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Teach English in Huangzhai Zhen - Taiyuan Shi

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Many people may have pondered the question of whether teaching slang and idioms in a classroom is appropriate. Well, it is up to the reader to decide for themselves because this topic is quite subjective, and many people may have different views. First let’s look at idioms, these are phrases that in most cases have a completely different meaning that what the words are saying, an example of this would be; Jeremy kicked the bucket. This doesn't necessarily mean that Jeremy literally kicked a bucket, it could mean that he has died or passed away. There are many variations of idioms in use and would be extremely difficult to teach to a foreign person learning English. Because there are so many, I think too much time could be spent on this subject if taught in a classroom. Of course, a teacher could give a brief discussion on the topic giving some examples and would be appropriate if the derogatory terms were left out of the discussion. However, I feel it would be an inefficient use of time trying to explain all of them. The use of idioms would be best learned when a foreign person moves to an English-speaking country. If the student in question is aware of this concept on some level, they could learn more about these idioms during their interactions with English speaking people by asking them what the phrase means. Over time they will develop a better understanding of the concept and expand their knowledge on the meanings of idioms. Now let’s look at teaching slang in the classroom. Slang quite often has derogatory meanings which are can also be region specific. Some slang words that are used in Canada may not mean the same thing in The United States. Also, another thing to consider is that there is a difference between slang used on the street and general slang used with different groups of people. This is undoubtedly an inappropriate topic for classroom discussion because the teacher would be exposing disrespectful language to people that may or may not be disrespectful people. I agree on the idea of making the students aware of forbidden words, but I also feel that exposing them to it is completely irresponsible and should be not on the top of the list for teaching subjects. By making the students aware of the fact that there are some things you just don't say and be sure to give reasons, they may understand that using slang could have a negative affect on the students and the people they are communicating with. Also, slang ultimately gives the impression to others that the person using it is uneducated and can’t think of a better word to use. Its best to be as respectful as possible and not offend others with language that is improper. Here is an example of what happens when a person moves from a foreign country to an English-speaking country and learns slang and idioms before learning how to communicate respectfully. That person would think that this is how we communicate with each other and would no longer wish to learn otherwise. The person in question would seem extremely arrogant to most people and this would reflect badly on them. I know this is factual because this happened to my sister in law. My brother taught her nothing but slang and idioms and now I have a difficult time conversing with her. She is unable to have a decent or polite conversation. Although this is not her fault and she is actually a very nice girl who means well, her ignorance of proper language makes her seem extremely rude and arrogant to anyone she communicates with. I find this to be very unfortunate because her life has undoubtedly changed course because of my brother’s choice of the language that he taught her. If she would have learned respectful English before learning slang, she may have decided against using it in conversation. In conclusion of this topic, I have expressed my views on teaching slang and idioms and gave an example as to why I believe it is inappropriate. Although I believe that in order to be fluent in English, slang and idioms must be known. However, proper English must be taught first. It is now up to you to decide for yourself. Do you feel that it is a good idea to teach these concepts? Everyone is entitled to their own opinion.


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