Arthur B. Funky Posted June 22, 2019 Report Share Posted June 22, 2019 Without being all hoity-toity, the English language is peculiar.Ā I think we can all agree. What are the language oddities that make you smile, wind you up, generally confound or confuse people? Niche (French of course) to nitch (American pronounciation); it's nicheĀ Americans, learn it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Devon Malcolm Posted June 22, 2019 Paid Members Report Share Posted June 22, 2019 Arthur B. Postinginthewrongforum Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arthur B. Funky Posted June 22, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2019 Yup! Half an eye on what I'm watching on the telly ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Arthur B. Funky Posted June 22, 2019 Author Report Share Posted June 22, 2019 If the mods can move it, I would be very grateful ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Your Fight Site Posted June 22, 2019 Paid Members Report Share Posted June 22, 2019 6 hours ago, Arthur B. Funky said: If the mods can move it, I would be very grateful ... I donāt think the UKFF has a binā¦ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The King Of Swing Posted June 22, 2019 Report Share Posted June 22, 2019 1 hour ago, Your Fight Site said: I donāt think the UKFF has a binā¦ That's the vegan thread. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members SpiritOfTheForest Posted June 22, 2019 Paid Members Report Share Posted June 22, 2019 Not being a snidey wanker about it like a previous poster, as an English language teacher I feel this all the time. Phrasal verbs are the worst for this - so often students will be compelled to get right down to the nitty-gritty and establish WHY something happens (which is annoying because in English, most of the time there is no real set reason). It's led me to tell my adult students straight up when they ask me "Why is X like like this..." "Because English is a shit". NotĀ many of us really appreciate how fortunate we are to have English as our mother tongue. It's a constantly confusing language. Languages are absolutely fascinating though. The fact that the same very similar word can exist across an entire continent for the same object never fails to blow my brain.Ā Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members IANdrewDiceClay Posted June 22, 2019 Paid Members Report Share Posted June 22, 2019 Seeing the thread title in On Topic, I thought it was a discussion about some stern warning given to messers Golga and Kurrgan about a vulgar outburst in the supermarket queue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr Kennedy Posted June 23, 2019 Report Share Posted June 23, 2019 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Tommy! Posted June 23, 2019 Paid Members Report Share Posted June 23, 2019 The ukffs own mudslide didn't speak during the oddities run did he? Was that just to try and hide the fact it's clearly him? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewster McCloud Posted June 23, 2019 Report Share Posted June 23, 2019 8 hours ago, SpiritOfTheForest said: Not being a snidey wanker about it like a previous poster, as an English language teacher I feel this all the time. Phrasal verbs are the worst for this - so often students will be compelled to get right down to the nitty-gritty and establish WHY something happens (which is annoying because in English, most of the time there is no real set reason). It's led me to tell my adult students straight up when they ask me "Why is X like like this..." "Because English is a shit". NotĀ many of us really appreciate how fortunate we are to have English as our mother tongue. It's a constantly confusing language. Languages are absolutely fascinating though. The fact that the same very similar word can exist across an entire continent for the same object never fails to blow my brain.Ā Yes, let's not be snide wankers and talk about the topic in hand. What I've enjoyed most about teaching English is idioms - they're a great way of helping people understand how English actually functions, but they are nonsensical and that can be a stumbling block. You start with "It's raining cats and dogs" and go from there, though, and ask them to explain idioms that exist in their native language.Ā I always try to avoid saying "because English" when a difficult question comes up, and attempt to get into the nuts and bolts of the language in my own rather cackhanded manner if that's what's warranted in the class at the time. I see the tenses in English, for example, rather like a mathematical formula, but it's more helpful to students, I find, to give real life examples rather than just writing it up on the board and saying "that's what you must do!" Are you familiar with the teach-this website? Phrasal verbs become a lot more fun when you're playing Jeopardy with the class! Where do you work out of interest? I've been teaching English in Indonesia for 9 years and I think I'm finally getting a bit good at it.Ā Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Tommy! Posted June 23, 2019 Paid Members Report Share Posted June 23, 2019 2 minutes ago, Brewster McCloud said: Whatļ»æ I've enjoyed most aboutļ»æ teaching English You teach! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewster McCloud Posted June 23, 2019 Report Share Posted June 23, 2019 (edited) I do! And I'm not a cunt in real life - imagine that! Edited June 23, 2019 by Brewster McCloud Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paid Members Tommy! Posted June 23, 2019 Paid Members Report Share Posted June 23, 2019 1 hour ago, Brewster McCloud said: Ā I'm not a cunt in real life - imagine that! Ā Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brewster McCloud Posted June 23, 2019 Report Share Posted June 23, 2019 I know, I know... I do my best to be nice to my wife, children and students, though. Being nasty to strangersĀ on the Internet isn't something I really want to go along with, but if you do, have at it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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