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ESL forum >
Message board > The "true" meaning of words.
The "true" meaning of words.
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joy2bill
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The "true" meaning of words.
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Hi
I was very disappointed yesterday to find that �disappointed � questioned my ability thus:
"I do think as teachers we have a responsibility to be teaching our students the "true" meanings of words and owe it to ourselves to use them in the correct way as well whenever possible."
Just because we disagree on the way a word is used does not mean one way is better than another or one person is right and another wrong. To those of us who have done CELTA courses, TESOL courses or as in my case a trained teacher with a post-graduate diploma in Language teaching, it was in �Language 101 � where we learnt that the �correct form � of English varies according to those using it. So if �stroppy � means one thing in Australia it may have a different connotation in Britain or Ireland or South Africa or the United States. What is the �true meaning?...obviously this depends on the people, the area and the time!
Am I being �stroppy �? Yes! Am I being belligerent? I hope not!
Viva la difference! Joy
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8 Jun 2011
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Redbull
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Hi Joy,
Sorry you�re feeling stroppy......but please don �t get stroppy with me!
just to add on your words here Joy, I know in Britain alone a word in the south could mean something completely different in the north and that is how things are with the way we use these English words..... see ya cock.......from Nottingham the north of England when someone says goodbye
or see ya cock from the south of England when someone want�s to see your cock! wink wink. So don �t get too emotional on this website. REDBULL GIVES YOU WINGS YOU KNOW  .
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8 Jun 2011
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Zora
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btw Joy... Stroppy is also used in Canada as feisty... or at least, I use it that way.
And I know what you mean. Unfortunately though, some people still think "British" English is the one true English and forget that the "Colonies" are not wrong in their usage of words. In fact, THIS is what makes English such a rich and diverse language...
Now, I will take my stroppy self to the grocery store as they are just about to open and I need some vittles!
Have a great day, and keep your pecker up (And NO, it not a bad word here, it is an old English saying! Filthy minded teachers!! LOL )
http://www.usingenglish.com/reference/idioms/keep+your+pecker+up.html
Hugs,
Linda
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8 Jun 2011
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mariamit
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No, Joy, you �re definitely not being belligerent. You �re absolutely right in everything you say. When I wrote my definition I asked for other natives to say how they use it. You know, when I first moved to Greece I was expected to teach "British English" and it took me quite a while and more than a couple of arguments to relearn certain meanings and connotations. Don �t take others � words to heart. Oh and take Linda �s advice and keep that pecker up! ( We also use that expression in New York)
Hugs to you from a hot, hot southern Greece,
Maria
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8 Jun 2011
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aliciapc
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You �re absolutely right, Joy, maybe it �s "disappointed" who has to learn more about his or her own native tongue (is it?) Teachers should already know what you state in your post, about English vocabulary being used in different ways in different countries ... Same happens with Spanish, and I could never tell someone from Spain or Venezuela that they are incorrectly using one term because I don �t live there, I �ve no idea ... Jay gave a very clear explanation yesterday, you shouldn �t worry! And @ "disappointed" : be a little more polite next time, that �s the way we talk to each other here ( and it doesn �t change , no matter what country you �re from ... not at all like lexicon ! ) |
8 Jun 2011
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zoemorosini
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The nature of language is to change over time and adapt to new situations and contexts. The best we can do as language teachers is teach to our own trueness and keep an open mind. If there were such a thing as unique "trueness" in language, we �d all be back in the stone ages and not be where we are today, any of us.
I must say, however--" disappointed" is an interesting avatar name; perhaps he/she is setting him/herself up for disappointment? Unless there �s another meaning or interpretation of that word I haven �t heard about !
Take care all!
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8 Jun 2011
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