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As a teacher of English the very first thing that we need to understand is that there are numerous English dialects and we need to know which one we are teaching. There are two big or main dialects, American English or British English. Now both of these have their own regional dialects, American English can have a southern accents, or a New Jersey accent, etc and while they are all based on American English structure they have regional idioms and slang and common usage that differs from each region. British English is the same. For the most part, the teacher is most likely to choose the english from the region they are from. However, we should be aware that our students might go to a different region and we should prepare them for where they will most likely go. I have experience in this type of learning. I am a Midwestern American, and I learned and speak on a daily basis spanish. Spanish like English can be divided into Spain/Latin America etc. I remember learning Spain Spanish in my first class because my teacher was from Spain and learning Latin American Spanish in my next two courses being the teacher was american and felt this spanish was more apt to be used here in the states. Once I had learned enough to start speaking in conversation I quickly learned that the 3 college courses I took had given me a good foundation as to structure but then I had to learn the dialects from the spanish speaking natives I met. I am glad that I had the varied teachings as I did because it prepared me for the reality that a simple phrase means something very different depending on who I am talking to. I feel that when I am teaching I will try to expose my students to a variety of English dialects so they too can be prepared and also to be upfront that the base of their learning will be American English. I firmly believe that understanding that there are differences between the dialects and communicating that to my students will prepare them for whatever style of English they are exposed to. On the other hand, if I chose not to expose or prepare them for the fact that there is more than one dialect they could focus their studying on learning only this one version and then be taken aback when they are forced into business with someone across the ocean and can only understand part of the language. Their listening skills would be most affected and therefore conversation would be greatly affected. In summary, as teachers we must be able to identify the English Language we speak and the other main dialects we don’t speak and properly communicate that with our students. Expose them to various English dialects as part of the listening skills practice so they can have an idea of what to expect. All English follows the same structure so setting a good foundation and knowing the different dialects will ensure the learning continues as fluidly as possible.
