Dr. Sharla Jones' Presentation Materials

Thank you everyone for sticking around on Tuesday despite the all the confusion, and waiting for Dr. Jones. I apologize once again for not being able to be there.

I heard from several of you that the presentation was very informative. Dr. Jones was kind enough to provide copies of her materials from her presentation. These are now available on our WEB-CT course site, in a folder titled "Dr. Sharla Jones Presentation"

Stuck in Austin!

Hi Class,

I'm stuck in Austin. Please enjoy the presentation by our guest speaker, Dr. Sharla Jones. You are free to go home after her presentation.

I was scheduled to arrive in San Antonio from Los Angeles at 2:30 this afternoon. Bad weather in Dallas diverted the plane to Austin. We sat on the plane for three hours before we could get to the terminal. No one has any info on when and if the plane will go back to Dallas so I can connect to San Antonio. So I'm going to rent a car and drive home myself.

The Fun of Travel. Sorry the inconvenience, and see you next week!

-Dr. Wright

Tex TESOL II Spring Workshop -- Exploring ESOL Careers from Texas to Taiwan

There is a great event this Saturday (April 14th) I forgot to announce in class. I'm on the board of TexTESOL II (local affiliate of TESOL) and this should be a very informative event. I encourage you to attend. Hope to see you there!
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TexTESOL II Spring 2007 Workshop

World of Opportunities:
Exploring ESOL Careers from Texas to Taiwan

Saturday, April 14, 2007;
8:30 A.M.—12:30 P.M.

Northwest Vista College
3535 N. Ellison Drive, San Antonio, TX 78251
Huisache Building, Banquet Room(located near Sea World)

Looking for a job? Want a change? Full-time? Part-time? In San Antonio? Abroad?

8:30-9:00 Registration & Poster Session
9:00-11:00 Brief Presentations from ESOL Representatives (public schools, colleges, universities, private institutions, government and international agencies)
11:00-11:15 Break
11:15-12:15 Informal Q&A with ESOL Representatives

Registration:
$5.00 TexTESOL II Members,
$10.00 Non Members.
For additional information call 210-397-8109

Registration Form and other info available at: http://www.textesoltwo.org/events.htm

ESL lesson in Houston

Here is a great example of an ESL teacher posting his ESL lessons on YouTube.

Thailand Monks

thailand monks 01
Originally uploaded by FriskoDude.

I really think this is a cool photo!

The Hard Word high school (Flickr Photo)

The Hard Word high school
Originally uploaded by Glenn Phillips.

I found this great school sign on Flickr. It's from a school in Cambodia. Foreign language learning is all the rage in Cambodia right now, with English in the biggest demand. There are literally dozens of English language schools in any given section of town.

The sign of this one had people, including the photographer, puzzled, and they wondered what the Khmer translation said. Interestingly enough, the top line says, "High School Hard Word Memot." Memot is the name of the village, so, it's "Mermot Hard Word High School." In the Khmer title the words "Hard Word" are written phonetically to approximate the English pronunciation of the words (closer to /haad veud/).

The second Khmer line helps explains things a little. The translation is "Teaching foreign languages, English, Chinese, Thai, and Computer." I guess that means "Computer" is a foreign language too :-). So this is a foreign language school where you can learn all the hard words!

There are lots of signs in Cambodia like this which include English words spelled phonetically in Khmer. I've always been curious about this practice. For example, in this sign, if someone knows the meaning of the phrase "Hard Word" they probably can read English and thus the English translation is sufficient (i.e., they don't need the words written out phonetically in Khmer. So who is the phoenetic spelling of "Hard Word" for? Those who don't know English wouldn't know what the sign means, even if they can sound out the words.

I think this is a form of linguistic marking. Shops and institutions which incorporate English words into the Khmer signage (writen phonetically in Khmer) seem to be attempting some level of sophistication. If it has English in it, it must be high class. Ironically, the phoenic spellings of English words in Khmer turn out to be "hard words" as most Khmer readers won't be able to understand them!

Now, you guys go out and find some Flikr photos you'd like to write something about. It could be one you find funny, inspirational, or one that reminds you of your own experience. Any goes, so just find a photo that strikes you in some way and write something about it.

I'm looking forward to your finds!