Comments on: Rike Orion - Adventures in ESL http://www.starchamber.com/2006/02/rike-orion-%e2%80%93-adventures-in-esl.html Ned Gulley's Blog. Resident buzzwords: synthetic biology, ambient displays, swarm robotics, wise crowds. Fri, 21 Nov 2008 22:42:31 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6 By: private schools http://www.starchamber.com/2006/02/rike-orion-%e2%80%93-adventures-in-esl.html#comment-14854 private schools Fri, 15 Jun 2007 06:10:28 +0000 http://starchamber.com/?p=1216#comment-14854 Teaching is a seperate skill in itself. I think some of the best teachers are the ones who have mastered a skill with no natural talent. These are the people who can relate the best to beginners. Teaching is a seperate skill in itself. I think some of the best teachers are the ones who have mastered a skill with no natural talent. These are the people who can relate the best to beginners.

]]> By: Steve Kloehn http://www.starchamber.com/2006/02/rike-orion-%e2%80%93-adventures-in-esl.html#comment-13295 Steve Kloehn Mon, 04 Jun 2007 22:04:54 +0000 http://starchamber.com/?p=1216#comment-13295 Great piece! I wish more of my colleagues in journalism observed language and life with this kind of acuity, and had the same knack for spinning a yarn. On a more personal note, I now understand how seemingly disparate qualities, such as Alan's encyclopaedic memory of Bruce Springteen lyrics and his dead-on impressions of each and every one of our college friends, were vocational building blocks. Studying Noam Chomsky is all well and good, but that kind of ear is irreplaceable. How about that book that another reader suggests above? Great piece! I wish more of my colleagues in journalism observed language and life with this kind of acuity, and had the same knack for spinning a yarn.

On a more personal note, I now understand how seemingly disparate qualities, such as Alan’s encyclopaedic memory of Bruce Springteen lyrics and his dead-on impressions of each and every one of our college friends, were vocational building blocks. Studying Noam Chomsky is all well and good, but that kind of ear is irreplaceable.

How about that book that another reader suggests above?

]]> By: J. Michael Steele http://www.starchamber.com/2006/02/rike-orion-%e2%80%93-adventures-in-esl.html#comment-895 J. Michael Steele Sun, 02 Jul 2006 21:26:09 +0000 http://starchamber.com/?p=1216#comment-895 It is natural to wonder why the Cauchy-Schwarz inequality is so "freaking important," and a good answer took me 300 pretty careful pages to explain. Still, if you want it in a nutshell, my belief after about 25 years of contemplation is that it is important because it is the simplest result that "tells us something that may not be trivial about an expectation of a product." Naturally, to explain that might take me --- say --- 299 pages. Cheers. It is natural to wonder why the Cauchy-Schwarz inequality is so “freaking important,” and a good answer took me 300 pretty careful pages to explain. Still, if you want it in a nutshell, my belief after about 25 years of contemplation is that it is important because it is the simplest result that “tells us something that may not be trivial about an expectation of a product.” Naturally, to explain that might take me — say — 299 pages. Cheers.

]]> By: Ned http://www.starchamber.com/2006/02/rike-orion-%e2%80%93-adventures-in-esl.html#comment-894 Ned Thu, 30 Mar 2006 19:30:34 +0000 http://starchamber.com/?p=1216#comment-894 I once worked with a guy from Taiwan who kept trying to convince me how simple Chinese was. Not just prepositions, but gender and tense can magically vanish... I kept trying to point out how hopelessly complicated it was from my point of view, what with the multitude of characters and tones. There seems to be a "conservation of complexity" in languages. English has crazy prepositions, but at least it doesn't have tones. Is there a language out there that's complicated in a every dimension at once? I once worked with a guy from Taiwan who kept trying to convince me how simple Chinese was. Not just prepositions, but gender and tense can magically vanish… I kept trying to point out how hopelessly complicated it was from my point of view, what with the multitude of characters and tones. There seems to be a “conservation of complexity” in languages. English has crazy prepositions, but at least it doesn’t have tones. Is there a language out there that’s complicated in a every dimension at once?

]]> By: Bruce Kennedy http://www.starchamber.com/2006/02/rike-orion-%e2%80%93-adventures-in-esl.html#comment-893 Bruce Kennedy Thu, 30 Mar 2006 15:23:54 +0000 http://starchamber.com/?p=1216#comment-893 I too am utterly fascinated and amazed by English's inefficiencies, and how easily meaning can slip between linguistic cracks as cultures intermingle. I recall a Chinese student of mine who was genuinely upset that we could travel "on a train", "in a train", or simply "by train". Chinese simply does away with those pesky prepositions altogether. Of course it's no suprise that the author and I share a passion for language. We share some DNA as well. So I'll refrain from expressing how wonderfully insightful and engaging his piece is. (there's some'praeteritio' for you...!) I too am utterly fascinated and amazed by English’s inefficiencies, and how easily meaning can slip between linguistic cracks as cultures intermingle. I recall a Chinese student of mine who was genuinely upset that we could travel “on a train”, “in a train”, or simply “by train”. Chinese simply does away with those pesky prepositions altogether.

Of course it’s no suprise that the author and I share a passion for language. We share some DNA as well. So I’ll refrain from expressing how wonderfully insightful and engaging his piece is. (there’s some’praeteritio’ for you…!)

]]> By: Niall MacConaill http://www.starchamber.com/2006/02/rike-orion-%e2%80%93-adventures-in-esl.html#comment-892 Niall MacConaill Mon, 27 Feb 2006 17:14:02 +0000 http://starchamber.com/?p=1216#comment-892 Most people who are at least bilingual can nod and smile, knowing ourselves well the perils of another language, of mistranslating, or of using words which are the same but mean drastically different things (occasionally, even completely oppposite). Why use this word, when this other ones makes more sense? Because that is the expression, you can't change it. Allright, where does it come from, what is its history? Blank look. The history of expressions is intrically linked to many parts of world history and cultures, clashes and conquests, rivalries and friendships. English, like any other language, is indeed Tough Stuff, but ultimately rewarding as you learn more and more languages and your mind just broadens with different ways of thinking. Most people who are at least bilingual can nod and smile, knowing ourselves well the perils of another language, of mistranslating, or of using words which are the same but mean drastically different things (occasionally, even completely oppposite). Why use this word, when this other ones makes more sense? Because that is the expression, you can’t change it. Allright, where does it come from, what is its history? Blank look. The history of expressions is intrically linked to many parts of world history and cultures, clashes and conquests, rivalries and friendships. English, like any other language, is indeed Tough Stuff, but ultimately rewarding as you learn more and more languages and your mind just broadens with different ways of thinking.

]]> By: Jason Eakes http://www.starchamber.com/2006/02/rike-orion-%e2%80%93-adventures-in-esl.html#comment-891 Jason Eakes Sat, 25 Feb 2006 19:46:13 +0000 http://starchamber.com/?p=1216#comment-891 I really enjoyed this story. A friend of mine forwarded this link becasue I spent many years overseas as a technical trainer, and have many stories like the ones Alan tells. Language always used to seem like a boring school subject, but articles like this show us a glimpse into how language is related to so many big cultural and social issues. I'd love to see a book on this. I really enjoyed this story. A friend of mine forwarded this link becasue I spent many years overseas as a technical trainer, and have many stories like the ones Alan tells. Language always used to seem like a boring school subject, but articles like this show us a glimpse into how language is related to so many big cultural and social issues. I’d love to see a book on this.

]]> By: Carl Svernlov http://www.starchamber.com/2006/02/rike-orion-%e2%80%93-adventures-in-esl.html#comment-890 Carl Svernlov Fri, 24 Feb 2006 12:16:34 +0000 http://starchamber.com/?p=1216#comment-890 As a foreign student (Swedish) at Greenwich High School at the beginning of the 80s, I am proud to say that I was one of Alan's first teaching subjects. Alan, who was one of my best friends in high school, struggled relentlessly with my "accent reduction". For a Swedish native, this primarily concern knowing when the s is sibilant and to pronounce certain vowels, like a, more broadly than others and -- above all -- learning to suppress the singsong Scandinavian diction to the English monotone. Alan was fantastic at this already in his teens. He has now written a wonderfully impassionate and funny piece about his new profession. I feel that Alan has finally -- after a 20 year detour -- found his calling. Alan: keep up the good work and hopefully a full-length book will eventually come out of this! Stockholm 24 February 2006 Carl Svernlov As a foreign student (Swedish) at Greenwich High School at the beginning of the 80s, I am proud to say that I was one of Alan’s first teaching subjects. Alan, who was one of my best friends in high school, struggled relentlessly with my “accent reduction”. For a Swedish native, this primarily concern knowing when the s is sibilant and to pronounce certain vowels, like a, more broadly than others and — above all — learning to suppress the singsong Scandinavian diction to the English monotone. Alan was fantastic at this already in his teens.

He has now written a wonderfully impassionate and funny piece about his new profession. I feel that Alan has finally — after a 20 year detour — found his calling. Alan: keep up the good work and hopefully a full-length book will eventually come out of this!

Stockholm 24 February 2006

Carl Svernlov

]]> By: Jay Cz http://www.starchamber.com/2006/02/rike-orion-%e2%80%93-adventures-in-esl.html#comment-889 Jay Cz Thu, 23 Feb 2006 05:52:14 +0000 http://starchamber.com/?p=1216#comment-889 Bravo, Alan, a fascinating read! (noun) Bravo, Alan, a fascinating read! (noun)

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