The Brexit Thread

[Gandalf]

@Gandalf - serious question, why do you spell like an American? I assume that's how you have to teach? If so, why have they adopted American over English?

I will answer this question. The reason I spell like an American is because if I spell the word favourite like this, then at this moment in time it has a squiggly red line underneath it which is so aesthetically displeasing that I just feel an automatic need to eradicate it. The system here on Saddo's is itself Americanized. Even Beanz does it a fair bit.

Nope, I have complete autonomy in how I teach and so whilst public school materials will often be American in style, I generally mix it up and will add a Mum and a flat and lift or what have you and point out spelling differentials. If anything I find a lot of young people prefer British English. They like the sound having experienced years of nasal audio and exaggerated intonation in the American style. A lot of materials these days incorporate a wider range of intonations though. Many youngsters are into films or music and like the romantic notion of what constitutes being English which in reality has of course become something of a myth. Thus trips to Europe or London end up being 'Huh?' Oh well.

Then again some will prefer the American style as their intent is to work for a US firm here or study in north America. My wife says working for US firms is generally a bit naff though. They don't treat people very well. On the whole though you get plenty of Aussies and Canadians and Brits and Irish all doing their own English thing. We all sound different though and if they wanted America they would only hire Americans. Due to population mass there are more of them but overall a fair balance. 5 English people at my old place actually which is half the team.

It was an honest question with zero undertone. I've noticed more and more young foreigners speak with American accents, especially Asians (Chinese kind) - doctors, nurses, students, etc. Obviously they are picking up that accent from the films/tv/speak devices they learn from, which I assumed was the reason for your Americanised spelling.

I'm almost disappointed it's a simple case of your device producing a squiggly red line, however, thank you, as I now know what the squiggly line is (just realised my device is Americanized too.)

It depends on where they come from too. The Philippines for example is full of American influence. Out here you do get a range. If they have studied overseas in America for a year or whatever then an accent will be there. I am not into the squeaky rising intonation littered with time fill 'likes'. Personally I never use time fillers. I prefer to pause and get my words out in a dignified manner. I had a guy last year who had wonderful English diction, a drama stutent, had never been to the UK but was an Anglophile. Cool chap.

Most Koreans don't have much of a foreign accent. In fact the main thing I tell them is that they need to enunciate well but it does not need to ape a particular form as basically there are so many and the main thing is being clear in your diction. My wife sounds pretty British due to the influence of my stronger consonants. My diction in a second language gets praised but you can tell with some things I struggle with the tongue position a little. For instance the inbetween l and r which is awkward for a Brit.