Teach English in Xinhua Jiedao - Beijing

Teaching SlangSlang is defined as, ?Nonstandard vocabulary of a given culture or subculture. Slang words may or may not have alternative literal meanings. They may be ?made up? words.? (Burke, David.). Idioms on the other hand are phrases commonly understood in a given culture or subculture to have a meaning different from its literal meaning. There is some disagreement as to whether slang or idioms should be taught in an ESL or EFL classroom. Some argue that it is not proper English or that it taints the purity of the language, but I argue the importance of teaching and learning slang and idioms because of its prevalence in our everyday lives. Even the most refine and well-spoken English speakers use slang or idioms in everyday language. Slang and idioms are immersed in our culture, especially pop culture. Western pop culture is affluent in many countries as you can hear music blasting in malls, movies playing in cinemas, and pirated TV shows being sold everywhere. Clearly, Western pop culture is a huge influence on many other cultures. Whether this is a good or bad thing is a whole other article, but it does demonstrate the importance of incorporating teaching slang and idioms within the classroom. For without this knowledge, non-native speakers will not be able to understand much of what is being said in music, movies, and television. For example, everyone knows the singer Justin Beiber and his song ?Baby.? You cannot seem to escape Justin Beiber, even if you leave the Western world. He is an international pop sensation and his song ?Baby? can be heard anywhere and everywhere. Now, he is not singing about an actual baby, but in fact about a girl whom he refers to as ?Baby,? a term of endearment. Western entertainment is full of slang and idioms such as this and it is being absorbed all over the world. Thus, learning slang and idioms will not only help them understand the meaning, but perhaps also enjoy it more fully. native english speakers incorporate so much slang and idioms in everyday language that someone who is learning or is even fluent in English could have no idea what is being said. I personally use slang all the time with my friends especially when joking around. It is so ingrained in our culture and subcultures that we do not even think about it when we speak. This has become more apparent to me as I travel the world and make friends in other countries. I find myself constantly explaining certain jokes, or the meaning of different slang. I have also found that non-native speakers really enjoy learning slang and try to incorporate into their own conversations. For example, I received a text from my chinese friend which read, ?Happy Birthday Boo.? She loves learning new words and phrases and tries to use them with me whenever she can. I have also started incorporating slang into my classes with the ?Slang of the Day? where I teach students a few slang phrases or words that correlate with the lesson. For example, when talking about eating out at a restaurant, I taught the students words and phrases like ?pig out, love handles, and muffin top.? I have also taught them phrases like, ?What?s up?? which they love saying to me outside of class. You can see how much fun it is for them to say, especially to a teacher. In conclusion, I do not think teaching slang hurts in any manner. In fact, I think it can only enhance a learning experience. It helps them to understand how we speak in informal situations as well as to help them enjoy pop culture more. It also is a fun way students can relate to foreign teachers. Burke, David. (1998). Without Slang and Idioms, students are in the Dark! ESL Magazine. http://ingles.ing.uchile.cl/otros/downloads/Without%20Slang%20and%20Idioms.pdf