|
blondgecko
Moderator
Jul 29, 2005, 9:05 AM
Post #1 of 16
(1017 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jul 2, 2004
Posts: 7666
|
I was just driving a friend to the airport when he mentioned a friend of his who has just started a PhD in the US. Apparently, since she comes from another country (Australia) she is required to take weekly English lessons! Since she comes from an English-speaking country, these are limited to only :? 1 1/2 hours a week, learning how to say "tomAYto" instead of "tomAHto". It seems that anybody who wants to teach anything over there is forbidden from doing so in anything but an American accent.
I found this hilarious and disturbing in approximately equal measures. Is this just another of the many little insanities dreamed up by government bureaucracies, or something deeper?
|
|
|
|
|
kachoong
Jul 29, 2005, 11:00 AM
Post #2 of 16
(1017 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jan 23, 2004
Posts: 15304
|
In reply to: It seems that anybody who wants to teach anything over there is forbidden from doing so in anything but an American accent. |
|
|
|
|
blondgecko
Moderator
Jul 29, 2005, 11:14 AM
Post #3 of 16
(1017 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jul 2, 2004
Posts: 7666
|
:shock:
How did you reply to my message without viewing it???
Seriously, though... I understand that if you wanted to teach English, you should do so using the local accent and idioms, but for higher-level stuff? I'm not talking about teaching high schools - I'm talking about lecturing abstract topics at university level. Surely the accent is irrelevant to this?
|
|
|
|
|
strongbad
Jul 29, 2005, 11:35 AM
Post #4 of 16
(1017 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Aug 13, 2003
Posts: 802
|
what school is this? It seems like someone might be blowing some smoke up your ass.
|
|
|
|
|
yak
Jul 29, 2005, 11:37 AM
Post #5 of 16
(1017 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Feb 1, 2004
Posts: 410
|
Farken septics....
|
|
|
|
|
vivalargo
Jul 29, 2005, 5:14 PM
Post #6 of 16
(1017 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Nov 26, 2002
Posts: 1512
|
I've never once heard of this and I've been on the fringe of "book learning" institutes for ages. Sounds absurd to me, seeming that most English speaking countries produce more fluid speakers than us 'Mericans.
Tis a puzzlement . . .
JL
|
|
|
|
|
j_ung
Jul 29, 2005, 5:50 PM
Post #7 of 16
(1017 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Nov 21, 2003
Posts: 18690
|
BG, sounds like you got trolled, but in real life.
|
|
|
|
|
slobmonster
Jul 29, 2005, 6:40 PM
Post #8 of 16
(1017 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jul 28, 2003
Posts: 1586
|
Many universities require some sort of English competency test for anyone who will be teaching, including TAs, Assistant Professors, etc.
There was an article in the NY Times about just this topic, June 24 2005:
In reply to: Unclear on American Campus: What the Foreign Teacher Said By ALAN FINDER; MICHAEL FALCONE CONTRIBUTED REPORTING FROM BERKELEY, CALIF., FOR THIS ARTICLE. (NYT) 1345 words Late Edition - Final , Section A , Page 1 , Column 2 ABSTRACT - Many undergraduates at large research universities are in classes and labs run by graduate teaching assistants with limited English; students complain about lack of communication; problem is result of steep rise in number of foreign graduate students in last two decades, particularly in some fields; in engineering, 50 percent of graduate students are foreign born; in math and physical sciences, 41 percent of graduate students are; this is despite modest decline in number of international students enrolling in American graduate programs since 9/11 terror attacks; at least 22 states have passed legislation requiring universities to make sure teachers are proficient in spoken English; photo (M)
...though your friend is surely utilizing hyperbole to troll you.
|
|
|
|
|
pinktricam
Jul 29, 2005, 8:31 PM
Post #9 of 16
(1017 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jan 8, 2003
Posts: 7947
|
In reply to: There was an article in the NY Times about... |
|
|
|
|
slobmonster
Jul 29, 2005, 8:42 PM
Post #10 of 16
(1017 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jul 28, 2003
Posts: 1586
|
In reply to: In reply to: There was an article in the NY Times about... Yeah, but it's the NY Times. |
|
|
|
|
blondgecko
Moderator
Jul 29, 2005, 9:35 PM
Post #11 of 16
(1017 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jul 2, 2004
Posts: 7666
|
In reply to: BG, sounds like you got trolled, but in real life.
:? I see.
:evil: :evil: :evil:
Oh well... forget the OP - let's just turn this thread into one about this instead. That always seems to work.
In reply to: Pink, the only document I remember you quoting is the Bible. And as we all know, it has no documentation, is plagiarized from many sources, and does not hold up to peer review |
|
|
|
|
organic
Jul 29, 2005, 9:46 PM
Post #12 of 16
(1017 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jul 16, 2003
Posts: 2215
|
I have had class where at TA did not know the word "square" when trying to explain electron orbital configurations in organic chemistry. I guess having an australian take an english class is kind of stupid but seriously i don't understand how some of these teachers and TAs ever managed an interview, or how they filled out their application. i mean it is ok when your hot french TA has trouble speaking English but when you ugly chemistry TA can't speak english we have a problem.
|
|
|
|
|
reno
Jul 31, 2005, 6:16 AM
Post #13 of 16
(1017 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Oct 30, 2001
Posts: 18283
|
If it's of any consolation, the silliness isn't limited to non-residents:
My girlfriend, who has a Bachelor's, Master's, post-graduate work, and is 7 credits shy of her SECOND Master's, wants to take an EMT class. In order to enroll, she must take and pass a HS Graduate reading comprehension test.
Yes, a HS equivalency reading test.
Don't ask why, cause we don't know.
|
|
|
|
|
pinktricam
Aug 1, 2005, 9:17 PM
Post #14 of 16
(1017 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Jan 8, 2003
Posts: 7947
|
In reply to: In reply to: In reply to: There was an article in the NY Times about... Yeah, but it's the NY Times. Pink, the only document I remember you quoting is the Bible. And as we all know, it has no documentation, is plagiarized from many sources, and does not hold up to peer review. |
|
|
|
|
imnotclever
Aug 2, 2005, 12:49 PM
Post #15 of 16
(1017 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Sep 8, 2003
Posts: 10000
|
I had the same TA in calculus for three semesters straight. The first semseter he had just come over from Russia. He'd stand at the chalk board and point while stammering for a word to say, eventually he'd spit out a word that was usually wrong. By the third semester I could actually understand him, but by then my foundation on calc was very weak; partially because of him and partly because it wasn't my thing.
|
|
|
|
|
far_east_climber
Aug 2, 2005, 3:05 PM
Post #16 of 16
(1017 views)
Shortcut
Registered: Sep 30, 2003
Posts: 873
|
Hmm... well over here (Hong Kong mainly - China aswell), when teaching English they prefer you to speak in a British accent. If not British then atleast American... but nothing more. You will be less likely to be hired here if you do not have a clear American or British accent. Not entirely sure why this is the case... but I guess, people have an unconcious idea that these particular accents are more attractive or maybe it's their way of ensuring dey don'ts gat shum funny eccented payple dettle make dem keeds speak weerd.
|
|
|
|
|
|
