2008 August | Language Trainers UK Blog

Unexpected changes

August 31, 2008 at 4:36 pm · Filed under Different but the same, Chinese, English · Posted by Wendy

I had a few issues when checking in to my accommodation in China, as the booking had been made via far too many channels, and there were typically Asian misunderstandings at various points along the way. I was told I needed to check in before 6pm, but apparently reception expected me before 4 (16:00, instead of 6pm), so had already sold my room. Neither could they find my booking, as it had been booked under my boss’s Chinese name, and then changed to my Chinese name, but using the Mandarin transliteration instead of the Cantonese one that I use.

I showed up and told them my English name, but they were expecting the Mandarin version of my Chinese name. The pronunciation is noticeably different, and even my initials have changed, from WJW (English) or WHS (Cantonese) to HHX (Mandarin). The difference between looking like a bookshop and looking like an airport abbreviation.

I’m still unsure as to whether I’m supposed to introduce myself with my Mandarin name, but I suppose I do. It’s a bit strange having to think about changing something that feels such a natural part of me, but when in Rome, I guess …

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New language nerves

August 30, 2008 at 8:05 am · Filed under Language acquisition, Chinese · Posted by Wendy

I’m sitting on another plane, about to embark on a new Asian adventure, and I’m quite glad that I’m much more excited than apprehensive. For the first time, I will not only be teaching a language, I will also be learning a new one. I’ve dabbled in several languages before, mostly for pleasure and general interest, as well as to get along a little easier in non-English speaking countries. This time, as well as all of the aforementioned reasons, my learning will be professionally motivated and sponsored, so there’s a lot of added pressure to perform well and learn fast. I’m hoping that I will be able to impress my new colleagues as well as surprise myself.

Because I am an accuracy-based language learner, I find it difficult to just ‘give it a go’, and I have a strong desire to get things just right before I say them. I find it a little bit stressful to be in situations where I need to ‘wing it’ (make it up as I go along) with a new language. This isn’t exactly conducive to getting a lot of practice and learning more quickly, so I am going to make a concerted effort to just jump straight in, and not worry too much about being completely correct all the time. Our harshest judges are often ourselves, so I think I will just give myself a break for a while, not think too hard about the small mistakes, and really appreciate those moments of clear communication (which will hopefully happen more often as time goes by!).

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The path of least resistance

August 26, 2008 at 4:17 pm · Filed under Pronunciation, English · Posted by Wendy

On my delayed flight from Bangkok to Hong Kong early on Sunday morning, I heard both the senior purser and the safety procedure recording pronounce the ‘t’ in ‘fastened’ (”please ensure your seat belt is securely fast-end”).

I’m not sure if they were taught this pronunciation, or were just being overly cautious with a word they were unsure of (it seemed a bit rude to ask), but it’s just one of many examples where a sound can be elided (or missed) when two syllables (or words) come together. If we have to pronounce several similar sounds in rapid succession, it’s often easier just to skip one or more of them.

Elision can form either regional or global pronunciation standards, and ‘fasten’, ‘listen’, ‘moisten’, and ‘whistle’ are all examples of the ‘t’ sound being elided between the ’s’ and the final consonant sound. The standard pronunciation in every English-speaking country ignores the middle ‘t’ sound, although ‘fast’, ‘list’, and ‘moist’ usually have a clear ‘t’ at the end.

A non-standard elision, which was fairly common in the UK, but brought to the world by Ali G (the Sacha Baron Cohen character), is ‘innit’ in place of ‘isn’t it’. Perhaps in time it will become the standard pronunciation, but currently it is still quite informal, and definitely inappropriate for high tea with the Queen. Speaking of the Queen (ERII), she pronounces ‘often’ as ‘awf’n', whereas the common pronunciations are ‘off-ten’ and ‘off-en’. Thankfully, these are all acceptable variations, unlike ‘fast-en’.

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Bye bye, Beijing

August 25, 2008 at 9:28 pm · Filed under Cultural differences, Unspoken · Posted by Wendy

Well, the last two weeks or so have been a sporting spectacular as over two hundred countries competed in the Olympic Games in Beijing. What an opportunity for countries to learn a little bit about each other, and build cross-border relationships under the uniting forces of sportsmanship and human achievement.

China has remained somewhat of a mystery to many countries in the west, and when its doors were finally opened to the world, it was with a lot of fanfare, fireworks, and possibly the best opening and closing ceremonies anyone has ever seen.

In a country where you’re unsure of the customs, the language, and the culture, it’s always a good idea to err on the side of caution. The New Zealand delegation were even issued handbooks which outlined some of the big dos and don’ts, introduced some basic language, and covered some of the cultural history and common customs. At the other end of the spectrum, members of the Spanish basketball and tennis teams were photographed making ’slitty-eyed’ gestures before their departure for Beijing. According to The Guardian, no offence was intended by the athletes, and “No one involved in the advert [featuring the men’s basketball team] appears to have considered it inappropriate nor contemplated the manner in which it could be interpreted in China and elsewhere.”

It still boggles the mind that the people involved in the Spanish publicity shots didn’t even consider that they might possibly insult their host country, especially when Spain has been under fire for incidents of racial abuse targeting footballers Thierry Henry, Ashley Cole, and Shaun Wright-Phillips, as well as Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton.

As we’ve discussed before, it may just be best to keep your mind open, a smile on your face, and your hands in your pockets.

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So size does matter?

August 19, 2008 at 10:00 am · Filed under Biological, Language acquisition · Posted by Wendy

I was a little dismayed to discover that the ability of an adult to learn a second language may be pre-determined (i.e. there’s not a heck of a lot I can do about it at this point). Researchers in the USA have found that, based solely on the size of a small auditory brain structure, they can quite accurately predict an adult’s performance in a language-learning exercise. The structure being examined is called Heschl’s Gyrus (HG) and accounts for only about 0.2% of the average adult’s brain mass. The HG is associated with recognising changes in pitch and tone, so it is relatively unsurprising that a well-developed HG will help when learning tonal languages. The team in the USA discovered that people with larger HGs (often related to experience with musical training at a young age) did far better at differentiating and recognising 18 invented words involving three different tones.

So, it seems that adults who studied music in childhood have a physically-measurable advantage when it comes to learning a second language.

This doesn’t mean that the musically-disinclined among us should give up on our language studies. There’s no reason that you won’t become just as proficient as if you had a bigger HG, it will just take a little bit more work. Also, this study used an invented tonal language, and the study participants were all American citizens with no former exposure to tonal languages (which makes me wonder if people who speak tonal languages have bigger HGs than those who don’t). Tonal languages account for only half of the languages in the world, so there are plenty more to choose from if you feel intimidated.

Besides, not all of us have a natural ability to excel at the things we enjoy, but that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t keep trying, or stop enjoying them!

Full article available on Eurekalert.

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Archive for August, 2008

Unexpected changes

New language nerves

The path of least resistance

Bye bye, Beijing

So size does matter?