January 2019 – Educational Sociolinguistics

Rocking but not rolling

Amelia Robinson

When I first moved to Newfoundland on May the 4th (be with you) 2010, I was relatively unfamiliar with the place, besides having heard, as a “mainlander” the odd “Newfie Joke” (Newfoundlanders have long been subjected to ridicule and, though this is changing, change comes slowly to a place that is small and to which people’s main exposure may be via these very types of stereotypes and jokes – PSA: the term “Newfie” is not acceptable and not just a short form of Newfoundlander. Please do not use it unless you are from Newfoundland and decide to). Upon arrival a stereotype commonly associated with Newfoundland was borne out robustly; I was welcomed into many homes for meals, offered a wide number of forms of hospitality and quickly integrated into a tight knit community,

One summer day I was invited, via e-mail, to meet friends at a party outside of town near a lake. An e-mail with driving directions was forwarded to me. As a proud Montrealer and devout cyclist I stubbornly typed the approximate highway exit into my phone and decided to bike there. I got off the highway hours later, exhausted, as it was starting to really rain (in Newfoundland it is nearly always raining, but sometimes it is Really Raining). I had crossed the highway back and forth in either direction on this smaller road several times and tried reaching friends by phone but was having no luck.

TOO MUCH English priority!

Kensaku Ogata

Kubota found in her study that language skill is not considered as the goal, and instead, the goal is to accomplish the task whether in Japan or abroad. She also says that companies do not necessarily prioritize pre-existing skills in English (or another language) for employment or overseas work assignment (Kubota 2011). However, I suppose that in terms of English ability, there are still plenty of companies which prioritizes English abilities rather than the ability to communicate when hiring the new employees. Also, in some companies, the adequate level of TOEIC score is necessary for promotion and other companies even provide a bonus for their employees who acquire a high score. This supports Grin et al. (2010) who suggested, in recent quantitative research on language economics, that language skills are indeed positively related to earning.

Native or non-Native ESL Teacher: That is the Question!

By: Zahra Zamani

From my first attempts in Canada to be an English Teacher (what I used to be in my country), I understood that there is a long journey in front of me to be admitted to the club. Assuming that you are from a non-native English-speaking country, native speakers (especially native English speaker teachers (NEST)) become sensitive to check your pronunciation and your knowledge of English language to be sure that you are put in the right position. The questions that I always see in their eyes are “does she make a good teacher of English language while she has not learned it naturally and cannot speak it with a perfect correct accent? Do not we have enough native speakers who can teach the course?”

This view/ attitude can be easily seen in the teaching market demands when you see that majority of EFL and ESL teaching job sites require applicants to be native speakers. Then, you will confront this fact that being a non-native English speaker teacher (NNEST) can be a serious disadvantage for you despite your many years of studies in ESL programs at accredited universities and your valuable teaching practices. This happens while just being a native English speaker (NES) gives a great opportunity to some other people to be English teachers all around the world without having enough knowledge and experience about teaching.

Continue reading “Native or non-Native ESL Teacher: That is the Question!”

Deciphering “Konglish”

Chris

Having recently returned to Canada after 4 years in Korea, I find myself using Korean variations for English words without realizing it. This form of language is known as “Konglish” (McPhail, 2018), and basically describes words that have been appropriated from English, and repackaged into Korean. Sometimes the words are shortened, distorted or have their meanings completely changed. This would explain the reason that when I go hiking, I cheer on others with a hearty “paiting !”, while simultaneously throwing an energetic fist into the air. “Paiting” being the English derivative of “fighting” or meaning to do battle, but in this case is used as encouragement. It basically means “you can do it!”. In English we can fight a foe, for love, or even an illness but we cannot fight a mountain. So the word has been taken out of context and has even changed a bit since Hangul (the Korean alphabet) cannot compensate for the sound made by our letter “f”.

English Mania

Yiling

I’m glad to learn that the major lingua francas between Japanese expatriates and their Chinese colleagues are Mandarin and Japanese (Kubota, 2013). I’m kind of relieved to know that in a social context where people speak different languages (Mandarin and Japanese in this case), English has not taken the place and prevail as the dominant language for communication. The worldwide mania for learning English has been constantly drawing our attention.

Gas on a Highway

“Gas on the highway” Thank you for not asking.

Kahsennenhawe

Scenario 1

“Please introduce yourself”

“Hi, my name is Mandy.” Nobody bats an eye.

Scenario 2

“Please introduce yourself”

“Kwe, Kahsennénhawe iontiáts” Hi, my name is Kahsennénhawe.

And the next question is almost always “What does it mean?” or they want a 20-minute power point outlining my language and culture. (Please just let me state my name like all the others, without the interrogation.)

The only question ever asked about my name Mandy, is if it’s short for Amanda. And no, it’s not.

A Look at Franglais in a Work of Quebec Fiction: noms fictifs

Brian

As Heller (2008) describes, culture in Quebec is something in which the government and Quebec society have invested a great deal of energy and money. As a result, the arts are thriving, and Quebec writers are able to take advantage of subsidized publishers, an enthusiastic public, and opportunities to export their work to francophone countries in Europe, where it is promoted as Quebec culture. This is in contrast to English Canadian writers, who have greater opportunity to see their work get recognized by the Anglo-American mainstream, but more barriers to publishing and less local support. I’m generalizing to an extent, but these are factors in why English-Canadian writers from Montreal are less likely to use vernacular than their francophone counterparts.

noms fictifs, by Olivier Sylvestre, was released in 2018 and was a finalist for the French-language Governor-General’s award in fiction, among other prizes. While a work of fiction, the entire book is told in verse, another trait that is unusual for English-language fiction. Because of this structure, there is extra focus on language, which makes it a good study for both Quebec slang and franglais, or, as we could also call it, bilingual repertoire.

It’s not easy to answer “how are you”…

Yunjie Xue

At the first two months when I had come to Montreal, the most “terrifying” and “dreadful” thing for me was to respond to “How are you?” asked by other nice, friendly people here—And imagine, I had to do it at any time and anywhere!

For sure I understand that is merely a simple and common greeting, but I just cannot get accustomed to it. This question always makes me feel very nervous and think a lot: Does he/she ask how I am going? Oh, he/she is such a kind person concerning about me! Should I say “thank you” and “how are you” back? Actually, I am so pleased now because I have just finished one of my assignments. So should I tell the person about it? But if I tell, it seems like we are going to have a formal conversation. If I don’t tell, what else could I do? Maybe I should give he/her a smile… Don’t call me a drama queen. It is literally what I went through in mind when asked about “how are you” at the very beginning.