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Thread: Native English Speakers Required

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[quote=APAULT                  ,32552]Pinetree:  I think that is unlikely, but increasingly the educated class (oh, we shouldn't have classes in socialist China, but unfortunately we will) wil also speak English.  This is what has happened in Scandinavia, though it seems form your earlie rcommenst that Singapore might have gone a bit too far.Teknomed:  What u say is true... though I don't think slang is the real issue.  The problem is that all the foreigners including many second language English speakers, are teaching their own 'English' and there are massive variations.  'The government' needs to decide which brand of English it wants.  At present most students (that I have been teaching) want British English - ie London basic, but the majority of the text books are produced in the USA or by Chinese who have graduated from US universities.  I object to books which say 'subway' means underground train and talk of cell phones.  They are insensitive to the reality of Chinese English.  Shanghai has a metro (French origin) and subways which are pedestrian underpasses (British).  This is current usage.  So too is the use of 'mobile' rather than 'cell' phone.  All books should recognise this reality (but then Bush thought the Iraqi people wanted to be invaded, so perhaps I should not be surprised!)But if the government decides that it wants American rather than English let it say so.  I can choose whether to teach it or retire (almost certainly the latter!!!). (Sorry, Pinetree, I know you've heard this before!)[/quote]

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