English Language Challenges

A different language is a different vision of life

Federico Fellini

Learning a new language may be quite an adventure...!

Some people see language just as a means of communication. Sherlock would say "That's obvious, Watson, but..."

Learning another language means far more than acquiring and using varied lexis, mastering grammatical rules, understanding common idiomatic expressions, and using appropriate pronunciation, rhythm, and intonation. These and other issues are the building blocks of everyday communication. However, language is produced by people differing in origin, race, cultural background, climate, educational system, interest, well-being, ...

Thus, the language of a particular group of people varies widely compared to that of another group of people living in a distant geographical site and using the same language; people living in warm, tropical regions are more talkative, express their feelings with strong voice and bodily movements, while people in cold regions speak with a lower voice, almost whispering their ideas, taking good care of cold drafts from affecting their throats and moving slowly to keep their bodies warm.

Similar and different

The pronunciation and the writing may also vary widely even in people speaking the same language. For various reasons, Irish, Scottish, English, Australian and American people of the USA, among others, speak English with their personal touch, either you like it or not. Immigration has also played a part in the complexity and uniqueness of the language.

Thus, you might read "Monday thru Friday" instead of "Monday through Friday" or "tonite" instead of "tonight" and may hear "overr-itiin" instead of "over eighteen"...

Films, comics, facebook, videos, blogs, internet, RPGs, emoticons, chatting via WhatsApp, twitters, ... are contributing to enrich,  for the better or the worse,  our language.

In this modern, computerized world, people are closer than ever in the history of mankind through the use of the internet and learning a language can be facilitated through the use of plenty of resources, such as videos, online activities, games, blogs, songs, pen-pals, youtube ...

Even visiting other countries is becoming easier.

Friendly communication about almost anything...

I hope that learning to express your ideas in English via blogs have been enjoyable, fruitful and educative activities; writing posts of such a wide number of subject matters that ranged from general to scientific issues is an opportunity to both share your viewpoints with your classmates  on subjects of general interest and also learn, explore and write posts about scientific themes.

During the terms you have been bombarded with exercises of various kinds: exercises from the web, WebQuests, role-playing games and situations, instructions and dialogues in English, pronunciation exercises, blogs, units with special contents, oral interactions, videos, ... and still there is a lot to be learned.

So, I wonder .... what are your English language challenges?


Now it's your turn.

> What comments can you make about your experience learning English at university?
> What about the use of blogs?

> What aspects of your English need to be improved and how do you plan to do this?

> Outside the English class, how much are you using English these days? What for?

- Wordcount: 260

- Make comments on your teacher's and 3 of your partners'  posts.

Changes to my study programme

"Always keep your eyes open; keep watching, because whatever you see can inspire you" 

Grace Coddington

My good old days at the university were also demanding. Both the academic staff and the students claimed for changes to improve education and,  like today, there was a feeling of dissatisfaction: libraries did not have enough books; the laboratories lacked enough supplies and/or technicians; the classrooms were not as clean as they should be; the materials to work with were expensive; the study programme missed significant subjects; ...  Yet, on graduation, we were all proud of the formation received and satisfied for all the accomplishments reached in those good old days.

Time seems to stand still and, although progress has solved many of the problems of the past decades, new demands arise that require major solutions. One issue that usually comes up is the study programme that seems to be always behind the times. Technology provides tools that make things easier today ...

A few decades ago, the internet was an interesting tool with plausible applications in the future; today, we cannot afford living without the internet with all its benefits and risks...; robotics and artificial intelligence (AI) are increasingly becoming common issues in everyday life.

Education has also benefited from technology, mainly the internet, which has turned into an important source of information, training, entertaining...Thus, new areas of knowledge and new subjects have been created to fulfil the needs of current times and your career has also been touched by this era of changes: clinical pharmacy, gene therapy, biotechnology, genetically modified foods, nanotechnology, ... are just a few of the many new fields created in the last decades that have been included, to a certain degree, in your study programme.

As we speak, robotics is widely used in industrial processes and projects, smart buildings and smart homes are still the privileges of some, yet the time will come when they will be commonplace. Some domestic robots, such as robot vacuum cleaners, are slowly gaining space in household activities, and they will in time be cheaper. Robotics, AI, and androids will surely be essential in our lives in the coming years…

Smarter and smarter homes...

Imagine your life in about ten years’ time. In this scenario, education will definitely play a significant role in human well-being, adapting itself faster to new situations and challenges; AI will probably be leading the way to improve the standards in various areas…

In my good old days at the university, my classmates and I also thought that the study programme should have had significant changes to improve our education... What about you?

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Write about some changes that could be made to your study programme (career)

Among others, think about:

- The curriculum (the subjects you have to study)

- Workload and length of studies

- Faculty facilities (buildings and infrastructure)

- Use of technology

- Teaching methods

- Word Count: 250

- Leave comments on 3 of your classmates’ and the teacher's posts.

In my opinion

Chile is an extraordinary place to live and learn... A distinctive mountain range,  deserts, rivers, lakes, beaches, islands, seas... together with warm people inhabiting every place in our country should lead us to be proud of and take better care of our environment, our culture, our history, our surroundings... 

Cóndor

Outlanders enjoy their holidays by doing a countless number of activities that range from skiing on the snowy slopes of Andes' mountains to fishing in rivers or lakes or surfing the long waves in Pichilemu coast or... The activities are so varied that I could spend hours describing them in a post like this.

Foreigners certainly want to know how people live in small towns as well as in big cities and they usually feel pleased with the warm welcome of our people.

In my opinion, we have much to do to be really proud of ourselves in relation to our way to communicate with one another and how we take care of our environment and our belongings. We still have much to learn to love our country, our people, our history, our folklore...

Not long ago, Santiago was chosen as one of the most beautiful cities in America by an international tourism organization; yet we hardly find information about the origin/history of the names of some places or streets. Did you know that Manquehue comes from "manque" meaning "condor" and "hue" that stands for land or site? That Nuñoa is a native term that means "a placed filled with Ñunos"? I think that we should spread this kind of information via information displays not only in Santiago but also in other big and small cities and towns with the names of rivers, lakes... Another example: Curicó comes from "curi", meaning "black" and "co", meaning "water".

As citizens of a big city like Santiago is, we should also take good care of our language, which reflects our way of living and thinking; we should also try to keep places clean, which shows your education... and so on and on...

Chilote's Minga

Some years ago, my family and I were spending our summer holidays in Chiloé and I couldn't but feel proud of the historical information that we spontaneously received from a family living there. They told us about their traditions, folklore, cuisine, local attractions as well as their daily life activities and the future of their island... They actually felt proud of themselves.

I would have liked that this experience were commonplace all over our country, ...

In my opinion, globalization, especially via the internet, is making us informed citizens and as such we should learn to become better individuals, exhibiting respect to our environment and to one another. There is still much to be learned ...

“Do not Do unto others what you don’t want others Do unto you.”

Confucius

Now, your turn,

 Choose 4-5 of these questions. For each of them, write a 40- to 50-word response describing your personal opinions on the topic.
 Total number of words: approx. 240
 Leave comments on 3 of your classmates' posts + a comment on my sample post.

What is your opinion about women in the military?
What is your opinion about Chilean politicians?
What is your opinion about violence on television?
What is your opinion about buying instead of adopting pets?
What is your opinion about having an exotic pet at home?
What is your opinion about legalizing marijuana and other drugs?
What is your opinion about climate change?
What is your opinion about cloning?
What is your opinion about recycling?
What is your opinion about Immigration?
What is your opinion about the legalization of abortion in the 3 cases?