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Differences in cultures and communication
Why is standard English important
Differences in cultures and communication
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I was living in the western part of Ghana. During the early 90s my parents migrated to the United Kingdom, whiles I was left in Ghana to live with my aunty. I had the privilege to learn English. As Twi been the most common language spoken in Ghana I was very glad to learn English as I knew that I would be joining my parents soon in the UK. I came to join my parents four years after they migrated. I knew starting school would be a challenge, so my parents got me a personal tutor to help me boost up my English speaking and writing. I was able to speak fluent English, even though I did not understand most of the things that were said to me. By the time I reached secondary school I had already adapted the British accent. Growing up with two different languages and accents was very hard because I had to decide between them two. Sometimes when I am speaking with my friends I see myself using my Ghanaian accent (style shifting) but then switching back to my British accent right after I realise in order to fit in with my friends. At home, when my parents speak to me in my mother tongue I make sure I reply in the same dialect but being a forgetful person I sometimes reply back in English (style shifting). I find this very difficult because both my younger siblings were born here and speak English, so I have to speak both English and Twi at home. Anytime that I go back to my country, I find myself running back to my Ghanaian English accent because I feel like they may not understand what I am saying. One advantage of speaking two languages is that it makes me feel like I fit in because anytime I am here in the UK I can speak clearly as long as going back to Ghana. Even though my parents speak Twi with me at home I still feel like I am forg... ... middle of paper ... ...s still found today, with urban accents such as Birmingham, Newcastle, Liverpool and Glasgow”. (Accessed on 06.02.2014 http://www.bbc.co.uk/voices/yourvoice/feature2_3.shtml). Example of Standard English could include I have never done this before whiles other people may say I ain’t done nothin this before Although the Standard English is not really a language but it has been accepted over the years. It has developed over the years as it’s now used when you go into interviews, also politicians, poets and other novelist make the use of it. When compared to the Nigerian pidgin, even though they speak broken English but the still manage to converte to Standard English when it gets to looking a job as its spoken everywhere regardless to their main language. Apart from Nigerians speaking Pidgin English and writing them they may still believe that it is not professional
everyone has one; a language is an accent all on its own. Inflections are important because they
Usually, if you speak anything other than Standard English, it is looked upon as negative thing. One topic the books looks at is if there should even be a divide between the “professional world” and someone culture. I think in the classroom we should help student become culturally aware and embrace their culture, but it is also out job to prepare them for what society is right not. Right now there is a very large divide between culture (if your culture is not the dominate one) and the professional world. We should let student embrace and explore their own language but also encourage them to learn Standard English. As teachers we should also teach students when and where Standard English is more appropriate versus their own language
This chapter focused mainly on misconceptions and attempting to clarify those misconceptions about accents. In the opinion of linguists, accent is a difficult word to define. This is due to the fact that language has variation therefore when it comes to a person having an accent or not, there is no true technical distinction because every person has different phonological aspects to their way of speaking. However, when forced to define this word, it is described as “a way of speaking” (Lippi-Green, 2012, p.44). Although Lippi- Green identified the difficulty linguists have in distinguishing between accent, dialect, and another language entirely, they were able to construct a loose way of distinguishing. Lippi- Green states that an accent can be determined by difference in phonological features alone, dialect can be determined by difference in syntax, lexicon, and semantics alone, and when all of these aspects are different from the original language it is considered another language entirely (Lippi-Green, 2012).
Coping with two different sides of you can be challenging especially in American society. By being bilingual you always have a small character inside of you telling you what to do and how to react. As being an immigrant myself, I agree on the importance of public language. Human beings have a natural instinct to be happy in socially involved activities. To communicate with your peers and have a mutual understanding is a great blessing. However, that doesn’t mean you disregard the importance of your own mother tongue that made you who you are and gave you a unique identity. Using myself as an example, I speak a tribal language that is full of rich culture and identity, signifying the story and history of our people. My father prefers my siblings and I do not speak any English at home and only speak Pashto. I try to go by his sayings because I believe that by living in a western society and going to English speaking schools, I will gradually assimilate into their community and will be able to communicate without difficulty. Contrary, by not speaking Pashto at home and with family, I will not only lose my language, but my intimacy to my unique culture and heritage. Therefore, I believe that you can use your mother language and public language together to only enhance your confidence in both
As an elementary student, I had a slight accent as I spoke, and I would get bullied for not being able to talk as fluently as the other kids. The way the other students would act
For me adapting a new language was tough because where I came from we don’t verbalize English. So, before we move to the United States I had to get that primary knowledge of English in a short duration. At that time I consummated my one semester of 9 the grade. My parents thought of dropping me out school, so I can just focus on English. Since then my main focus was to learn English. I think that was the hardest thing I have done in my life. Day by day I was learning incipient thing, but I wasn’t quit understanding the language.
In American society, learning to speak English properly is a crucial factor in assimilation. People who have decided to come to America have found it rather difficult to assimilate into American society for several reasons. One reason being that learning a new language is or can be considerably difficult depending on your age. This is so because the act of learning a new language such as English, is much more difficult for an elderly person than for one who has not reached adolescence. According to Grognet, for elderly people there are several factors that affect their willingness to learn. Among those factors are, physical health, mental health, cultural expectations, attitude, motivation and finally the ability to acquire the correct diction, and to suitable articulation (Grognet 296-297). For a person who has not reached the prepubescent age, it is...
Language is a universal trait that every culture has, whether it is written or spoken, people around the world have a need to communicate with one another. Language reflects your background and where you come from, according to Fromkin, Rodman & Hyams (2011), an accent is a regional phonological distinction (p. 433). That being said, in the United States the most prevalent language is English, but depending on the region, your language might sound different to other people. If someone from Wisconsin visited one of the southern states, they would definitely notice a drawl in a southerner’s language, whereas the native southerner would think the Wisconsin resident’s accent sounds nasally.
Growing up learning and speaking English has been something that was difficult for me at first but then came easy, but that was not the case for my mother. She spent her whole life speaking Spanish, so when she decided to take English learning classes it was challenging. However, she had me to help her throughout her struggle. I helped her complete her homework and assignments. We would also go to the library to check out easy level reading books to have her read to me. I would correct her English when it was wrong and do all I could to boost her confidence. It took me a while to understand and figure out what the best way to teach her was, but it was a fun experience for the both of us. Teaching her English was difficult because things that
I was born and raised in Al-Ahsa in the Eastern province of Saudi Arabia. I lived there until I became twenty-three then I moved to Abha in the Southern Province. My family is originally from Al-baha which is also in the Southern Province. I acquired the Arabic Eastern dialect when I was a child to talk to my peers and teachers in Al-Ahsa, however at home I spoke my parents' dialect that (which) is very different from the Eastern Province and from other Southern Province’s dialects. When I was at school I had different social relationships with people from different places in Saudi Arabia that lasts until I graduate from high school. They all speak different dialects and accents; therefore I acquired different pronunciations, different words and different expressions. After my marriage, I moved to Abha. I used to be a teacher and I communicated with wide range of people who have different backgrounds and therefore different cultures. My Eastern dialect did not help to survive in such an environment. So I tried to create a dialect that is more understood by people in Abha. Therefore, living in different regional dialects makes me end up with having a mixture of dialects and accents that makes it hard for the Saudi listener to predict where I am originally from.
Most of the time at school my lexicon is in English, I speak Spanish all the time at home.At times it is hard for me to switch my languages up because in Spanish we speak so quickly. My quick Spanish speaking always sticks to me and when speaking English I can slur a lot because of the speed in my voice. Adjusting the speed of my voice based on which language I am speaking is what I have been focusing on when communicating.
However, you will need motivation and patience on your way to fluency. Case in point, many immigrants in the US speak poor English, even after years of being there.
New languages are always overwhelming.English is difficult language to learn, especially if it isn’t practiced often. The english language includes rules that can be frustrating to get a grip of. Many International students face the fear of not being understood or not pronouncing something correct...
My family emigrated from the Dominican Republic when I was two years old. At the time, none of us spoke any fluent English. Due to their limited education,
In a sociolinguist perspective “the idea of a spoken standardized language is a hypothetical construct” (Lippi-Green, 2012, pp. 57). They are the form of Britain English and American English that are used in textbooks and on broadcasting. Giles and Coupland observe that “A standard variety is the one that is most often associated with high socioeconomic status, power and media usage in a particular community” (1991, p. 38). Both native speakers and learners of English, where English is taught as a second or foreign language (hereafter ESL/EFL), speak dialect of English in everyday conversation (Kachru, 2006, pp. 10-11; Owens 2012, p.