Quote:
Originally Posted by dogsbody70
Most Native english speakers do a special course on teaching English as a foreign language.
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Really? A whole course! All the way to the end? Wow, that must be the biggest insult to professional teachers all around the world I've ever heard! I'll make a note of that while I go chatting up people in English on the streets and even City Hall! Oh yeah, that's right... if only those pesky results wouldn't exist.
I'd say this is a good place for a
caveat:
If the shoe fits...
Quote:
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Originally Posted by RobinMask
They may mispronounce certain words, their spelling may be off, they may not recognise archaic words or academic/scientific terms . . .
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And native speakers are immune to those? Let's share some laughs over at the
Lamebook, shall we?
Incidentally, I've heard a lot about the importance of pronounciation above everything else. Why? Native speakers with no accredited qualification have impulsive control over their own accent only. How does that help a student? They may know how to do it, but how do they convey that to the student any better than a tape recorder?
Allow me to demonstrate. You can walk, right? Instruct your friend in the art of walking. He will survive, because he uses common understanding that you both have to fulfill the gaps in your explanation, meaning he already knows how to walk.
A foreign language student has no common understanding with you, so do the following: instruct your friend to only do as you say and nothing else. When he wakes up, you will have an awakening of your own.