takibari

Really? All of my life, I have never considered the American Educational system to be lacking in something. Much less behind in something. It's truly news to me. Here I was thinking that the kinds of problems mentioned here are applicable only to us Third World countries. In any case, I'll just hazard a guess that it's probably because the US has always been considered a super power. Thus, most people flock to your country (all having the ability to speak English), and there really wasn't a need for the locals to learn. However, because these days everything is becoming global, and even Americans now have the need to explore the world, it's only now they become cognizant of the need to learn foreign languages.

Hmmm, if you're going to butt in as if you're part of the strangers' conversation. Then, I guess that can qualify as rude and there's a reason to be embarrassed about it. But if you'll go about asking them politely that you are trying to learn their language. Then, there's no reason to be embarrassed about it. You can always start by stating that you can't helped but overhear them speaking the language you are trying to learn and if they don't mind you would be very much happy to get their help with certain words. I think if you open that way, then the strangers will be more than willing to help you and won't find your butting in as intrusion to their conversation.

For the Cebuano (a Philippine dialect), it would go like this: Unsa ni? OR Unsa diay ni? Cebuanos have a penchant to omit a word or a letter.

Nicely put there! A lot of the prejudice going around in the world is the lack of understanding of each other. That is why the development of a language is considered one of the essential things in the development of society. And you're quite right, the inability to speak to one another because of language barrier is definitely the biggest thing that will prevent two people from understanding each other. People normally just make assumptions of each other when they don't have full understanding of each other's culture and perspective. So, yeah. It's real simple. We learn each other's language, then there is ease in communication and things can develop from there. Things such as understanding and respect.

I haven't been to the States, so I have no personal experience with any language barrier there. So, I'll just limit my comment on your last line: I think this is the most sensible thing to do when choosing a language to learn. Language was primarily developed for communication purposes. I believe it can be frustrating to be learning a language when people around you have no interest in that language you're studying. So, you'll end up just memorizing stuff without really having someone to converse with if the language you've chosen to study is not really used where you are or by the people around you.

It sure is an interesting study! In one of my classes in college, it has always been pointed out that language is something women are better at (but then again, we were talking about language development). I haven't read the study, but I personally don't think this has something to do with gender. I would attribute things to a person's personality more than the gender of the speaker. For instance, even if I'm in a class with all women, there were classmates who didn't have problems speaking up even if they had challenges speaking the English language. So, perfectionism wasn't a big deal in that class, as most of my classmates were the extrovert kind.

I'm not very choosy when it comes to place for study. I can perfectly study in a quiet place. But I also don't have problems studying with a little bit of noise around. I got used to our library where people have group discussions. So such kind of noise don't bother me when studying. I, however, will have to be alone. For some reason, I doing group study doesn't sit well with me. Interestingly also I can't concentrate if there's music in the background. I usually end up paying attention to the music more than the material I am studying. Music serves as a distraction to me. So, no music if possible.

In Cebuano, a Philippine dialect it would be Lies - Bakak (but since 'lies' is plural it would be two words "Mga Bakak" And - Ug Slander - Pagbutang-butang

hmm. there's no one-word translation of the word 'slander' in Filipino/Tagalog Lies - Kasinungalingan And - At Slander - Siraan ng Puri

It's kind of neat putting it this way. With "Walking Dead" and all zombie movies/shows being popular these days, it sure will help language learners to have easier recall on lessons involving passive/active voice. Nice one!

I can't recall if this type of question is typical to TOEFL or TOEIC. In any case, this type of question is indeed one of the best type of questions to test a student's skill in writing. A test taker who is able to arrange sentences to come up with a cohesive paragraph sure knows paragraph development well. This type of question is a bit tricky to develop. A test developer will riddle the given sentences with a lot of transition words to make the item easy. However, to make this type of question more difficult, the test developer will rely more on the flow of ideas without making the transitions obvious. Thus, it can be a tricky item to answer.

About a week ago, I saw a picture posted on Facebook. It's a warning sign that says: "No one is allowed on Dick after 9:00 PM". It sure gave me a good laugh.

I understand the need to have reading comprehension questions in standardized exams. In that regard, I neither love nor hate them. What I have beef against RC tests are its LENGTH. When the passage is super lengthy it becomes a test on memory. It stops testing the test taker of their ability to understand the passage as it now becomes a clear test on their ability to recall contents. I really cannot equate comprehension ability and retention ability.

I'm no professional writer, but I do like reading. I do appreciate descriptive language, but only to a certain extent. I don't know, but I kind of sense writers who are overdoing it with their descriptions that their writing stops being fluid. I believe writers have to balance their writing style and not overdo things. One of the advantages of reading is for readers to have the chance to expand their imagination. When a writer describes practically everything, he leaves no room for the reader to imagine things.

Knowing the origins of idioms will really help you appreciate their meanings. So, let me share one I found: "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth" Meaning: Do not be critical of a gift. Origin:

Me, too! I have always taken idiom for what they are. As they're used for figurative language, I really have not given it a second glance. It's when they are taken literally that when things get funny. In Korean SAT (KSAT), there is always a question there involving idioms. A specific situation is presented, an idiom is used, then another person is taking the idiom literally. Students are then asked to pick the correct meaning of the idiom and how the other person misunderstood the meaning. As to the 'kick the bucket' idiom, yeah, its meaning can really traced back to a person hanging and ending up dead. When a person is hanged or a person hangs himself, he normally stands on a bucket and then kicks it to tighten the noose around his neck. Naturally, the person eventually ends up dead.

Good to know! Love to help in any way I can.

A grade school English teacher once taught us that it's easy to remember the difference between a verb and adverb. The verb speaks of what the subject in the sentence is doing. The 'adverb' is like the adjective for verbs. (As earlier pointed out, it modifies (or describes) the verb.

Homophones are really challenging when used in listening tests. It could prove difficult if you are asked to spell the word without being given some context clues. Here are a few examples. Still easy examples, though. stair - stare sole - soul waist - waste piece - peace cent - scent

Knowing when to end a sentence can indeed prove problematic to some English learners. One tip that a teacher shared is to read the sentence aloud. If you find yourself losing breath reading the whole sentence, then you are probably looking at a run-on sentence. Although the tip doesn't have a scientific basis, I still find it a useful tip.

You're welcome. Glad to be of help. I'm happy that you understood what I was trying to explain. {That's not an assumption right, as you said 'both'} Haha, I've a penchant to confuse something easy with my explanations, hehe.. In any case, Baburra explained well what I was trying to point out.

TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) is indeed what U.S. universities require its foreign entrants to take if planning to study in the U.S. Thus, when one takes this exam, one can expect to see a lot of situations relating to University life and Academic lectures.

This is exactly what my Psychology of Language professor said in one of our classes. She mentioned that one of the many reasons for language delays in children is due to exposure to multiple languages during formative years (especially the early years of language development!) The baby usually ends up confused as to which language to use. The baby ends up having difficulty speaking because of this confusion. However, when mastery to 1 language is developed, learning a new language won't be as difficult then.

I have a co-worker who had that same dilemma. He wants his daughter to learn English because in our country, someone who speaks good English is highly-esteemed. However, his wife also wants her daughter to learn Tagalog since their side of the family all live in the capital where Tagalog is the main language. The entire family lives in Cebu, thus, the need to learn the vernacular (Bisaya). He once came up to me because at age 2 or 3, her daughter had difficulty speaking. I asked further about the language situation and learned that they are trying to teach all 3 languages at the same time. I remembered in one of my psychology of languages classes in college, we were taught that while it is true that children under the age of 5 can easily learn any language, it is important first for the child to have mastery in one language before other languages are introduced. So, I advised him to pick one language first, before introducing the other two languages. They made a rule in the house to speak only in English. If the daughter visits in the office, we also had to speak in English with her. In no time, her daughter began responding and started talking. This strategy worked for her daughter because she is no longer confused on what language to use, and eventually mastered it. When she developed enough confidence speaking, the other two languages were slowly introduced to her. She easily picked up Bisaya as it is the main language in the city. She also didn't have trouble learning Tagalog because most shows in the country are also Tagalog-based.

First, are you learning English as a Foreign Language or as a Second Language? In the former, you basically are trying to learn English from scratch and the language is NOT widely spoken in your country. Whereas, in the latter, English is widely spoken/used in your country that you are constantly exposed with it, without you necessarily trying to learn it. That said, for learners who are studying English as a FOREIGN language, then you can say that it has its many challenges, and it takes a serious student to be able to learn it fast. On the other hand, if you're studying English as a second language, it's a bit easier to learn due to constant exposure.