GRobertson Posted February 16, 2015 Report Share Posted February 16, 2015 Do you use 'wanna' and 'gonna'? Do you think they should be taught in class? Do you know what they mean?Take my five-minute survey and let the English teachers know what you think!https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2QDBKN5 Cheers!G(To the moderators: Apologies ahead of time if a survey counts as solicitation! Please send me an email and I will not post another one!) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
takibari Posted February 27, 2015 Report Share Posted February 27, 2015 Do you use 'wanna' and 'gonna'? Do you think they should be taught in class? Do you know what they mean?Take my five-minute survey and let the English teachers know what you think!https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2QDBKN5 Cheers!G(To the moderators: Apologies ahead of time if a survey counts as solicitation! Please send me an email and I will not post another one!)Ah, so here's the 'other' survey! I'm just curious. May I know how the survey results will be used? Is this just a personal curiosity or there's a more serious goal to it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baburra Posted March 1, 2015 Report Share Posted March 1, 2015 I think it should be taught just because of the simple fact that it exists and is being used. It would be much better for children to be taught of it in school so they would have a much better grasp of when and where it can be acceptable to use and when it wouldn't be. It can and should be taught, in my opinion, so students can use it correctly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VNtomboy Posted March 1, 2015 Report Share Posted March 1, 2015 I don't think it should be taught, no. It's really something that you pick up OUTSIDE the classroom (online, in conversations, etc) but if you were to write it into a school essay or in your resume...that'd be bad. Plus, it'd really confuse learners I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
petesede Posted March 1, 2015 Report Share Posted March 1, 2015 informal english is always changing, it would be useless to try to form any type of curriculum on it and really, it would be a nightmare to figure out what words should be included. For instance, the two you gave would never even have crossed my mind to be taught to anyone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Trellum Posted March 2, 2015 Report Share Posted March 2, 2015 Uhm probably, it depends on the teacher really, but I don't think it should be made part of the studying plan. I mean, if I were teaching english I'd probably take the time to explain the meaning of those two if a student asked in front of the class. I'd take the time to teach them all what those two mean, but if no one asked... I'd probably never mention it.By the way... I completed your survey. Thanks for making it so short Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sidney Posted March 2, 2015 Report Share Posted March 2, 2015 I think it should be taught, after all it's commonly used in informal conversations, so it makes sense to teach them to students. But the teacher should categorize it in the "slang" category and not teach it as formal English so that the students won't be confused. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VNtomboy Posted March 5, 2015 Report Share Posted March 5, 2015 I think it should be taught, after all it's commonly used in informal conversations, so it makes sense to teach them to students. But the teacher should categorize it in the "slang" category and not teach it as formal English so that the students won't be confused.I agree it's used frequently in daily language, but for me personally, I think you gotta learn to walk before you can run, ya know? I started learning French a couple years ago, and if I were taught slang words, I think I'd be constantly misusing them. Besides, colloquial English changes super fast. A few years ago, the word "fleek" probably meant something else, but now the phrase "on the fleek" just means it's on point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baburra Posted March 6, 2015 Report Share Posted March 6, 2015 I think it should be taught, after all it's commonly used in informal conversations, so it makes sense to teach them to students. But the teacher should categorize it in the "slang" category and not teach it as formal English so that the students won't be confused.Agreed. I think it's worth teaching even if just solely for the reason of having something to compare the formal version to. It's best to give students proper context of what they might learn outside of school just so they would have more knowledge of what they may find, so even if they will eventually figure it out for themselves it's still better to know the rules for it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosa Posted March 23, 2015 Report Share Posted March 23, 2015 I don't see informal English as being important and therefore don't think it should be taught in schools. Some things are just easy to catch on to and I think informal English is one of those things. After all, I picked it up quite easily and children these days are quite smart so I don't see them having a problem with catching on to it quickly either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RingoBerry Posted April 25, 2015 Report Share Posted April 25, 2015 Honestly, I believe it should but must be contained and broken down in a form which enables the student to grasp why, when and where they can use those sentences. As it is, nobody really speaks "formal" English anywhere anymore unless it's a business meeting which requires technical terms and proper vocabulary.But lately, people tend to think they can say anything with a slang and get away with it without realizing that to others, it could come off as a form of insult lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
turtledove Posted July 27, 2015 Report Share Posted July 27, 2015 Informal English should definitely be taught in classes. It means that students will be more comfortable talking to people. It shouldn't be the most important thing that students learn, because informal English is pretty easy to catch onto. However, I think that informal English is particularly important if you want to improve you're communication with other people who are fluent in English. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard I Posted July 27, 2015 Report Share Posted July 27, 2015 This should definitely be taught, these are things used often by people who speak English so they need to be learnt, as long as there is a clear understanding that it isn't grammatically correct. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lushlala Posted September 1, 2015 Report Share Posted September 1, 2015 No, I don't think it should be taught in the classroom because in my opinion, it'll just serve to confuse the learners. They initially need to know the language in its purest form, and then later on they can pick up informal English away from the classroom.This way they'll be able to distinguish between formal and informal English and where each is applicable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
missbookworm Posted October 2, 2015 Report Share Posted October 2, 2015 I believe those words are considered emotive language, slang, colloquial, and jargon. And just for research purposes, I think they should be taught in school not to be used for academic writings, but just for understanding other language variations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
humanoid Posted October 2, 2015 Report Share Posted October 2, 2015 I'm a native English speaker and I have to say, if we'd used "wanna" and "gonna" etc. in class, we'd have got a telling off for being lazy and not speaking "proper English". However, it's certainly beneficial to understand informal terms such as these. Most of us use them and if it deepens a student's understanding of the language then it has to be worth it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AExAVF Posted October 3, 2015 Report Share Posted October 3, 2015 Informal English can be self-taught by anyone, and while it is commonly used in our everyday lives, it must not be taught in a formal class, especially when it comes to serious academic writing and research. As a compromise though, say in a 200- or 300-minute English class per week, at least 10 to 15 percent of the overall time can be allotted for informal English, preferably at the end of the formal sessions. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
czarina84 Posted October 31, 2015 Report Share Posted October 31, 2015 I'm not really sure. On one hand, slang keeps changing. Some parts of informal English remain the same. It would be a boon to learn it if you are going to live in America, because most Americans use informal English when speaking with each other. It's not just English; it is part of other languages, too. I can't tell you how many times I was listening to Spanish language music and couldn't find the translation anywhere because most schools and dictionaries teach formal Spanish. However, the drawback to learning informal English is the risk of using it wrong. For instance there is a certain word here used by a group of people with a particular skin color. When used by people in that group, it is a friendly term. When used by someone outside of that group, it is a racial slur. I will not say the word on here because it is a term I don't use. I will just say that it begins with an "n" and is frequently used in rap songs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
anna3101 Posted October 31, 2015 Report Share Posted October 31, 2015 I would definitely want to learn informal English. Actually, that's what I'm doing at the moment - after going through many "serious" course books I've finally found one which concentrates on informal language and idioms. Informal here does not necessarily mean "gonna" or anything of that kind - it's just the kind of language that real people use. There are bits of more formal writing or speech from time to time but mostly the authors concentrate on normal, everyday conversations. It's very enjoyable and extremely useful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Litnax Posted November 1, 2015 Report Share Posted November 1, 2015 It should. Students need to differentiate between formal and informal words, sentences, etc. I don't really see a reason why they shouldn't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foolsgold Posted November 3, 2015 Report Share Posted November 3, 2015 I think it should be mentioned at least off-hand since it is part of the vernacular anyway. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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