Mulan, last year I went to a conference for English teachers here in Mexican. (There must be a million Mexcian English teachers here in Mexico) One of the studies that was presented concluded that Mexcian English students prefer a Mexican teacher. They don't want a native speaker. Apparently, if the teacher is Mexican their accent is much like their students and they're easier to understand. At the university where I am studying my masters and teaching English, most of the English teachers are Mexican and, of course, have Mexican accents. I teach advanced English and the students have a terrible time understanding me although I try to speak slowly.
ChrisVance
JoinedPosts by ChrisVance
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47
If you have an ACCENT how are you treated?
by ChrisVance ini have lived in mexico for almost two years.
i have always been fascinated by languages so when i retired from the state of washington at age 50 and had the opportunity so go to college i majored in spanish.
i didn't go to college when i was young for the usual dub reason.
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47
If you have an ACCENT how are you treated?
by ChrisVance ini have lived in mexico for almost two years.
i have always been fascinated by languages so when i retired from the state of washington at age 50 and had the opportunity so go to college i majored in spanish.
i didn't go to college when i was young for the usual dub reason.
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ChrisVance
candidlynuts, at least you have the knowledge that a major part of the country speaks just like you!
kaykay_mp, I haven't had that experience, but if I make a grammatical error, they sometimes smiles as if I must be nuts.
kaykay_mp, I've experienced that attitude many times.
If fact one of my profession, who is English, wrote a whole book on how complex language is and how native speakers of any given language think their language is inherent to all humans. Only idiots can't speak their language.
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47
If you have an ACCENT how are you treated?
by ChrisVance ini have lived in mexico for almost two years.
i have always been fascinated by languages so when i retired from the state of washington at age 50 and had the opportunity so go to college i majored in spanish.
i didn't go to college when i was young for the usual dub reason.
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ChrisVance
I have lived in Mexico for almost two years. I have always been fascinated by languages so when I retired from the State of Washington at age 50 and had the opportunity so go to college I majored in Spanish. I didn't go to college when I was young for the usual dub reason. While I was an undergraduate I spent a semester at one of the Mexican "snob" schools as an exchange student. Fourteen months later I returned to the same university to study for a master's degree in applied linguistics at the same university. I had found that generally speaking people in this part of Mexico weren't very kind when talking to a person who didn't speak Spanish perfectly, but I though that I'd improve and that in wouldn't be a problem.
After living here for almost two years I've found that the situation hasn't improved. I have learned how to say numerous things that they never taught us in college. I can understand much more that I did two years ago, but I still get the same unkind comments. Is this a human characteristics, or do Spanish speaking people feel that their language is sacred and shouldn't be spoken by someone who doesn't speak it perfectly?
My thesis was just rejected and one of the reasons is because they don't think my translations are reliable. It's in English, but I quote what was said to me in Spanish with an English translation. One of the members of my thesis committee is a Columbian who has always made fun of my Spanish. Actually I discussed all the quotes with a native speaker before I translated them to make sure I understood what the speaker was saying.
When I was at home last summer I was talking to a friend who had been an exchange student in France and he said the the French are mean if you don't sound just like them. I find Mexicans to be the same way.
Do you make frank or even subtle, unkind remarks to those who don't speak your native language perfectly? Do you think I'm just being sensitive?
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10
Shunning JWs and cultural background
by greendawn init appears that most jw parents follow the insane instruction of the gb to shun their own children in case they leave or get expelled from the org, that's what we perceive by reading ex-jw sites.
that may well be the case in the english speaking countries mainly represented on this board for example, but i find it difficult to believe that the same occurs with jws of different origins eg southern european, latin american, japanese where family ties are much stronger.
the different cultural background could influence jws in taking certain decisions such as this.
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ChrisVance
You are absolutely right. Many years ago when I was still pretending to be a heterosexual, my wife and I hosted a Mexican exchange student, a dub. After nine months he went home, only to return a year later. He married an American dub and four years later divorced her. By then I had left the dubs and lived in Seattle with my partner. One afternoon, we were walking in the gay district of Seattle, and lo and behold I saw Alberto. I hugged him and told him I was gay and he said he was too. We talked about everything in the world, and the four of us got together socially on a couple of ocacions. He had a partner also, a very handsome young man his partner was, (is).
Alberto told me that he and Robert had gone to Mexico City and spent three weeks in his mother's house. He said she had told him that he was her son no matter what. In fact, Alberto and Robert slept in Alberto's old bedroom. Alberto's father is not a witness so his mother could always use him as an excuse, except at the time they were separated and Alberto's father was not living in the family home.
In 2002, I was living in Puebla, as I am now, and I and I was visiting someone in the area where Alberto's family lives, so I dropped by to see them. When I arrived I said to Alberto's mother that I knew the situation, but I thought it only right that I stopped by and say hello to Aberto's father since he had always been so kind to me. ( They were back together by this time.) (I had visited the family several times when I was still a dub). She said no problem. She was as hospitable as can be (as was his husband). We talked about Alberto and Roberto the same as we would have if Aberto had been married to a women. By the way Alberto's mother was a regular pioneer and had been for quite some time. A wonderful family.
Don't misunderstand. Mexcians in general a very homophobic. This family is an exception.
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5
Toy French Poodle
by ChrisVance inwe got a new puppy a few month ago.
he's now about 4 and half months old.
he a real sweetie most of the time, but sometimes he gets agressive and bites very hard.
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ChrisVance
Thanks everyone! What you've told me makes a lot of sense. I'll reread the comments and follow them. Thanks! I love my puppy, but I don't like to be bitten.
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5
Toy French Poodle
by ChrisVance inwe got a new puppy a few month ago.
he's now about 4 and half months old.
he a real sweetie most of the time, but sometimes he gets agressive and bites very hard.
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ChrisVance
We got a new puppy a few month ago. He's now about 4 and half months old. He a real sweetie most of the time, but sometimes he gets agressive and bites very hard. When he does this I put him in his portable kennel. Is this typical for puppies of this age? Will he get over it? Does playing with him, such as playing with tug-a-war with a rubber toy, help or does it make him more agreesive? Thanks for any help you can give.
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SO WHY AREN'T YOU AT THE MEETING THIS MORNING???
by Mary inwhat excuse could anyone possibly have as to why they're not attending the 2 hours + of boring bullshit partaking of spiritual food this morning??
as for me, i have a perfectly valid excuse: i'm doing laundry and baking banana bread this morning.
what are you doing sunday morning instead of being told you're not doing enough in god's service?
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ChrisVance
I'd love to go, but I'm just too busy.
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Infiltration
by DocHayes inhas anyone ever thought about going to a meeting just for the hell of it?
i mean maybe while out of town, putting on a nice suit.
sitting in the front row, even answering a question.
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ChrisVance
jaffacake, go for it!
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ChrisVance
My excuse is that I had a large extended family that was 90% dub. That means there's an immense pressure to confrom. It worked. Very few of my cousins have left the dubs.
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Two Camps, always Two Camps!
by Blueblades indoes god exist?
camp one: yes!, camp two: no!.
were we created, or, evolved, or, both?
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ChrisVance
And then one day, hey presto, I was a committed evolutionist/athiest, but only after I thought that God wouldn't mind if I was. Go figure!
iggy_the_fish, thank god you're an atheist.