Most expanding-circle learners choose an inner-circle variety as a target model. For example, in Japan, American English with a GA accent is usually the model. However, having found Taiwan Mandarin a better target model than Beijing Mandarin for my Chinese due to the former's relative lack of neutral tone, I have always felt that an outer-circle variety is a better model for learners of English.
Second-language or creolized varieties are usually easier for learners of English to understand. In terms of phonology, this is partly because of the syllable-timed rhythm. For example, Philippine English has a syllable-timed rhythm. Many languages in the world also have a syllable-timed rhythm. Syllable-timed rhythm is easier for speakers of such languages also because it is a "spelling pronunciation". In many countries, learners learn to how to spell English words before they learn how to pronounce them. Reduction of unaccented syllables in inner-circle varieties of English makes it less orthographically faithful, therefore harder to understand. Speaking English with a syllable-timed rhythm does make you sound less "native-like". But, at the same time, it also makes you more understandable for other non-native speakers. And the majority of English speakers in the world are non-native speakers. Although this may not always be the case, outer-circles speakers also tend to speak more slowly and clearly than inner-circle speakers.
When it comes to grammar, outer-circle varieties are usually more regularized. Intuitively, "I will buy three furnitures for my new house" and "The staffs in that shop are all very friendly" may sound awful for inner-circle ears, but it does seem more logical and regularized for most learners.
According to what I heard recently from a Filipino teacher in Japan, the Philippine English "October ten" for October 10 is much easier for Japanese learners than the American "October tenth", because it is very hard for them to say "th". (Indeed, it is one of the most notorious feature of English pronunciation for most leaners in the world, no matter what their linguistic background may be!)
Maybe this is one of the hidden reasons for the increased popularity among Japanese learners of Filipino teachers and study tours to the Philippines.
Saturday, November 9, 2019
Friday, February 15, 2019
Teochew people
I once wrote that some Taiwanese people who identify themselves as Hokkien or Hakka might actually be descendants of Teochews.
Teochews are an interesting group of people among the overseas Chinese, whose ancestral land overlaps with that of Hakkas in the eastern part of Guangdong. Today, the main city is Swatow (Shantou) but it used to be Chaozhou in the past, from which the name of the group derive.
Although geographically from Guangdong, the Teochew language is closely related to Hokkien. Teochew spoken in places like Singapore is mutually intelligible with Hokkien, perhaps because it has been under the heavy influence from the latter, who form the majority there. But I heard that Teochew spoken in Swatow today is not readily intelligible to Hokkien speakers from Amoy.
The majority of ethnic Chinese in Thailand and Cambodia are Teochews, and even the royal family of the former has some Teochew ancestry.
The first Teochews who came into personal contact with me was a refugee family from Cambodia at the Chinese mass community back when it still met at Sophia University. That made me realize that the family running my favorite restaurant Cambodia in Takadanobaba actually was also Teochew.
The Singaporean exchange student I met also at the Chinese mass was also Teochew, and so was the family I stayed with when I was in Johor Baru, Malaysia, on my way to the UK back in 1992.
While I was in Hull, I once visited a Singaporean lady who married with a local English person. I remember she was also Teochew. The wife of one of my best friends from my Hull years is also Teochew, who come from an area close to Thai border on the east coast of Malaysia. Since Teochews from the majority of Thai Chinese, her family might have also moved from Thailand.
By the way, Mr. Li Ka-shing, one of the richest tycoons in Hong Kong, is also a Teochew and there's a YouTube video of him speaking in Teochew. Unfortunately, he is not a personal friend of mine.
Do you have any Teochew friends? Tell me about them.
Teochews are an interesting group of people among the overseas Chinese, whose ancestral land overlaps with that of Hakkas in the eastern part of Guangdong. Today, the main city is Swatow (Shantou) but it used to be Chaozhou in the past, from which the name of the group derive.
Although geographically from Guangdong, the Teochew language is closely related to Hokkien. Teochew spoken in places like Singapore is mutually intelligible with Hokkien, perhaps because it has been under the heavy influence from the latter, who form the majority there. But I heard that Teochew spoken in Swatow today is not readily intelligible to Hokkien speakers from Amoy.
The majority of ethnic Chinese in Thailand and Cambodia are Teochews, and even the royal family of the former has some Teochew ancestry.
The first Teochews who came into personal contact with me was a refugee family from Cambodia at the Chinese mass community back when it still met at Sophia University. That made me realize that the family running my favorite restaurant Cambodia in Takadanobaba actually was also Teochew.
The Singaporean exchange student I met also at the Chinese mass was also Teochew, and so was the family I stayed with when I was in Johor Baru, Malaysia, on my way to the UK back in 1992.
While I was in Hull, I once visited a Singaporean lady who married with a local English person. I remember she was also Teochew. The wife of one of my best friends from my Hull years is also Teochew, who come from an area close to Thai border on the east coast of Malaysia. Since Teochews from the majority of Thai Chinese, her family might have also moved from Thailand.
By the way, Mr. Li Ka-shing, one of the richest tycoons in Hong Kong, is also a Teochew and there's a YouTube video of him speaking in Teochew. Unfortunately, he is not a personal friend of mine.
Do you have any Teochew friends? Tell me about them.
Thursday, May 24, 2018
CEP Self-directed study portal
Self-directed Study Instruction (Last updated Fall 2024):
To master English, just attending classes is not enough. You also need exposure to English at least 30 minutes a day, five times a week. The best way to do this are:
- Read a book you're interested in without using a dictionary (Extensive Reading, ER)
- Use websites, watch videos or listen to podcasts about the topics you're interested in, then make sentences with the new words you learned in them in your vocabulary notebook (Self-directed study)
How to do your weekly self-directed study:
WHAT'S NEW
- Choose a website from this page. You can choose from:
- Type 1: Use English learning websites
- Type 2: Read online articles about your area of interest
- Type 3: Watch online videos or listen to podcasts
- Study/read/watch/listen to it.
- Write down any new words into your vocabulary notebook. Visit Cambridge Dictionary Online for definitions and example sentences, if necessary.
- Click the link and fill in self-directed study report form at least once a week:
WHAT'S NEW
Accurate English
A classic YouTube channel for learning the American accent.
BBC Learning English 👍
Now easier to navigate with a new look!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/
Now easier to navigate with a new look!
https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/
Sounds Right App 👍
A smartphone app with an interactive phonetic symbol chart. It helps you to remember phonetic symbols for British English.
Apple App Store: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/learnenglish-sounds-right/id387588128
VoiceTube
Watch K-Pop star's makeup video, Hayao Miyazaki anime with subtitles and Japanese translations to learn English! 👍
English Central
Record your voice after watching a video and check your score! 👍
TYPE 1: ENGLISH LEARNING WEBSITES
Learn English Online: British Council 👍
So many free English courses! Who needs eikaiwa schools any more?
https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org
LearnEnglish Kids: British Council 👍
Learn English Online: British Council 👍
So many free English courses! Who needs eikaiwa schools any more?
https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org
LearnEnglish Kids: British Council 👍
For kids, but also good for young adults.
LearnEnglish Teens: British Council 👍
Even if you are above 20 years old, it's still good.
BBC Learning English 👍
You can watch the English learning programs of the British Broadcasting Corporation for free.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/
Tim's Pronunciation Workshop
Learn British pronunciation the fun way.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/pronunciation
English in One Minute 👍
You can watch the English learning programs of the British Broadcasting Corporation for free.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/
Tim's Pronunciation Workshop
Learn British pronunciation the fun way.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/pronunciation
English in One Minute 👍
Short and easy way to learn British English.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/course/eiam/
VOA Learning English 👍
http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/course/eiam/
VOA Learning English 👍
Free videos and audio files in different levels from the Voice of America.
https://learningenglish.voanews.com
VOA Special English TEXT and MP3 FILES
You can download the audio files of Voice of America programs in slower speed and read the scripts.
http://www.manythings.org/voa/scripts/
Test English
https://learningenglish.voanews.com
VOA Special English TEXT and MP3 FILES
You can download the audio files of Voice of America programs in slower speed and read the scripts.
http://www.manythings.org/voa/scripts/
Test English
Good for TOEIC and/or EIKEN preparation.
Duolingo 👍
You can take a placement test for free. It has a Japanese version.
https://www.duolingo.com
https://www.duolingo.com
ELSA Speak 👍
An app that helps you improve your pronunciation. It has a Japanese version.
TYPE 2: ARTICLES ABOUT VARIOUS AREAS OF INTEREST
MLB News
Are you a baseball fan?
https://www.mlb.com/news
Anime News Network
Are you an anime fan?
https://www.animenewsnetwork.com
Allkpop
Are you a K-pop fan?
https://www.allkpop.com
Game Informer
Are you an online game fan?
https://www.gameinformer.com
News in Levels 👍
You can read the news in different levels.
https://www.newsinlevels.com/#
News Reviews
Do you want to be able to read news in English? Here's the place to be.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/course/newsreview
Breaking News English
News stories that are designed to help you improve your English.
https://breakingnewsenglish.com
MLB News
Are you a baseball fan?
https://www.mlb.com/news
Anime News Network
Are you an anime fan?
https://www.animenewsnetwork.com
Allkpop
Are you a K-pop fan?
https://www.allkpop.com
Game Informer
Are you an online game fan?
https://www.gameinformer.com
News in Levels 👍
You can read the news in different levels.
https://www.newsinlevels.com/#
News Reviews
Do you want to be able to read news in English? Here's the place to be.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/course/newsreview
Breaking News English
News stories that are designed to help you improve your English.
https://breakingnewsenglish.com
For people preparing to become flight attendants.
American Kennel Clubs
For all the dog lovers out there.
TYPE 3: VIDEOS AND PODCASTS
Six Minute English👍
Six Minute English👍
A immensely popular podcast series from BBC Learning English
Nick's English
EIKEN interview practice videos (British accent)
JForrest English
Jennifer is another popular English-teaching YouTuber.
Nas Daily
That crazy guy on YouTube who makes a one-minute video every day.
https://www.youtube.com/user/nyassin14
English with Lucy
Probably the most popular English teacher on the web.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCz4tgANd4yy8Oe0iXCdSWfA
Video Zone: British Council 👍
Authentic videos with transcripts and tasks
https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/general-english/video-zone
That crazy guy on YouTube who makes a one-minute video every day.
https://www.youtube.com/user/nyassin14
Probably the most popular English teacher on the web.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCz4tgANd4yy8Oe0iXCdSWfA
Authentic videos with transcripts and tasks
https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/general-english/video-zone
Latifs Inspired
Are you into cooking? Try some British Indian food tonight.
Cathy Cat カティー
German girl YouTuber explains Harajuku kawaii culture.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIg-kRovqtSqWC1kjfKTTZQ
Izzy Sealy
German girl YouTuber explains Harajuku kawaii culture.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIg-kRovqtSqWC1kjfKTTZQ
Sam Chui
For people who want to become pilots, flight attendants, or are just interested in airplanes.
Easy Natural English with Liam
A British online teacher based in Japan
World Friends
Young people talking about different languages
https://www.youtube.com/@worldfriends77Izzy Sealy
Want to know what it's like to be a medical student at Cambridge?
BBC 6 Minute English 👍
All you need is six minutes to learn new English vocabulary and expressions.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english
The English We Speak 👍
Want to impress your teacher? The latest words and expressions you can use in everyday conversations are here.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/the-english-we-speak
TED Talks
It is helpful for improving your presentation skills as well as English in general.
https://www.ted.com/talks
All you need is six minutes to learn new English vocabulary and expressions.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english
The English We Speak 👍
Want to impress your teacher? The latest words and expressions you can use in everyday conversations are here.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/the-english-we-speak
TED Talks
It is helpful for improving your presentation skills as well as English in general.
https://www.ted.com/talks
Learn English with Gill
The most serene English teacher ever!
Friday, March 23, 2018
The Hokkien Blog: Ho ti lai-soaN (The tiger is deep in the mountains)
This post is a translation from my previous post in Japanese.
I sometimes converse with my wife in Hokkien in order to expose our kids to Taiwanese Hokkien. (They only speak Japanese, Mandarin and English, in this order of fluency.)
She asked me to bring something over in Hokkien, so I answered: "Ho."
To this, she responded: "Ho ti lai-soaN lah!"
It took me a while to figure out she was saying: "The tiger is deep in the mountains".
What the heck could this mean?
In no time, I figured out what this word play meant.
Let me explain.
As you may know, Taiwanese Hokkien is a mixture of the Quanzhou and Zhangzhou accents. In Taipei City, the traditional accent is closer to the Amoy accent, which belongs to the Quanzhou side.
In this accent, the pronunciation of "ho (good)" is rounded, as in "hoh".
However, the mainstream accent in Taiwanese media today is closer to the Kaohsiung accent (more toward the Zhangzhou side). In this accent, "ho" is centered, as if to say "her" non-rhotically.
So this word play is used by speakers of the latter accent to ridicule the former's pronunciation of "ho". (FYI, my wife is a speaker of the former. She probably heard someone say this to her parents, who have an even stronger Tong'an accent.)
There are some other jokes that utilize the differences in these two major accents in Taiwan, but some of them are quite vulgar, and not suitable for print.
I sometimes converse with my wife in Hokkien in order to expose our kids to Taiwanese Hokkien. (They only speak Japanese, Mandarin and English, in this order of fluency.)
She asked me to bring something over in Hokkien, so I answered: "Ho."
To this, she responded: "Ho ti lai-soaN lah!"
It took me a while to figure out she was saying: "The tiger is deep in the mountains".
What the heck could this mean?
In no time, I figured out what this word play meant.
Let me explain.
As you may know, Taiwanese Hokkien is a mixture of the Quanzhou and Zhangzhou accents. In Taipei City, the traditional accent is closer to the Amoy accent, which belongs to the Quanzhou side.
In this accent, the pronunciation of "ho (good)" is rounded, as in "hoh".
However, the mainstream accent in Taiwanese media today is closer to the Kaohsiung accent (more toward the Zhangzhou side). In this accent, "ho" is centered, as if to say "her" non-rhotically.
So this word play is used by speakers of the latter accent to ridicule the former's pronunciation of "ho". (FYI, my wife is a speaker of the former. She probably heard someone say this to her parents, who have an even stronger Tong'an accent.)
There are some other jokes that utilize the differences in these two major accents in Taiwan, but some of them are quite vulgar, and not suitable for print.
Saturday, February 17, 2018
台湾閩南語ブログ:ほーてらいそあN（虎は山奥に）
日本語と英語と北京語しか話せない子供達に台湾語を教えるために、時々わざと妻と台湾閩南語で会話することがある。
妻が私に何かをするように頼んだので、台湾語で「ほー」と答えたら、「ほーてらいそあNら！」という返事が帰ってきた。
どんな意味なのかと思ったら、「虎teh內山啦」（虎は山奥にいる）ということ。一体、何の話なのか？
ちょっと考えたら、この言葉遊びの意味が分かった。
台湾閩南語は中国福建省の泉州と漳州という二つの地域の言語が混ざったものであり、極大雑把に言って台北などの北部はどちらかというと前者に近く、南部と宜蘭は後者に近い。台北の混ざり方は福建省アモイ市のものに極めて類似していて、フィリピンやシンガポール・マレーシアなどの華人と問題なく意思疎通できる。戦後は台北市が台湾華語の中心地になったので、台湾のメディアで標準的なものとして扱われている台湾閩南語は、どちらかというと高雄・台南のものに近い。これは「台湾優勢腔」などと呼ばれている。
さて、この現在の台湾で主流派の台湾語では、「好」の発音がcenteringしていて、北京語読みの「赫」に近い。つまり、「はー」に近く聞こえる。
一方、台北で話される泉州寄りの発音では、lip roundingが入り、「ほー」と聞こえる。
日本に例えると、「箸」と言ったのが、他地方の人には「橋」と言っているように聞こえるのと似ているというわけだ。
それで、台北訛りで「いいです」と言ったのに、わざと「虎は山奥だ」と言ってからかう言葉遊びが成立するのである。
これに似た、泉州訛りと漳州訛りの違いを利用した冗談もいくつかあるが、ここでは書かないでおく。
Friday, October 13, 2017
新潟弁：ごめんください
ごめんくださいの使われ方が新潟では特徴的です。
新潟では、誰かと会ったときの挨拶や、電話の会話の冒頭で相手が名乗ったときの挨拶として、ごめんくださいといいます。
私が育った東京では、そのような使い方はしなかった記憶があります。
誰かの家を訪れたとき、昔はドアベルがあまりなかったので、大声でごめんくださーいと言ったものです。
また、近畿で育った祖母は、さようなら、もう切りますよという別れの挨拶として、電話などでごめんくださいと言っていました。新潟とちょうど逆ですね。こっちから電話をかけたのに、いきなり相手からごめんくださいと言われて、キレそうになったものでした。
この使い方は、新潟で生活してしばらくしてから気づきました。新潟弁本にあまり登場しないところを見ると、おそらく、新潟人が方言だとあまり認識していないのかもしれません。他地方にもあるが意味が違う言葉でよくあることです。
ただ、多くの「透明な新潟弁」（方言だと気が付かれない言葉）とは違い、使用者は割りと年配者か、市外出身者が多いような気がします。そのうち滅びる言葉かもしれません。
新潟では、誰かと会ったときの挨拶や、電話の会話の冒頭で相手が名乗ったときの挨拶として、ごめんくださいといいます。
私が育った東京では、そのような使い方はしなかった記憶があります。
誰かの家を訪れたとき、昔はドアベルがあまりなかったので、大声でごめんくださーいと言ったものです。
また、近畿で育った祖母は、さようなら、もう切りますよという別れの挨拶として、電話などでごめんくださいと言っていました。新潟とちょうど逆ですね。こっちから電話をかけたのに、いきなり相手からごめんくださいと言われて、キレそうになったものでした。
この使い方は、新潟で生活してしばらくしてから気づきました。新潟弁本にあまり登場しないところを見ると、おそらく、新潟人が方言だとあまり認識していないのかもしれません。他地方にもあるが意味が違う言葉でよくあることです。
ただ、多くの「透明な新潟弁」（方言だと気が付かれない言葉）とは違い、使用者は割りと年配者か、市外出身者が多いような気がします。そのうち滅びる言葉かもしれません。
Tuesday, October 10, 2017
Language policy at our home
Mixing languages is a most natural human linguistic behavior. Most languages are mixed. When languages come into contact with each other, they are bound to blend together. There's no such thing as a pure language.
In my family, I make it a point to code-mix when I speak to my children. As a result, they freely switch from Mandarin to Japanese to English. At any given moment, they may happen to be speaking in Japanese, and there's something they want to express which happens to be simpler to say in Mandarin, then they would just insert that part in Mandarin into a Japanese utterance.
Some people are afraid that mixing languages may confuse children. But mine never seems to find any problems in figuring out what situations or which people called for straight Japanese or straight Mandarin with no code-mixing.
That all changed when they started going to an "English-only" eikaiwa school where Japanese is strictly prohibited.
Whenever they came across something they wanted to express but didn't know how in English, they paused and asked me: "Uh... How do you say ... in English"? This happened frequently enough for them to get tired of speaking English and give up speaking English altogether.
I wasn't worried, though. I was sure they would figure out very soon that even though it was not OK to mix languages while they were in the eikaiwa school, it's OK when they were at home. And sure enough, they did.
In my family, I make it a point to code-mix when I speak to my children. As a result, they freely switch from Mandarin to Japanese to English. At any given moment, they may happen to be speaking in Japanese, and there's something they want to express which happens to be simpler to say in Mandarin, then they would just insert that part in Mandarin into a Japanese utterance.
Some people are afraid that mixing languages may confuse children. But mine never seems to find any problems in figuring out what situations or which people called for straight Japanese or straight Mandarin with no code-mixing.
That all changed when they started going to an "English-only" eikaiwa school where Japanese is strictly prohibited.
Whenever they came across something they wanted to express but didn't know how in English, they paused and asked me: "Uh... How do you say ... in English"? This happened frequently enough for them to get tired of speaking English and give up speaking English altogether.
I wasn't worried, though. I was sure they would figure out very soon that even though it was not OK to mix languages while they were in the eikaiwa school, it's OK when they were at home. And sure enough, they did.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)