im more interested in your explation of WHY countries appear to choose one over the other and where do you see it going over the next twenty years or so. i concede hong kong but would quibble over china. ask your students what they prefer. america wins nearly every time. i have no malice and would concede that my statement was at best representative of perceived modest preferences in many countries and for silly reasons (hollywood).
Prefer to listen to? Or prefer to speak???
Surely it's a hard one as there can (as Trep kind of mentioned) economic factors in it???
And what is thought of as the best???
To be fair it's really very easy to teach American English, even I could do it as easily as proper EnglishIf you get what I mean??? Other than a slight twang, it's not really overly hard....is it???
Riddle me this brother can you handle it
Your style to my style you can't hold a candle to it
Equinox symmetry and the balance is right
Smokin' and drinkin' on a Tuesday night
It's not how you play the game it's how you win it
I cheat and steal and sin and I'm a cynic
^"proper" vs "american"
Actually just thinking about it...what's that accent you boys do like with the butler from Magnum P.I. and Devon Miles from Knight Rider??? 'Cos while it kinda sounds American it's very neutral and sounds kind of British in accent/speech??? Do you know what I mean???
the guy on magnum pi wasnt a real englishmen? dont know the knight rider guy.
Posted after 1 minute 48 seconds:
it seems war and/or colonization are significant factors in language/accent change. with media taking an extrremly significant role also.
^ Definitely war and what we once owned. But then Thailand was still using God Save the King not that long ago, and the uniform that they wear seems to be based on the English one (the red one)....but we didn't really colonise here or anything???
But gotta be TV as like Hannibal said....err something about coveting shit and that!
Posted after 5 minutes 2 seconds:
Nah he's American (had to check as I thought I'd messed up again):
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0384916/
Posted after 1 minute 35 seconds:
Also most American thespians also seem to talk with a pretty neutral accent???
born in texas! ha
Actually I'm thinking...maybe it's more to do with what they think of the people, rather than how they find the language per se??? I mean...I'd not have a clue if a Northern Thai was speaking to me or a Southern Thai???
I'd just want the one with the whitest, cleanest teeth, the best personal hygiene and someone that can get enthusiastic over a glass of water??? If you're feelin' me
That's kind of what I mean though...why did he end up talking the way he did??? Even old Orson Welles with his Carlsberg (that was him right??? Or was it for ciggies??? Can't be arsed to Google) ads didn't seem overly American???Originally Posted by watdog
born in texas! ha
rumpole, if my contention is "ethnocentric", what term would you use to describe your own?
Posted after 5 minutes 15 seconds:
^its a class and sort of intelligence thing. i think many americans, having never traveled and being brought up on tv/movies, see a british accent as upper crust or upscale and intelligent. more recently with movies like trainspotting and others, the class perceptions make there way to the toilet pretty quickly. (good movie and sound track)
Thank Heaven we have agreed to dispense with the 'Stans, because quite frankly I don't have a clue which side of the fence they're on!
Certainly colonialism has played a substantial role, and by extension military occupation and/or the presence of a large military force. Also proximity. Europe for British English and Central/South America for North American. Obviously Hollywood has had a considerable influence, as you stated. Then there are lesser factors such as trade (who you do the most business with might determine which version of English you prefer). Personal preference, study location, or even 'snob' appeal might also buck the national trend in some cases.
As to the next 20 years, I perceive that geographic location will continue to have some relevance, despite innovations in the way we communicate, and receive our news, entertainment etc. Central and South America will obviously remain firmly in the American camp, whereas much of Europe will probably continue to learn British English, if only because EU regulations make it difficult for those other than Brits and Irish to work there. Economic development will also play a big part in the choice for the rest of the world. The more affluent nations will go with American English (this is currently happening in India), whereas poorer places will likely maintain the status quo and/or continue to be content with whatever they can get (at least in terms of teachers and textbooks). Also, British English itself is absorbing more and more 'Americanisms', due to Holywood, US TV and the internet, so the differences may be even less than they are currently.
I also have no real axe to grind, and the differences between the two 'Englishes' are fairly negligible in the final analysis. I believe (off the top of my head) there are approximately 40 lexical items in every day use which are substantially different, though the slang and idiom obviously has greater variety. I always give my students the British and American versions of new vocabulary (when the two differ) and select teaching material on the basis of how good I think it is, rather than whether it has a British or American focus. I also often encourage the students to use American expressions if these are simpler or more widely used. I couldn’t care less which version of the language my students choose, as long as they can use it effectively. To do otherwise would be to fail in my duty as a teacher.
thanks. i enjoyed the conversation. :chug:
Stickman's been picking at this scab for a long, long time, Einstein. Why, I remember back when his site was the only source of misinformation regarding teaching in Thailand.Eeh doodoo-for-brains it's a 'pub'. People chatting doesn't constitute "obsession".
Dick van Dyke had a spot on Cockney twang
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