Teach English in Shangshe Zhen - Yangquan Shi

In the world of ESL (English as a Second Language), the formal version of the English language is highly revered, as it should be, due to the fact that this particular style is widely used in every English language-based situation one can possibly think of. Non-native English subject teachers can be quite keen about their students learning formal, polite English as it is the ‘correct’ form of the language and it is vital to their survival if they should ever encounter a native English speaker in their country or if they should ever visit an English speaking country. However, while the above mentioned statements are valid and indeed accurate, it should not be ignored that English, as with any other language is dynamic and as such the learning of only formal English is actually one dimensional. Similarly, to other languages, English has numerous idioms/idiomatic expressions and slangs, the latter of which varies based on region and countries in the English speaking sphere. With reference to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, a slang is “is an informal, nonstandard vocabulary composed typically of coinages, arbitrarily changed words, and extravagant, forced or facetious figures of speech.” In other words, slangs are casual words which usually exist among a group of people or is unique to a particular culture. Slangs are random in nature meaning that they do not typically follow an established grammatical structure like formal English words. Also, Merriam-Webster describes idioms as “an expression in the usage of a language that is peculiar to itself either grammatically or having a meaning that cannot be derived from the conjoined meanings of its elements”. While, slangs and idioms are usually regarded as informal speech, the importance of these elements should not be relegated to such and ignored in an ESL environment. One of the most important reasons that slangs and idioms should be incorporated in an ESL classroom, is that, some students may have aspirations of travelling to English speaking countries, whether temporarily as a tourist or student or permanently to live and work. While the student may be exposed to the formal style of the English language to communicate in various interactions with the native English speakers, the possibility exists that throughout these numerous interactions, the student may encounter slangs and idiomatic expressions unknown to him/her which can turn out to be a major barrier in that communication process. For example, the student may know the meaning of the word ‘cheese/cheddar’ as a dairy product with several flavors and textures however he/she may get confused if the same word is used informally and is asked about money which is the meaning of the slang term ‘cheese/cheddar’. This scenario could also be applied to idioms whereas, the student may be familiar with the individual meanings of some English words and the contexts in which they are normally used but may get confused if those same English words are spoken or written as an idiomatic expression. Case in point, she/he may know the individual meanings and contexts for words such as: ‘actions’, ‘speaks’, ‘louder’, ‘than’, ‘words’, however, when used as an idiom, ‘action speaks louder than words’, the student may be confused as to the meaning of this expression and unfamiliar with the contexts in which this expression can be used as he/she may translate the expression literally - a feature not associated with idioms. Another reason for the importance of slangs and idioms exposure is that slangs and some idiomatic expression may be unique to a particular region, country, culture or sub-culture and although the students may know some slangs for a particular country or group, the same slang may have a totally different meaning in another country or culture. For instance, the word ‘bubbler’ in the United States, Wisconsin and New England to be exact, means ‘a drinking fountain’ however the same word when used in Jamaican culture means ‘a female who gyrates her body skilfully’. In a case like this, the meaning of the word ‘bubbler’ in the above mentioned countries are polar opposites and would cause confusion and maybe even embarrassment for an ESL student who has prior knowledge of the American meaning of the word goes to Jamaica and enquire about the location of a ‘bubbler’. With the emergence of social media platforms and its heavy usage by teenagers, millennials and even much older adults who may be an ESL student, various content, which includes slang speeches and idiomatic expressions, from English speaking countries such as the United States of America, are widely available for all to see and as such the internet should not be the only source of information for an ESL student to learn these types of speeches. These social networking sites (SNS), in some cases, provide a skewed definition of slangs and idioms thus leaving the student with a vague knowledge of what these terms actually means, therefore, it is vital that slangs and idioms be included as a part of the ESL learning experience, after all, they are and will always be a permanent fixture of the English language. Additionally, the ESL experience is not limited to the teaching of the structure of the English language, it also incorporates the teaching of other cultural aspects of English speaking countries. Therefore, it is a good approach to expose students to the slangs and idiomatic expressions which also originates from this same culture as doing so will provide ESL students with a more well balance and well informed view of the cultures of English speaking countries and the English language. Merriam-Webster (2019). Definition of slang. Retrieved from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/slang Merriam-Webster (2019). Definition of idiom. Retrieved from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/idiom