What Everyone Needs to Know About English

Introduction

• Speaker: Judy Thompson, ESL teacher
• Purpose: Discuss key aspects of English that many speakers may not know.

Challenges of English

• English is a tricky language:
  • Discrepancies between letters and sounds.
  • Example: "R-E-D", "H-E-A-D", "S-A-I-D" sound different despite similar spellings.
  • Difficulty in reading for both native speakers and ESL learners.

Three Secrets of English

1. Secret for ESL learners
2. Secret for native speakers
3. Universal secret for everyone

Secret #1: Understanding Stress in English

• English is a stress-based language.
  • Importance of stressing certain syllables rather than focusing on individual sounds.
  • Example: Child's pronunciation of "spaghetti" ("Basketti" vs. "Spag-get-ti") illustrates that meaning remains clear despite pronunciation differences.
  • ESL learners should focus on getting the stress right, rather than worrying about accent or grammar.

Secret #2: Linking in Native Speech

• Native speakers often link words together.
  • Many English phrases don't start with vowels, making it hard for ESL learners to recognize spoken words.
  • Example: "Can I have a bit of egg?" demonstrates how native phrases can be compressed in pronunciation.
• Importance of recognizing that most conversations involve non-native speakers who may face challenges understanding native pronunciations.

Secret #3: Collocations and Expressions

• Collocations are fixed expressions that native speakers commonly use.
  • Example: "Fall in love" has a specific meaning, while alternatives like "fall to love" are nonsensical.
  • Native speakers often rely on collocations rather than strict grammar rules.
• ESL learners may study grammar intensely but still struggle to speak like native speakers due to reliance on expressions.

The Inefficiency of Grammar Focus

• There are 208 grammar rules in English, while the simplified version used by non-native speakers relies on only 10.
• Adjectives may not always follow the rules; some don't collocate correctly.
  • Example: "Merry Christmas" is a fixed expression; alternative phrases don't work.

Communication Barriers

• Native speakers often struggle to understand each other due to overuse of expressions.
• Example: Casual speech from family members may be misinterpreted, demonstrating the abstract nature of English.
• Global communication is affected; many non-native speakers can’t follow native discussions due to the unique expressions used.

Conclusion

• The three secrets of English are stress, linking, and collocations which shape how English is communicated.
• Understanding these concepts can enhance communication abilities for both ESL learners and native speakers.