Learn Spanish Words - It’s A Breeze
What are the first words learned when living in a foreign country? Well I can tell you when I started to learn Spanish words the first ones I picked up and began to use were the swear words. Why is that? Why do we focus on the negative aspects of a language first? The first thing we want to be able to do is yell at people and express our displeasure eloquently. Why do we not instead ask how to say something is amazing, or delicious, or fabulous? So to learn these important Spanish words the first thing we do when we get of the plane is make friends and ask them how to swear.
Well what about learning other Spanish words? Reading is a good way. Pick up the local newspaper and translate all the words you don’t know. This takes a long time and can be frustrating but is very effective. I have also found it helps to write down the words you learn to get a visual of them as you memorize them. It is a lot easier to remember a word when you know how it is spelled. You can figure out the pronunciation and remember it better than simply listening to your friend with the very strong Spanish accent say it and trying to imitate.
Unfortunately sometimes it seems like the more words you learn the more you don’t know. I constantly learn new Spanish words and think I can now say what I want until I try to formulate a sentence and realize there are 5 other words I need. It is a never-ending uphill battle to learn all I need.
Gregory Newell is a web author who’s written about hot to learn to speak Spanish. If you want to learn Spanish words then you might be interested in reading more.
English In The New World
From its early British heritage, the English language has evolved and it will continue to do so as it creeps its way into societies all over the world. The English you know may not be what another person, who lives in another country, knows. Different countries have developed their own unique way of using English. For example, the Australian English, a dialect I have grown accustomed to, uses the letter ‘ u ’s in certain words. They use suffixes such as - ise instead of - ize as well as - t instead of - ed . Below are some examples of the common differences between how Australians spell words and how these words are spelt elsewhere.
Centre rather than Center
Endeavour rather than Endeavor
Colour instead of Color
Armour instead of Armor
Dreamt instead of Dreamed
Spelt instead of Spelled
Learnt instead of Learned
Jeopardise instead of Jeopardize
Organise instead of Organize
Organisation instead of Organization
When I wrote my book: The Part-Time Currency Trader , I had to think about who my audience was. People who might be interested in this book were not just going to be Australians. In fact, currency trading is big in America , Europe and Asia . I would have to communicate with them as well. Therefore, I had to do a little researching and what I discovered for myself would be relevant to all writers, website owners and anybody who wishes to communicate with the global community and compete internationally.
From its early British heritage, the English language has evolved and it will continue to do so as it creeps its way into societies all over the world. The English you know may not be what another person, who lives in another country, knows. I found it most intriguing that there are so many English dialects.
Below are the types of English dialects (Source: http://www.wikipedia.org):
Types of English that evolved from the British Isles :
English English
Highland English
Mid-Ulster English
Scottish English
Welsh English
Manx English
Irish English
Types of English that evolved from the United States:
AAVE (Ebonics)
American English
Baltimorese
Boston English
California English
General American
North Central American English
Hawaiian English
Southern American English:
Spanglish
Chicano English
Types of English that evolved from Canada :
Canadian English
Newfoundland English
Quebec English
Types of English that evolved in the Oceania :
Australian English
New Zealand English
Types of English that evolved in Asia :
Hong Kong English
Indian English
Malaysian English
Philippine English
Singaporean English
Sri Lankan English
Types of English that evolved in other countries:
Bermudian English
Caribbean English
Jamaican English
Liberian English
Malawian English
South African English
Other Classifications of English:
Basic English
Commonwealth English
Globish
International English
Plain English
Simplified English
Special English
Standard English
With this many types of English to cater for, writing can get complicated, especially when it comes to spelling words. If you are writing a book, people expect you not to make any spelling errors. None of us are perfect and I’m sure there are mistakes in most manuscript or on most websites but the last thing you need as a writer, is that your readers attribute spelling mistakes to you because of these basic differences in English.
If you want to know how I got around this problem, I simply wrote my book in my local dialect, Australian English. Then, I added a page in my book where I explain to the reader the most common differences between the Australian English and the English they may be accustomed to.
I just thought I would let you know and I hope this helps when you are reading or writing.
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About The Author:
Marquez Comelab is the author of the book: The Part-Time Currency Trader. It is a guide for men and women interested in trading currencies in the forex market. Discusses analysis, tools, indicators, trading systems, strategies, discipline and psychology. See: http://marquezcomelab.com.
Advantages of E-Learning Over Traditional Instruction of a Second Language
Benefits of E-learning
When it comes to Second Language Acquisition, E-learning has definite benefits over traditional classroom training. While the most obvious are the flexibility and the cost savings from not having to travel or spend excess time away from work, there are also others that might not be so obvious. For example:
* You learn at your own pace and much faster without depending on someone else’s progress. If something is too easy you can pass on to the next topic with the click of a button. If something seems too hard for you, you can devote as much time as you need to comprehend it entirely.
* You can work from any location and any time - E-learners can go through training sessions from anywhere, usually at anytime. This is crucial; in a world in which many busy professionals, business managers or just students need to travel on a regular basis, sometimes within their own country, and sometimes abroad, E-learning is the only choice to enable them to continue studying just as if they were at home. This of course, could never happen in a traditional course.
* For those students who need to improve their speaking or listening comprehension skills, E-learning, especially the one delivered via audio or video conferencing, is an unbeatable alternative. The student talking time is maximized up to 100%, something unthinkable in a traditional course in which every single student’s talking time is very restricted.
* When classes are delivered by native Spanish speakers via audio or video conferencing, Spanish learners can acquire the language almost as effectively as if they traveled to a Spanish speaking country. After all, they will be learning not just language but also culture, from someone who is originally from that very same setting. In addition, if the online instructor is a native Spanish speaker, the student can be practicing his or her listening comprehension skills in real time, around real contexts and listening to the same Spanish that is used outside the classroom. In most traditional classrooms, students are exposed to simplified recordings that have no resemblance to the way native speakers talk. In an online class with a native speaker of the language that does not happen. It is REAL Spanish, all the time.
* It can be updated easily and quickly - Online e-learning sessions are especially easy to keep up-to-date because the updated materials are simply uploaded to a server. In traditional instruction this is more difficult. Imagine a book that had to be reprinted in the light of new discoveries. It may take at ages to reach the bookstands, whereas online, changes and updates can be posted overnight.
* It can lead to increased retention and a stronger grasp on the subject - E-learning goes in line with the theory of multiple
that basically states that we all learn differently. For example some people have visual memory, so retention is produced by watching, reading or visual stimuli. Some others are more musical, and rely on their auditory memory. And there are of course many other different ways in which people learn. E-learning is ideal due to the fact that in presents students with info from very different angles. This is because of the many elements that are combined in e-learning to reinforce the message, such as video, audio, quizzes, interaction, etc.
* Quick and fast revision of contents: at any time you can revisit or replay sections of the training that might not have been clear the first time around. It goes without saying that this is literally impossible in a traditional classroom setting.
These are just a few of the MANY substantial advantages of E-learning over traditional instruction when it comes to the teaching and learning of a second language. In future articles we will study each of these advantages in detail.
Julio Foppoli is a teacher of English as a Second Language and a teacher of Spanish as a Second Language. He is the creator and owner of http://www.esaudio.net/Spanish/online_classes.html, an online educational website with a technological edge, specialized in the teaching of Spanish as second language via audio-conference to native speakers of English from all over the world.
English Only in the EFL Classroom: Worth the Hassle?
Introduction
In considering the use of L1 (the learners mother tongue) in ELT (English Language Teaching) on the part of the teacher, one of the first assumptions is that the teacher has a sufficient command of the students L1 to be of value in the first place. Another assumption which may well impact this scenario is that all the learners in a class or group have the same L1. While these assumptions may often be the case in numerous EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teaching / learning settings, many times they are not. In the case of multi-cultural classes (i.e., in the USA, UK, Australia, Canada, India, etc.) where the learners have different L1s, or when the teacher does not have a working knowledge of the learners L1, a frequent occurrence in Asia, Africa and eastern Europe, applied L1 use in the EFL classroom is severely limited or may be rendered virtually impossible.
Use of L1 in the Classroom
In my case, I’ll talk about those instances where I do in fact use the learners L1 in my EFL classes. I have acquired a working knowledge of Spanish and all my university and independent students have Spanish as their L1. Although I’m against any substantial use of L1 in ESOL (the teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages) classes, there are situations where its use is quite valuable. In addition, at early levels a ratio of about 5 per cent native language to about 95 per cent target language may be more profitable than the use of “English only”. (Atkinson, 1987) On the first day of class with a new group, I explain to the learners that they are allowed to ask “How do you say ______ , in Spanish?” where the Spanish (L1) word or phrase is filled in the blank. This allows the students to get key vocabulary in their written or spoken expression while limiting their use of L1 in class.
When learners are stumped for abstract lexis, a word or phrase which cannot be easily elicited during the course of a lesson, I’ll simply “give” them the word in Spanish to aid in continuing with the smooth flow of the lesson and not get “bogged down” in trying to come up with the elusive lexis by other means. When a student gives me production of incomprehensible language, i.e., I (nor the other learners) cannot decipher what the student is trying to say in English, I’ll say “Tell me that in Spanish.” Armed with this new understanding I (or one of the other learners) can then provide that learner with corrected, comprehensible forms which otherwise might elude both (or even all) of us.
During a written exam, I’ll also “give” the learners a word or phrase writing it on the board in English and / or Spanish to avoid extensive disruption of the test-taking process. Since I do not prepare the exams, new lexis can creep into readings, instructions or exercises. When a learner, and as additional learners, ask for meaning or explanation of the word(s), I’ll simply point to the lexis on the board without speaking.
When playing communicative, TPR (Asher, 1966 and passim) or “fast-paced” vocabulary games such as a learner favorite called “STOP”, I’ll again provide a translation of new lexis to help develop the learners vocabulary. These could be lexis of places, names in English / Spanish, foods, animals or some verbs or use of the L1 in various code-switching activities. (Clandfield - Foord, 2003) This happens especially frequently when I need to explain why a particular word is incorrect or cannot be used.
L1 Use with LEP Learners
One additional instance when I switch to Spanish is when I must talk to LEP (Limited English Proficiency) learners about important administrative matters or procedures for which they do not have the necessary depth of vocabulary to understand. The importance of the material and their need to understand it outweigh the adherence of sticking to “English only” which is my “standard operating procedure” in the classroom. This is especially true in my case with groups of learners with less than about 250 contact hours of English which is equivalent to third semester or less. Note: Atkinson (1987 and passim) states 150 hours or less (second semester) for this stage although I have found it often extends into an additional semester.
On occasion, students will bring in a song or lyrics, usually Rock or Pop music, and ask the meaning of a word, phrase, expression or sometimes even the title. In providing the requested explanation (when I can), I use comparisons and / or translations into Spanish as often as is necessary. The same may occur with dialogue from popular films, movies and videos produced for native speakers of English. In rare instances, a cassette recording of a radio broadcast or book-on-tape has made its way into my classroom for the same reasons.
A final common instance in my use of L1 in the classroom is with learners in “repeat” or “remedial” classes of LEP learners. Since these learners have already demonstrated that the “traditional” teaching methods provided for in their course books is insufficient in teaching them the material. All these learners have failed the course at this level at least once, some twice or more. I subsequently use a series of alternative methodologies including translation and other types of input / feedback in the learners L1 to aid in the learning - acquisition process. These methods have, in fact, proved to be very successful. One reason may be that use of specially-targeted methodologies and altered classroom conditions help to lower the learners Affective Filters (Krashen - Terrell, 1983) and direct the new material and lexis to them in ways more compatible with their individual Multiple Intelligences and preferred learning styles (Gardner, 1983).
Conclusions
In conclusion I have stated that my use of L1 in the EFL classroom is minimal and should not exceed a ratio of more than 5% of the L1 to 95% of the target language. Key EFL classroom situations in which L1 can be utilized include:
• requesting new lexis
• explaining abstract terms
• to aid in the generation of comprehensible input / production
• during exams and other high-stress situations
• to maintain the flow of dynamic activities
• to explain idioms and expressions in songs, movies and videos
• giving information / instructions to LEP learners
• in adapting materials to the special needs of the learners
While the use of the learners L1 should be strictly controlled, it is plausible to make accurate use of it in activities to promote learning and acquisition. Ongoing language acquisition research and in-class practice supports that use of L1 should not be prohibited for its own sake, but allowed occasionally as an additional tool in the repertoire of the teacher and the learners as conditions warrant.
Note: Academic references for this article are available on request.
Prof. Larry M. Lynch has taught EFL, published ELT articles as an expert author, presented at numerous TESOL conferences and trained teachers in the USA, Colombia, Mexico, Ecuador, Panama and Spain. His work has appeared in Transitions Abroad, South American Explorer, Escape from America, Mexico News and Brazil magazines. At present he teaches at the Universidad Santiago de Cali in Cali, Colombia. To get original, exclusive articles and content for your newsletter, blog or website or information on TEFL presentations, specialized teacher training programs or conference speaking engagements contact him at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com