Accent English Language

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Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences In this essay, we are going to talk about two different versions of English which are American and British English. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate ANDRII D. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. The English were introduced to America through British colonization in the early 17th century. It also spread to many other parts of the world due to the power of the British empire. Over many years American and British spoken English started diverging from each other in different aspects. This led to new dialects in the form of American English. Also Read: Teaching Roles and Functions in ESL The Americans and British both speak...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas In my experience tutoring students in English as a foreign language, the most overlooked learning points were undoubtedly phonetics, phonology, and their connection to pronunciation. Occasionally, there would be a few students who specifically asked for materials that would allow them to perfect or improve their English accent. Some students even requested to receive tutoring in different accents such as the Australian accent. No matter what the request was, it became clear to me over time that the missing link when teaching pronunciation was its connection to phonology and phonetics. From this point on, I became incredibly interested in this topic. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Umutesi...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Nowadays there is an increasing tendency of hiring more and more native English speakers as ESL or EFL teachers. Being a native English speaker and belonging to a certain number of English speaking countries is a required qualification for teachers or graduates who want to work abroad, especially. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Irina P. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Of course, nobody can contest that a person who is born or lives in a certain country has the chance to possess accents, pronunciation or intonation that a foreigner cannot have mastery of. But a language teacher is more than a person with a native accent. One...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences British English versus American English are often discussed during the class, students frequently ask which one is the standard English to learn and would it cause any difficulties in communication. Both of them have differences and similarities, but individuals from the UK and the US can communicate without too much difficulty. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate JIN G. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Besides, there is no right or wrong when the differences appear, the British may consider American do not speak proper English and American might think British people are too formal and serious. However, from my perspective,...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Japan is a country with a long history, deep tradition, and vibrant culture. Within this culture sits the Japanese language. At first, being a spoken language and then adopting the Chinese Writing System, Japanese has grown and changed into what it is today. If you look at all languages, most Western languages originate from a set family, such as Romance Languages (which became today’s Spanish, French, Italian, etc). But Japanese (as most Asian languages) was formed from entirely different roots. These fundamental differences mean that the method of learning these languages has a lot to do with memorization and repetitive practice of the Chinese symbols and the words they represent. Which means it is...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Reading affects language acquisition based on the level of the content read, the type of content, and the reader’s external sources of language acquisition. This summative text will explain the different difficulties that can arise when any English learner uses reading as their sole or primary language acquisition mode. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Laura J. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Reading over the level of your speaking and listening skills can cause errors in phonetics, such as mispronouncing words that you’ve only read and have not...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences The United States of America, Canada, The United Kingdom, Ireland, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. If one is not a citizen of one of the aforementioned countries, they are not likely to be considered as a native English speaker. There are certain countries such as the Caribbean Islands, India, Philippines and Singapore in which English is the official language and which use English as a primary language among the citizens. However, they are not recognized as native speakers of English due to various reasons, mainly accent, even though the use of the English language, including both grammar and vocabulary, doesn’t differ too much from British English or American English. This post was written by our...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Why are British and American versions of English so different? British and American English, while, broadly speaking, are mutually intelligible (each party can understand and communicate with each other), there are notable differences that make one wonder why there is a difference at all? In this essay, I’ll briefly discuss some key differences in these two dialects, and further, provide reasons and evidence explaining said differences. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Betsy W. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. If you were to ask someone in America to say something in a British accent, you would likely get a response of...  [Read more]

Sahil Gazi TEFL Information Alumni Experiences I was born in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh. I had the privilege of being educated at some of the best private schools in town, all of whom followed an industry-standard curriculum for teaching English and other English language subjects. The British Council later adopted this with various examination boards from reputed Universities in the UK. As a student, I experienced many different facets of the education system and spent a few years at a public school also helped me gain perspective on the differences in our education systems and quality. Now I teach English in a foreign country, and looking back helps me reflect on the experience that we had, that my cousins are...  [Read more]

  In this episode, we cover the pronunciation of the word thorough. This word is used as an adjective and means being careful about detail. The word comes from the Middle English word thorow, which came from the Old English thurh. Below you can read feedback from an ITTT graduate regarding one section of their online TEFL certification course. Each of our online courses is broken down into concise units that focus on specific areas of English language teaching. This convenient, highly structured design means that you can quickly get to grips with each section before moving onto the next. There are so many ways to keep lessons interesting and to use many different forms of activities in teaching. This keeps excitement and interest in the students as well as the teacher....  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas When I was a university student, my roommate was from Busan, South Korea. I loved spending time with him. We became incredibly close friends, and I also became close to the other students who came through the same foreign exchange program as he did. I helped them learn English regularly, checking and proofreading essays and explaining phrases to them. They left the United States after one semester, but they had already introduced me to other Korean students who would be there for two more years. I enjoyed learning about their culture and the cultural differences that we had. I also learned a lot about the obstacles that my friends faced in learning English, and worked to help them overcome those obstacles. This...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences For a student learning English as a second language, one thing they may notice is the difference in the accents between British English and American English, the difference is rather pronounced considering it has been less than two hundred and fifty years since the American Revolution. The American accent is likely to be more familiar to many students, thanks to many American movies from Hollywood. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Anthony B. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Unfortunately for students, the accents are not the only differences in the language but where did these differences come from? In England, in 1755,...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences When you think of a TEFL teacher you immediately expect it to be a native speaker, but I think it will be surprisingly interesting to have a non-native speaker as a teacher. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Reem A. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. English is not their first language so in order to become fluent they would have had to go through the process of learning the language. This means that they have done the exact same thing their students are doing. They will understand how the students are feeling, what problems they may be having and how to keep them interested and motivated to learn. Having a non-native speaker...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas As an international language that is widely used around the globe, English has been important and increasingly influential in our lives over the years. Learning English seems to be an inevitable, prioritized task for many of us. This is also applicable to kindergarten children aged 4 to 6 years in many Asian countries. As a former kindergarten teacher who taught English, I have encountered several problems during my time teaching kindergarten kids in Asia. These problems could be attributed to child development and their social environment. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Wei L. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Kindergarten...  [Read more]

Anastasiia Ovchinnikova TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Back in the days when I was living in China with my British boyfriend, who was born and raised in Oxford, we would always make our friends smile talking about our careers. We always felt it was a bit ironic that out of the two of us, it was me who ended up as an English language teacher. I started to wonder whether he would have been a better English teacher than me, had he decided to work at one of the international schools in China. I feel like it is a common misconception that non-native English teachers (short: NNETs) are not as qualified or skilled in teaching as native English teachers. I've recently gotten disheartened when looking for job openings where they...  [Read more]

Federico Riva TEFL Information Teaching Ideas Before we start looking at the actual receptive skills lesson, it is useful to think about what potential problems there could be in these lessons. ### Watch the video about this topic Firstly, when the students are reading in a language that is not their native language, they tend to read every word as a separate piece and when reading word to word, it is very difficult to get an overall impression of what that particular text is saying. Secondly we need to consider the sentence length, in a lot of articles that we will have available this can be very long and many of our students will not be used to that depth of language. So it's important to have a think about the way in which...  [Read more]

Federico Riva Teaching Ideas The receptive skills of reading and listening, generally get less attention than the other skills of speaking and writing. Here we look at some of the reasons they are avoided and why e should overcome these fears. Before we start looking at the actual receptive skills lesson, it is useful to think about what potential problems there could be in these lessons. Firstly, when the students are reading in a language that is not their native language, they tend to read every word as a separate piece and when reading word to word, it is very difficult to get an overall impression of what that particular text is saying. Secondly we need to consider the sentence length, in a lot of articles that we will have available this...  [Read more]

Federico Riva Alumni Experiences In my past, I have lived in many different countries and language environments. I have come to learn that the best way to gain an understanding of a new language is to be absorbed in it. In countries where English is widely spoken as a foreign language (Scandinavian countries for example), learning the language of the country can be much more difficult. It is uncomfortable not being able to express oneself, so English offers a cane of comfort, but also a disservice. Unless one goes through this part of the learning process where speaking is hard for you and maybe even for your listener, fluency can never be achieved. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Eija R. Please note that this blog post...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Even for people who are unable to carry a tune, singing is something that most would probably enjoy. There is a bit of embarrassment to overcome for many people, especially youths, but with a classroom full of people all singing together, the embarrassment factor is lowered. With that in mind, I would say that singing song in the language that a student is learning help keep vocabulary and grammar in their mind. In a lesser sense, poetry fulfills a similar goal, but I would assume that more people would find fun in singing, and therefore be more open to subject retention, than poetry simply because of the musical aspect. It creates an upbeat and happy mood (depending on the song), and this activity could even be...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences At one time, in my role as a Speech Pathologist, I taught Foreign Accent Reduction. In assessing and treating individuals with a foreign accent I soon came to realize that the “culprit” interfering with communication was not so much the foreign accent (unless it was phenomenally strong) but rather the limited and poor grammar and vocabulary demonstrated. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Fay B. Over the past several years, in the acute care medical setting within which I work, this belief has been reinforced. Customer satisfaction surveys returned by recently discharged medical patients reveal that one area of discontent in received hospital care has to do with the difficulty...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Unlike many other countries, India does not have a national language. There are over 30 official languages spoken in India. English has been adopted by the government for judicial and administrative proceedings, and most Indians have a functional understanding of English. However, many Indians struggle to learn and use English effectively. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Tejaswini K. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Native languages influence pronunciations of English syllables/words, e.g. people who speak north Indian languages usually pronounce the word ‘here’ as ‘hare/hair’, people from the east often...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences When I started my ITTT classes, I wasn't totally sure of the difference between British English and American English. I knew there were accents and pronunciation differences, but it seemed like no big deal. Then I learned more about grammar, vocabulary, idioms, and spelling. When you speak to someone who has never spoken or has very little knowledge of the two, I can see how things get really confusing. British English is a bit more formal and follows the Kings English, where American English is a little bit more laid back. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Brian F. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Kings English (noun) is...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences A global language is a language spoken internationally, the most popular one being English. It is learned by many people as a second language. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Damian B. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. A big part of the lexical units in the English language was taken from German, Latin, French, and other European countries. People think that languages have a strong relation between dominance and cultural power. Also read: What to Watch Out for Before Signing Your TEFL Contract in China To have a common language is important because it's one of the main ways to communicate and interact with other people...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Today, the importance of studying English by native speakers has been understood more and new regulations have been made by some countries. One of the most effective and undisputed factors that make learning English easier is to carry out English learning with native English tutors. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate liping z. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Our most important sense of learning is our sense of hearing. It is our sense that makes the most contribution to learning. Sometimes we realize that we have memorized the lyrics of a song without realizing it. The reason for this is that even if you do not pay attention,...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences As a professional English tutor, every now and then this question rises up: should I teach British English or American English? Before we answer the question, let’s see how many versions of English exist: We can think of British English, American English, Australian English, South African English, Canadian English. But let’s just focus on one pair which most of the English course materials are based on them: British and American. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Oleksandr P. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Also Read: Group Teaching or One-to-One: What Will You Choose? First of all, you need to know your students’...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas I have chosen this topic as I am not a native English speaker myself, and before getting into the course I wasn’t sure if it was a good idea for the debate there is between native vs non-native English teachers, and for future jobs opportunities. I have been looking for a teaching opportunity for a few months and all the adverts say "native speakers only”. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Sandra P. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. The native speaker vs non-native speaker argument continues and it seems it will always be. However, non-native English teachers empathize more closely with their EFL students. Because they have...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas For this assignment, I decided to research problems experienced by Colombian students learning English. I will be teaching English in Colombia and thought this subject would benefit me. My findings more generally reflect the difficulties of Spanish-speaking learners. The paper outlines the top ten difficulties for Spanish-speakers learning English (vocabulary, spelling/pronunciation, subject-verb-agreement, verb tense, dialects, subject omission, pronunciation, stress, slang, and literal translations) based on CCJK (2019). Where possible I relate this information to my experiences/examples and units in the TEFL course. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate David B. Please note that this blog...  [Read more]

Maria del Carme Domínguez Félez TEFL Information Alumni Experiences I moved to Argentina almost 2 years ago now, and, surprisingly to most of my family and friends, I started teaching Catalan in a language school. I say “surprisingly” because they have made fun of my Catalan accent since I can remember, as it is more of a mix of accents put into one. Fun fact: you can’t really tell from which part of Catalonia I am only from listening to me. Although I try my best to speak “standard Catalan” when I teach, my accent does slip away sometimes, which makes it quite interesting. The sentence “all’s well that ends well” comes to mind in this situation. I ended up turning this into an opportunity to teach about the...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas This summative essay will exam the importance of teaching the differences between American English and British English for EFL learners. I will examine the intention behind teaching these differences, and when these teachings should be applied, and to what effect and purpose. This essay will focus primarily on the problems of pronunciation and spelling, which are the two main differences. I am a British citizen, born and raised in London, England, and currently teach at a public high school in Tokyo. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Challis C. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. The most prominent differences in spelling would be...  [Read more]