in Spanish + A

L [el] : Ã©l [el] = âheâ in Spanish + elle les [El le] = âshe theâ for plural in French (â+â)

M [em] : aime [Em] mais [mE] = âlove butâ in French.

N [en] : en = âinâ in Spanish.

O [&U] : Spanish and Italian o, and have also the same spelling in French, Spanish and Italian : , which is the pronunciation of âhoâ = âI haveâ in Italian, and the exact sound of âeauâ (= âwaterâ in French) and âauâ (= âat theâ in French). And yet weâve just seen that this letter and its sounds has been considered as feminine, so weâve got either the meanings of âI, woman, have water at the orâ (âwaterâ spelled in French as [watEr] could become [wAt] âwhatâ + [Er] French âairâ = âwhat air ?â) or âI have feminine sentences or objectsâ or âI or a woman haveâ or âI, not a woman, haveâ and so on.

P [pi:] : pi.

Q [kju:] : = quâ = âonlyâ in French + you (Italian i + French ou).

R [@:r] : art [ar] = âartâ in French + âR her airâ ( â) spelled in French [Er Er Er] and âer airâ (â) : er [e:r] = âheâ in German, and âaire et Ã¨reâ [Er e Er] (âarea and eraâ in French

S [es] : est-ce [Es] = âisâ in the French questions + es = âitâ in German + es = âisâ in Spanish + ess (âessenâ = âto eatâ in German, and its radical turned in an English conjugation gives âthey essâ)

T [ti:] : ÑÑ [ti] =âyouâ in Russian + ti [ti] = âyouâ in complement in Spanish and Italian + tea.

U [ju:] : you.

V [vi:] : vis vie= â(I/you) saw lifeâ in French + wie = âhow/asâ in German + Ð²Ñ [vi] = âyouâ in plural in Russian.

W [âd^blju] : ***.

X [iks] : anonymous.

Y [waI] : why [waI] ?

Z [zed,zi] : the [Di:] + in German : Sie [zi:] = âpolite youâ + sie =âshe/theyâ.

1 [w^n] : won

2 [tu:] : tout [tu] (= âallâ in French) + too to + tu [tu] (= âyouâ in Spanish and Italian)

3 [Tri:] : T+H+R+E+E + riz ris = ârice laughâ in French.

4 [f%:r] : for [f%:r] or + Ohr [o:r] = âearâ in German.

5 [faIv] : hive + fa (âhe doesâ in Italian) + faille faille [faj] = âfault needâ in French.

6 [sIks] : C + X.

7 [sevn] : sais ses câest ces [se se se se] (= âknow his/her/its itâs theseâ in French) â say + V +N.

8 [eIt] : ate At.

9 [naIn] : N ein nein [naIn naIn] = N âone noâ in German.

10 [ten] : ten = âhaveâ in Spanish + tN.

2) Examples of interpretations

Mother, father, brother, sister =[âm^D&r âbr^D&r] = -3.

M + other + fa = âhe doesâ in Italian + bR [ber] ver = âto seeâ in Spanish + other + si = âyesâ in Spanish and Italian + ist = âisâ in German + [&r] â heure [CR] = âhourâ in French.

Free school called home. = - 5Â°

= freeze cool called old cold + (= au = âat theâ in French) + home.

One two three four. = 0

= without H it wonât be too tree for air.

Easy to do.

[i:zi tu du] = 3

it is easy to sit on this sit where you can see the sea + 2 + du [du:] (âyouâ in German) + do + doux dâou dâoÃ¹ [du du du] (âsoft from or + from whereâ in French).

Each one possesses its own style of communication, but some meanings being contradictory within one expression, we can choose to underline some of them by the written and/or phonetic context. Moreover it could be judicious to marry the languages which countryâs names bring some supplementary senses :

Come on itâs not so far. = 2.

= (= quâ = âonlyâ in French, this country name partially spelled in French could become fREnch [fEren$] = fair + en {= âinâ Spanish} + chez in French), so overall, weâve got = âonly in fair fromâ) + komm [k%m] (to come in German = âkommenâ) + homme [%m] (= man in French) + home + Mo (= [Emo] = aime mot(s) = âlove word(s)â in French) + money + oÐ½ [on] (âheâ in Russian) neat on eat it is not naughty (no T) knot Not [no:t] (= distress in German) + note of + Italian fa + fahr [fa:r] (âto driveâ in German = âfahrenâ) + sofa so far + phare [faR] (âlighthouseâ and âlampâ in French).

He talks about the bad weather by the past, and explains his belief in teaching. = 1 + 15 = 16

= he + ÑÃ³Ð»ÑÐºÐ¾ [tolka] (= âonlyâ in Russian) toll out of a cab, bad way sir, buy the path + stA = [steI] = stay, index plain is bull leaf fine + ä¸ [it$] (= âoneâ in Japanese) each + itch + hitch.

This week is filled. = 6

= this weak wick, kiss, feel viel [fi:l] (= âplenty ofâ in German) fils [fil] (= âthreadâ in French) + fee + fient fis [fi fi] (= âthey trusted + I/you didâ, without their pronouns in French) + number six => sentence filled of âIâ.

To close that pathetic door, you know that. = -1+ 0 = -1

= took hook, clothe hat, at path attic door + dâor (= âof goldâ in French) + German Ohr + or you nose at.

Because the boat of hundred feet of length still operate now. = [bI'kAz D& b&Ut Av h^ndr&d fi:t Av le1(k)T Ap&reIt stIl naU] = 7 or 8 ?

= Spanish vi + cause + causent eux, osent bottes [koz G oz& b%t] (= âthey talk, dare bootsâ in French) of fun off un- + (D [de] spelled in French + red =) dare + head aide (= âhelpâ in French) + fit feat it still steal steel + âstiel still stilâ (= âstalk calm styleâ in German) + o (= or in Spanish) + fell hope air rate eight ate = 8 (number of the rate).

The army has begun there. = 1

= arm (= âpoorâ in German) arm harm arm me, the army, big gun un-, in the air at the second floor.

Take the steering wheel. = 4

= T ([te] in French like tes = your {+ plural}, or tâes = you are) + ache + steer + ST (which spelled in French [Este] could mean âesteâ = âthis oneâ in Spanish) + ear + will (modal/want) + wheel (could symbolise 0 or O).

= you will take the wheel (proper and figurate), listen because you have acheâ¦

This mill makes good flour. = 2 [tu:] (= to)

= The smile ill + M ([Em] = aime = âloveâ in French) + Ã®le il (= âisland heâ in French) + il (= âtheâ in masculine in Italian) + the millâs meal may in may + goÃ»t dâ [gu d] (= âtaste ofâ in French) + flower [âflaU&r] (exactly the same English phonetic as flour).

During the game, make it with proficiency. = 3 + 9 = 12.

= Dur (= âhardâ in French) ring, the gay aim may + ma (= âbutâ in Italian) + [ki t] (by spelling the âTâ in French weâve got = qui tâes = âwho are youâ in French) + we + P (= [pe] spelled in French, so it could give : [pE] = paie = âpayâ in French + [pER] pÃ¨re = âfatherâ in French, perd = âlooseâ in French, pair = peer in French, [âpero] pero = âbutâ in Spanish + fit [fi] = made in French => but the father peer lost the made + (un- + si = âifâ in French => not if.

The tale of the fine daring sheep which bit a knee on a beach =17.

= the tale of love, the tail of the sheep [$i] + fine = âthinâ in French + fine (ticket) dare ring + written dar = âto giveâ in Spanish + cheap [t$i] cheep [t$i] / chip [t$Ip] / ship [$Ip] + which + beat [bi:t] a bit [bIt] beet [bi:t] + French nis nid [ni ni] = âdeny nestâ + ni = âtwoâ in Chinese and Japanese + knee on a â eux = âthemâ in French = > the knees + bi (two) + beech [bi:t$] + *** [bIt$].

From the plane it could seem invisible =12.

From homme = âmanâ in French + home the plain (obvious) plane (tree) plane (map) neat could + coude [kud] cou = âelbow neckâ in French + seem + cime [sim] = âpeak, topâ in French + in V + vise [viz] = âaim atâ in French + I + bL [bEl] (L spelled in French) = beautiful on the feminine gender + twelve = to L + V spelled in French = [ve] â [vE] = vais = âI goâ in French.

They said that the camera saw the suite without the mattress = 8.

[esE] = âtestingâ in French + sed sed sede [seD seD âseDe] = âbe thirst seatâ on the second person of plural imperative present in Spanish + s'aide = âhelp him/her/itself or themselvesâ in French + head + camera = âbedroomâ in Italian + saw (tool) sweet with how T the M at + matt mat (dark carpet) + Ð¼Ð°ÑÑ [mat] = âmotherâ in Russia + tress.

Close ! The weather would provoke some leaks on the vice = -2 + 2 = 0.

Close [kl&Us] (near) close [kl&Uz] (end) clothe [kl&UD] + weather whether (either) wether (sheep) ['weD&r 'weD&r 'weD&r] wood PRV âOKâ some lick [lIk] leek [li:k] + weiÃ weiÃ [vaIs vaIs] = âknow whiteâ in German + vice (instead of) vice (fault).

At the bottom we can see the child = 4.

At the bottom + homme beau Ã´te bottes [%m bo ot b%t]= âbeautiful man removes bootsâ in French + weak week see the shield [$i:ld].

The police in the centre = 5.

a = = eux (them in French) => here a singular article (for a subject) is used with the plural conjugation of the French spelling of police : [p%lis] = also polissent = they âpolishâ + seen scene + cÑÐ½ = âsonâ in Russian + sin = âwithoutâ in Spanish + sin + the [&s] â [^s] âusâ + enter.

3) Applications

3.1) Board game

With the help of this technology, everybody can play a game which for a given question, accepts several answers. In case of litigation it will be sufficient to record the playâs minutes to overrule competitors. The winner is the first who has his answers right in the imposed theme, while respecting the exact phonetics or spelling of the language used.

Of course the different possible themes are not quantifiable : "country => associated lexical fields", "country = > elements of this country" (rivers, mountainsâ¦) for beginners, and then "country = > capital", "country = > presidentââ¦

Example : âWe can add an additional destination in our travel.â

The player answers : âOh no, itâs hot, awash and deserted.â

Thanks to the underlined link, the answer could allow the player to play again, and his movement is defined by the following sum :

[&U n&U it s hAt &'wA$ Gnd dI'zU:tId] = +3.

The board is round, players win a certain number of points. The different slots of it represent the themes, and the use of homonyms must be expressed solely by the player who is the master of his movement.

Examples of question :

Itâs well on donât go in this district.

=> Because itâs belongs to the barbarian you knighted king, domestic problem it is.

Where can I rush a pursued man ?

=> Over there are moss, cows and nobody to find him.

Did you see his pain ?

=> Yes he was the mad reader.

3.2) The languages school

The languages school is intended to become a didactic software including a data base regrouping the maximum languages. This new type of dictionary is going to become necessary to communicate as described in the first chapter. Moreover itâs a pity that no actual dictionary groups all whatâs essential together : the tonic accent and phonetic of every words (conjugated verbs), all definitions with the maximum multilingual translations, reseach of proverbs, the whole with a phonetic and written research key, and a link for any bilateral update on the Internet.

After the launch of the application, a customizable menu will propose the following choices :

- Translation / Definition

First it will be necessary to choose an origin language and a certain number of destinations with the help of an unwinding menu. Then the interface will adopt the outgoing language that will remain in memory.

To get the definition and translation in the wanted languages, enter a part of a word or any phonetic in the interactive window, or select a term from the list of outgoing language, automatically updated in real time, according to the level of the letters previously entered.

Example : the user will enter in the first column âlighâ and select "light", so the columns of right will let appear the words of the languages translated.

Search English French German

ligh | Light: n â¦ Clair : adj â¦ Erleuchtung : nf ...

Lighten : v â¦ Leger : adj ... Leuchte : nf ...

Lighter : n ... LumiÃ¨re : nf â¦ Licht: nnâ¦.

By selecting a second time one of the words appeared, its definition will be displayed then on full screen in its language. With phonetic and followed by synonyms.

Then two options will be available : come back on the previous page thanks to the history of the software, or select the word in progress so it becomes the word to translate of the outgoing language.

Rechercher FranÃ§ais Anglais Allemand

LumiÃ¨re LumiÃ¨re : nf â¦ Light : n â¦ Erleuchtung : nf

Lighten : v â¦ Leuchte : nf â¦

Lighter : n ... Licht: nnâ¦.

The user will be able to modify the languages columns at any time :

Search English French Spanish

Light Light: n â¦ Clair : adj â¦ Genio: nm ...

Lighten : v â¦ Leger : adj ... Luminare: nm ...

Lighter : n ... LumiÃ¨re : nf â¦ Luce: nf ...

Phonetic example :

Search French English German

lu | Loup : nm. Lubricant : n, adj ... Lud: v ...

Louable : adj ... Lubricate : v â¦ Luder : nn â¦

... â¦ â¦

It will be also interesting to be able to find examples of a pronunciation, getting a list of all words containing for example /A/.

- Translation of texts and expressions

The application will be able to interpret some expressions according to the context, even also translate any whole file, and eventually add a tool bar in texts softwares, in order to assist document writes.

Besides an option "Sentenceâs totals" would be put up-to-date in real time, according to the selected communication codes (12 maximum).

It will depend on the flexibility of the software to give the spoonerisms, anagrams and palindromes or any other hidden meanings of words.

Otherwise, a system of multilingual lexical fields printing, with possibilities of any adaptation on poster format, wallpaper or a worldâs map with one word per country, could be proposed.

To provide the most possible complete application, a speech recognition mode is also to study.

A camera (on glasses) scrutinizing the reader's eyes could permit the navigation after focusing the look of the user.

- Coding functions

* Define some communication codes

To create a code as in the chapter one, enter the wanted languages and a variable defined part of the alphabet letters, the application will propose a viable solution.

Some other encryptions could be available like the for instance the replacement of the whole letters by others in a text, with possibility to send the code grid by e-mail.

* Recover a code

In keyboarding or joining a text, the application would be able to extract all possible codes used by the creator, with or without a given public encryption key.

Re: Inferior dialects?

Randy_Tam — Mon, 19 Dec 2005 09:36:48 GMT

I am not quite close to 'homeless'. I am living at my aunt's home because my granny invited 3 of her siplings to stay... aiya, according to my parents this is going to last 2 weeks or more. I am currently using my uncle's PC just to get here and take a look at what you say. Though I cannot come here as frequently as I used to.

Looking at dictionaries for meanings, phonetic representations whatever does not mean you are forming rules of some sort. I am sorry I didn't include this in describing what a native speaker's going to do with a dictionary... lol. This is especially true with languages belonging to the Sino family, the orthography of which is ideographic, for which reason the phonological form can hardly be guessed just from its shape (I remember I read a passage during my F3 Chinese lessons called <æ¼¢åççµæ§>, in which the author asserted that there's a kind of Chinese letters, the å½¢è²å, whose pronunciations could be guessed. I can hardly agree with this. Even an L1 speaker of Chinese, without prior training, can hardly succeed in this.). This is also true, to a certain extent, of English because of its hybrid source of etymons (... um... I mean the root of a lexical item. I don't really remember the English jargon for it): French, Old English, German, Irish, Greek, Latin... all contribute to the English language as it is today, leading to the lack of consistency between the orthographical and phonological forms of English words. These little 'cracks' of course can not be formulated by the human cognitive system (simply by means of conjecture, etc).

Language is of course not a science, but the STUDY into it can be, just as one may well argue whether translatology is an art or a science.

I am not really sure whether university English courses lay more stress on the scientific side of languages than on the cultural side thereof. To the best of my knowledge, this is not the case. Both are given equal stress. I come to this conclusion from information available to me. Lingnan University, where I am taking my undergraduate yr1 course in Contemporary English and Education, and Chinese University, where a friend of mine is currently a yr2 student in English, both have introductory courses into 'English Grammar', as well as introductory courses into literature in English. The workload is virtually the same for the 2 parts, at least in yr 1. But as the course goes on, more such courses as 'language and culture' or 'sociolinguistics' are available, making the curriculum more relevant to the relationship between language and social factors.

But your statement is true in that Hong Kongers are culturally more and more illiterate, being ignorant not only in foreign cultures but also in their own. Their ignorance in local culture being irrelevant here, I'd like to suggest some plausible reasons why language education from a cultural perspective is losing its ground.

1. It appears students are less motivated (in their learning) these days. What I mean by this is that days at school become more and more dreary: schooling is more or less a long toil, against which students devise one of the most primitive countermeasures known to man --- go have some sleep and look for your Juliet in your dream, handsome Romeo.

But this 'countermeasure' has its roots in that at night students have to attend tutorial classes, which they deem even more useful than classes at school. They having had such classes head back home have their dinner, do some homework and perhaps some reading as well, and, hey mama, I need time to play and relax a while. Voila, time to sleep puppy, it's already 0300 in the midnight. Frankly last year when I was having my A Level, I spent almost 7 hours everyday after school just to revise and read something more (I didn't take tutorial classes, save for economics), it was already 1200 when I returned home from the self - study facilities. It was hell. All this lead to a persistent fatigue in students.

So, the consequence is that, even if the cultural side of language is come across at school, there could hardly be anyone listening (lol.... reminds me of my UE class. Almost 2 / 3 of our class were sleeping if no assignments were given).

2. One may well ask an old question, 'why do students opt for tutorial classes instead of school?' To this old question I give an old answer, 'because students think tutorial classes are more useful, in that they cut the craps and just get straight to the point.' ---> I didn't take tutorials so don't blame me for that. But from what I hear, from my ex - gf (...), my friends, and my classmates, this is the case.

What is meant, then, by 'craps'? ie. anything that is not relevant to the examinations ahead. Examinations, strangely enough, dominate students' minds. My classmates may well think that I am good at linguistics, and so they will immediately conclude, without exception, 'so you must score a high GPA'... Sadly, the thing that is immediately associated with 'good or bad' is a score.

Your suggestion about IELTS (that I took 2 years ago lol without attending any tutorial classes or doing preparations of any sort... just fulfilling your 'minimum requirement' when I was a 6th former) therefore, in this context, does not really render any use in determining the (always abtract) 'language standard' of English teachers. IELTS has nothing about 'culture'. Given that absurd formula (good / bad = score), and given the fact that actually there are tutorial classes given on this test available in Hong Kong, IELTS is simply another UE.

3. These lead to the 3rd possible cause: All that Hong Kong (as a physiological identity separated from its people) wants about English is to make it a little utility: the current English curriculum is concerned with how to use English (as the name of the subject suggests: Use of English), not how to appreciate English as a language or, as Sapir - Whorf's hypothesis suggests, a fruit of a culture. Think about the writing assignments: Letter to the editor, Letter of complaint, Informal letter to a friend (sharing students' own experience perhaps), and essays (on the sheer knowledge on some current social issues). Listening is more or less to make students a 'phono - type', write whatever you hear. (of course, that needs some thought... but what is needed in a real dialogue: any puns suggested? the attitude of the speaker? 'slips of tongue'? all these are absent). Oral~ haha, that's a joke. Just keep talking and make your points understandable to your partners to score high. If this is not enough, sham having some 'foreign accents'. What is the most 'important part' in English exams in Hong Kong, as an interviewee in a programme produced by TVB (name really forgotten, but the programme is great!) pointed out, is 'comprehension', not how to express oneself, accounting for the 'deteriorating English language standard' these days.

4. What makes the situation even worse is the availability of such 'lures' as PC games, movies, and the Internet (-_-... am I not surfing the net?). Students 20 years ago may take pleasure in reading fictions: Le Docteur Pascal, Women in Love, the God of Small Things (I didn't take AL E. Lit.; I really read it for pleasure), Sybil (by Benjamin Disraeli), these are all fictions that I like. But as other forms of leisure can be more easily reached today, reading (to learn from the 'experience of another person': a 'function' of literature) becomes a hefty burden from which every students wants to escape.

So... the entire 'English pedagogic machine' becomes a miserable thing brewing students who treat English as nothing more than a tool to show their 'erudition', as is observed from the fact that complaint letters written in English to the Government or to such other authorities as concerned are paid more attention to, even if the author thereof is a Hong Konger. I do not mean Hong Kongers are in their nature 'inferior' to non - Hong Kongers. What I am trying to bring out is that there exists a sort of 'linguistic discrimination', even if the government has declared equal legal status of Chinese and English. Discriminations of this sort conduce to English being treated the utilitarian way. Actually I was writing an essay on this attitude toward English when the semester started. But the 'study' was halted by the profs, on the grounds that I am but a yr1 student, so that I should leave the topic to my yr 3 (actually yr 4) final paper. Anyway, I don't give a damn anymore.

Your suggestion relative to the English curriculum is good... but I wonder if it would be possible even in the university, as the topics suggested are each already a large topic. Or are you actually suggesting it as a framework that is to be followed through during the 16 years (university years inclusive) of schooling?

I love linguistics not really because I treat language in a parochial scientific way. I am limiting 'language' to the 'essence' (leaving this undefined) because I am more interested in the common traits shared by ALL human languages. Culture... yes, that sounds great, and in my literature studies I remember I once looked into the relationship between 'gender roles' and why Alice Munro's <Boys and Girls> is written that way. But still, linguistics studied in the way I mentioned before is what I am most interested in, for which reason I am not really ok with the course I am taking and am therefore applying by non - JUPAS for CU linguistics... to see if I have a chance.

Re: A small project ... give me your Ideas

adomi — Thu, 06 Oct 2005 11:02:45 GMT

If you want to talk like a native speaker then you have a long way to go. You can't skip over the steps. I suggest you master the basics first, before moving on to idioms and expressions. They're forums over here that can help you starting off(Vocabulary and Idioms, General English garmmar questions, and Audio: Speech and Pronunciation). You'll find them on the home page.

About your voice, just be yourself, do not force anything. It's sometime difficult for the non-native speakers to change their accent, and accomodate one(when you can get one, of course) because, there are different accents. American, British, Canadian,.and so on. Generally non-native speakers are confused on that issue. (There is a thread going on) I'm definetely not the right person to tell you what accent is the best. I have a....Cameroonian accent I must say. Anyway, my point is, first make sure you can not only make yourself understand, but also express yourself as clear and good as possible, then you can go accent-hunting.

About the topic, It surely depends on your interlocutor, the occasion/environment, and may be his gender as well. You can always take Englishforums as the environment, and our discussion as the content. But what would YOU want to talk about?

Re: Origin of English literature

Jason13_32 — Wed, 25 Jun 2003 17:13:00 GMT

Introduction taken from http://www.ead.ufms.br/letras/Literature/01-Origins_Of_English.pdf

Origins of English (up to 1066)

Historical Background

Before the time of the Roman colonization in A.D. 43, Britain was populated by Celts and Britons, relatively primitive people without organized society and literary culture. Britain remained a part of the Roman Empire for nearly four hundred years, during which time Romans and Britons intermarried and the framework of society was established.

When the Roman Empire began to crumble in the 5th Century, the Romans abandoned Britain, and the remaining inhabitants were involved in conflicts with surrounding peoples.

Eventually the remnants of the Roman province were conquered by Germanic invaders from Northern Europe.

These invaders, known collectively as Anglo-Saxons, established themselves in what is now England and for two hundred years they themselves were involved in defending their kingdoms against successive invaders from Europe. The history of England from about 600 to 850 A.D. is the story of the rise and fall of petty Anglo-Saxon kingdoms and
the efforts of successive states to unify- England.

The Anglo-Saxons understood the concept of a social organization that was greater than the individual and because of prevailing warlike conditions, the warrior occupied a pre-eminent position in their society. Great feasts were a part of Anglo-Saxon life, and it was normal for legends relating to the deeds of great Germanic heroes of the past to be told. The entertainer delivered the story in a rhythmic kind of chant. Occasionally he was accompanied on a harp, but in general, there was little decoration and the epic was straightforward narrative verse on the subject of a great warrior and his deeds.

In A.D. 597 the Anglo-Saxon king was converted to Christianity by a Catholic mission from Rome. Some evidence of Anglo-Saxon paganism still exists today, in, for example, the names of the days of the week:

Monday - Mon (Moon)
Tuesday - Twi (god of war)
Wednesday - Woden (god of war)
Thursday - Thor (Jupiter)
Friday - Frio (Venus)
Saturday - Saturn's day
Sunday - Sun's day

Continually fighting against further waves of invaders from Europe, the Anglo-Saxons were finally conquered by the Normans from Northern France in 1066. This ended the Anglo-Saxon history of England.

Cultural influences and the development of the language

The original Celts spoke a type of Germanic language and took their language with them when they were pushed by the Romans and later the Saxons to the highland regions of what are now Scotland, Wales and Ireland. A form of this language is still spoken today in these parts of Britain (although only by a few people).

Despite four hundred years of Roman occupation, not many Latin words were incorporated into the language. The Latin influence came later. The development of the language was much affected by the different invaders from different parts of Europe who settled in various parts of the country. The Angles in the East ("Angleland" = "England") and the Saxons in the South. These regional invasions and settlements are the main reason that there are so many different dialects and accents in a country which is relatively small.

Christianity enriched the language by introducing Latin words related to the Church. Contact with Roman Christianity also brought a general advancement in culture introducing words like 'school', 'master' and 'grammar'. Furthermore as Church schools opened, the Anglo-Saxons' spiritual and intellectual outlook was widened. Not only did Anglo-Saxons learn about the Scriptures but also the classical writings of Virgil and the ancient Greeks.

This advance in culture also developed Anglo-Saxon words to express new ideas. In the North, Scandinavian words were adopted, e.g. 'law' , 'egg' and 'window', 'they', 'their' and 'them'. The forms of speech of invaders were continually being mixed into the language. Generally though, the language was simple, and characterized by many changes in words and inflections to show case, tense, gender, number and person.

There were several declensions of nouns and adjectives agreed with nouns. Verbs were highly inflected e.g. 'Sing, sand, sung'. Fewer than 25% of modern words are derived from Old English as it is called, but they are the most frequently used common nouns, verbs, pronouns, connectives and articles.

An example of Old English of A.D. 900:

"Ohtere saede his hlaforde, Aelfrede cyninge,
paet he ealra Noromonna noromest bude . . ."

Which is:

"Ohtere said to his lord, Alfred the King,
that he of all Northmen, northmost dwelt ...