Posts by rafa_font@mastodon.online
(DIR) Post #AmMOTV65EKAzZaUS9o by rafa_font@mastodon.online
2024-09-25T11:21:28Z
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@tomjennings @joe Breaking news! Just received a massive order of stopped clocks from a national railways company from a country in Southern Europe! "We plan to reduce customer complaints by half implementing this state-of-the-art technology" - according to their press release
(DIR) Post #Antw2LAsJ2Xareuzcu by rafa_font@mastodon.online
2024-11-10T13:35:01Z
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@futurebird @Erklaerbaer @garymarcus I'm here to say that my children do consume vast amounts of energy. Especially MY energy đ
(DIR) Post #AvY9mkjDxpVH2g5swa by rafa_font@mastodon.online
2025-06-18T19:31:17Z
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You'll never become a NATIVE English speakerNo matter how hard you try, the years in the UK or Ireland, the effort in your accent, or the AI applications you might use to fake itThere is a language wall, made of accents, cultural references and seemingly illogical phrasal verbs and idioms, that we cannot jumpBut IT DOESN'T MATTER.90% of your interactions are probably with other non-native speakers. As long as you understand each other, you're good.More on this: https://europeanperspective.news/neither-british-nor-american-how-europeans-speak-their-own-flavour-of-english/
(DIR) Post #AvY9mm2l4git7YF01w by rafa_font@mastodon.online
2025-06-18T19:33:24Z
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Europeans are increasingly speaking English, especially the youth.Eurobarometer 2023: 47% of all europeans can have a conversation in English as a foreign language. 70% of those between 15 and 24.But what are we speaking? It's not American. It's not British. It's our own flavour of English.
(DIR) Post #AvY9mnAEuMIkb2kUKW by rafa_font@mastodon.online
2025-06-18T19:36:02Z
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Before Brexit, English was already the favourite language to communicate among EuropeansBut it always carried some weight.Then, UK exited, and then-President Juncker thaught it was time for French.But English remained. And without the UK as guardian, it became *neutral*
(DIR) Post #AvY9mnlSfy4kSUADLc by rafa_font@mastodon.online
2025-06-18T19:39:56Z
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European English is on the rise. Professor Marko Modiano has been studying it for years.âThere is a core of English elements that are more commonly used in Europe but less commonly in other English-speaking countries. Itâs made of specific vocabulary, pronunciation, and some elements of grammar.âFor instance: "Member State" or "Directive" are, in European English, related to its EU meaning.#EuropeanEnglish
(DIR) Post #AvY9mstnaOiQNn6RXM by rafa_font@mastodon.online
2025-06-18T19:41:25Z
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When multilingual kids are very little they might get confused between language and nationality: âIf I speak English, am I English?âTheir families quickly correct this and soon they distinguish the languages that contribute mostly to their identity (usually, those spoken by their parents) from the languages that provide them mainly with communication (those used at school or in a social context).
(DIR) Post #AvY9myd0HkqW9RI7Bw by rafa_font@mastodon.online
2025-06-18T19:43:24Z
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I interviewed Rita Araujo, a Portuguese living in Brussels, and abroad for more than a decade, about the use of English at her home.First thing she said:âWeâre migrants from other countries of Europe, and English is our common language.âHer kids attend the European School in Brussels. At their age (15 and 17) around half of the subjects are taught in English (the other half in their first language: Portuguese).
(DIR) Post #AvY9n3gNUdW3pLuNe4 by rafa_font@mastodon.online
2025-06-18T19:46:14Z
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Kids proficient in English can choose to continue their studies in their first language, or in a UK university.Or in The Netherlands (30% of places reserved for international students).Or in Poland if they want to study Medicine. Or in Belgium and Denmark in several graduate programmes. Even in my own School of Computer Engineering in Oviedo there's a graduate programme taught 80% in English. I called one of my teachers
(DIR) Post #AvY9n96RLAKmdd8lSi by rafa_font@mastodon.online
2025-06-18T19:48:07Z
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Jose Emilio Labra was Dean of the school some years ago, and he's known in his research are of the Semantic Web.He thinks teaching in English is a win-win-win:âThe local industry benefits. Teachers are interested in expanding their academic profile publishing material in English, increasing the prestige of the studies. Students know they will be better prepared and will have more opportunities in the global market, and they will be able to pursue remote positionsâ#ComputingOviedo @jelabra
(DIR) Post #AvY9nERXU9BNCW3BXk by rafa_font@mastodon.online
2025-06-18T19:53:26Z
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âEvery self-respecting University will offer courses in English. True for Hong Kong and Singapore tooâThis is Eleni Symeonidou: bachelor in English Language and Literature, masters in Teaching English. But it was not easy to start as an English teacherâIt took me months to land my first interview. And I was looking worldwide!âBecause she was not nativeSome students even complained:âWhy are you teaching us? Youâre Greek!âHer experience as a non-native speaker promoted her advocacy work
(DIR) Post #AvY9nJeU7RVbM795uq by rafa_font@mastodon.online
2025-06-18T19:55:40Z
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Back in Europe, this discrimination doesn't happen... except when it does.Meri Maroutian is an English teacher in Italy. Her website is "The non-native speaker": https://thenonnativespeaker.com/"Europe legislates against discrimination based on the country of origin, which is what happens when you prioritise a native teacher. But reality is different. Many schools prioritize hiring native English speakers over equally qualified non-native speakers"But "native speaker" is not a skill.
(DIR) Post #AvY9nOysJ3n1sniwtM by rafa_font@mastodon.online
2025-06-18T19:57:48Z
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What do kids today think of native teachers? I went back to my secondary school in Aviles, Spain, to ask.1: they think English is interesting for those that plan to move abroad (but they miss the importance for those that stay!)2: they see the value of a native teacher, but add a critical element: Yes, but they should also know your local language to help you navigate your typical errors. Yes, but with adequate training.
(DIR) Post #AvY9nTv9wImxCj1YIK by rafa_font@mastodon.online
2025-06-18T19:59:14Z
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What about English accents then?They're just different. They're all valid.Mimicking English accents as adults is a game we can't win. Let's not play it at all.Marko Modiano again: "âEuropeans learning English should be graded on their ability to communicate cross-culturally in the English medium, not on their ability to mimic native speakers of American or British English.â"Accent-shaming goes against the values of the EU"
(DIR) Post #AvY9nYxpBotKqRJFdw by rafa_font@mastodon.online
2025-06-18T20:01:22Z
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But this can't be the whole story, right?We all know some co-worker whose accent is terrible. (OF COURSE NOT US, SOMEONE ELSE!!)It turns out there are some pronunciation features that are crucial to get your message across, and others not. Polish researcher and English teacher Marek Kiczkowiak gives a lot of examples in this 1-hour masterclass: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pDjPtivS0X8.
(DIR) Post #AvY9neOaziHDgusCZ6 by rafa_font@mastodon.online
2025-06-18T20:07:39Z
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Core features of English pronunciation to maximise intelligibility:- Get nuclear stress right. "I didn't call YOU, I called HIM"BUT word stress is less important. BUTTerfly or butterFLY are both understood- Get your consonants right. Especially groups: "SCR" in screenException: sound /Ă°/ in âbrotherâ. "Broter", "broder", "brover"...anything goesBUT it's less important to get the vowel quality right. "Run", "ran"? We'll understandException: sound /ÉË/ in âturnâ. Make an effort here
(DIR) Post #AvY9nj2niAoW6liMmu by rafa_font@mastodon.online
2025-06-18T20:10:08Z
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This core is part of "English as Lingua Franca"This was described by British researcher Jennifer Jenkins in 2000 after studying interactions of students of English in her classroomIt's English in a multilingual world. #EnglishLinguaFranca
(DIR) Post #AvY9noNXsTNWeYSVJg by rafa_font@mastodon.online
2025-06-18T20:11:06Z
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I went running with some friends and we ended up in a bakeryIn the counter, we saw a French puff pastry with chocolate inside. My running mate Ed recognised it: âLook! They have pain au chocolat!âUsing that expressions indicates two things:- Ed is multilingual.- He doesnât restrict himself to the English vocabulary. He chooses the most suitable words from all of his linguistic resources. Capisci?
(DIR) Post #AvY9ntccNrPEukY70K by rafa_font@mastodon.online
2025-06-18T20:12:37Z
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English as Lingua Franca is a good way to understand how Europeans speak English. We want to get the message across, and weâre less concerned about being correct. We carry with us one or more other languages, and we use them. A European researcher on the topic is Dr Alessia CogoFor her, this approach makes English âless foreign, and also less Englishâ
(DIR) Post #AvY9nymND1BEuS9TP6 by rafa_font@mastodon.online
2025-06-18T20:15:09Z
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We're reaching the end, final ideas:- Donât feel bad for your English accent. But pay attention to the sounds that make you more intelligible. - English is yours too. As a European, âEuropean Englishâ is the variety that youâre probably speaking. Donât get your text reviewed by a native.Marko Modiano one last time: âDonât apologise, just be comfortableâ.(THE END)Full article here: https://europeanperspective.news/neither-british-nor-american-how-europeans-speak-their-own-flavour-of-english/#EuropeanEnglish #EuropeanPerspective