ELS Blog

There’s an app for that…

Aside from Mandarin, English is now the second most spoken language on the planet. It is the official language of most of the world’s professional circles, such as schools, business meetings, and news media. Learning to speak English well and even more importantly to write well has become a priority at business and educational institutions. Whilst there are many ways to improve one’s English ability, this blog will focus on some technological solutions. Due to the mobile trend of current technology, five smart phone apps will be addressed.

Narrator: It has been proven that reading while listening to the text being read out loud helps the brain directly assign sounds to words. This method expedites learning as both spelling and proper pronunciations are addressed. Narrator does an amazing job doing just that, and allows for any type of document to be read aloud.

Sounds is another great app which focuses on pronunciation. Made my McMillan Education, this app helps students learn how to pronounce words and sounds. The settings allow for both American and British pronunciation. This app also provides listening, writing and reading exercises.

Byki is an extensive language learning app for 74 different languages. This app provides exercises in reading, grammar, sentence structure, as well as a lot of pronunciation work. This app differs from others in that it begins with vocabulary rather than strict grammar structure.

Google Translate is a very handy application as it can freely translate words between 60 different languages. This app can also read the word or sentence aloud, indicating proper pronunciation, grammar, and sentence structure.

Vocopedia is a very useful vocabulary app. It approaches English learning through games and quizzes. For example, it has a system of flash cards as well as hangman built in, both fun ways for beginners to improve their vocabulary either alone or via wireless with friends.

Umair Nasir
ELS Student Facilitator

References:
http://www.apple.com/iphone/from-the-app-store/

http://www.apple.com/iphone/from-the-app-store/education.html

Small Word, Big Difference: The Power of Words

It’s a common saying that actions speak louder than words. However, the power of words cannot be discounted. As an ELS Student Facilitator and a journalism student, words are a significant part of life. During my ELS appointments, there have been many instances in which a small word can make a big difference.

For example, one student was writing about people who have diseases. He wrote, “Infected people are limited to their social activities.” I pointed out that the sentence means social activities are the only thing the infected people can do. Instead of to, he needed to write in; the infected people should’ve stayed away from others. After making this correction, he remarked, “Oh my God… to is the exact opposite of what I wanted to say.”

Another example is a student who was writing about child and youth care. She wrote that a certain rule hardly affects children. Given the context of what we’d read before, I asked if she meant to say harshly. I explained, “Hardly means the rule wouldn’t affect the students at all, or just a little. It would barely affect them.” Again, the student’s reaction was shock. “Oh my gosh, you’re right. Yeah, you’re right. It does affect them.” We agreed on harshly since the rule had unpleasant consequences for children.

Ryerson’s English Language Support offers programs to help students who use English as an additional language. The Paper Partners program aims to improve written work by correcting spelling, grammar, syntax, flow etc. Over time, participants become more aware of their common errors, and through practise, they begin to self-identify and self-correct. ELS Student Facilitators want your point to come across clearly to the reader.

Not only are words important, using the correct word matters. Whether they’re big or small, words are powerful.  

Nadia Hussein
ELS Student Facilitator

Self-confidence & language learning

My family and I came to Canada when I was 12 years old. In middle school, I had several friends who had difficulty speaking English. Part of the reason was because they were afraid that other students would make fun of them due to their strong accent. In fact, their fear affected them both socially and academically as they were extremely shy and rarely participated in class activities and discussions. Fortunately, my middle school provided an ESL class that taught English to students who were non-native English speakers. As the years passed, I noticed that my friends became more confident and fluent in their English. My friends informed me that their confidence and self-esteem grew as a result of the continued guidance and support from the ESL program, and from the support provided by our group of friends.

A fear of being judged by others, anxiety and nervousness can hinder an individual from gaining self-confidence, and self-confidence is so very important when learning a new language. Back then, my friends were afraid to make mistakes and take risks, and as a result, they avoided social situations. However, making mistakes is part of the learning process.

Here at ELS, we offer services that are tailored to students’ needs. For example, we offer the Conversation Partners program, in which participants can work on their communication skills through structured formal and informal conversational activities with a member of the ELS student staff. In addition, we also offer a supportive environment that hopefully will make participants feel more confident about their English language ability.

Ron Heicy Vasquez
ELS Student Facilitator

From one language to another

When learning a second or additional language, some students translate directly from one language to another, word by word. This becomes a problem when certain words or phrases in their first language do not exist in English, and vice versa. Students often face difficulties with finding words or phrases to express things that do not directly translate from one language to another.

In an interesting article from The New York Times, Guy Deutscher (2010, August 26) talks about an old belief that our mother tongue prevents us from thinking in certain ways. For example, if the Chinese language does not have a past, present or future tenses of verbs, does this mean that Chinese speakers cannot understand the concept of time? Of course not, but it does mean that they do not have the habit of thinking about time when describing their actions.

What is true, however, is that our mother tongue forces us to form habits of thought that shape the way we view and experience the world.  Our mother tongue influences the things we pay more attention to because our language makes us more aware of them, like the orientation of time or the gender of objects. In any event, what we pay attention to influences what we remember about that event and how we retell that event.

The article in The New York Times gives an example of a boy who had difficulty learning how to dance because the instructions were given in a language orientation that he was not familiar with. The teacher who speaks a language that uses geographical coordinates for direction tells the boy to “raise your hand north and move your leg eastward”. He first translates this to “raise your hand up and move your leg to the right”, and then he completes these actions. For the boy who was not used to using geographical coordinates for directions, it was very difficult and frustrating to follow the teacher’s instructions, and it took him more effort and time to learn how to dance.

Just like this boy, some ELS students may have difficulty translating words and phrases from English to their mother tongue and vice versa when there are no equivalent words or phrases in the two languages. It may take them more time to learn these words or phrases not because they cannot understand the concepts behind them, but because they have to translate them into a language orientation that they are familiar with. It is not a habit of thought formed at an early age, but something that has to be learned and practiced, just like using a new tool that you have never used before. It may take a lot of time and practice, but definitely achievable.

In ELS, we have a program called Conversation Partners where non-native speakers of English can practice and expressing themselves in English. The more students practice speaking in English, the more it becomes a habit and the easier it gets, and with improvement, confidence and fluency follow.

Maria Laylo
ELS Student Facilitator

Reference:
Deutscher, G. (2010, August 26). Does your language shape how you think? The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/29/magazine/29language-t.html?sq=does%20language%20shape%20how%20you%20think&st=cse&adxnnl

The benefits of learning additional languages

 As a child, I attended a French Immersion elementary school. My mother enrolled my two sisters and me into the French Immersion program even though she did not speak French. Our neighbours in the small town I grew up in were completely puzzled by her decision. They did not understand what the use was of learning another language when it was not necessary. It was always a dream of my mother to learn French however, and since she did not have the opportunity to do so, she wanted to make sure her children had the skill of communicating in a second language.

 My sisters and I each went through a stage of resenting our mother’s decision when we were in our later years of elementary school. French was really difficult for students whose parents do not use it at home, and I think maybe we had some negative associations with it because of some unpleasant teachers. In spite of this, there were always those moments when our second language was advantageous to us. Knowing French, we could easily speak of things right in front of our parents that we might get in trouble for. The three of us could share secrets with each other at any time and place in our home. It was exciting, and I think the use of the language strengthened our bond.

 All three of us are very grateful now that we had been French Immersion students. I think knowing French instilled within me a passion for learning languages. I am currently continuing with my French language studies and working on improving my third language, Spanish. I also aspire to learn Italian someday.

 Similar to the way knowing French enhanced my relationship with my sisters, I think knowing other languages opens up the possibilities of connecting with people from various cultures. For this reason, and because I understand the difficulties associated with expressing oneself in a newly acquired language, I find it rewarding to assist students who use English as an additional language. I enjoy working one-on-one with students in our Conversation Partners and Paper Partners program, because the learning goes both ways – every session is a step towards enhancing my skills as a language facilitator and likewise, each session is a step for our ESL students to enhance their English communication.

 Brittany Thompson
ELS Student Facilitator

Language and citizenship

     Canada is a country known for its multiculturalism as it accepts more immigrants per capita than any other country in the world, followed by Australia. More than three quarter of these immigrants eventually become citizens of Canada.  The Globe and Mail (Anonymous, 2011, October 19) recently reported that Citizenship and Immigration Canada has decided to tighten the rules on language competence for the citizenship test in order to preserve Canada’s national identity and model.  The article states that the bar for citizenship should be set high enough in order to adequately assess language proficiency.  The Canadian government believes that testing one’s listening and speaking is a more accurate predictor of fluency compared to the existing multiple-choice written test, which is regarded as a poor measure.  The article goes on to say that one of the goals of multiculturalism that may be overlooked is the process of blending new immigrants with Canadians through the process of becoming fluent in English or French.  There is already a lot of pressure on immigrants to learn English or French upon landing in Canada, so should language proficiency be made to be such a strict requirement for citizenship?      

     One letter to the editor disagreed with this recent tightening of rules on language competence for arriving immigrants (Shaw, 2011, October 22).  The writer believes that although new immigrants are already stressed with adapting to Canadian culture and customs, most are still highly motivated to learn English quickly with hopes of participating in mainstream society, be included, and increase their earning power.  Perhaps, further reflection is required to determine what is the purpose of insisting on language competency rules for those wanting to become citizens?  Doesn’t this requirement add more stress to these people’s lives? And while we’re at it, shouldn’t existing Canadians be required to take the same tests?

Grace Lau     
ELS Student Facilitator

References:
Anonymous. (2011, October 19). New citizenship standards give freedom of speech. The Globe and Mail. Retrieved on October 25, 2011, from http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/editorials/new-citizenship-standards-give-freedom-with-speech/article2207055/

Shaw, J. (2011, October 22). Speak up. The Globe and Mail. Retrieved on October 25, 2011, from http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/opinions/letters-to-the-editor/oct-22-letters-to-the-editor/article2209842/page2/

Accents

When I speak with someone for the first time, I can usually tell right away whether he or she is from Toronto or not. It is usually because of the individual’s accent and the particular way he / she pronounces English words. A person’s first language influences the way one speaks, which may be very normal for that specific language, but which may potentially cause certain pronunciation problems when learning to speak in another language. It may be difficult for that individual to create certain sounds required for properly pronouncing the words in the new language, which may be due to the fact that in his / her native tongue, these sounds may not exist. Furthermore, when learning to speak in a new language at an older age, people tend to pronounce the words how they would sound in their native tongue, creating an accent.

One thing I’ve noticed after working as an ELS Student Facilitator since the beginning of this school year is that some students are very self-conscious about their accents. They are worried about how they might sound to people whose first language is English and those who are native to Toronto, and some have even mentioned to me that they have not tried to make very many friends because they are embarrassed about how they sound. To me, accents are very interesting. It is a part of our identity and a part of who we are. When I meet someone for the first time who speaks English with an accent, I become very interested in knowing where this person is from, and I ask him/her to tell me about where he/she was raised. It is usually a fantastic conversation starter and it enables me to become more familiar with that person.

We should all be proud of the way we speak and be confident that others are not going to judge us because of it. Fortunately, Toronto is an extremely diverse city with people from all over the world. The proportion of individuals with foreign accents may even be larger than the number of people without accents! All-in-all, regardless of our backgrounds and our English pronunciation, we should all have confidence in ourselves and not let our accents hold us back.

At ELS, we have several programs that help non-native speakers of English to build fluency and confidence in the English language. ELS offers the Conversation Partners program for students who want to improve their speaking skills. We can work on common pronunciation errors that are a result of someone’s first language, but don’t try to lose your accent – it makes you a more interesting person.

 Rose Ghamari
ELS Student Facilitator

Breaking Bad Habits Sooner than Later

 Growing up, I had the pleasure of experiencing many different cultural backgrounds. My father is Chinese and immigrated from Hong Kong 30 years ago and my mother is Algerian and French Canadian. My mother grew up speaking English and French and was therefore fluent in both languages. On the other hand, when my father arrived in Canada, he spoke very little English as he did not have a lot of experience speaking English outside of the classroom while living in Hong Kong.

 When I was younger, my friends shared with me the difficulty they experienced while speaking to my father. I found this very confusing because up until then, I had never experienced any issues with my father’s Cantonese accent nor did I ever notice it. As I got older, I began to notice his mispronunciation of words and the lack of attention he paid towards grammar usage. For example, he would say, “I have to go to grocery store”, missing the article “the” before “grocery store”. The mistakes he commonly made had become habits over the years and a part of his everyday language. I became very curious as to why my father was still making simple mistakes since he had been in Canada for so long.

 One day I asked my mother, “Mom, how was Dad’s English when you first met him?” She replied, “It was terrible! But it’s gotten better than when I first met him.” She then proceeded to explain that he had taken a few English course, but he mostly learned English through practice and conversations with native speakers in Canada. This seemed pretty normal to me because this is how I assumed all newcomers to Canada learned English.

 However, after working at ELS, I realized my assumption was not true. Many people learn English through formal learning such as English courses offered at universities or from outside agencies. My father on the other hand, had not received any formal language help like the help we provide at the university. For the past 30 years he believed that the way he spoke was correct because no one had told him otherwise. If my father had the option to take advantage of a service like ELS at his post-secondary institution, it may have not completely gotten rid of his accent, but it would have helped him to correct the language mistakes that he continues to make today.

 At ELS we offer a program called Conversation Partners, which helps students break bad spoken English language habits and we help students gain more confidence in using English as an additional language.

Safia Ho
ELS Student Facilitator

Phrasal Verbs:  Difficult to Learn but Worth the Effort

Many English language learners and teachers shy away from teaching and learning phrasal verbs* because they are tricky to learn; there are no rules and they must be learned on a case-by-case basis. Dealing with prepositions also tends to be a difficult area for language learners.

The pairing of a verb and preposition can more-or-less make sense (e.g. jump up, run away) or can be completely illogical (e.g. work out, try out) and as a result, translating each expression into a first language can be baffling.

Because there are also alternatives for each phrasal verb, it is possible to get by without using them, so phrasal verbs are often overlooked in ESL learning.

However, phrasal verbs can be irreplaceable and are an easy way to transition into informal spoken language. At ELS, many students come for Conversation Partners appointments with the goal of ‘sounding more natural in English’. To feel comfortable engaging in an informal conversation in English, it is vital to be able to use phrasal verbs correctly and understand their meanings.

Alternately, an awareness of phrasal verbs and knowing that they are used predominantly in spoken informal language can help a language learner avoid overusing unnecessary prepositions when writing academically, i.e. formally. Often eliminating an ‘up’ or ‘out’ in a sentence can make a sentence sound more formal.

Look online for quizzes to test your understanding of phrasal verbs or practice the ones you already know, or come in to see us for an informal Conversation Partners appointment and look out for phrasal verbs you hear every day.

Elizabeth Ollerhead
ELS Student Facilitator

Useful Link: http://a4esl.org/q/h/idioms.html

*A phrasal verb is a group of words that is used like a verb and consists of a verb with an adverb and / or a preposition after it, for example ”set off” or “look after”.

GTL* – Gym, Tan, Language?

There are certain words or phrases that have the ability to instinctively make people react simply by being spoken, such as “Jury duty”, “It’s not you, it’s me”, or “We need to talk”. Over the past few years, a new phrase has exploded onto North American culture and places abroad that has warranted the same reaction: Jersey Shore (JS). Jersey Shore is a controversial reality television show on MTV about life at the Jersey Shore in the U.S. State of New Jersey. Whether you like it or not or have a love-hate relationship with the show and its cast of characters, you are most likely aware of their existence – from Snooki to Pauly D and the Situation.

Recently, the JS crew has migrated over onto the shores of Italy, their “homeland”, to “take over the Italian nation”. As the self-entitled Italians of all Italians in the United States, the JS crew was in for a rude awakening when they arrived in Italy with little knowledge of how to speak Italian, except “I taxi sono qui” (the cabs are here) and “No granate” (no grenades – a reference to ‘explosions’ or fights that often erupt). This lack of Italian language skills created great difficulty for them when attending restaurants and following maps, but the JS crew soon realized that there was little need to speak fluent Italian in order to meet people in Italy. The boys quickly realized that they no longer needed to carry around their pocket dictionaries to impress the girls they met, and all they needed was “the universal language” (Vinny, Season 4, Episode 2); that universal language being humour. A simple smile or funny dance by one of the JS guys would quickly capture the hearts of Italian women as there was no need for conversation or courtship.

This idea of a universal language comes into play when working at English Language Support, as sometimes we, as ELS Facilitators, find ourselves at a loss for words due to language barriers. I had a chance this past summer to work with several students who only had basic conversational English language skills and many of the resources at ELS were beyond their capabilities.  Thus, using the universal language of humour was very useful during these appointments.

I had recently watched several videos on YouTube known as trends. Trends are simply short videos, often of random subjects, which have gained great popularity (think Charlie Schmidt’s Keyboard Cat with 18,164,148 views). Therefore, to start off my Conversation Partners appointments, I would show a short YouTube video, the first often being The Sneezing Baby Panda (114,779,780 views) followed by Charlie Bit Me! (369,981,657 views) – watching these short videos would usually end in laughter, the universal language of humour. By way of this introduction I hope I made these students feel more relaxed and less self-conscious and vulnerable (as not being confident in the first language of a country can be extremely frustrating and stressful for international visitors) and to set the stage for a simple dialogue, such as “What animal is that in the video and what did it just do?”

Whether it’s a cast member of the “worst shows ever made” who visits a foreign country with little knowledge of its mother tongue, or someone trying to relate to a person with a different linguistic background, the use of the universal language of humour, as seen on YouTube for example, can be a fun and useful stepping stone towards positive intercultural communication.

 Kathryn Oda
ELS Facilitator

* The process of staying fresh and mint. Stands for “Gym, tan, laundry.” Must be done everyday to achieve maximum potential.  From: http://www.urbandictionary.com

Additional Source: http://www.youtube.com