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Why Do They Say That Our English Is Bad? (An Excerpt) Grace M. Saqueton

(1) English teachers in the Philippines find their students continue to make grammatical errors even after being taught the rules of English. This is frustrating for teachers. (2) Researchers have studied the common errors made by Filipino students learning English as a second language to help develop teaching strategies. Grace Saqueton identified errors in verbs, prepositions, word choice, subject-verb agreement, articles, conjunctions and pronouns that Filipino college students frequently make. (3) There is debate around the concept of "Standard English" and whether students should be taught to conform to a standard. Some argue students develop their own English variety suited to their context. Teachers must decide what version of English to teach

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183 views

Why Do They Say That Our English Is Bad? (An Excerpt) Grace M. Saqueton

(1) English teachers in the Philippines find their students continue to make grammatical errors even after being taught the rules of English. This is frustrating for teachers. (2) Researchers have studied the common errors made by Filipino students learning English as a second language to help develop teaching strategies. Grace Saqueton identified errors in verbs, prepositions, word choice, subject-verb agreement, articles, conjunctions and pronouns that Filipino college students frequently make. (3) There is debate around the concept of "Standard English" and whether students should be taught to conform to a standard. Some argue students develop their own English variety suited to their context. Teachers must decide what version of English to teach

Uploaded by

DA FT
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Reading Text #1 certain standards that language teachers want their

students to follow. These standards are the ones


Why Do They Say that Our English is Bad? prescribed by grammarians. Educators want their
( An Excerpt) students to master Standard English as second
Grace M. Saqueton language learners of English. The problem here lies
in the definition of “Standard” English. Is there
(1) English teachers in the Philippines often find really a common standard? If there is, who uses it?
themselves in a very frustrating situation no matter Whose standard should be followed?
how hard they try to teach the rules of written (6) Answering the question would entail a lot of
English to their students, the students still commit problems. First, there should be a clear definition of
errors in word order, word choice, subject-verb what standard is. What kind of English is Standard
agreement, tenses, prepositions, articles, English? Dr. Andrew Moody, when asked during
punctuations, and the like. Teachers get frustrated the International Conference on World Englishes
when thay hear or read sentences such as “They and Second Language Teaching on how to maintain
decided to got married,” “What did the students correctness and consitency when teaching English
watched?” or Ana go to the canteen.” It os also in the Philippines, said that it would be dishonest to
alarming because the rules that apply to these teach Standard English as if it exists.
sentences are supposedly simple rules that the (7) That answer alone could raise a lot of issues. It
students shoul have learned in grade school. Yet, only shows that the concept of standard is
here they are in college, still committing those problematic. According to Farclough (1995), there
same errors. is a need for a particular standard in order to
(2) Teacgers and linguists alike have sought and rationalize policies on the teaching of Standard
probably are still seeking for ways and strategies to English. He further stated that appropriateness
teach English effectively especially in the light of figures within dominant conceptions of language
teaching English as a second language or as a variations.
foreign language. Different research studies have (8) Is there an implied claim then that students of
been conducted and different theories have been English as a second language or as foreign
used to address the situation. One of the topics that language speak a substantard kind of English
the researchers have explored is the recurring errors because they do not follow the standards of General
in phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, and American variety? What if they (Filipinos, for
discourse of second language learners. They example) have accepted English and appropriated it
believe that studying these recurring errors is to fit their needs and the context of situation in their
necessary to address the supposed grammar own places?
problems of the Filipino college students. (9) Andrew Gonzalez (1985), in his paper, “When
(3) In a paper titled, “Why Does They Say that Our Does an Error Become a Feature of English?“
Sentences Is wrong When knowns English? An pointed out thst until Philippine English is really
analysis of the ‘Common Errors’ of Freshmen creolized, English is still a second language in the
Compositions,” Saqueton (2008) identified some of Philippines, and he believed that in teaching any
the common errors found in the essays of first year second language, one must accept a standard.
college students. She provided explanations, using However, he also stressed that no matter how hard
error analysis, language acquisition theories, and the English teacher tries, a local variety will
Fairclough’s paradigm on the appropriacy of continue to develop.
“appropriateness”, as to what caused the “errors”. (10) There will always be different perspective on
This is in the hope of helping English tecahers this matter, especially that language issues seem to
develop teaching materials and devise teaching be a highly emotional matter. Should language
strategies that are appropriate for Filipino first year education then go for mutual intelligibility rather
college students of different linguistic backgrounds. than subscribe to a certain standard? Educators and
(4) Saqueton found out that among the students’ language policy planners could go back to
essays, errors in the use of verbs are the most Fairclough’s model of language learning. They
common, followed by errors in the use of have to decide how relevant English is to their
prepositions, problems in word choice, and students, and from there they have to decide what
problems in subject-verb agreement. There are also to teach and how to teach it.
errors in the use of articles, conjuctions, pronouns,
spelling problems are also evident.
(5) These “errors” are conidered errors because of

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