Things My English Teacher Never Taught Me

1. Things My English Teacher Never Taught Me Johanna E. Katchen (柯安娜)National Tsing Hua University (國立清華大學外語系)katchen@mx.nthu.edu.tw http://mx.nthu.edu.tw/~katchen/

2. What does it mean to know a language? • What are our purposes? • Reading scientific articles? • Publishing papers? • Meeting employment needs? • Travelling abroad? • Talking to our colleagues in multicultural situations? • Religious rites?

3. How much English do our students in Taiwan need? • We assume four skills to prepare them for whatever future careers they may have • At university we often focus on reading so they can access printed material in their fields • Students often say that they can handle the basics but just don’t have enough vocabulary

4. Why don’t students have enough vocabulary? • Languages like English and Chinese have long histories filled with historical events and literary works that contribute to the many cultural references in these languages • Both are also spoken over wide areas with many regional varieties, each of which develops its own specialized vocabulary

5. According to scholars, English has about three times as many words as other modern European languages. Why?

6. Historical Factors--Latin • Latin has been a source for words since the time of the Roman Empire, when Germanic tribes on the continent conducted trade with the Romans • Our words for wine/vine as well as wall and street date from this time. • The Christianization of Britain brought all sorts of Latin words into English, from words related to the new religion (e.g., altar, candle, creed) to everyday words (e.g., purple, cap, sock).

7. Historical Factors--Scandinavian • As a result of Viking invasions and settlements, English borrowed some 900 words from Scandinavian languages. • Most of our words beginning in sk- (some spelled sc-) come from this source: sky, skin, scrape, and even the lowly scab.

8. Historical Factors--French • The Norman Conquest was the catalyst for the introduction of about 10,000 new words from French • From French we have words from law (e.g., arson, adultery) to food (e.g., beef, mutton, venison) to fashion (e.g., sable, satin), and so many everyday words (e.g., common, nice, arrange, cover).

9. Historical Factors—The Renaissance • Borrowings from Latin continued, picking up again during the Renaissance as ancient books were translated from Latin into English. • Borrowings from Greek also increase from the Renaissance with the rise of science. For example, many words in the medical field come from Greek, e.g., diarrhea, gynecology, stomach.

10. Historical Factors--Exploration • In addition to these significant sources of English vocabulary, words enter English through exploration of new lands, where new flora, fauna, geographical features, and cultural artifacts call for names, often adaptations of the local word. • From American Indian languages we get, for example, skunk, chipmunk, wigwam, and moccasin.

11. Historical Factors—Social Movements and Events • Social movements such as the Renaissance as well as other social events generate new vocabulary. • In recent years English added words like feminism and ethnic cleansing from native roots as well as borrowed words like tsunami from Japanese and apartheid from Afrikaans (South Africa).

12. Historical Factors--Technology • Peaks of technological innovation, such as we are experiencing now, bring in new vocabulary or old words with new meanings: windows, mouse, fire wire, and pixel. • The internet allows new words and ways of writing/speaking to travel the world within seconds

13. Abbreviations—acronyms—are a part of this mew vocabulary—URL, RAM, CPU, MP3, AVI and so many more • Text messaging has added more and more abbreviated terms like btw (by the way), lol (laughing out loud), myob (mind your own business). • No one quite knows where the internet will lead us with regard to language change.

14. Cultural Factors • Often it is difficult to separate cultural factors from historical factors as they are interconnected. • Some cultural factors derive from deep in the folklore of society • Others are the products of written records and great writers • Yet others derive from modern influences like popular TV shows and songs.

15. Cultural Factors—Nursery Rhymes • Children learn nursery rhymes; adults may remember the words to songs or poems from their youth. Much of the humor in the Shrek movies comes from the meanings of nursery rhymes and fairy tales: the Gingerbread Man, the Muffin Man, and Prince Charming.

16. Can you answer these questions? • Where did Jack and Jill go? • What was Humpty Dumpty? What happened to him? • What did Georgie Porgie do? • And the dish ran away with _________.

17. Cultural Factors--Literature • Expressions used by famous writers sometimes come into everyday use. • Shakespeare’s works have given us many quotes used in everyday life

18. Can you finish the following quotes? • Friends, Romans, Countrymen ______________ (Julius Caesar) • A horse, a horse, _________________________ (Richard the Third) • Neither a borrower _______________________ (Hamlet) • Romeo, Romeo, _________________________ (Romeo and Juliet) • Double, Double, __________________________ (Macbeth)

19. Cultural Factors—Politics and Social Movements • Memorable quotes from political or social leaders sometimes become a part of everyday speech.

20. Most Americans would be able to finish these lines. Can you? • Life, liberty, and ______________________ (Thomas Jefferson, Declaration of Independence) • Give me liberty or _________________ (Patrick Henry, 1775) • This country of the people, by the people, ____________________________ (Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address)

21. We have nothing to fear but ____________ (F.D. Roosevelt, Inaugural Address, 1933) • Ask not what your country can do for you, but _________________________ (J.F. Kennedy, Inaugural Address, 1961) • Free at last, free at last, ____________ ________________ (Martin Luther King Jr., I Have a Dream, 1963)

22. Famous quotes are often changed by advertisers to market their product in a memorable way. • One can imagine, for example, a fellow in a prison cell saying something like “Give me liberty or give me a Nokia 5000!” • Or imagine a journalist describing Paris Hilton being released from jail as someone who can return to “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of fashion.”

23. Cultural Factors—The Bible • The Bible has also been a source for many quotes which find their way into speech. • Most of us are familiar with An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth(Deuteronomy 19:21) and • Manshall not live by bread alone(Matthew 4: 4),

24. Can you finish the following? • Let there be light ___________________ (Genesis 1:3) • For many are called _________________ (Matthew 22:14) • Physician, ______________ (Luke 4:23) • The spirit (indeed) is willing, __________ (Matthew 26:41) • Ask, and it shall be given you; Seek, ___ _________ Knock, _________________ (Matthew 7:7)

25. Good Speakers Use Biblical Quotes • Abraham Lincoln often quoted the Bible • Baptist minister Martin Luther King, Jr. quoted the Bible quite often (e.g., In “I Have a Dream” the section which begins “Every valley shall be exalted” is from Isaiah 40:4-5) • Even advertisers have played with apt Biblical quotes, using, for example, Man cannot live by bread alone to sell anything from rich pastries to a steak dinner.

26. Euphemisms • Every society has its taboos, which are reflected in the language. • In some societies, one should not say the name of any fierce animal for fear that, upon hearing its name, one will appear. • In English-speaking societies, taboo language centers around sexual activities, toilet functions, religion, and, to some extent, serious illness and death.

27. This is why the swearing or cursing words, the bad words like that F word, have to do with these activities. • Note that it is okay to say “Jesus Christ” within the context of a prayer or in a discussion, but to many people it would be offensive to say the name in anger, as in swearing.

28. To avoid using offensive terms or terms that are overly direct, languages develop euphemisms, ways to make something potentially offensive seem less offensive or inoffensive. • Instead of the biological sexual intercourse, one can say making love with a positive meaning, or copulating (not an offensive word but also said of animals; however, mating is used mostly for animals and is neutral).

29. To avoid that F word, all sorts of euphemisms have been formed: doing it, engaging in bedroom sports, playing between the sheets, and others. • How do you remind a man that he forgot to zip up his pants? In the Pittsburgh area people use a very local reference to the well-known Kennywood Park and say “Kennywood’s open!”

30. Regional Vocabulary • Cultural factors become more complex because of regional variation. • People in Britain and the USA, although having a common early linguistic history, have had different cultural histories during the past few hundred years.

31. While educated people may read the same authors, the countries have different politicians and different TV programs, for example. • Americans may quote Roosevelt and Kennedy, while the British remember Churchill.

32. We have all probably heard of some typical differences between British and American English: lift vs. elevator, lorry vs. truck, petrol vs. gas, flat vs. apartment, as well as the confusing use of the same term with different meanings. • Pants are just trousers in American English but underpants in British.

33. If you entered a subway in Britain, what would be the likely result when you exited? • (a) You would be in another part of the city; • (b) you would be on the other side of the road; • (c) you would have a sandwich; • (d) you would be on a boat.

34. The answer is (b); Americans would call this an underpass. In the USA a subway (a) is an underground (sometimes overground) train, and (c) would put you in the sandwich shop chain Subway. Subs were originally called submarine sandwiches because their shape resembles the boat that can travel underwater “sub + marine”.

35. Sometimes these terms can cause some embarrassment. If someone asks for a rubber, what does s/he want? • (a) An overshoe made of rubber; • (b) an eraser; • (c) a cloth for cleaning; • (d) a condom. For a test of your British English vocabulary, see the Appendix.

36. Rubbers are overshoes made of a rubber-like material for working in water, and someone might ask “Hand me my left rubber” in the appropriate context. • In Britain this is an eraser (rubs out a mark) • In the USA it is a slang term for a condom (made of rubber).

37. Other Regional Differences • In other parts of the world where English is spoken, in addition to some differences in pronunciation and grammar, there are also many differences in vocabulary.

38. Often this vocabulary reflects local objects or concepts, such as different animals (e.g., kangaroo and wallaby from Australia), plants (acacia and baobab trees from Africa), or foods (roti from India, biltong from South Africa).

39. Other words make their way into English from other languages for various reasons. • In the past few years we are learning more about Islamic culture and habits, and a word like burqa/burkha (woman’s long outer garment that covers the whole body and even the face) has entered the language. Also burkhini for the beach in Australia (Fast Track, BBC, viewed Nov. 28, 2007)

40. We might find familiar words with different meanings; for example, in South Africa, robots are traffic lights.

41. Regional Differences in the USA • In Hawaii, for example, many words from Hawaiian have entered everyday English: aloha ‘hello, good-bye), mahalo ‘thank you’. • In Pittsburgh a rubber band is a gumband, while a sub is known as a hoagie.

42. Places that have had large immigrant populations in the past may have taken some of those words for general use. • New York City, for example, with its large Jewish population, has picked up some words from Yiddish, which was the language spoken by much of its Jewish immigrant population about 100 years ago: schlep, yenta, nosh, as well as food words like blintz, knish, and the more widely-known kosher

43. Example from Eastern Pennsylvania • We was down the store las’ Friday gettin’ an order when we ran into Old Arner, who looked like he had a snoot full. Nearly knocked over our buggy. Said after playin’ the numbers ev’ry day he finally hit the jackpot and was celebratin’, the lucky old bugger. • Then we ran into Nicky, who was bendin’ our ears with his troubles ’bout his TV bein’ on the fritz and his favorite pair of long johns finally wearin’ out. That old cheapskate should know you can’t wear long johns forever.

44. By then it was nearly dinnertime so I asked Mom if she wanted to get a cupla dozen at the pirohy sale up the Russian church. She said she’d rather order a pizza pie but not with that there pepperoni ’cuz she don’t like nuttin’ too burnie. • We finally got home to find the neighbor outside hollorin’ and cursin’ a blue streak ’cuz his septic tank backed up and he wouldn’t be able to get the honey dipper until at least Monday. There was crap all over his porch and it was gonna take a lotta elbow grease to clean it up, not to mention the stink.

45. Language is never static and unchanging except when it is dead • Language is alive and dynamic as people are using it and changing it every day • Become a linguistic explorer. Observe how the people around you use language—Mandarin, Taiwanese, English, any language • Listen for their intonation, watch for their body language

46. Make linguistic observation your hobby and you will learn much more than your teacher ever had time to teach you.