Free English Language Dissertations - ) As Further Example That The Finding Of Linguistic Common Ground Is Not The
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As further example that the finding of linguistic common ground is not the cure-all for communications difficulties, we now turn to the topic of how speakers interact when they share only one language in common, i.e., English, instead of sharing in common speaking ability in both English and their own native, vernacular language. Graddol (2000) provides us with another scenario from the studies of Firth (1996), in which international phone calls between Dutch and Syrian goods traders were analyzed to see how the respective parties interacted in English. In some cases, where one speaker is less proficient than the other, the former will employ a conversational strategy termed ‘let it pass,’ in which the less proficient speaker will mask his lack of understanding of what is being said by the other by delaying a request for clarification, in hopes that what the first speaker said will become understood as the conversation continues. One humorous exchange went as follows, in which a Dane (D) and Syrian (S) discuss an order of cheese that had gone awry.
S: So I told him not to send the cheese after the blowing in the customs. We don’t want the order after the cheese is blowing.
D: I see, yes.
S: So I don’t know what we can do with the order now. What do you think we should do with all this blowing, Mr Hansen?
D: I’m not uh (pause) ‘Blowing’? What is this, too big, or what?
S: No, the cheese is bad Mr Hansen. It is like fermenting in the customs’ cool rooms.
D: Ah, it’s gone off!
S: Yes, it’s gone off.
(Graddol, 2000, p. 13)
What this example demonstrates is that an entire skill set and mode of sub-communication develops between non-native speakers who do not have another frame of reference in common, i.e., the same vernacular language, further complicating the utilization of English in business and/or commerce situations.
There are also numerous practical considerations that affect the utilization of English, particularly in teaching it to non-ENL speakers.For example, which version of English should be taught? Despite the extensive global use of English, it is far from a homogenous language spoken and written in the precisely same manner in each country. English, as befitting its history, is a language of many diverse dialects; British English is different from American English, largely in pronunciation, accent, and certain vocabulary words, and American English itself is sub-divisible into any number of different sub-dialects, including Black/African-American English, which in its purest form is so unique in accent, grammar, and slang that it is almost completely unintelligible to many native English speakers, to say nothing of speakers of English as a second language (ESL).
The numerous challenges presented by English pronunciation, grammar, and vocabulary may also serve as a roadblock for both students and teachers.
