Teach English in LinjiAng Zhen - Chongqing

Problems for TEFL learners in FranceTeaching English in france can be a challenging experience. They do not have a good reputation at learning languages and their accent is notorious. However, if certain problem areas are recognized and addressed, a motivated teacher will help the French student progress in his study of English. Although the French alphabet contains the same 26 letters as the English alphabet, there could be a small problem in regards to naming them. This is due to the fact that when we say ?e? in English, the French think of ?i? because that is what it is called in their language. When we say ?g,? they think of ?j.? They will also find difficulties in spelling, since English is frequently not pronounced the way it is spelled. In regards to pronunciation, some trouble comes when words start with the letter ?h.? In French, it is not pronounced, so to do so goes against their nature. It will completely confuse them, when we explain that there are times that we do not pronounce it either, such as ?hour? or ?honor.? Although the French have the same consonant blend ?ch,? they pronounce it ?sh.? It is very difficult for them to pronounce ?th,? as this blend does not exist in their own language. Also, some English words are so similar to French, that they will have a hard time not pronouncing it in the more familiar way. Another problem area is the ?r.? In French, it is throaty, while in English it is not. In French, one does not pronounce the ending letters of many words. The French have a tendency to do the same with English. It is difficult for them to clearly pronounce the ?s? or ?ed? at the end of a word. It is sometimes difficult for anyone learning English to differentiate between certain similar sounds, the minimal pairs. French people often do not hear the difference in pronunciation of words such as ?dawn? and ?down?; ?ship? and ?sheep.? This is due to the fact that the range of sounds used in their own language is not in the same range as the sounds used in English. Imitating these sounds can be problematic because much attention has to be given to the way the mouth produces these sounds. The French do not position their lips in the same way as the Anglophones. Since French is a syllable-timed language and English is a stressed timed one, learning stressed syllables and intonation is an obstacle for French people. Their own language is monotone and therefore, much practice in speaking activities and repetition are needed to teach these. However, even when they practice the correct stress and intonation in conversation, they have greater difficulties when it comes to reading aloud. Other problem areas for the French student are learning English grammar and syntax. English tenses, with their subtle differences do not correspond exactly to French and are challenging to understand. Although there are similarities in sentence structure, such as subject-verb-object, there are still enough differences that the French person makes common errors in structure. The fact that they use articles differently and have masculine and feminine genders leads to some errors in which they refer to objects as ?he? or ?she.? To add to all this, use of modal verbs, auxiliary verbs and the idiomatic make English especially difficult to the French person. In france, English has generally been taught to children at the secondary school level. Much emphasis has always been given to writing and grammar, especially the irregular verbs. English teachers of French nationality have been known to have strong accents and students have little speaking experience in class. The board of education is now initiating children to English in primary grades in some schools, however there is much progress to be made there. In certain countries, English television programs are aired in English with subtitles. This is advantageous to those who wish to learn English, because they have much exposure to the language without making much effort. It is not the case in france, where all foreign programs are dubbed and it is difficult to even see a movie in English. The French are stereotyped as not being good at learning foreign languages. I don?t think that this is true. Most French people can speak at least some English. Other nationalities of Latin origin, such as Spanish or Italian, are not more fluent in English than the French. In my opinion, they would be better in English if they were taught at a very young age with a greater emphasis on conversation and accent. Of course, it would take an experienced tefl teacher to make the class interesting and to motivate the students!