Teach English in Heping Qu - Tianjin

Problems for Learners of english in japanThe japanese have taken great lengths to help their younger generations learn english, in hopes of better relations with english-speaking cultures. However, although english classes have become widespread if not ubiquitous in japanese schools, students of the language often make little progress in the classroom, even with the help of a native speaker. This is due not only to the drastic difference between the japanese language and the english language, but also to aspects of japanese culture that clash with traditional TEFL methods. The japanese writing system itself is based on four different alphabets. Two of them, hiragana and katakana, are syllable-based, and one of them, kanji, is character-based language imported from China, where characters represent meanings instead of sounds. The final alphabet is our own, which they call romaji and use for typing on keyboards and spelling things like brand names or foreign abbreviations, such as ?DVD.? This familiarity with the Roman alphabet, however, is very limited and does not lend itself to proper pronunciation. The Romanized words serve as visuals, whereas actual pronunciation of foreign words is dictated by the japanese syllables that already exist, composed of the katakana alphabet, which is reserved for foreign words. Thus, japanese students may know many english words, but pronounce them in a very different way. They will pronounce them based on the five pure vowel sounds in the japanese language. Combinations of vowels are pronounced as new syllables, in this way, instead of creating a new vowel sound as it does in english. Furthermore, two different consonants are never found next to one another in the japanese language, and words always end in a vowel sound. This leads students to break up words and insert vowels, changing, for example, the word ?stress? into ?ste-re-ssa.? Certain consonants also give students difficulty, because they are articulated differently in japanese. Most notorious is the japanese ?r,? which is like a combination of the english ?r? and ?l.? Students therefore have a difficult time differentiating between words like ?lot? and ?rot.? The english ?v? sound is also often pronounced as a ?b.? Aside from pronunciation issues, japanese students have a difficult time with intonation as well. japanese words tend to reflect a balance of stress, because what we express with stress is expressed with modifiers in japanese. When english words are pronounced with equal stress on each syllable, it tends to sound very choppy and unnatural to native speakers. As if these problems weren?t enough, the japanese grammar system is also quite different from the english one. The japanese language follows a subject-object-verb order, doesn?t contain articles, and does not change its verbs based on person or number. As such, students have especial difficulty grasping these concepts. With constant study, though, as well as plenty of pronunciation drilling, students can overcome these technical aspects of the language. The cultural barriers in the learning process, however, hinder things a bit more. In japanese, a person?s speech is heavily influenced by their own age, sex, and position in society, and how it compares to the person they are addressing. Since modifying english to reflect these things is not a beginner?s concept, many learners of english are discouraged from speaking, because they do not wish to seem disrespectful. Asking beginners to speak to one another in a language that does not allow them to express appropriate respect and humility is asking rather a lot. Pair work and group work, in this way, is not so simple! Other typical classroom activities will also prove difficult to teachers of japanese students. Asking students to volunteer or even encouraging them to ask questions will also be met with cultural barriers. japanese students are taught not to disrupt class, which can make them hesitant to ask questions or admit that they don?t understand something. Furthermore, they don?t like to stand out from their peers by calling attention to themselves. japanese students are taught to operate as one group, to like and appreciate teacher-centered activities, as well as quiet, independent study. Overcoming these barriers can be accomplished by a considerate teacher. japanese students respond well to activities where they compete against a clock instead of against one another. Questions or opinions will be expressed most honestly when they are not heard by the whole class. One-on-one meetings or questionnaires that ask student opinions of the class can be utilized effectively. In general, knowledge of these issues can help teachers to tweak their teaching methods and establish rapport with japanese students. References: ?The differences between english and japanese,? by Paul Shoebottom of the Frankfurt International School. http://esl.fis.edu/grammar/langdiff/japanese.htm ?Teaching english pronunciation to japanese Learners,? by Barbara Bradford as part of The japanese Learner (Issue 4: September 1994). http://161.73.1.13/schools/education/eal/jl-archive/jl-bestof/27.pdf ?Teaching english to japanese Students,? by Miki Ikeda of Brigham Young University?s english Language Center. http://humanities.byu.edu/elc/teacher/japanesestudents.html ?english Fluency and Pronunciation Problems in japanese People,? by Shizuka Kamij of the International TEFL Corporation. http://www.teflcorp.com/articles/46-tefl-problems-learning-english-different-countries/149-english-fluency-and-pronunciation-problems-in-japanese-people.htm