I was listening to TAMIL radio on iTunes, Sunday. The music was quite different from what I am accustomed to, with a great deal having an Indian flavour; however it was the advertisements that caught my attention. In one ad the father asked his kids where they wanted to go for dinner. The older daughter who sounded like a junior or high school student reminded her dad of a place at which the had recently dined while the younger daughter, probably a pre-schooler or maybe a first grader mentioned the name of the restaurant. Now this would be entirely unremarkable to me had it not been for one thing: accents. The father had a strong Indian accent while the youngest daughter also sported a hybrid blend of Indian music in her speech. The elder sister spoke in perfectly accent-less English and could probably be taken for a teeneger from the USA her English was so smooth and "accent-free". It made perfect sense to me that both daughters English would be most heavily influenced by their primary surroundings. That's the way it works. So while the older daughter was being influenced by her peers, the teachers and the school system, the younger sister would still carry the accents of her parents as they would be the people she most directly interacted with at that stage in her life. And I thought: how international! How brilliant!
When I met Mayu she spoke with an American English accent. After dating for afew years her accent started to emulated mine and her English became more Canadian in sound. Even her homestay family commented on how it had changed just a few years after being with me. Language can be so difficult to teach to adults, but I think that if we can find a way to employ the methods that children use for learning, the chances of success should increase. It is that method of English learning that has me focusing on a new way to teach my coworkers English. And it's actually providing very quick results to the point that I am duly imprssed! Live, Love, Learn. Our greatest goals in life! I love you!
Cam
When I met Mayu she spoke with an American English accent. After dating for afew years her accent started to emulated mine and her English became more Canadian in sound. Even her homestay family commented on how it had changed just a few years after being with me. Language can be so difficult to teach to adults, but I think that if we can find a way to employ the methods that children use for learning, the chances of success should increase. It is that method of English learning that has me focusing on a new way to teach my coworkers English. And it's actually providing very quick results to the point that I am duly imprssed! Live, Love, Learn. Our greatest goals in life! I love you!
Cam
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