All my students are adults who work in business firms.
That’s why I asked posh words from you. You know the money men? They love posh words as status symbols.
kind regards.
Dear Jamie,
I asked those words which I learned from BBC and Cambridge lessons to acquire the experts’ comments - you are one of them. We don’t teach Burmese English here in Burma. We teach American English or British English.
And I won’t hesitate to say your English is far better than mine/my English. Then I hope you wouldn’t find my English hard to understand.
kind regards.
I love British English. That’s my stupidity only. I could be an incompetent teacher, but that doesn’t necessarily mean I’m an incompetent learner/ reader of English. does it?
Say I could prefer a British girl to an American girl?
Some Burmese English words.
Platform for pavement.
Sidecar for tricycles.
Spare for bus conductor. ( Those days it might refer to a spare driver, I assume. )
Packing ( pronounced as Parkin ) for pack or package.
We do have Burmese English words. But we don’t have Burmese English Grammar at all.
If so, there wouldn’t be a Burmese UNSG and the experts or specialists in international forums.
We’ve been learning British English since not later than 1824. For 2012-1824=188 years. So there can be huge number of good Burmese British English Teachers? ( But not me, of course )
Most of them are stuck in teaching in the university abroad. I’m just stealing their leftovers. He he.
kind regards.
I’m not fighting now, I’m just practising my writing. IQ40ed way.
Once I’ve mastered Martial Art, I’ve quit fighting.
Dear Jamie,
( I love your remark that you only teach British English. My guess is that you’re teaching your students Burmese English with some British characteristics. Of all the thousands of foreign students who’ve come to my classes claiming to have learned “British English” in their countries, not one of them has been able to speak or write British English. They generally use the term “British English” as an excuse to explain why they have scored low on a placement exam or why no one can understand their pronunciation. However, if they really used British English, they wouldn’t fail the American exam, and all Americans would understand their speech.)
**** I wish you had a good heart too. To me you are a bit too prejudiced. I feel really unhappy about your attitude towards the foreign learners. Oh dear. You are taking money from them and saying them as Idiots? Thousands of dollars from thousands of Idiots? Jesus and Christ!
Whose duty and responsibility to teach them real British/ American English do you think, you the money taker? Instead of connoting them as stupid money spenders.
I don’t mind your personal remarks to me at all. Since I’m not doing what you presume. How you can see what I’m teaching in Rangoon and vice versa.
Kind regards.
You shouldn’t too commercialize a language which is the heart of a culture. Please be more educated. Goodbye and good luck with your teaching profession.
I will never communicate with you again since I’m very much disappointed with you, a person form the great USA with no decent mind. What a shame.
Wrong patriotism always kills.
kind regards.
I will never bite the hand that feeds me. Never.
I can’t be an ungrateful rogue dog myself.
kind regards.
Please see " Please rephrase this legal paragraph " in the Vocabulary, Grammar and Idioms section.
kind regards.
I just found this thread and really liked this question, but the conversation has appeared to have swerved away quite abruptly.
I think two words which most Americans would be hesitant to use are rich and poor. I think it is very impolite to ever call someone either rich or poor, especially to their face, but even in passing conversation. There is this myth in America that everyone is “middle class” and it seems very rude to imply that someone is either above or below this threshold.
Here in the South, people seem very reluctant to use the word “cancer” - if they do, they usually whisper it. But usually substitutes like tumor or malignancy are used instead. I guess it is similar with “died” - a large majority use a euphemism like “passed away” or just “passed” - “My mom passed about 5 years ago.”
I am sure there are a lot more words that are not used - I will have to think of some more.
I heard that “the big c” is used as a substitute for “cancer”. (much like “the f-word”).
Is it true?
Yes, I have heard of that, but haven’t really used it myself. A generation ago mentioning divorce was similar, which led to this song: youtube.com/watch?v=sHTV2Qdfzs8
Dear Mr. Luschen,
(I think two words which most Americans would be hesitant to use are rich and poor. I think it is very impolite to ever call someone either rich or poor, especially to their face, but even in passing conversation. There is this myth in America that everyone is “middle class” and it seems very rude to imply that someone is either above or below this threshold.)
I do appreciate what you want to say. Thank you. This is so cultural conern to me. Rather than a language flavour.
And to me there are Some of your own who are happy to cross that line. Aren’t there?
kindest regards.