Week 9 Jennifer Jenkins

The article researched pronunciation syllabus, the field that I have been struggling for a long time. However, I felt better after reading this article, because I assured that non-native English speaking teachers(NNEST) should play a different role from native English speaking teachers(NEST). It is not easy for non-native English speakers(NNS) to acquire the pronunciation of EIL. That is why NNEST is necessary to help students by different way from NEST.

I am interested in some researches in the article, especially, examples of pronunciation-based miscommunication in interlanguage talk. It is well known for many Japanese people not to well pronounce the difference between “l” and “r” or “s” and “θ.” I know that the Japanese speaker in the research could not make himself understood in English, “Shakespeare’s birthplace.” The sound of birthplace for Japanese people sounds like “bathplace.” For example, it is also difficult for me to pronounce the difference between “bath” and “bus.” The other day I wanted to say to my friend, “I was taking a bath when you called me.” However, for my friend it sounded that I was taking a bus, so she was confused and our conversation did not make sense well. In order to improve my English pronunciation, I have been taking the pronunciation lessons since I came to IUP. It was not until I took the lesson how important the shape of my mouth was when I pronounced English words. In addition, as Jenkins indicates in her research, there are many phonological errors in NNS conversations. I think non-native speakers, especially NNEST should know these phonological errors and try to practice correcting pronunciation. Then, it enables them to help students to improve their speaking.

In the article, Jenkins says that the best teachers can do is to draw learners’ attention receptively to these items to prime learners for future acquisition outside the classroom, should the possibility of extended exposure present itself.(p.98) I agree with her opinion, but how should NNEST do that? For instance, how should NNEST help students acquire the proper pronunciation? Whenever I read the articles about Introduction to TESOL, I am wondering how I actually do each theory in my classroom. I think it is necessary for NNEST to improve their English skills first. I can understand NNEST play a different role in teaching English from NEST. NNEST should have more confidence in teaching English. However, I have little knowledge how I should teach English more effectively. I try to read and think more, then I talk about it to other people.

Week 8 Mckay Chapter 3-4

It is desirable for me, non native English speaker, to acquire Standard English. In Outer Circle countries like Singapore or India, they have their unique English. In Singapore, it is called ‘Singlish’ and it is regarded as ‘bad English’. However, there are many controversies whether they locally use it or not. Some argue that ‘Singlish’ is part of the Singaporean identity and that ordinary people could relate to it.( Mckay p.55) On the other hand, others claim that children should not speak what they termed ‘bad English.’ I think the variety of language is necessary and language expresses our own culture or identity. In Japan, English is a kind of official language. We want to speak English like native speakers, but I have recently thought that our English is one of the forms of our culture. Japanese people often create new words from English. For example, a convenience store is called ‘konnbini’, and a digital camera is ‘degikame.’ It is a kind of a short form of English words. Maybe, English speakers will not be able to understand these words, but it is very convenient for Japanese people to say them. It may express the flexibility of Japanese people. I need the variety of English in the world.

However, it is important for us to learn and understand EIL as means of communication. As I told above, we also need to know the variety of English. According to Tay (Mckay p.58), Singapore consists of a basilect, mesolect, and acrolect. This type is also true of Nigeria.(Mckay p.58) Variety 4 like acrolect is internationally intelligible, but socially unacceptable. This is only one example that the English situation is diverse and complicated. As far as I am concerned, globalization is proceeding faster and faster in this century. English should play a role as International Language. Therefore, I argue that it is essential to learn Standard English.

In Chapter 4, I am interested in Figure 4, two contexts in which information about a target culture can be introduced in an EIL classroom. In Japan, teacher and students share the same culture and a textbook is a target culture. Teachers can empathize with the students if they cannot understand the cultural differences between their own culture and the target culture. However, how can teachers help students to motivate their interest to the target culture, and to understand cultural differences through such a context? In another context, teacher, student, and textbook are source culture, it is efficient for students to consider how they would explain elements of their own culture to others. Nevertheless, it is only one way communication. Students can understand their culture more deeply, but not other cultures. How can we solve this context?

Week 7 McKay Chapter 1-2 Hall Chapter6

McKay Chapter1-2
More and more people who study English as a second and a foreign language study abroad in English speaking countries such as the U.S. or the U.K. every year. Such people have strong desire to learn English, because most of them want to succeed in their future of present occupation and so on. So do I. Why is it English? It is because English is as international language, which means “it is used by people of different nations to communicate with one another.”(McKay p.11) The linguistic power of English is very clear. According to McKay in chapter 1, English influence on many fields all over the world, such as economy, industry, computer science, global culture, tourism, information, and education. However, it is true that there are some factors that may impede the spread of English. I agree with the explanation why Japan is the low contact ratio between Japanese people and speakers of English by Martin.(p.19) Many Japanese still think of English as the only means to enter university. As Martin points, there is little need in Japan to use English on a daily basis. Moreover, our limited use of English has had little impact on its ability to establish integral economic ties with regions over the world.(p.19) Nevertheless, the situation is changing gradually. The globalization is proceeding, and we begin to notice the necessity of English more.

How do we(the Japanese) change our perspective toward English? We have misunderstood English study, because we have thought of it as the only one subject to enter university. As Kubota describes, one way English exerts influence in Japan is through the image that English textbooks present of language, culture, race, and ethnicity. It represents the superiority of native speakers of English.(p.23) I think English teachers have to change their attitude toward to English study. We should not bring negative images to students from books and ideas. It may be true that native speakers are superior to non-native English-speaking teachers in pronunciation, listening, vocabulary and reading, but I strongly believe that non-native English speaking teachers have the strong fields in a highly developed awareness of structure of the language and the problems their students may have in acquiring it.(p.45) Bilingual teachers of English should have the confidence and teach English to students in a proper way, not assimilation. Then, English spread more over the world as well as in Japan.

Question: Suppose that you are a non-native English-speaking teacher, and you have to teach English in outer or expanding circle countries. Students wish to learn English by native English-speaking teachers. What should you focus on or should you tell them at first?



Hall Chapter 6
For second language learners, to acquire the target language is a perpetual desire. We have learned some theories in SLA research in Introduction to TESOL. The theories explained by Hall are still difficult to understand, but it is also helpful to study the second language acquisition and to give me some clues. Model of communicative competence by Celce-Murcia et al. is a clear visual explanation.(p.107) Discourse competence is centered and related with sociocultural competence, linguistic competence, and actional competence. In addition, strategic competence weaves through all components. Reflect my English ability, my English deficiency depends on the lack of each components, especially strategic competence. Then, how do the second language learners develop each component?

Pedagogical approaches for redesigning language classrooms are the key to solve it. In Japan, I have never thought such pedagogical approaches. Then, I am interested in problem-posing approach. It encourages students to define the real-life problem, share their experiences and elaborate on what they see.(p.115) It is very effective way to learn the target language. Students can get and store a lot of knowledge, but if they do not relate the knowledge with their real-life problem, they will forget it soon. For example, since I came here, I have had some troubles in my life, such as setting up telephone, the internet, the TV and the electricity. Whenever I set up, I had to call a company and explain what I needed. At first, I wrote down many phrases before I called. Later I managed to explain what I needed, but it was still difficult for me. Anyway, I could learn some phrases and know the better way to explain.

As Hall says in summary, sociocultural perspectives is to help students to understand the means by which their activities are constructed, how to negotiate with others to position themselves in relation to these roles and identities.(p.123) I would like to teach English to students by the view by sociocultural perspectives more when I go back to Japan.