TEFL Eldon Missouri

Learning english as a foreign language presents many challenges for students. As a foreign language student, the approach that is often adopted is one relative to the student's native tongue. While this approach seems to be the most natural, it can cause problems in the acquisition of english. Another aspect of learning a foreign language that is often overlooked by both teachers and students is the difference in culture. Some of the biggest cultural differences can be expected between Western and Eastern cultures; in particular, the country of japan. Despite japan's high ranking among the world's leading countries, japanese students encounter many cultural differences with native instructors that complicate the process of learning. Aside from cultural differences, the english and japanese languages developed very differently over the centuries and continue to change today, with a certain mutual influence on each other. japanese has a number of characteristics that english does not, such as grammar particles and polite forms. One could argue that english has polite forms as well, but they are far more ambiguous and are left to the will of the speaker. japanese polite forms almost resemble another language altogether. The rules for these forms as well as the rules for how and when to use them are very strict. This key difference presents a challenge for english instructors in japan. english is essentially a casual language, meaning most native speakers do not consciously adjust their language based on a social hierarchy. Certainly, there are situations in which specific language is inappropriate, but english speakers do not have to “lower” themselves through language. When learning new grammar or situational language, japanese students will often ask esl instructors for the polite forms of the language as well. It becomes very difficult to explain to students that intonation, stress, and clarity of voice are elements that native english speakers use to show respect instead of special forms. japanese is an essentially flat language, in that changes in intonation, stress, and clarity of voice do not alter the meaning of the spoken language. It is often necessary for instructors to conduct drills and practice intonation and stress in a variety of pronunciation exercises in order to help students achieve a better level of fluent speech. The trouble with these drills is that the japanese students, while able to accurately reproduce the changes in intonation and stress, rarely understand the reasons behind the changes or the difference in meaning. For students to truly conquer this cultural aspect of the english language, they must participate in a study abroad course or other culture immersion programs. Another cultural difference in the language that can present difficulties for japanese students is the straightforward nature of english. japanese is a very roundabout language in terms of a literal comparison with english. japanese students, like most other esl students, take a translational approach to learning english and encounter a number of problems in this process. For example, to express hunger in japanese, one literally says, “my stomach has emptied.” The stomach is the subject in the sentence and hunger is expressed in terms of a verb in the past tense. The english equivalent, “I am hungry,” is much more straight in terms of the language used and the meaning. “I” is the subject of the sentence and the hunger is expressed as a modifier (adjective) of that subject. One might think that this is simply an inherent difference in the language. However, japanese does have an adjective equivalent for the english word “hungry.” It is very seldom ever used in the japanese language, because it is considered to be too straightforward, bordering on rude. Most esl instructors will simply translate the japanese “my stomach has emptied, “ to the english “I am hungry.” This, however, does not benefit the student, as they will assume that what they are saying in english has the same meaning and context as what they say in japanese. This hasty translation also causes misunderstandings in grammar. For a balanced approach to esl teaching, instructors must make and effort to understand and cater to the cultural differences of the country in which they teach. This cultural sensitivity not only shows respect for students, but will also benefit their studies.