Saturday, September 26, 2020

Is The Coronavirus Affecting Your Results?

 


SLOW DOWN TO ACHIEVE MORE

We are in a place we have never been before and our brain is having trouble assimilating all the new information and the confusion is causing some real problems with many people.

Only a short while ago we were all being swept along on the usual hustle and bustle of life rushing to fit everything in and wishing we had more time to do things and now we are leaving doing things because we have all the time in the world to get them done, which proves that we are always kidding ourselves about reality.

In a culture that seems to admire hard work we have created a mindset that tells us doing something is preferable to doing nothing so we tend to have trouble relaxing because we feel subconsciously that we are being lazy.

The problem with this programming is that it very rarely stops long enough to judge what results you are getting and in almost all cases we find that although we are flat out our achievements are somewhat lacking.

Doing a bit here and a bit there, rushing from place to place, starting and stopping projects, ignoring breaks and downtime is the most inefficient way to achieve anything.

There are two types of action and they are ACTION and EFFICIENT ACTION appearing busy produces a lot of action and your programming thinks, I must be achieving something because I am working so hard yet in reality your results are very poor.

Efficient action however allows you to think a situation through and take the best possible route to the result and one of the most efficient actions is to start and finish a task in one go rather than keep doing small bits.

The other problem with dealing in lots of small trivial bits is that we keep finding excuses not to tackle the more important issues and in an effort to suppress something that is worrying us we tend to do more bits to keep it at bay.

The solution is simple, firstly remember hard work and money are not related and the less you can do to achieve your results is a good thing not a bad thing.

Stand back and look at what you are doing and get in the habit of making sure that your actions are efficient and just see how much more you can achieve with so much less effort.

Do less and earn more!

Croz has been coaching and mentoring young entrepreneurs for many years. He talks regularly to groups and individuals, spreading his valuable message in an entertaining and humorous way. His website is http://www.croz.uk.com

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Croz_Crossley/41235

Move From Your Starting Point


All of us have goals and aspirations. Whether we follow through on achieving them is another story. But for those who make that single crucial decision to go after their goals or dreams, they must have a starting point. Where is your starting point?

Many years ago a supervisor who recognized my ability to look at things in a positive light called me into his office and said he wanted to share something with me. He shared something with me that frankly I would never expect a supervisor to share with their direct reports or anyone else in the company for that matter. He told me that he was having some struggles with his bosses. The people who he reported to have lost confidence in him. He tried to explain how much he is worth to them to no avail. He did not know what to do.

So I told him, where you find yourself right this minute is your starting point. Take look at your current situation. It might not be a pretty picture. It might be depressing taking stock of the place you find yourself in at this very moment. But, once you draw that line and make this your starting point, you can improve. You can make it better. You don't have to stay here. You are starting here to get better.

We can do the same in our lives. Perhaps your starting point is thousands of dollars in debt. That means your starting point is in the red! It might be depressing to see your financial situation in the red. But your objective is to be in the black. Draw that line. Do you continue to rack up debt or do you determine to start eliminating those debt and move from your starting point towards the Black? However little you eliminate, you are moving away from it.

People do not like to take an honest look at themselves for the same reason some people do not like to go to the doctor. They fear the results. They fear the bad news. So they rather stick their heads in the sand of their lives and ignore the problem and the problem just keeps growing. It takes courage to stop and take stock of where you are. It is not easy thing. No one likes to look at their life and find they are failing.

When you do get tired of a failing life however, you will ignore the disappointments, regrets, depression or any other negative feeling that comes along with your current situation and face it. Face it courageously and tell yourself, I will move from this starting point! Where I am is not where I will remain. I will get better and put actions to my decree. I am moving on from this starting point!

Copyright � 2020, M.A.Singh. All rights reserved.

M.A.Singh

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Mark_A._Singh/191165

Discipline - The Vehicle of Success


We have all heard 'Practice Makes Perfect'. Practice is doing something repeatedly in order to do it well and once you learn to do it well, you practice to do it better. Whether it is shooting a basketball or preparing for a speech, practice is your best ally. But what is it that keeps you practicing? It is Discipline.

Our society enjoys sports. We gather in bars and fill stadiums to watch athletes execute almost perfectly. Whether it is a fighter or a football player, we are in awe and entertained by their almost super human skills. But those skills we so admire do not happen overnight. When a boxer steps into a ring or a basketball player steps unto the court and they execute, what you are watching is the culmination of 1000's of repetitive moves and hours of dedication. What kept them repeating the same move over and over again, day in and day out, hardly letting up, is Discipline.

Naturally we are not a disciplined species. We love what feels good all the time. We run from discomfort. Anything that is outside our comfort zone, we shy away from. Discipline is like an internal drill sergeant that yells at us to get our asses up when we want to roll over and enjoy more sleep. It tells us that it is not time to go home when everyone else have retired for the night. Discipline tells you not to eat that slice of cake or drink that Coke. Whatever your objective is, Discipline is necessary to stay on the right track towards it.

So how does one attain Discipline? Like most good qualities in life, Discipline can be developed. Think of the first thing you do when you get up in the morning. What is it? Do you reach for the TV remote? Head straight into the kitchen? Here is an idea for how you can begin to develop discipline in your life. Since each day is a new opportunity for you to live the rest of your life start with something that will require Discipline at first; Make your bed.

That's it. Make your bed. Make your bed every day. There will be days when you don't feel like making your bed. Do it anyways. Start your day having accomplished a task to improve your life. A made bed is a very good way to start your day. It is an accomplishment. At first it will take Discipline to keep you doing this if you have not been used to making your bed. Eventually you will do so out of habit. You have created a good habit. Congratulations!

Now, what are you after? A better paying job? Making a team? Winning a championship? Whatever it is, understand the Discipline that made it possible to accomplish that first task in the morning is not limited. It is there to help you with whatever your goals are. You just need to heed it, not ignore it. The more disciplined you become in various areas of your life, the more structure you will find in those areas of your life.

Whatever your goal is, think of yourself as an athlete competing to attain it. Put yourself in the mindset of an athlete. Then employ Discipline to keep at it to make yourself better. You will reap if you do not grow weary.

Copyright � 2020, M.A.Singh. All rights reserved.

M.A.Singh

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Mark_A._Singh/191165

Sunday, September 20, 2020

Why I Like The English Language

I really like the English language. I've been speaking it all my life, but it's not until I became an English teacher, teaching English as a foreign language, that I really started to understand how it functions and to appreciate both its richness and its versatility.

I believe that, at an elementary level, English is easier to learn than some other languages. A beginner can form good basic sentences without knowing a lot of complex grammatical forms. English verbs don't have many different endings to memorize before one can express the simplest of thoughts.

Another strong point is that English does not, as a rule, have masculine and feminine nouns and there are no changing forms for adjectives to slow a learner down. For instance, in French you must memorize a number of verb endings and match adjectives to nouns before you can verbalize even the simplest ideas, but a novice does not need to study English for long before being able to construct good basic sentences.

English has a mix of vocabulary with Germanic roots and vocabulary with Latin or French roots, allowing speakers of numerous European languages to recognize and understand many English words. Although sometimes the meanings are no longer the same in the two languages, they are often still similar enough to serve as an aid to comprehension and to help a learner get the gist of texts.

Once English learners have reached a more advanced level, they become exposed to additional structures that reveal some unexpected complexities in the language. For example, the uses of the present perfect tense can be quite confusing. On the other hand, English verb forms allow for a wonderful element of subjectivity and point of view in expressing attitudes towards events. Consider "I've just lost my glasses" and "I lost my glasses an hour ago." Both are fine, but your choice of one or the other reflects your attitude toward the situation. Do you want to emphasize the consequence of losing your glasses? If so, then choose the former, the present perfect tense. If you prefer to focus on when the glasses were lost, then use the latter, the past simple tense.

English can be wonderfully expressive. Because it has accumulated vocabulary from many different languages, there are far more words to choose from than some other languages offer. You can discuss a topic at length without ever repeating yourself or overusing a specific word. You can choose from an array of words with similar meanings to find the most perfect match in meaning and connotation to suit the thought that you want to express.

Sure, you can simply walk down the street, but you can also stroll, march, amble, trot, mosey, shuffle, skip, run, race, promenade, lope, slink, fly, zip, crawl, gallop, whiz, zoom, or careen down the street. A cursory glance reveals that the English section of my bilingual dictionary is considerably larger than the French portion. The enormity of English vocabulary allows for precision and economy of expression. Ideas and instructions can be concisely stated. When viewing multilingual signs and equipment usage manuals, the English version is frequently shorter than that of many other languages. To take a simple example, in French it takes four words, "sautez a cloche pied," to express what English does in just three letters: "hop."

English easily absorbs new words from other languages and cultures. Just think of "salsa," "smorgasbord," "taboo," "wampum," and "pajamas," for starters. When necessary, English also seems to revel in inventing entirely new lexicons of words, such as for new technologies like the Internet. Internet is full of colorful and amusing imagery from "the web" to "spidering" and "click on the mouse," let alone such silly sounding words as "googling," "blogging," and "WIKI." It is a riotously "living" language and this flexibility has helped English become such a widely used international language.

I also love English because colorful wordings and vivid imagery abound in both old and new expressions. I picture tall sailing ships and Errol Flynn films when I hear someone say, "She passed her exam with flying colors." Think of other expressions, too, such as "That makes my skin crawl," "It sent shivers up and down my spine," "He's got his head in the clouds," "She's full of get up and go," and "They're head over heels in love."

English even has a strong sense of whimsy, and so lends itself to delightful combinations of alliterative phrasings like "the whole kit and caboodle," or "footloose and fancy-free." It's also chock full of amusing words that are especially for children. Think of "choo-choo train," "puppy dog," "kitty cat," or "do the hokey pokey." Fun-loving authors have added to the festivities by feeling free to invent their own words, just for the pleasing sound of them, from Edward Lear's "Dong with the Luminous Nose" to Dr. Seuss's "Sneeches with stars on thars." J. K. Rowling has invented an entire vocabulary of her own to use in the magical world that she has created for Harry Potter. The so-called "language of Shakespeare" has contributed much literature and poetry to the world, plus other beautiful expressions of thoughts through the abstraction of words. As someone who writes stories for children, I'm also fond of simple jingles and fun forms such as Mother Goose rhymes.

Now that I'm an English teacher, I try to unlock many of the mysteries of the English language for students who have other languages as their mother tongues. In doing so, I've taken a much closer look at the language myself, in all of its complexities and inconsistencies, all of its rules and abundance of exceptions to its own rules, in its enormous vocabulary and subtleties in shades of meanings. Whenever possible, I try to give my students the logic behind the grammar, so that they can gain a deeper understanding of the thought processes behind our many ways of looking at time, rather than just have students randomly memorize rules.

To put English into perspective and make allowances for its many idiosyncracies, I try to briefly explain the history of English and the many historical influences that have affected it, from a series of early invasions of the British Isles, by people such as the Romans, Saxons, Vikings, and Normans, to later British Empire building around the world, and then to America's melting pot of cultures and languages from the world over. With each new group has come an infusion of new vocabulary. Some element of comprehension of that historical perspective can explain to students both the richness of expression and vocabulary that English possesses, plus the maddening inconsistencies in English spelling and pronunciation. I'm no authority on other languages and I'm not saying that English is the best language in the world but, as I've taught English to others over the years, my own appreciation of it has grown immeasurably and I've really come to love it.

Barbara Freedman-De Vito is an American TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certified English teacher who teaches live English classes over the Internet, via Skype. She also teaches English lessons by telephone and does face-to-face teaching in the Paris, France area. In addition, she creates amusing TEFL T-shirts and other clothing designs with a TEFL or other educational focus for English teachers and students around the world. Learn more at: TEFL T-Shirts, Clothing and Gifts, Plus Online English Lessons

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Barbara_Freedman-De_Vito/1587

English Language Learning Tips!

English Language Learning Tips!

Many people ask the question - How long does it take to learn a language? The answer to that is - How much time do you have? Obviously the more time you study the faster you will learn. It is also important to speak the language as much as you can even if you make mistakes. The more you try, the faster you will start speaking. Here are some English language learning tips that will help you to learn English:

English Language Learning Tip 1

The FIRST thing you should do is to listen to and learn the PRONUNCIATION of the language. My advice to you is to get this right from day one! Spend time on Spend time on this now and the rest of your study for the rest of your learning period will benefit greatly! Some languages are phonetic, some are not. Phonetic means that the sounds and the letters of the words always match. There are international phonetic symbols that teach you how to pronounce all the sounds in all of the world languages. The English language is not a phonetic language. It is ESSENTIAL to first learn the phonetic symbols that relate to the sounds of English words. It is certainly possible to learn English without any knowledge of these phonetic symbols but your learning time will be much longer and most times your pronunciation will be inaccurate as you are relying on memorising the sounds of the words for the most part of your learning, just as you had to do as a baby. I strongly recommend the learning of the phonetic symbols for learners of English before you start your first grammar or reading book! If you can learn the CORRECT pronunciation at the beginning, it will save you a lot of precious learning time later. It is much harder to more dificult to undo incorrect learning and have to relearn the word correctly. I have an excellent workbook (including audio CD) that I can recommend to you to help you to learn these phonetic symbols. It's called "Phonetics for Learners of English Pronunciation" If you have already started studying English but need some help with pronunciation this book will still help you!

English Language Learning Tip 2

It is better to study a minimum of 20 mins every day than to study one hour per week. Each of us has a limited amount of attention span (concentration time). This is the amount of time you can concentrate before you starting thinking about something else (what to make for dinner, who you are meeting later etc.). Research shows that most people need to learn small amounts and then have time for revision before adding new information. As an example, say your attention span is 20 minutes. If you study for one hour (60 minutes) only 20 minutes of that time is actual learning time for you, the other 40 minutes are not as effective. You would be better to stop after 20 minutes, take a break and continue when you are refreshed and ready to absorb new information. This is why it is better to divide your study time into smaller regular time slots. FIRST and MOST

IMPORTANT - REVISE what you have learned BEFORE learning new information!

Divide each of your study times into: 1 - learning time 2 - revision time

Each time you revise you are cementing information into your brain and making it easier to remember when you need it.

English Language Learning Tip 3

The methods for learning any language are:

1 Listening

2 Speaking

3 Reading

4 Writing

This is how you learned your own language as a baby!. You have already learned one language one language - you CAN learn another! As a baby you first listened, then copied saying the sounds, then you learned how to read and write. Some language experts say that you do not fully learn your own native language until about the age of 12 -15 years old! As an adult you have the advantage of being able to read and write already so your learning of another language should be a lot faster!

English Language Learning Tip 4

Listen: Cassette tapes and CDs that accompany workbooks. Reading books. Songs cinema native speakers radio and television (news and documentary programmes have the better pronunciation without slang as in some regular programmes)

English Language Learning Tip 5

Read! Read! Read! This is probably the easiest study method as you can do this at your own speed, in your own time and at your own level. Reading sources: Course Books (these will probably be the first type of books you will read) Magazines (good for short stories, advertisements etc) Graded Reading Books (these books are specially written for each of the learning levels) Newspapers (they may be difficult at first - but persevere! ) Leaflets Brochures Timetables Menus

English Language Learning Tip 6

Writing: Writing is a powerful way to learn a language. All my language students who wrote an essay every week to give me to correct, learned English much faster than the students who never wrote, and some not even notes in class! Every time you look for a word in the dictionary you should write this word in a small pocket notebook, small enough to keep in your pocket or handbag along with your pocket dictionary, so that you can use it at all times and all places (eg standing waiting for the bus! ).

English Language Learning Tip 7

Speaking: Now you are ready to put it all together and SPEAK! Try to do this as soon as you can and don't be afraid to make a mistake. If it is a bad bad mistake a native speaker will soon tell you. Take Care! a native speaker will not always tell you your mistakes! A native speaker will not always know the grammar of their own language. (Do you?). Therefore may not be able to explain your mistakes but just give you the correct answer. It is best to study with a recognized language college. If you are studying with a private teacher, request to see his. Her qualifications. Just because a person is a native speaker of a language does not make him. Her a qualified teacher! He. She should have some kind of teaching certificate AND an EFL (English as a foreign language) teaching qualification. Ways you can practice speaking: Speak with a professionally qualified native teacher as much as possible.

This is the first best resource you have as you will learn the correct way from the beginning. Other students in your class (do NOT be tempted to speak your own native language during class time! ) With native speakers that you might know, or advertise for exchange lessons! Travel to the native language country so that you can practise with native speakers. If possible, go and learn and or work in the native language country. Obviously the longer you can stay, the better. In six months you ought to be at least intermediate level and in one year you should aim for fluency, that is, if you stay and mix with native speakers for the entire duration of your stay. DO NOT be tempted to stay with people of your own nationality. You may as well be studying at home and your progress will be much slower!

Marianne Jordan is a highly experienced teacher with over 20 years teaching and TEFL (teaching English as a foreign language). She has lived in Canada, England, Ireland and New Zealand and has written many books and materials to help you learn English no matter where you live or what your level is. You can contact her by replying to one of the topics she has written here.

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Marianne_Jordan/995912

English Language Training, Is It Less Valuable in Today's Business World?

I ask if English language training is less valuable in today's business world because we have seen the economic rise of China over the last decade or two and I wanted to think about the effect it would have on English Language Training. Will it mean the rise of Chinese language training at the expense of English language training? Is it becoming the number one economy in the world that dictates the language of business? I am not sure if these are completely true.

Does Your Economic Position Dictate the Language Training Needs in the World?

I think that to some degree it does, but there are some things that show that it is not necessarily true. At one time Japan was the second largest economy in the world and there was no big move around the world to learn Japanese. The same was true when Germany was the second largest economy and there was no big push for people to learn German. Some people will learn these languages to make them more marketable in the business world. At the time these two countries were in second position English language training was increasing around the world. There were some minor moves to learn these languages, just like some people or businesses will have people within their company that know the language of their main suppliers or customers.

China is currently the second largest or largest economy in the world and has been the fastest growing economy for many years. There has been a big move to learn Chinese among people around the world. This would be people that can see an economic advantage from learning Chinese. It is probably better for a company to deal with their clients in their language and not force them to speak your language.

Is speaking their language of the same economic value to a company when dealing with their clients, or dealing with their suppliers? Speaking from a selling point of view, I believe that companies would be in a better position if they know the language of their clients. This at least shows the client that you have gone that extra step to serve them. It is logical for the seller to make more of an effort in a business relationship than the buyer. Conversely, while it would be nice to speak the language of your supplier, it is the supplier who should go the extra step when selling to their client.

How does this Affect the Discussion around Chinese and the Future of English Language Training?

Let's look at what China's economy is based on. China is a big exporter to the rest of the world, as well as being a centre for ODM and OEM, in other words they manufacture for many international companies. As an exporter and a manufacturer for others, China is a supplier. As we talked about, suppliers are the ones that should know the language of their major customers and not the buyers know the language of their suppliers (though it is a nice gesture). We see that China has large trade imbalances with many nations around the world, which shows that China is a net seller and not a net buyer. This means that they are mostly a supplier and not a customer. If this is the case, the pressure for learning Chinese is not as great as learning English. Many of the English speaking countries such as Britain, USA, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand are buyers of overseas products.

Will it Supplant English and English Language Training?

Not in the near future. One of the main reasons is inertia. Inertia is the force that keeps something moving in the same direction that it is heading and it is affected by the mass (size and weight) of the object of idea, and something with a big inertia needs time and a big force in another direction to make changes. English has been the language of business for many years and many current business people and current students have learned English. I say that English is the language of business because, when companies from different countries that don't speak English, they usually use English to communicate. The exceptions would be companies that deal mostly with one or two non-English speaking companies and they might or should have people in key positions that speak those languages. There is still a sizable English language consumer market in the world. As well, there are many business people today that use English as their business communication language. If everyone today switched to learning Chinese, it would still be many years before most people would use Chinese as the language of business.

What does this mean for the future of English language training?

It will still be needed due to the fact that some of the large economies speak English, three out of the G7 are English speaking countries. It will be reduced as people move towards learning other languages - Chinese, Spanish, etc. Therefore, In the future it will be lower than today, and Chinese language training will become more common. Will it take over? That will depend on many factors (political and economic) over which we do not have much control and we are not easily able to predict.

China will become the world's largest economy, but it will be based more on manufacturing, selling internally, and selling to other countries. Currently there is not as much importing into China as you see in other large economies as evidenced by their large trade surpluses with many other countries. You will also see in the business world that companies that sell to other companies usually need to speak the language of that company. The reverse is generally not needed for buyers. When marketing, the selling company should put in more effort than the buying company. If you want to sell to North America - speak English. If you want to sell to China - speak Chinese. As China becomes the largest buying nation you will see more of a move towards learning Chinese. Even then, English will probably stay for a while as the language of business due to inertia. English language training business will still be needed to a large extent.

What does this Mean for English Language Training Teachers?

The good ones will remain, especially those with niche markets (grammar, presentations, pronunciation, etc.). The big language schools (the English factories) will probably disappear - there will be exceptions. If the big language schools have transitioned into other languages then they will have a chance of survival. The smaller, good schools will survive in some form or another. Some of the schools will expand into other languages or other subjects to survive. We have seen this before when a large market has disappeared. There is the example of saddles, a market that almost completely disappeared after the adoption of automobiles for transportation, where only some small saddle makers survived to supply the much smaller market. Another example is carriage makers, whose business declined with the rise of the automobile. Some of them survived by making the body and suspension of the early automobiles.

Let us hope that English language training will not become a small niche market similar to saddle makers. In the future you will see a decline in English language training and an increase in Chinese (there has been an ongoing increase in Chinese language training especially in Asian countries). But the demand level for English training will still remain high. For the near future it will remain as the language of business with some pockets of other languages. English language training is still valuable in today's world, but I do see it declining in the coming years.

To see the business English course offerings that I have at my website, John's Online English, go to http://johns-online-English.com.

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/John_A_Blackie/1823706

Sunday, September 13, 2020

English Is The Language Of International Communication


From the point of view of Educational Commission, English has become the "language of international communication", therefore, the rising generation of French people should be fluent in French in written and oral forms. This suggests that the format of the educational systems of different countries is drastically revised, and bets are placed on the in-depth study of the English language. This decision of the French government and representatives of the French educational sector is also caused by disappointing statistic data: France ranks the last among the other European countries by to the level of English proficiency among students, and prospects to move in this direction are disappointing, grim, after analysis, the French concluded that even Spaniards, previously considered to be the most backward European nation in terms of language knowledge and proficiency in English, have overtaken the French people in the context of the overall "Anglicization".

Teaching English is conditioned by the need to meet global standards, that would control the run of the global trend towards generally accepted civilization standards. Globalization of the world community in all areas of development requires the active use of the English language in all areas of cooperation between countries. Active exchange of students, migration flow of labour migrants indicate to establishment of single and convenient communication between all nations, diplomats, religions. The English language firmly established itself in educational, scientific and cultural development of the whole mankind.

For some time past, the greater part of the world community was convinced that the past Franco-English language war ended half a century ago - after the World War II, when the United States had gained considerable political influence around the world and English had become a means for business and diplomatic communication in the West, and later throughout the world. The English language had put out French and other languages from the position of "international" even more than a century ago - since the aggrandizement of the UK, so the extension of influence of the United States and Britain had only strengthened English language expansion. Fight for world language domination all over the world led to the victory of the English language form of communication. Even huge efforts of France failed to ensure its success in the colonial territories. In contrast to the Americans and the British, who did not force the spread of English worldwide, while just using their conquests in the new territories, the French at one time spent billions on propaganda and spread of their language in French-speaking countries of Africa and the Atlantic coast. The French government invoked and applied even punitive measures against publicly funded institutions that used in the work of Americanisms or English phrases that have a French equivalent. But this approach had not given the desired result. As English was perceived more effectively and optimally by local population than the French language. So clear is the negative reaction of France at the rapid soaring of popularity of the English language, which is quite understandable - because the United States would hardly liked, if they had to learn French or Chinese to be understood abroad. However, the total negation of the world linguistic trends threatens to turn into trouble only for France, already so severely lagging behind its neighbours - Germany, Holland and Spain - in the field of language education. This can seriously injure the competitiveness of France in international business.

Analyzing and evaluating this situation, the government and the educational institutions of France, leading experts in the field of education supported the idea of teaching English in schools, provided that it will not be the only foreign language being learnt in this study period. Such approach is also shared by other countries that are tightly involved in the world economy. In case of absence of the English language development programme in the country, this in the future will affect the country's economic potential, its ability to integrate into the global community. At this time, in all countries, the most popular courses are English language courses. At such courses. Millions of people around the world study at such courses, that creates a powerful base for further advancement of the language around the world. Now all the modern technologies are described in English, that provides their fast promotion throughout the world and this trend is increasingly growing. Many people watch movies, read books, communicate in English. All this enables much faster inclusion into communication in English. Employment abroad for good job is possible only subject to knowledge of the English language, that is why so a great many migrants try to attend an English language course, and children are referred to specialized English-language schools, which will give a basic knowledge on the level of conversation.

At current, proficient knowledge of the English language provides a person with a competitive advantage in today's world that allows him/her to orientate quickly at the hugest rhythm of this world. Providing oneself with the knowledge of the English language, many countries have changed over time their cultural life and way of life, where the influence of English was the most significant factor in the life activity of population. Physicians, teachers, engineers, coming to third countries, all of them had knowledge of the English language, that stimulated the local people to its study. Thus, immigrants-specialists introduced the English language into the local culture, laying the fundamental importance in the local customs and culture. Books and educational materials were massively imported, making study of the English language more accessible to the public. This period in the English language can be called missionary.

In its turn, the Catholic Church had also made a very significant contribution to spread of the English language. At one time, the Church, just on the level with Latin, used English and missionaries going worldwide with their faith also carried the new language of communication, that was very important to Catholicism. Converting whole nations to its Catholic faith, the Church also converted them into the English-speaking environment, allowing to spread the English language with a great speed, that gave its results. Missionaries brought their culture and actively promoted their teaching in English, they were physicians, teachers, priests and engineers, allowing to conquer other nations by own culture and knowledge. The English language became a symbol of the civilization progress for all nations. English entered the world of business, technics, innovations, as well as religion, so that it means too much for English-speaking people, as at that their culture and ideology are brought. The concept and strategy of development of the English language have not been changed with time, they just transform in accordance with the current circumstances, but the goals and objectives remain the same - it is a complete expansion, and replacement of indigenous languages with English, that will allow complete domination of English-speaking countries in the world.

Development of the English occurs rapidly, and this process will not stop, as a great number of countries and areas have been involved in this global process of changes. Continuous entrance of English into our world modifies and changes its qualitatively, that is ensured by communicative and innovative state of the English.

If you want to create a good impression of yourself, it is vital that your writing shows the best work you are capable of achieving, and Essay Proofreading Services, will help you to do this.

I am John Smith and I help people to learn and improve their English. You can find useful ideas, tips and information at http://www.proofreadingservice247.co.uk

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/John_Smith/2243739

3 Cs to Be Able to Speak English



When I was in a village long time ago, it was when I started my first year of high school the first day I learned English, I felt I was totally blind and had no idea of what I could do in my English class. One of my bad experiences in learning English in my second junior school is my English teacher used to knock me on my head several times which made me hate the teacher very much because of his cruelty in treating us, in fact I knew I was considered to be one of good students in English but I was treated badly that one day I had to report his misconduct to my father and right away my father went to get the teacher although in the end the teacher admitted treating me badly and asked for an apology. So after I left the junior school, I went to the big city of Medan in Indonesia to continue my study and I was scared I thought all my classmates were well able to follow the English class because I assumed that those who come from the city were all able to speak English well because most of the students in the city went to English courses to learn English in addition to learning English lessons offered at school. There are so many English courses in Medan compared to the number in the village. But in fact it was not true as I thought before, only very few people in my class I found who were able to understand the English lesson, so my courage and confidence increased gradually because I felt we were all the same having weaknesses in English. I took advantage of their inability as well as my inability with my limited ability in English to try to be able to follow the lesson presented by our first English teacher in class. So I can say that there are three main requirements in order to be able to speak English successfully. 

The first requirement to learn to be able to speak English is you should have confidence raised from your inability. You should also be able to take positive advantage of your weaknesses, your weaknesses could raise or increase your confidence because it is the fact that many are successful learning from their weaknesses. This is important for you in many aspects of life especially in learning English because it is not our language so you need to be confident in struggling to be able to speak and to use English.

The second requirement in order to be able to speak English well is that you should have courage to speak it, to use it, to communicate with people or friends with it. Without courage to speak it out, without bravery to use English, without feeling with no fear to employ English you will not be able to talk in English. While learning you can not avoid mistakes but from the mistakes you will be able to learn so when we are afraid of making mistakes we will never try it without trying we will not be successful so you should be courageous to use the language no matter how many mistakes or errors which might occur.

The third requirement is that you should be creative and active to learn English by using any resources that you have at hand or around you by reading English books, attending classes or courses either trying distance and internet learning that are available to help you learn English, hiring a private tutor in person or via social media or Skype, setting aside time for practice, finding a friend or an American or Brits tourist to practise with learning real English, making friends who really want to speak English a great way to get your confidence up, watching English TV and films, listening to English songs, listening to English radio and using Google to searching for things on the internet, try going to Google.co.UK instead of your native language that will help you find the results you're looking for in English, and using English will slowly start to become a habit, reading a favorite book in English before bed and many other things including adorning your room or bedroom pictures, flashcards to be constantly exposed to the words, phrases and grammar you should be memorizing, etc.

In conclusion, there are 3 essential but good qualities that you should have in order to be able to speak English well and it should not be that expensive because many resources are available for free online now, you should be confident that you will make it, be courageous and should not be afraid when using the language with anybody who uses English and last of all you should always be committed in pursuing the ability to speak English well.

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Saut_Halomoan/1356574

English Conversation

Learn English Conversation With Real English

Many people need and want to speak English. But there is a lot of ignorance around about what it is, and where it came from, and why it exists.

Having answers to these questions can make learning easier and more interesting.

When England was a super power, it invented official English. One way a government controls people is through controlling the way they communicate. Governments today control language in the same way. They control people with schools and universities. If you use their official language in the wrong way, you won't pass the course, and you won't get the job, and you won't get the visa, and you won't get a good salary, etc.

For many people, learning this official government English is a matter of great importance, because they need a good job, and a visa, and a good salary, etc. But it is not easy to learn. In fact, more than 80% of native English speakers would have great difficulty passing any of the modern English language tests - such as IELTS, or TOIEC - and it is likely that this 80% know less than 20% of the grammatical rules of official English.

There are clearly two types of English.

There is the "official" that people who want high salaries and visas and international jobs must learn. And then there's English. Real English. Not proper, nor correct, or official, but the English that native English speakers actually speak, that native English speakers use to communicate in their daily lives.

Real English is the subject of this article. It is never correct, or incorrect. It can be assessed by only one criteria - communication. Anything written or spoken must communicate what the writer or speaker wants.

What are the characteristics of real English, how did it come to exist, why? Where did it come from? And can it help you or me, if we need to learn the official version?

What are the characteristics of English?

As we've mentioned it is entirely based on words and phrases borrowed from other languages.

English is Creative: It does not follow the forms and rules of the languages it borrows from. Real English has no forms or rules. It is never correct, or incorrect. It can be assessed by only one criteria - communication. And to do this it uses all and every available and imaginable means to communicate the world.

English changes: Because real English has no rules, it is a free language. It is truly a global language. It has changed, and will continue to change, as the needs of those who use it change.

English is efficient: English can communicate a lot, with very few words. A person with a very low level can still communicate.

English is flexible: English can be spoken incorrectly and still communicate what the speaker wants. Sentence structure is not important. A person can say the same thing in many different ways, there is no correct or incorrect way to say anything, it is an open language. For example - I go shop- go I shop- shop I go- go shop I- shop go I- these all communicate the same thing. This person is going to, or has been, to a shop. We will know the past or future tense by context.

English is phonetic: It uses 26 symbols (the alphabet) to communicate. Those 26 symbols (letters) are sounds. A person can learn how to write and read English very easily, and this makes learning to speak it easy. For example I can ask someone -How do I spell espionage? They will say, e, s, p, etc. Then I can read that out simply by the sounds of the letters, and I will say espionage. A person with the most basic alphabet knowledge can do this. But this is impossible to do in many other languages. For example Asian kanji.

How/Why did English come to exist?

English is simply a language that developed as different cultures met through war, migration, expansion, and business. If English didn't exist, and there was a room of 5 people who don't speak each other's language, then each of the 5 must learn 4 languages to speak to the 4 other people in the room. That is not smart. So we borrowed bits of all the languages, and made a new language, and now everyone only has to learn 1 language to communicate with all the other people in the room. Now that is smart. This is the very heart of English.

Where does real English come from?

What is known as English has developed over a long period of time, and been created from many different languages. One main characteristic is that it's a borrowing language. Other languages borrow as well, but English is completely based on borrowing.

Can Real English help people learn Official English?

Of course, because the "official" version is based on real English. If we understand that there are two types of English, and that the real is easy to learn and the official is hard to learn, then naturally learning to speak real English will help greatly in our understanding and learning of official English.

If you want to learn to speak Real English (English conversation) there is an excellent ebook available at [http://www.englishconversationmagic.net]

This is an English Revolution article. For any further discussion email englishrevolution.info@gmail.com.

There are two types of English. Real English or English conversation, and Official English. Official English is the one you must learn to pass tests such as IELTS, or TOEIC. You also must learn Official English to get work permits, and visas, and good international jobs with good salaries. But Official English is very hard to learn. Real English or English conversation is much easier to learn.

If you learn Real English first, you will be able to learn Official English more quickly. You will save money and time. Go to englishconversationmagic.net and purchase The Magic Four. This ebook will magically teach you Real English or English conversation.

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Morgan_P_Barrie/1153233


The Importance of English



The Importance of English in the "Age of Asia"

English language learning around the world is evolving in surprising and sometimes alarming ways. A few decades ago, the language learning process was either moderated by native speakers (NS) of English or proactively initiated by second language learners who travel to English-speaking countries to study and become proficient in the language. In many language encounters, English translators were also in high demand to facilitate a clearer communication between peoples of diverse linguistic traditions. This is not to say that formal English language teachers and translators have become relics belonging to a bygone era. On the contrary, their function is still very much relevant, but their roles are changing dramatically.

For one thing, the number of language students leaving their home nations to study English abroad is in a rather steep decline according to the most recent reports. That is because English language learning has already become a critical strategic policy among non-English speaking nations that have wisely institutionalized the learning of English in the home front. Given the undeniable role of English as the language of choice in global business, the Internet, and international relations, not doing so will prevent these nations from having any meaningful participation in global discourses.

In much of Asia, including China and India--two of its demographic and economic giants--the learning of English has become an integral component of early education. Meanwhile, given their heritage of British governance, Singapore and Malaysia have also consistently promoted the learning of English such that their English-speaking populations are perhaps the most proficient in the region, based on online tests conducted by some language-oriented organizations. Nearby, the Philippines still holds the title of having the 3rd largest English-speaking population in the world after the US and India.

Given these developments, how has the role of language teachers who are also native speakers of English changed as previously claimed? The simple and alarming fact is that neither they nor their linguistic compatriots in the US, UK, Australia, Canada and New Zealand own and control English anymore. If numbers were a determinant of language ownership, they are outnumbered by at least 3 to 1 by non-native English speakers. Native speakers number between 300 million to 400 million while speakers of English who also have a first language exceeds a billion.

Of course, language ownership is a tenuous issue and games of numbers are just that. By all indications, English has become a global language owned by all its users--regardless of whether they are native or non-native speakers of it--who will naturally use English within their respective cultural contexts. It is no accident that there is now the so-called Korean English, Indian English and other working variants of the English language. The evolutionary transformation of language by people who use it is in fact, a known and expected linguistic phenomenon. After all, any language that ceases to evolve, like Latin, is a dead language.

Speaking of imperial languages, English too has undeniably become the de facto lingua franca of global commerce, international relations, and the scientific and technological world, much like Latin was during the heydays of the Roman Empire up to the Industrial Revolution. Two very vivid examples of how English is transforming global businesses is the Toyota-Peugeot factory in the Czech Republic and the Nokia headquarters in Finland. While managed by a multinational team and staffed mostly by technically skilled Czechs and Finns, respectively, the enforced medium of communication within the business and manufacturing complexes of both companies is unabashedly English. Elsewhere in Western Europe, the modern Swedes appear to have the highest level of English proficiency among non-English speaking countries largely due to the fact that Swedes believe that Swedish has very little communicative value in a global setting or even anywhere in the world that is not part of Sweden. At the other end of the scale is Spain, which lags behind all other European countries in English proficiency, a fact that may be related to its population's awareness that Spanish is also a formidable language in its own right and is still used as the language of business and diplomacy in Latin America.

However, in a much larger scale, it is English that has become the medium of choice when representatives of the G7, BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India, China), and ASEAN communicate with each other. Without global English, the inter-relational proximity of different nations would have been very remote indeed, requiring translators that often feed a sense of "separateness" among diplomats. If anything, global English is helping diverse nations become closer together by eradicating previously problematic linguistic barriers to better trade, security and cultural relations.

In the realm of science and technology, English has also helped the global exchange of research data and innovative ideas. Scientific journals and research are now mostly articulated through English, with some estimates placing its use in modern science and technology to as much as 90 percent. Even the Internet, one of the top technological marvels of the previous century, is largely English-based, even when large pockets of localized online content is spreading. Notably, the programming codes that established the World Wide Web and all its amazing functionalities today are also loosely based on the English language. Software programmers from non-native English-speaking countries have very little choice but to get immersed in the rudiments of the English language as used in the syntax of their programming codes.

Given the established dominance of English in the global ecosystem, how will educators of English as a second language (ESL) redefine their roles in the new dynamic? The first is for educators to fully acknowledge that English as used in non-native English speaking countries is not the language of Shakespeare. It has been transformed into a far different variant called Global English, where the millions of linguistic stakeholders are active participants in its continuing evolution. As of this writing, the Asian trend indicates that more people are learning English, and starting learning it at a very early age. In many respects, the method of teaching English has also changed from being articulated as a foreign language to being shared as an acclimatized second language that functions as the local population's link to the rest of the world. According to an article in the Economist, children with ages between 8 and 12 are better language learners than younger ones.

In the same article, Malaysia ranked as the most proficient English user in Southeast Asia based on a global sampling of 2 million non-native English speaking people conducted by the English teaching company, EF Education First. At the other end is Thailand that ranked among the worst five performers globally. The good performance of Malaysia may stem from its Anglicized history as well as its export-oriented economy that required intensive communication with a global market. As previously noted, the spectre of political colonialism--at least in the case of Malaysia--has all but been removed from the teaching of English, replaced by the practical need for Malaysians to learn English in order to maintain their global economic competitiveness.

As if to affirm the status of English as a lingua franca, China has been pushing for state-sanctioned English education years ago, in a similar effort to buoy their vibrant economy. Reportedly, such sustained efforts will eventually empower China to even outperform English-acclimatized India in the services sector that requires extensive use of English. To illustrate the far ranging implications of these developments, the number of Chinese children that are learning English--more than a hundred million--now exceed the entire population of the United Kingdom.

The mandate for English language educators is clear: Global English is a previously unheard of phenomenon but is a contemporary fact that educators, businesses, governments, technologists, learners, and other linguistic stakeholders will be confronted in the next several years. Realigning teaching methods to help steer its evolution into a robust mode of communication that is clearly understood by all parties in global language interactions is of critical importance.

Michael G. Hines is the Founder of Icon Group Thailand (IGT) - Educating the Future (IconGroupThailand):

ESL Articles - The ESL Space

Article Source: https://EzineArticles.com/expert/Michael_Hines/160645