Teach English in Shituo Zhen - Chongqing

Teaching slang and idioms Listening to a group of native english speakers talk amongst each other, it is very easy to note that much of what they?re saying is not proper English. As with many languages, English speakers develop words and phrases whose meanings are completely different from what is expected. ?It?s raining cats and dogs right now!? might make perfect sense to someone who grew up in an English speaking country, but to EFL students, this sentence may sound quite absurd. The use of idioms and slang is second nature to native english speakers, and understanding others who use these phrases isn?t given a second thought. However, even the most advanced EFL student will struggle to understand English slang and idioms. This raises the question as to whether or not students learning English should also be taught idioms and slang; most believe that they should. Use of slang and idioms has become a significant part of conversation between speakers of English. Because of this, it is important for students learning English to be taught slang. Without this knowledge, a student could watch an American television show, read a book written in English, or even listen to two Australians have a conversation and be unable to grasp much of what they are saying. The most advanced EFL student who has become fluent in speaking proper English will still struggle to understand daily conversation because of how often slang and idioms are used (James, Cassandra). However, teaching slang and idioms has to be done in a certain way. It is crucial for the teacher to note the difference between formal terms and informal terms, and to discuss when it is proper to use informal terms. It is also important for the teacher to define and explain what an idiom is and what slang is. Slang can be defined as a nonstandard word that arises from a particular culture or subculture. An idiom is a word that is understood by a certain culture to have a different meaning from its? traditional meaning. By defining the terms and helping students to understand that the use of these is informal and not necessarily universal, helps students to use them correctly. Teaching students what idioms and slang are is not the only important factor. How they are taught is significant as well. Introducing terms that students are most likely to come across and that tend to be more cross-cultural are more important for students to learn. Allowing students to ?discover? the meaning of terms and phrases is an appropriate way of teaching this subject (Burke, 1998). Basically, the presentation of the idioms and slang being learned is key to helping students learn. Many of the people who oppose teaching slang and idioms in EFL classes are in conflict with the idea because they believe it to be inappropriate. This is a misinterpretation of what these terms mean. As discussed before, they are simply nonstandard words and words that differ from their traditional meaning. However, many people often think of slang as being taboo and believe them to be obscenities. In all reality, though, this is rarely the case and therefore does not add any reason for not teaching these in the classroom. students who are learning English do it for a specific reason; they want or need to be able to understand and communicate with others in English. In order to do this properly, it is important for English language learners to learn more than just formal English. Because slang and idioms have become such a prominent part of daily speech, it is necessary for esl students to at least be exposed to them and their meanings. Works Cited Burke, David. ?Without Slang and Idioms, students are in the Dark!? ESL Magazine. September/October, 1998. James, Cassandra. ?Teaching Slang and Idioms to English Business students.? Associated Content from Yahoo. 12/30/10. 1/16/11.