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Resume Writing Tips for Teachers

This is by Mario Churchill:

How to Write a Cover Letter for Teachers

People who dream of pursuing a teaching career are often confronted with one problem-how to write a cover letter that will sell their efficient teaching skills. Being teachers, they are always perceived to be the foundation of knowledge. Meaning, they are pressured by the fact that their covers letters should be flawless.
The very nature of man goes about showing off his prowess in writing by means of using high-termed words in the content of the cover letter. Doing so sacrifices enough comprehension on the part of the reader. Not all employers are equipped with these big words. Therefore, the steps in how to write a cover letter involve being formal yet simple.
Good writers must know how to play with words. Using big words will only hinder the development of the reader's understanding the contents of the cover letter. Being hooked into the teaching profession should not pressure you on creating a masterpiece with your cover letter. Means of how to write a cover letter can thus be learned. All jobseekers undergo the phase of learning how to write a cover letter. Understandably, no one will be able to land on a specific job without submitting a cover letter to the employers.
First things should hence be covered. Start with knowing the complete name and position of the addressee. Also take note of the address of the school along with the nature of the work you intend to apply for. It is also best if you have sufficient background regarding the school profile. It will be a plus point for you if you are abreast with certain things as these.
Always be specific. You've got to express your deepest and sincerest intentions in your cover letter. Being a teacher by profession, you must be aware of your responsibilities once you are taken in by the school you are applying for.
Always mention the name of the school even though you will be using the same cover letter for all of your applications. You may just edit your cover letter in order for you to include the name of the school.
In your cover letter, do not let your contents appear like you are already writing down your lesson plan. You should know in particular the things which the school likes best in the teacher. If you show them you've got what they are looking for, then you can positively get a YES from the recruiting officer.
Before finally sending your cover letters to the schools which you are eyeing on, do not fail to proofread and edit them. Pay close attention to the punctuation marks, misused words, misspelled words, and then check on the entire sentence construction.
Always be different and be crafty. The type of paper you use will also become a plus point for you. Refrain from using the scented paper as it may connote your being unprofessional. Show off your creativity in your cover letters because all schools are likely to hire a set of personnel who are creative enough.
Your sense of originality will matter a lot. Cover letter samples may be adamantly available in bookstores and internet websites but nothing will top your originally written cover letters. Knowing how to write a cover letter the proper way is as necessary as grooming your own physical look. Likewise, do not fail to always be polite and sincere all throughout the contents of your cover letter.
Mario Churchill is a freelance author and has written over 200 articles on various subjects. For more information on cover letter or cover letters checkout his recommended websites.

English For Dummies

English For Dummies

Aleksandra Lojek-Magdziarz
guardian.co.uk,

Tuesday January 15, 2008
Article history

Immigrants coming to the UK are often encouraged to learn English, and most of the ones I know study hard. Many arrive already equipped with a decent command of the native tongue, which simply needs polishing up, yet sometimes it would appear that they have to filter their English to adjust to their native interlocutor's imperfect grasp of their own first language.
Many of my migrant friends tell me that while washing dishes in English pubs and restaurants they have to reduce the range of their vocabulary, because unless they do so, nobody understands them (and I must stress that these are not my fellow PhD students or academics). And, as they tell me, this is not an issue over the use of slang or cockney, so fascinating to the newcomers (especially their etymologies), but over words we think of as regular, everyday vocabulary, readily found in any newspaper.
In time, following my first conversations with many Brits, the need for this alternate version of English also became "plain" to me. When I mentioned to a public office clerk that somebody had used a euphemism, the man made a very peculiar face and demanded a translation. Then recently, a journalist friend of mine admitted that he had never heard the term "instrumentalisation", and informed me with unchecked disgust that he thought it ugly. The question of aesthetics is a very personal thing, but what I most prize in English is the fact that if it frequently borrows vocabulary, recreates it according to its own need and immediately re-influences dozens of other languages. So (thus) instrumentalisation has found its way into Polish as "instrumentalizacja" and, as far as I know, does not cause loathing in anyone.
This process of switching between English and its "plain" variety is often a difficult task, because English is a language famed for its rich vocabulary. But what is most puzzling is how strongly this phenomena varies depending on which social stratum we are referring to. This difference between formal and informal can be found anywhere in the world, but I dare say that it is particularly noticeable in England, since this is the only nation I am aware of which has felt it necessary to invent a simplified version of its own mother tongue.
When I first came across plain English, I had not known know what it meant and paid it scant attention, but then in one of British newspaper I found a supplement (like this one [pdf])with a dictionary of English words meticulously translated into their "plain" variety. Ostensibly, regular English appeared to be too complex to be understood by, I would guess, ordinary people. In this new Newspeak I came across "thus" reconstituted as "so", the passive voice replaced with the active and long, beautifully constructed sentences reduced to strands of factually correct words, stripped of all the spirit of elegant English I've always adored. Nu-Newspeak, if you like.
I fully understand the need to effectively communicate with as many people as much of the time as possible, including those who might be thought of as educationally underprivileged, but I cannot accept the idea of oversimplification in a language as rich as English. Not when this process ends in it becoming an artificially impoverished hybrid. As a result, educated people are becoming intellectually lazy, forced to limit their vocabulary and syntax in an attempt to be understood by everybody. Which can plainly never happen. Worse yet, this lack of precision may, in turn, cause misunderstanding and misinterpretation.
To me, the brain should be subject to rigorous intellectual practice and training all the time. Otherwise, inevitably, it starts to work slower. Therefore, when I see in Wikipedia a separate category called Simple English, I cannot resist the feeling that ordinary people are being discriminated against and treated as incapable of facing the challenge of learning and improving their abilities.
I am glad to see that people who somehow struggle with their mother tongue can learn something anyway. But they should be given more trust. Great writers produced their masterworks in unabridged English (however, Mark Twain, for example, appreciated the advantages of writing plainly). They certainly did not wish their works to be simplified as they honed their style and vocabulary to perfection. It reminds me of a telling scene in the film Amadeus, where the confused Emperor Joseph II says to Mozart that his opera has "too many notes". This, it would seem to me, is how plain English works.
In my opinion, complicated matters should be presented in a way that is both clear and effective enough for a great number of people to comprehend them; but at the same time I object to this process of "dumbing down". I do not feel comfortable in a situation in which I, a Polish emigrant, whose English needs endless brushing up, has to translate words into plain English when engaging in a discussion with native speakers. I came here, among others, to enjoy the beauty of a sophisticated, extremely rich and exciting language (not just to earn a living), to the country that has already produced some the greatest poetry and prose known to human kind.
"Be short, be simple, be human" said Sir Ernest Gowers, by which I assume he did not mean "oversimplify your language to the point where it loses its spirit". To get rid of legalese and gobbledygook is a very useful thing, since both are a no more than linguistic litter. But please, do not allow the graceful "thus" to be replaced with "so" all the time. People are able to learn vast amounts at every stage of their life, but the demands made on them by the educational system must be high. If you decide to translate everything into plain English, you cannot be surprised that society, denied mental stimulation, sinks ever lower in their intellectual capabilities.

Is the Queen's English Really Dead?

The Queen's English Is Dead
By Annalee Newitz, AlterNet. Posted April 3, 2008.

By the time English truly is a dominant language on the planet, it will no longer be English. Instead, say a group of linguists interviewed in a recent article by Michael Erard in New Scientist, the language will fragment into many mutually-unintelligible dialects. Still, some underlying documents will supply the grammatical glue for these diverse Englishes, the way Koranic Arabic does for the world's diverse Arabic spinoff tongues. English-speakers of the future will be united in their understanding of a standard English supplied by technical manuals and Internet media.
People like me, native English speakers, are heading to the ashcan of history. By 2010, estimates language researcher David Graddol, 2 billion people on the planet will be communicating in English -- but only 350 million will be native speakers. By 2020, native speakers will have diminished to 300 million. My American English, which I grew up speaking in an accent that matched what I heard on National Public Radio and 60 Minutes, is already difficult for many English-speakers to understand.
Hence the rise of Internet English. This is the simple English of technical manuals and message boards -- full of slang and technical terminology, but surprisingly free of strange idioms. It's usually also free of the more cumbersome and weird aspects of English grammar.
For example, a future speaker of English would be unlikely to understand the peculiar way in which I express the past tense: "I walked to the store." Adding a couple of letters (-ed) to the end of a verb to say that I did something in the past? Weird. Hard to hear; hard to say. It's much more comprehensible to say: "I walk to the store yesterday." And indeed, that's how many non-native speakers already say it. It's also the way most popular languages like the many dialects of Chinese express tense. The whole practice of changing the meaning of a word by adding barely audible extra letters -- well, that's just not going to last.
When I read about the way English is changing and fragmenting, it has the opposite effect on me than what you might expect. Although I am the daughter and granddaughter of English teachers and spent many years in an English department earning a PhD, I relish the prospect of my language changing and becoming incomprehensible to me. Maybe that's because I spent a year learning to read Old English, the dominant form of English spoken 1,000 years ago, and I realize how much my language has already changed.
But my glee in the destruction of my own spoken language isn't entirely inspired by knowing language history. It's because I want English to reflect the lives of the people who speak it. I want English to be a communications tool -- like the Internet, a thing that isn't an end in itself but a means to one. Once we all acknowledge that there are many correct Englishes, and not just the Queen's English or Terry Gross' English, things will be a lot better for everybody.
I'll admit sometimes I feel a little sad when my pal from Japan doesn't get my double entendres or idiomatic jokes. I like to play with language, and it's hard to be quite so ludic when language is a tool and nothing more. But that loss of English play is more than made up for by the cross-cultural play that becomes possible in its stead, jokes about kaiju and non-native snipes at native customs. (My favorite: said Japanese pal is bemused by American Christianity, and one day exclaimed in frustration, "God, Godder, Goddest!")
For those of us who spend most of our days communicating via the Internet, using language as the top layer in a technological infrastructure that unites many cultures, the Englishes of the future are already here. In some ways they make a once-uniform language less intelligible. In other ways, they make us all more intelligible to one another.

Is the native speaker really dead as written here?

The native speaker is dead!Long live the native speaker!

Barbara Bettinelli*
What we are going to explore in this presentation:
The traditional role of native speaking teachers and the re-evaluation of the role of non-native speaking teachers
Issues regarding the definition of native speaker and mother tongue
Implications for teaching
What can we learn from each other?

The traditional role of native speaking teachersand the re-evaluation of the role of non-native speaking teachers


“The native speaker should become the standard foreign-language teacher within the countries of the European community.They know best what is important in the language teaching tomorrow: the active and creative language use in everyday communication.”(Freudenstein 1991)
“... the latest ideas in English language teaching. Where best, after all, to get the latest ideas on this than in the leading English-speaking countries?”(Quirk 1990)

As these quotations show the native speaker, and especially the native speaker of English, has traditionally played a key role not only in language teaching, but also in language teaching methodology and research.
In most non-English-speaking countries there is a clear-cut division between non-native and native English speaking teachers. The local non-native English teachers, who are often more experienced and better qualified, work in the state system, while the native English speakers, often having minimal qualifications, are employed in private language schools.
“There is no doubt that native speakers of English are deferred to in our profession:what they say is invested with both authenticity and authority. They have become the custodians and arbiters not only of proper English, but of proper pedagogy as well.”
“I find it particularly ironical that Britain should be exporting expertise in the teaching of a foreign languagewhen its own record in this area is one of more or less abject failure.”(Widdowson 1992)

English Language News

English Language Unity Act Soars Past 150 Co-Sponsors in House
Representatives Porter, Kingston and Henry Brown latest to support official English
Last update: 11:58 a.m. EDT July 16, 2008

WASHINGTON, Jul 16, 2008 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- Efforts to make English the official language of the United States received a boost this week when three members of Congress added their support as co-sponsors of H.R. 997, the English Language Unity Act. The affirmations by Rep. Henry Brown, Jr., Rep. Jack Kingston and Rep. Jon Porter push the total number of bi-partisan co-sponsors of the measure to 152.
"I want to thank Representatives Porter, Kingston and Brown, along with the many co-sponsors of H.R. 997 for their efforts to focus on assimilation within our diverse society," said Mauro E. Mujica, Chairman of the Board of U.S. English, Inc. "At a time when some would have us believe that Americans need to learn the language of the immigrants, I am pleased to see that a large contingent of Congressional leaders remain focused on English, the language of opportunity and unity in our nation."
With 152 co-sponsors from 39 states, H.R. 997 is one the most widely supported bills in the 110th Congress and marks the second term in a row where more than 150 representatives have supported the bill. Despite polls showing that more than 80 percent of Americans favor making English the official language, H.R. 997 is still pending in the House Judiciary Committee as well as the House Committee on Education and the Workforce.
Recognizing that English proficiency is necessary for integration into the American mainstream, The English Language Unity Act would require the United States government to conduct official business in English. Introduced by Rep. Steve King in 2007, H.R. 997 would limit routine government operations to English, while giving government agencies common sense flexibility to protect public health and safety, national security, and to provide for the needs of the commerce and justice systems.
"Americans understand that being multilingual is an asset, but being unable to speak English in the United States is a ticket to low wages and lost opportunity," added Mujica. "We look forward to working with members on both sides of the aisle to gain support for H.R. 997 and reduce the number of limited English proficient persons in this country."
U.S. English, Inc. is the nation's oldest and largest non-partisan citizens' action group dedicated to preserving the unifying role of the English language in the United States. Founded in 1983 by the late Sen. S.I. Hayakawa of California, U.S. English can be found on the web at www.usenglish.org.
SOURCE: U.S. English, Inc.

Tinglish or Thai English

I found this somewhere. Once again I have no idea about who penned this one. Quite true!


Tinglish (also Thenglish, Thailish or Thainglish) is the imperfect form of English produced by native Thai speakers due to language interference from the first language. Differences from native English include incorrect pronunciation, wrong word choices, misspellings, and grammatical mistakes.

Examples
Some common examples (direct translation) are:
same same (similar, as usual) and same same but different (seems similar but different in some ways);
open/close the light (means "To turn on/off the light");
I love you too much;
I'm not pretty sure (means "I don't know");
Is this soup? (means "are you drinking apple cider?");
I have ever been to London;
I'm interesting in football (means "I am interested in watching/playing football");
wash the film (means "develop the film");
I very like it (means "I really like it");
I'm sad when my mother angries me meaning is angry with me;
I used to go to Phuket or I go to Phuket already meaning I have been to Phuket before or I went to Phuket;
take a bath referring to taking a shower;
"Do you know how to eat this?" referring to food with taste that may be unfamiliar, or food requiring special eating method (such as wrapping it in lettuce) that may not be known to the listener;
I play internet (I go on/use the internet);
"This is suck!" means "This sucks!";
omission of pronouns and of the verb be;
non-use or incorrect use of articles, declension and conjugation.
addition of Thai final particles, e.g. I don't know na

[edit] Particles
The words of Thai prefix particles and their implied meanings:
khun (literraly mister, miss, or mrs.) or k. = mister or miss (e.g. Khun Somchai will have a meeting on Friday.)
Following is the list of Thai final particles and their implied meanings:
la = to give suggestion (e.g. Why don't you ask her la?), to inform the listener of something (e.g. I'm going to bed la.), or to ask if the subject would do something that the subject of the previous sentence does (e.g. I'm going to have dinner now, how about you la?)
na = to give suggestion (e.g. You must do your homework first na.), to inform the listener of something (e.g. I'll be right back na.), or to express opinion about something that the speaker think should have been done but have not yet been done (e.g. Why don't you ask her na?)
ja = to add informality to the conversation (e.g. Hello ja.)
krab (or, alternatively, krub) (for male speaker only) = add at end of sentence to make the conversation polite/formal; also as confirmation (Yes!) (e.g. Hello krab.)
kha (or ka) (for female speaker only) = same as krab (e.g. Hello kha.)
Particles can also be combined, as follows:
la na, e.g. I have to go la na.
na ja, e.g. Don't go too far na ja.
la ja, e.g. Where have you been la ja?
na krab/kha, e.g. Please excuse me na krab/kha.
Some less common particles:
munk/mung = to guess/estimate something (e.g. The shop already closed munk. / He's 25 years old munk.)
leoy = totally or immediately (e.g. I don't understand leoy la. / See you there leoy na)
laew = already or done (e.g. I have to go laew la.)
wa = to give suggestion (it's likely to be used with someone who's close to you, such as your close friend) (e.g. I don't know at all wa, why don't you come with me wa?)

[edit] Pronunciation
As some sounds in English just simply don't exist in Thai language, this affects the way native Thai speakers pronounce English words:
shifts the stress to the last syllable of the word
omits consonant clusters
final consonants are often omitted or converted according to the rules of Thai pronunciation: l and r become n, while s becomes t
"sh" and "ch" sounds are hardly distinguishable, e.g. ship/chip, sheep/cheap, wish/witch
"v" sound is almost always replaced by "w" sound, e.g. vow -> wow, ville -> will
"g" and "z" sounds are usually devoiced, e.g. dog -> dock, zoo -> sue
"th" sound is often replaced by "t" or "d" sound, e.g. thin -> tin, through -> true, then -> den
ambiguity between the short "e", as in "bled", and a long "a", as in "blade"
native Thai English speakers have a tendency (acquired within their school system) to pronounce certain words differently. E.g.: sleep - sahleep speak - sahpeak snore - sahnore swim - sahwim stay - sahtay school - sahcool album - alabum apple - appol bottle - bottol

A Look at Sheltered English

Sheltered English Instruction. ERIC Digest.


The number of limited-English-proficient (LEP) students in U.S. schools has increased dramatically in recent years. Waggoner (1984) estimates that by the year 2000, 3.4 million students in this country will speak a language other than English as their mother tongue. School districts are faced with the task of preparing these LEP students to keep up academically with their native-English-speaking peers. One way to help LEP students succeed academically is to recognize the need to develop their cognitive academic language proficiency (CALP)--the kind of proficiency required to make sense of academic language in context-reduced situations (Cummins, 1979, 1981). CALP can take up to seven years to acquire; even "advantaged" non-English-speakers require 5-8 years to score as well as native speakers on standardized tests (Collier, 1987). Accordingly, if teachers of English as a second language (ESL) focus solely on developing students' linguistic competence, the students may fall too far behind in academic subjects to ever catch up.
One type of instruction that offers promise in helping LEP students develop academic competence while also developing English proficiency is sheltered English.
WHAT IS SHELTERED ENGLISH?
Sheltered English is an instructional approach used to make academic instruction in English understandable to LEP students. Students in these classes are "sheltered" in that they do not compete academically with native English speakers since the class includes only LEP students. In the regular classroom, English fluency is assumed. In contrast, in the sheltered English classroom, teachers use physical activities, visual aids, and the environment to teach important new words for concept development in mathematics, science, history, home economics, and other subjects (National Clearinghouse on Bilingual Education, 1987).
The methods that teachers employ in sheltered classes include the following:
- Extralinguistic cues such as visuals, props, and body language (Parker, 1985);
- Linguistic modifications such as repetition and pauses during speech (Parker, 1985);
- Interactive lectures with frequent comprehension checks;
- Cooperative learning strategies (Kagan 1985);
- Focus on central concepts rather than on details by using a thematic approach;
- Development of reading strategies such as mapping and writing to develop thinking (Langer & Applebee, 1985).
ARE THERE DIFFERENT TYPES OF SHELTERED ENGLISH PROGRAMS?
Sheltered English programs may be either bilingual or monolingual, but English instruction is the key element in both. One model described by Weinhouse (1986) defines sheltered English as "a program of instruction for language minority students consisting of three components: sheltered English instruction, primary language instruction, and mainstream English instruction" (p.4).
Krashen (1985) presents a detailed model for this type of sheltered English illustrated below.
Beginning: (1) Mainstream (Art, Music, PE); (2) Sheltered (ESL); (3) First Language (All Core Subjects).
Intermediate: (1) Mainstream (Art, Music, PE): (2) Sheltered (ESL, Math, Science); (3) First Language (Language Arts, Social Studies).
Advanced: (1) Mainstream (Art, Music, PE, Science, Math); (2) Sheltered (Language Arts, Social Studies); (3) First Language (Enrichment Program).
Mainstream: (1) Mainstream (All Subjects); (2) Sheltered (Blank); (3) First Language (Enrichment Program). In this model, students are mainstreamed initially in music, art, and physical education (PE)--the subjects least linguistically demanding. Students study English in a sheltered class and all core subjects in their first language. At the intermediate stage, math and science as well as English are taught in sheltered classes, while social studies and language arts are taught in the student's first language. At the advanced level, language arts and social studies are sheltered, and the student is mainstreamed for all other classes.
The goal of the program is to mainstream the student gradually, but since some instruction occurs in the primary language, bilingualism is also possible. However, in some school situations, especially at the secondary level, the primary instruction component is infeasible (unless the instructor has the benefit of native-speaking aides to assist LEP students with individual instruction) because either a variety of native languages are spoken by the students or the number of speakers of any given language is small.
Schifini (1985) acknowledges the desirability of programs with first language instruction and asks: "How does the American history teacher who has students who speak eleven different primary languages in his or her classroom make the class understandable at all?" (p.2). Schifini proposes a sheltered English program for students with intermediate English proficiency. At the first level of this two-level program, students study ESL and take sheltered math and science classes. At the second level, sheltered classes in social studies are added as students continue with ESL instruction.
WHO ARE THE INSTRUCTORS?
Typically, sheltered English classes are taught by regular classroom teachers who receive in-service instruction on ways to make subject-area content comprehensible for LEP students. However, ESL teachers may assume part of the responsibility for the curriculum and teach a class such as an ESL/social studies (or sheltered social studies) class.
HOW IS SHELTERED ENGLISH DIFFERENT FROM OTHER APPROACHES TO TEACHING LEP STUDENTS?
As Weinhouse (1986) suggests, sheltered English programs can contain key elements of three other approaches to teaching limited-English-proficient students: bilingual education, immersion, and content-based instruction.
- Bilingual Education. Bilingual programs have been effective in developing both English proficiency and academic competence by instruction in the primary language as well as in English. Where appropriate and feasible, sheltered English programs also include first language instruction.
- Immersion Education. Immersion programs teach a second language by providing sheltered instruction in content areas to students with limited language proficiency. In foreign language immersion programs, English-speaking students receive sheltered instruction in languages such as French, Spanish, or German. (In sheltered English programs, the sheltered instruction is in English.)
- Content-based Instruction. A number of programs, including sheltered English, have been designed with the aim of teaching English through the content areas.
CONCLUSION
Sheltered English instruction includes a variety of techniques to help regular classroom teachers make content-area material comprehensible for ESL students who already have some English proficiency. The programs may include a primary language instruction component. Sheltered English programs have proven successful in the development of academic competence in LEP students because such programs concentrate on the simultaneous development of content-area and ESL proficiency.
REFERENCES
Collier, V.(1987). Age and rate of acquisition of second language for academic purposes. "TESOL Quarterly," 21, 617-641.
Cummins, J. (1979). "Linguistic interdependence and the educational development of bilingual children. Bilingual Education Paper Series, Vol. 3, No.2." (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 257 312).
Cummins, J. (1981). The role of primary language development in promoting educational success for language minority students. In "Schooling and language minority students: A theoretical frame-work." Los Angeles: Evaluation, Dissemination, and Assessment Center.
Kagan, S. (1985). "Cooperative learning resources for teachers." Riverside, CA: Spencer Kagan.
Krashen, S. (1985). "Insights and inquiries." Hayward, CA: Alemany Press.
Langer, J., & Applebee, A. (1985). Learning to write: Learning to think. "Educational Horizons," 64, 36-38.
National Clearinghouse on Bilingual Education (1987, Oct-Nov). "Sheltered English: An approach to content area instruction for limited-English-proficient students. Forum, 10" (6), 1,3.
Parker, D. (1985). "Sheltered English: Theory to practice." Paper presented at in-service workshop. San Diego, CA.
Schifini, A. (1985). "Sheltered English: Content area instruction for limited English proficiency students." Los Angeles County Office of Education.
Waggoner, D. (1984). The need for bilingual education: Estimate from the 1980 census. "NABE Journal," 7 (2), 1-14.
Weinhouse, M. (1986). "Sheltered English: A study in the San Diego Unified School District." (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 270 995).
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FOR FURTHER READING
Chamot, A., & O'Malley, M. (1987). The cognitive academic language learning approach: A bridge to the mainstream. "TESOL Quarterly," 21, 227-49.
Crandall, JoAnn, Ed. (1987). "ESL through content-area instruction: Mathematics, science, social studies. Language in education: Theory and practice, No. 69." (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 283 387).
Freeman, D., Freeman, Y., & Gonzales, G. (1987). Success for LEP students: The Sunnyside sheltered English program. "TESOL Quarterly," 21, 361-367. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 279 193).

More Assie Slangs

A nice portrayal of some Aussie English bysomeone whose name I don't reckon.

The Basics of Aussie Slang

Australian culture and customs are unique, but not as unique as the Australian language. Our own style of English is so full of colloquial expressions, slang words and slang phrases it is enough to confuse other speakers of English quite easily.
So just so you don't look like a complete drongo, here are enough Aussie words to help you get by in Australian society! Now, the accent, well thats another story...
The really basic basics.
G’day is hullo, pronounced Gidday which is a shortened form of Good Day, and used mostly in informal situations. More formally we would say Hullo, Good Morning, Good Afternoon, or the likes.
Goodbye is, um, er, Goodbye. Although some people say Hooroo, pronounced ‘ooroo.
Bloke is an Aussie male who generally is a hard worker and does the right thing. Eg., "Bill’s a Good Bloke".
Mate is Friend, mainly for males. Everyone in Australia is mate, so we would often say "G’day mate" or "Thanks mate".
Onya means Well Done, a shortened form of Good On You. The best "Aussieism" in my opinion.
Abbreviations
For some reason Australians shorten words wherever possible, particularly peoples names. They are generally shortened to one syllable if possible, and then have a suffix added to the end. Here are a few examples:-
"a"
A Cup of Tea or Coffee becomes a Cuppa.
"ie"
Angela becomes Angie.Australian becomes AussieBarbecue become BarbieElizabeth becomes LizzieFootball becomes Footy, pronounced with a soft "T" somewhere between T & D.
"o"
Burgess becomes BurgoJohnathon becomes JohnnoSmoko means a break from work for a smoke, which now means a tea break even if you don’t smoke.
"zza" or just "z’
Marion become Mazza or MazSharon become Shazza or ShazWarwick (me) becomes Wozza (which I hate) or Woz.

New Words in the Oxford English Dictionary

The Oxford English Dictionary released a list of new words that have recently been accepted into the ‘English Language’. Here’s a sample that I find interesting:

agroterrorism - n. terrorist acts intended to disrupt or damage a country’s agriculture.
bahookie - n. a person’s buttocks.
crunk - adj. (of a person) very excited or full of energy.
mentee - n. a person who is advised, trained, or counseled by a mentor.
mzee - n. (origins in East Africa) an older person; an elder.
plank - n. (informal) a stupid person.
ponzu - n. a sauce or dip made with soy sauce and citrus juice
radge - n. a wild, crazy, or violent person.
rendition - n. (also extraordinary rendition) the practice of sending a foreign criminal or terrorist suspect covertly to be interrogated in a country with less rigorous regulations for the humane treatment of prisoners.
twonk - n. (informal) a stupid or foolish person – origin 1980s: a blend of twit or twat and plonker.
Yogalates (also trademark Yogilates) - n. a fitness routine that combines Pilates exercises with the postures and breathing techniques of yoga – origin 1990s: blend of yoga and Pilates.

One word that came close but did not quite make it was Bloglish - the act of writing a blog in a language resembling English - I like it and think it should have been included!!
Maybe they should have also included blogorrhea - the tendency to fill a blog with too much trivial material. (Of course its a formation, from blog and the ending -rrhoea, which comes from Greek rhoia ‘flow, flux’ (as in diarrhoea) and is also associated closely with the established actual word logorrhoea meaning ‘the tendency to talk too much’).

Irregularities of English

This one is a nice outpouring!

If teachers taught, why didn't preachers praught?If a vegetarian eats vegetables, what does a humanitarian eat?