That ESL Racket July 27, 2012
Posted by cantueso in language.trackback
.
In Spain as in most newly industrialized countries those who are trying to learn English have to rely on ads for their information, and so they are an easy market for every kind of slicker.
>>> >> This is a translation of El chiringuito del inglés
………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
.
Besides, is there a cheat if I sell you the CDs or the twelve volumes of the Wonder English Encyclopedia for you to learn English on your own ?
Is there a scam if I tell you that these CDs or those books contain the complete language and everything you will ever need to know about it?
And what if your little daughter can only be taught a few standard frases and twenty simple words ? Is that fraud?
………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
.
And what if I invite you to “think in English” which is nonsense since in your own language you don’t need to think in order to speak.
Finally I assure you that with this or that method you will learn exactly the same way as all those happy little children in England, which is not true, but is it fraud?
………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
.
At any rate, the root of the problem is in the publishers who have been able to turn the teachers into marketing instruments and the schools into sales points, while neither the teachers nor the schools raised objections.
This is a translation of El chiringuito del inglés
.
.
English is complicated because can be so many meanings for same word where in other languages a different word is used for each particular. Take the word “run” for instance:
the car is running
my nose is running
the water is running
I run in the race
I run for office
I ran out of gas
I ran to the store
I am going to make a run
there is a run in my stocking
the is a run in the paint on the wall
and there are so many more
Exactly, and that is why kids should learn first how to handle the dictionary to read and guess or understand.
However, a beginner’s dream is speaking. They would give all they have to reach fluency. Anything less than that makes them feel ridiculous, but fluency is out of reach for at least 99.99%, unless they go abroad, and even then it just lasts for a few months.
And so teaching English is good business, even better than weight watching, since English is obligatory in countless places.