2 of 13

logic

emotions 2

language

logic

Meaning

Grammar

Pronunciation

language

Vocabulary

3 of 13

b. 500 to 1,000

Question:

How many words do you need to know to live, work and function well in an English speaking environment?

a. 0 to 500

b. 500 to 1,000

c. 1,000 to 1,500

d. 1,500 to 2,000

e. 2,000 +

answer is

4 of 13

Original

English

20%

Borrowed from other languages

80%

Social

Conversation

80%

latin

γρεεκ

french

german

arabic

华文

If you listen to two or three people chatting together, you can analyze what they say and you will see that approximately 80% of the words they use are really very simple English.

If you listen to two or three people talking together, you can hear what they say and you will see that most of the words they use are really very simple English.

5 of 13

don’t

need to teach our

children

lots of new

words.

We need to

help

them be able to

use

the words they

already know.

Let us have a look at vocabulary in more detail. As British Imperialists we steal everything. We stole India, Malaysia, Hong Kong and we stole language from all over the world. 80% of English is not English but taken from other languages, particularly Latin, Greek, French, German etc. and only 20% is from the original English. These are the simple common everyday words.

[press] But notice that when we speak – 80% of what we say is taken from this basic 20%. So if you can master the 20% of English, you can speak for 80% of the time. And this can be proved quite easily. [press] (read out loud the sentence as it is revealed). Notice that the majority of the words in this sentence are really very simple. The ones in red may be considered to be difficult and may have to be taught or explained using simpler words but in this long sentence most of the words are very simple.

We need to concentrate not on building up lots and lots of new words that we cannot use, but on learning how to use the words we already know. If we are able to use simple words quite easily, then the more complicated words can then be added slowly to our repertoire making English more natural.

6 of 13

logic

emotions 2

language

logic

Vocabulary

Grammar

Pronunciation

language

Meaning

7 of 13

Words have meanings beyond their dictionary definitions:

adj.

Owing political allegiance to another country or government; foreign: alien residents.

Belonging to, characteristic of, or constituting another and very different place, society, or person; strange.

�n.

An unnaturalized foreign resident of a country. Also called noncitizen.

A person from another and very different family, people, or place.

A person who is not included in a group; an outsider.

Airport Arrivals

local

passport

holders

aliens

Check the word alien in your dictionary

Words need to be given in a context, which may also include the emotional meaning of the word:

Imagine trying to demonstrate the use of

the word happy in “I am happy today.”

looking like this:

8 of 13

logic

emotions 2

language

logic

Vocabulary

Meaning

Pronunciation

language

Grammar

9 of 13

Making mistakes is a normal part of language acquisition:

No.

No want.

Me no want.

Me not want.

I not want.

I do not want.

I don’t want.

I don’t want this.

Mistakes may not always be negative, but a positive indicator that the student is making progress in their language acquisition.

10 of 13

logic

emotions 2

language

logic

Vocabulary

Meaning

Grammar

language

Pronunciation

11 of 13

How many of you speak standard Malay / Chinese / Tamil?

Question:

How long must most adult learners of a language spend in a country before they speak like a native of that country?

never

12 of 13

It’s not important that you

speak with accurate

Pronunciation…

…but that you

speak clearly

The rain in Spain, falls mainly on the plain

13 of 13

Discussion Questions:

Do you think that teachers can sometimes be a barrier to pupils’ learning English. If so, how?

English has a proverb “A little knowledge can be a dangerous thing.” Do you think this may apply to the teaching of English, if not, why not?