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Difficulties learning English language
Cultural differences in learning
How culture influences education
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The Difficulty of Teaching English
“I decided to become a teacher because I thought that I could do it better then my teachers did. I quickly learned that teaching isn’t as easy as I thought it would be.” Dr. Proser quickly learned that teaching English would be as easy as he thought it may have been. He may be a better teacher then his were, many CHS students would agree, but also found out that why it was so hard to teach English. There are many reasons why teaching English is difficult. First and major reason is the constant changing, and new words that are being brought into the language. While many of these words that are being are classified as slang, these words may become more and more common. In addition, many of the forms of languages that were used in the writing that students read are no longer used. Also, the change in styles of writing which have occurred make it hard for any student to completely understand what each writer is trying to say.
Thousands of new words are brought into the English language each year. Just a few examples are dude, chic, cool, homes, and tubular. “Dude was brought into by many of the hippies of the sixty’s. Dude has many means, a person who someone is referring to can be taken into contexts as awesome.” When many people refer to a chic, they are no longer talking about a baby chicken, but a female who is found somewhat attractive. This word also becomes very popular during the sixties. Homes and tubular is probably the most recent of slang words. Homes is mostly used by gang-bangers and blacks of the southern area. When people say homes they are referring to one of their male friends. Not just a friend, but a male friend who would fight for the person. Tubular is just a new word for awesome or cool. It means really sweet (high quality of awesome) or awesome. In addition, words are used with a different context then before. Many new words are created this in America. The words sweet and fine have taken some of the largest changes in context of words. “Sweet no longer means have a sugar taste or pleasing to the senses.” If one was to ask a teenage what sweet meant to them, they would probably tell “really nice or awesome.” “The word fine has also completely change in context.
The constant changing of technology and social norms makes difficult for different generations to understand one another and fully relate to each other. Diction and slang change as years pass and what is socially acceptable may have been prohibited in the previous generations.
The current decade’s slang is very important to the teen culture. Teens often use slang to speak only to one another and not to adults as said in the following article, “Every generation has its slang — new words that allow kids to communicate without their parents understanding”(53 Slang… 1). Kids will use slang terms to communicate without adults being able to comprehend what exactly kids are saying, it is basically a secret code. Since the 1930’s slang has evolved in countless ways. These words will constantly be changing, even within the same decade as said in this Huffington Post article, “words change all the time and overtime”(“These 12…” 1). Words within the English language can constantly have little tweaks added to them; sometimes this will create an entire new word. Slang terms can change throughout decades and era’s rapidly even though it is within a short time span, and this article supports the fact that words do not need decades to change it can take as little time as a few
Slang is the key reason words take on new meaning. A teenage girl may say a guy is hot! This does not mean he is sweating, it means he is good looking. This is an example of slang. People familiar with slang will understand this meaning, while those unfamiliar will not. As our culture changes so does our slang and words take on new meanings. Let’s take a closer look at the word burn. Some of the definitions may surprise you.
When you think of slang today, the most positive connotation probably doesn’t come to mind. We often times associate slang with a term used in a derogatory context. You may even find yourself linking the use of slang to a particular group or social class, where in reality, almost all of us use slang every day without realizing it. In Walt Whitman’s “Slang in America”, he gives several examples of common words that underwent a change of meaning through the usage of slang. “Insult” originally meant “to leap against”, “wrong meant twisted”, and “spirit meant breath or flame” (Whitman 2). Whitman valued and recognized the effects slang had in the development of the American language. Another author who acknowledged the importance
As writers, many students write to the expectations of their professors and not to their fullest potential. Throughout English 101 I had been writing only to please my professor or to fill the basic requirement to pass English. I always felt that my writing ability was never enough for my professors throughout the previous years. They always wanted clear and concise essays, which for some reason was unreachable by me. However, starting college and taking English 101 helped me with my weaknesses and changed my technique of writing essays. My experience in English 101 taught me to write to my fullest potential and to write what I felt; rather then writing what was required.
African American Slang has had many other names: Ebonics, Jive, Black English, and more. The Oxford English Dictionary defines slang (in reference to language) in three different ways: 1) the special vocabulary used by any set of persons of a low or disreputable character; language of a low and vulgar type 2) the special vocabulary or phraseology of a particular calling or profession; the cant or jargon of a certain class or period 3) language of a highly colloquial type, considered as below the level of standard educated speech, and consisting either of new words or of current words employed in some special sense. Whatever one’s perspective on slang, it is a natural and inevitable part of language. In this paper I will discuss examples of current slang being used that some people may not understand.
some word(s) could be different compared to how the words are used in the 21st century. In
In our society, there are many cultures with language and dialect variations, but Standard English is the language of the dominant culture. Therefore, it is necessary for all students to learn to write and speak Standard English effectively. However, for many students of Urban school districts, especially African Americans, writing and speaking effective Standard English can occasionally pose a problem. Many African American students speak a variation of Standard English (Black Vernacular Speech) whose linguistic patterns sometimes conflict with those of Standard English. It is true that African American speech is an essential aspect of their African American culture, so the educational system would be doing African American students a disservice by insisting that they learn Standard English as a primary discourse. It is also a fact however, that in order to be viewed as a successful, functional member of society, Standard English, if learned as a secondary discourse, should be written and spoken as fluently as the primary discourse.
First, it changes because the needs of its speakers change. New technologies, new products, and new experiences require new words to refer to them clearly and efficiently.
As I look back on my English 101 experience, I have come to the conclusion that I have learned many new things that have improved my abilities as a writer. I have learned some new techniques that have improved my ways of approaching an essay. I learned all about the rhetorical appeals and how to apply them in my writing and how to look for them in a essay written by a author. I have also learned how to argue both sides of a argument, and how to look for reliable sources and to properly quote and site the author of the essay. I feel as if I have become a better writer and my improved writing skills are shown within each essay.
how the English language has changed in the many years from then until now. The
Many researchers like Krashen (1985), Harmer (2007), and Turnbull (2001) emphasise that in most EFL (English as a foreign language) environment, a teacher’s English proficiency ...
People in the earlier years of language development would never have guessed that people would start using so much slang words as their daily vocabulary. For example; “Swag, YOLO, and Gay,” have been used frequently and they have multiple meanings. Swag can be used as a noun, describing a person's attitude, or what they look like in a physical manner. It has almost become a personality trait, or description. YOLO is an acronym meaning, “You only live once.” The word YOLO is used right before someone attempts something dumb. It is like a pardon upon themselves to give them the right to the ignorant act, without judgment. Gay is a word that has evolved over time with its definition. It used to mean happiness, and was a term of positivity. Now in modern times, people use the word gay as an insult, calling something dumb, or anything of that nature. These are just a few examples of how the English language has already changed. Not only are words being used that cannot
Books are mind-vacations, intelligence-enhancers, shielded adventures, and champions of inspiration awaiting discovery. Obstinately analytical individuals often argue against the necessity of mandatory high school English courses, citing literature’s functional ‘uselessness’ as proof of their delusional position’s validity. However, pervasively influential in its role as developmental catalyst and accolade to imagination, the study of literature is educationally essential because it represents a timeless testament to the unchanging nature of humanity.
Teaching English in a foreign country can be a challenge for anyone even if their knowledge of English is at an advanced level, as most people have different teaching styles and techniques. While I was in Taiwan, I was able to see how contradictory the learning styles and the education system are. This surprised me because I have never faced these kinds of methods before. Coming from a small country and studying in the United States I thought I had seen it all, however I was wrong.