Lost in translation
By Ronald S. Lim, Manila Bulletin

MANILA, March 26, 2011—The issue of language is an oft-debated one in the country's literary circles.

There are those who advocate the use of the mother tongue, saying that it is the only one capable of expressing the nuances of the Filipinos' everyday life.

On the other hand are those who extol the virtues of the English language, saying that it opens up the country's writers to a wider readership.

But as the recent forum entitled “Writing the Asian Experience” reveals, the problem of language and literature is not unique to the Philippines – former colonies of English-speaking countries grapple with these issues as well.

Speaking at the forum were Vikas Swarup, bestselling author of Slumdog Millionaire, and Palanca-winning author Alfredo “Krip” Yuson.

The two discussed how the writers of their respective countries, being former colonies of English-speaking countries, dealt with the issue of which literary language to use.

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Think, speak English!
By Mila C. Espina, SunStar.com.ph

March 28, 2011—Teaching and learning a second language, like English for Filipinos, is sometimes difficult, if learners confuse or mix it with their native tongue. Certainly, comparing the first and the second languages may be helpful in some areas of linguistics, but, still, there is need to focus on the target language. Think and speak English, not think in the native tonque, then directly translate it to English, (here is where the confusion begins).

Cebu is an English hub and many schools and training institutions develop programs to develop the speaking and writing skills of local and foreign students, from the lowest grade level to tertiary. Never before have companies been so bent on requiring employees and applicants to acquire English proficiency. Presently, learning English in the schools is complemented by enhancement programs offered by training centers which have multiplied through the years.

Speechcom, one of the pioneers (1976-to the present) has enriched its English and communication and related areas—like rhetorics, public speaking; theater arts; social and business usage; grammar/composition and journal writing; music and choreography—to cope with the needs of students from pre-school to grade and high school, then college and professionals…

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Philippines needs new curriculum to improve math, science education

MANILA, March 17, 2011—Why has science and mathematics education in the Philippines deteriorated?

According to a University of the Philippines (UP) expert, this is because local education persisted in using an obsolete discipline-based curriculum in math and science (which is mostly by rote and without much inquiry and high level of thinking) already rejected as early as 1993 by the UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization).

Dr. Merle Tan, UP NISMED (National Institute for Science and Mathematics Education Development) director, said the present math and science curriculum has produced questionable results in the performance of students in the yearly achievement tests which are below those in other countries.

Also, Tan said, the present curriculum does not consider the high drop-out rate in local education and is not responsive to the needs of students who might leave school at a particular grade level.

“There seems to be a serious gap between science and mathematics education as it is practiced and the science and math education knowledge and skills needed for day-to-day living,” she said, citing a 2007 UP NISMED study as basis for her observation.

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Rediscovering English
By Robbie Pangilinan, Manila Standard Today

The Philippines was once considered the third largest English-speaking country in the world.

However, a recent US state department report in 2007 revealed that English language proficiency is declining in the country so we need to “restore the comparative advantages it once enjoyed to attract more investors and to support higher growth.”

Diliman Preparatory School (DPS), one of the country’s leading learning institutions today, knows and understands this too well. English is the primary language of focus in DPS and the school wants to achieve an international standard level of proficiency in the English language in the future.

Former Senator Nikki Coseteng, DPS president, says that being proficient in a language in school, at work and even among social relations and events have advantages. She adds that most educational materials are written in English and proficiency in English gives students a big advantage in research, comprehension and expressing oneself.

“We must make sure that our children are competitively proficient,” says Raymond Ang, president of the Edulynx English Proficiency Intervention Program (ePIP).

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English teacher brings home lessons from Korea
By Emily Shapiro, BakersFieldExpress.org

March 27, 2011—“What are you thinking about?” asked one of my co-workers as we gathered in our favorite haunt for one last goodbye dinner and conversation. At that time my thoughts had been on all of the small piles of unattended clutter in my room. But more than that, my mind raced back to the very first days of my year teaching in Korea, and some of the things that I have come to understand.

When I first arrived, I was tired, scared, and lonely, and had one thought: “What had I done?” I had traveled 6,000 miles overseas to do something that no one I knew had the guts or the opportunity to do and I was more than nervous.

I remember thinking, “Aw geez, M. You’ve gone and done it now.” It would be ridiculous to compare myself to a pioneer; however, this is exactly how I felt.

Of course the Republic of Korea is not a third world country and I knew this. What I did not know was how much I would grow both emotionally and spiritually.

Before this trip all of my knowledge was absorbed through books, but books only take you so far. It’s great to read about the Great Wall of China or the Tower of London, but think how exciting, fun, and mind boggling it would be to physically go there and experience the sights, smells, and people of another culture!

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Grammar’s dirty little secret
By The Bureau Chiefs, WallStreetJournal.com

March 29, 2011—Listen, we’re going to let you guys in on a little secret: You can really put your commas anywhere. Grammar’s all a big sham.

Oh, the fancy doctors of English and keepers of the language must bristle to hear such a claim! But it’s true. Tell us this sentence doesn’t make sense: Down stairs; I walked, for in those dow’n stairs there was–A drink of a beverage and I drank it~milk*

Where are your rules now, fancy men?

Also, just think back to all the school children who got their knuckles rapped for split infinitives and ending sentences with prepositions, only to find when they grew up that those were no longer grammar errors. So, they developed early-onset arthritis for nothing. Or think of the cub reporter who got reamed out in front of the entire press pool by a cigar-chomping editor for leaving the hyphen out of “email” and making “website” one word. That kid gets little comfort from the AP Stylebook’s new rules changes while he is cashing his unemployment check.

The origins of  “grammar” are as shady as you would expect.  Samuel Johnson, along with other agents of the Crown, needed to devise a way of communicating with one another in unbreakable code. The solution that was seized upon was a complex and contradictory series of “rules” for writing involving periods, commas, colons and end-blights that would ensure that written communication was so arcane that only the most highly educated men could ever possibly do it “correctly.”

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“But” watch: The English language at its finest
By Anthony Peyton Porter, NewsReview.com

March 31, 2011—As you may know, one of the bees in my bonnet is the way we use our “buts.” I maintain that many of us use our “buts” mindlessly and poorly. If you doubt the justice and righteousness of my crusade to expose sloppy “buts,” read on.

The problem I’ve had in writing about my “but” findings is not having any evidence. I’d see bad “buts” all over the place when I’d forgotten my recorder and had nothing to write with, and since my memory is mostly a memory now, all those bad “buts” faded out of my brain. Now I try always to have a memory aid with me, electronic or pencil-and-paper. Not only that, I’ve expanded to include “yet.” Prepare to be shocked.

First, from The New Yorker, Aug. 2, 2010, “… his big but elegantly arranged features …” I see no reason to expect big features not to be elegantly arranged, so “but” makes no sense. I suppose if the features were big enough, fewer arrangements would be possible with the available space, perhaps precluding elegance, but I doubt it.

From Practicing the Power of Now, by Eckart Tolle, “… a silent but powerful sense of presence.” I can understand associating noise with power, but Tolle of all people knows better, and so should his editor.

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Learning English can be daunting
By Stephen Wilbers, Star Tribune

March 28, 2011—Why don't all those people moving to this country learn how to speak English? I mean, if they're going to live here, they ought to learn our language, right?

Let's offer them a little English lesson. You be the teacher, and I'll be the student.

"OK, let's begin with something basic," you say to me, "such as how to use the articles a, an and the."

"That's question I have," I say.

"No," you say, "that's a question you have. Use the article a (or an) before a noun whose specific identity is not known. Use the article the before a noun whose identity is known. For example, 'They wanted to buy a house, and they liked the house next to mine."

"That's the good answer," I say.

"No, you mean 'That's a good answer.'"

"But the answer is known to me, so shouldn't I say 'the good answer'?" I ask.

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BTW, English, the gnarliest language of all, is a survivor
By Doug Cabral, Martha’s Vineyard Times

March 23, 2011—Lots of times, the kids' text messages contain letter combinations that mean nothing to me. I've learned some of the basics of this coded communication, but much of it is beyond the beyond, as an interior decorator friend would say.

For instance, I now know "lol" means "laugh out loud," although at first I thought it was short for lollygag, which means aimless dithering. It's a terrific word — from time to time, I suspect the kids of it — so I was disappointed that the children had foreshortened it so clumsily that it was no longer fun to see or say. Live and learn.

I find myself exposed to more and more of this moronic code — forgive me, it slipped out — in the comment posts to articles on mvtimes.com, so I consulted Rick Mello, the expert Timesian in all things techno. He shook his hoodied head indulgently and referred me to the Urban Dictionary, which naturally lives online.

Urban Dictionary describes itself as "the dictionary you wrote. Define your world, 5,688,030 definitions since 1999."

I'm sure that the "you" they refer to is not me and that whoever it is, he or she or they are a lot younger. Of course, the Urban Dictionary is more than a dictionary. You can buy tee-shirts. The legend on one popular one is "Anything unrelated to elephants is irrelephant." Get it?

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The right word
By Sidney Berger, PhD, TheSimmonsVoice.com

March 17, 2011—There is a story about a foreigner whose second language was English. He had a huge English vocabulary and was mighty proud of it. But though he knew the words, he didn't always know their precise meaning.

His friend asked him, "Do you and your wife have children?" He thought for a moment and then said, with gusto in his knowledge of many fine English words, "No, we do not have any children. My wife is impregnable." He thought a moment, and added, "She is impossible." He sensed that his friend wasn't quite getting the point. So he said, "She is unassailable." He got another blank stare. "She is unscalable." More blank looks. Then he thought he had the right word: "She is unbearable."

His friend smiled but again showed that he didn't understand. So he plumbed his word hoard some more and came up with, "She is inscrutable." Another blank smile from the friend. He took another stab at it: "She is inconceivable." No understanding response from the friend. He tried his last brilliant word, figuring he really had it this time: "She is insurmountable." Then he gave up.

Here were some pretty fine English words, but not one of them conveyed what he really wanted to say, that his wife could not conceive.

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Offenders nuked by English language
By Miranda Devine, Herald Sun

March 17, 2011—One local side-effect of Japan's current troubles is the constant mispronunciation of the word "nuclear" by some.

People who really should know better have been on the airwaves pronouncing it "nyooc-yular".

This is an affront to the English language rivaled only, in my opinion, by pronouncing the word "infrastructure" as "infa-structure".

If there were just a few people saying "nyooc-yular" you could dismiss it as a fringe oddity. But it is an epidemic, assaulting our ears every day.

Is it rampant illiteracy or widespread dyslexia? You wonder if people have tin ears or just don't care. You hear it from leading business people, scientific experts, politicians and journalists.

Even well-spoken Neil Mitchell was heard uttering the mangled form this week. Why, you wonder, does someone not pull him aside and whisper gently: "It's nyoo-clee-ah."

Some blame George W. Bush, the former US president, for sanctioning the gruesome mispronunciation. He used to mangle the word with relish.

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100 words of English: How far can it get you?
By Peter Jackson, BBC News

March 30, 2011—England's Italian football manager Fabio Capello claims he can manage his players with just 100 words. So how far could you get with a vocabulary of that size?

Despite his sometimes colourful language, communicating with Wayne Rooney does not require a Shakespearean command of English.

That's just as well, as the England manager has admitted he's having problems learning some of the basics.

"If I need to speak about the economy or other things, I can't speak," he told reporters.

"But when you speak about tactics, you don't use a lot of words. I don't have to speak about a lot of different things. Maximum 100 words."

In Capello's defence, his vocabulary appears to be far wider than 100 words and it was probably a throwaway remark. But his comment raises an interesting question - how far could such a limited knowledge of English take you?

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To cut a long story short, brevity is best
By Robert McCrum, The Observer

March 20, 2011—The average English word has just five letters. Words in the Inuit language, by contrast, have 14. "Short", a good old word, which expresses something vital about our language, also reflects a global appetite. In the age of brevity, English has become a default medium: functional, fashionable and well suited to the witty reductions of the keypad.

"Gr8", "u" and "lol" are now universal. It's said that even the French prefer "now" to "maintenant", while the Dutch write "2m" for "tomorrow". Traditionalists will scorn this text rendering of Hamlet's most famous line (2b? Ntb? = ?) but it reflects the zeitgeist. Sticklers for correct English like to strike an Anglo-Saxon attitude and deplore the consequences of the English language becoming the world's language. It is, they'll say, as if a three-rosette restaurant had been taken over by McDonald's.

There's not a lot they can do about it. Global English, whose ambitions are to make international connections and get its message across, shows every sign of morphing into what Hemingway once called "Babel's style"…

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Is the Internet Americanising (or Americanizing) British English?
By Daniel Hannan, The Telegraph UK

March 13, 2011—Divided by a common language? Not for much longer...

The Internet – much to the consternation of Euro-integrationists – is drawing the English-speaking peoples into a common conversation. And a good thing, too: it was always fatuous to pretend that geographical proximity was more important than history or sentiment, blood or speech. Where the EU is united by government decree, the Anglosphere is united by organic ties, by language and law, by shared habits of thought.

Here, though, is a question, posed to mark the centenary of the Commonwealth. Is the common online dialogue also leading to a more direct harmonization of the English language? This blog, in a typical week, attracts 80,000 readers from the UK, 30,000 from the US, and 10,000 from elsewhere, mainly from other Anglosphere nations: a proportion that is fairly representative of British websites. In consequence, British bloggers and readers are far more familiar with the American Weltanschauung. But are we also starting to write like Americans? Is the combination of the Internet and US-designed spell-check programmes (or programs) hastening the Americanization of British English?

We all have our personal bêtes noires…

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English and the job market are linked – inseparably
By Ajaz Hussain, GreaterKashmir.com

Thank God, we have overcome the dilemma. The doubt and uncertainty about the future of English language is over. We have come to realize the viability of this language on our soil and the trends of the present times are definitely in favour  of this language. The painful spectacle of English being treated with a chauvinistic intolerance at the hands of people, for whom it has opened up vistas of advanced learning in science and technology, commerce and industries, politics and judiciary, is no more witnessed. English  has and will play a vital role in establishing  our access  to scientific and non scientific  learning at the advanced  level  and will bring our younger  generations closer  to the level  where they will find  it easy to achieve  what they choose to. As a source language, it is the only language which is fully equipped with vernaculars and it renders adequately the entire corpus of technical terms and scientific jargon. This state of affairs necessitates a compulsive resort to this language for the people who come out of the institutions of Higher Learning to find jobs of their own liking.

Let me warn the critics of this language that English is here to stay. And as a medium of instruction, it will, I have no doubt, help the generations to achieve their goals fitfully...

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Of English language and identity
By Naila Neelofar, GreaterKashmir.com

March 26, 2011—In an age of satellite communication, and a gate-crashing invasion of  media in to our lives, the world has become borderless nevertheless opening new gateways of challenges before us. The world is just a click away. Technology has revolutionized economic and political structures adding new meanings to our lives. The world has changed and even the basic necessities of life such as water and air have been capitalized to make the  world  a  global place.  In the post colonial world. particularly, one has witnessed sweeping changes in cultures, traditions and languages and in the larger perspective perhaps identity. Identity politics, an aftermath of globalization, to a great extent  accelerated by English language has emerged as an important objective  to  rebuild  rooted tradition, religious sentiment and ethnic or national identities.  The process of globalisation cannot be undone but it is imperative to study its economic, political. sociological and cultural fall outs. The decline of vernacular languages in the corporate world has subverted identities  posing a big challenge to ethnicities and nationalities.

English language, the language of plowmen or peasants  reached its zenith by replacing the elite languages such as French and Latin, therefore, following the linguistic imperialism to its core. English is also called the killer’s language in the sense as it helps annihilate other languages and cultures by exclusive use of media. politics and economy…

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English assaults on language bastions
By VR Narayanaswami, LiveMint.com

March 21, 2011—B for Bombay! How often we have used this jingle, to help someone spell a word. That had to stop after the people of the city decided that its name should be restored to the pristine “Mumbai,” in place of its anglicized form. We should switch to M for Mumbai perhaps.

There is a close parallel to this from Russia. The government of Georgia wrote to Japan protesting against the latter’s use of the word Gurujiya as the name of the republic. This is the Russian name for the region, adapted in Japanese. Georgia’s foreign minister demanded that the name should be written Joujia, free from any Russian taint.

After the break-up of the Soviet Union, Russia was thrown open to Western culture, and this led to the adoption of many foreign words. On the streets you could see “djeeps” and “djeans”; entrepreneurs called themselves “biznesmen” and discussed “menedgment”. In 2003, a new Bill was passed to protect the language. In this order, English words were put together with slang and swear words. Anyone caught using these was to face punishment at a correction centre.

Three months ago, China launched a campaign to contain the spread of English. On 22 December, the General Administration of Press and Publication imposed a ban on the use of English words by the media and publishing houses…

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Translating takes more than knowing the equivalent word
By Dr. Haslina Haroon

April 1, 2011—I have never been a fan of sporting activities of any kind. Yes, I can generally tolerate 10 minutes of netball (watching, not playing) but as a teenager, I avoided sports activities like the plague, always thinking up diversionary tactics that would take me away from the field and back into the safety of the classroom. The 2006 Winter Olympics, however, is something that has always stuck in my mind, but for purely linguistic reasons.

Most of us would probably have forgotten by now but the 2006 Olympics was officially known as “Torino 2006.” I remember feeling rather astounded at this bit of information as I had no idea where Torino was. Granted, geography was not particularly exciting when I was in school, but at least I knew where Salt Lake City, the host of the 2002 Olympics, was. The location, of course, was etched in my memory due to my childhood crush on and fascination with Salt Lake City’s most illustrious son, Donny Osmond (who could forget that toothpaste-ad-worthy smile?).

Now, going back to Torino, I really had no idea where it was, except that it must be somewhere with snow and ice. It was only after rummaging through the sports sections that it descended upon me that Torino was actually Turin. Granted, my knowledge of Turin is limited to the fact that it is located in Italy but at least the name “Turin” was somewhere there in the depths of my temporal lobe.

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“Siege mentality” over the English language
By Collin Abraham, Malaysiakini.com

March 18, 2011—There has been widespread condemnation, literally across the board, on the opposition towards the growing demand for the greater use and development of the English language in our public universities and centres of higher learning.

But with respect, most of the issues raised are not new, resulting in a failure to grasp the 'dangerous' negative social impact assessment on questions of ethnic/racial integration and national unity.

Basically, it can be argued, that a significant section of the elite power groups appear to be challenging calls to raise the status of English, claiming it to be a threat to the Malay 'special position' within the same context as the theoretical framework of the 'sieze' mentality they are expressing towards the possible withdrawal of other Malay social privileges that I have enunciated in earlier postings.

By stifling the institutional access towards the mastery of English, the Malays, as correctly pointed out by a former minister of information, run the risk of becoming "second class" citizens.

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English holds the key to achieving Vision 2020
G. Jeyarahman, TheStar.com.my

March 21, 2011—As a former teacher, headmaster, assistant supervisor of primary schools in Selangor, lecturer of English at Universiti Teknologi Mara (preparing students going to Australia on JPA scholarships) and having been in the field of education (1955-2003), I feel I have something to say regarding the importance of English.

I remember when I was the headmaster of SRK Sungei Besar near Sabak Bernam in 1966, a Malay parent came to register his child in the school .

I asked him to register his child in the school nearest to his home and he asked why I couldn’t admit his child in my school which was English medium then.

He seemed rather annoyed and remarked that if ministers could send their children to English schools, why couldn’t he? I had no answer.

I am astonished that academics and students from universities who should be open-minded and models of progress, examples for ordinary folk to follow, are adopting retrogressive attitudes and behaviour in opposing the use of English.

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Knowing one language not enough in this age
By Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye, TheStar.my.com
 
March 17, 2011—Every rational-minded and forward-looking Malaysian undoubtedly shares Wong Chun Wai’s views in “On The Beat” that universities have to give importance to English if they want to produce employable graduates.

Many Malaysians fail to see the logic of the protest by students at the Academy of Malay studies (AMS), Universiti Malaya, over the Higher Education Ministry’s call for universities to give importance to English to enhance the graduates’ employment prospects.

It just does not make sense for any student to create an issue out of a need to improve students’ skills in English to increase the graduate employability rate.

It is a known fact that the problem of poor or weak command of English has affected all faculties in all our public universities. The problem is not only confined to Malay students but also Chinese and Indians and other ethnic groups from Sabah and Sarawak.

The teaching, learning and use of the English language must not be made into an issue when it is done in the interest of our future generation and for the sake of our nation’s progress and its future well-being.

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Excuse me: The grammar queen
By Victor Ehikhamenor, 234Next.com

March 25, 2011—While our first lady is out there bulldozing territories and taking no prisoners, people are busy laughing and forwarding BB, Facebook and YouTube messages of her grammatical carpet bombing to each other. Keep laughing all of you that think the Dame is grammatically lame and a better national comedian than an ambassador that can’t sing the national anthem. If you think she is too uncouth to be our next first lady, keep laughing while she undauntedly bludgeons her way to victory.

I am not a student of politics, but I doubt if extracting her special brand of rhetoric will move this iroko-woman from her current position as the First Lady of Nigeria come April. And for Nigerians who are sick and tired of PDP’s monstrosity, giggling at the Dame’s “broken bottle” is not going to stop them from driving this molue called Nigeria into the Lagoon.

Moreover, having watched the recent NN24 presidential debate a.k.a. “The Wind That Blew Feathers off the Chicken’s Yansh,” I am sure many of you would have seen that it is not only her that has issues with the foreign language. We all saw some speak as if they were haggling goat meat at Ekpoma Market, and others chew the language as if it was a piece of hot cocoyam.

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A night under Prof. Atukwei Okai’s baobab tree
By Ernest Dela Aglanu, MyJoyOnline.com/Gha

March 18, 2011—His antiquity is enormous—a master class perfectionist who dwells in the English language and its chemistry. Prof Atukwei Okai is no stranger to fluency—a world-class English literature physician.

“He is one of God's greatest gifts to this generation,” Albert Ocran, CEO of Combert Impressions defines him.

He was the guest on Personality Profile on Drive Time on Joy 99.7 FM with Kwabena Anokye Adisi - Bola Ray Thursday and it was a night filled with poetry and knowledge.

Oh what a night it was: Unwind me Joy; Unwind me 99.7; Unwind me Super Hits Radio. - with a huge claim that, “we were rapping before rap came,” he jovially proclaimed.

Whiles he poured out his countless experiences and fond memories growing up, it was evident this selfless personality still has a strong belief in Ghana and Africa—a key part of his life’s mission.

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China makes unprecedented English-language push
By Greg Andrews, Indianapolis Business Journal

HANGZHOU, March 14, 2011—Here’s something to ponder. It’s conceivable that by 2025 the number of English-speaking Chinese will exceed the number of people speaking English as a first language in the rest of the world.

Skeptics abound this will happen. But what’s undeniable is that China has made educating its population in English a big priority—and when this Communist government decides something is important, it goes all out.

Reminders of the importance China places on English are easy to find. As members of the Indiana University delegation I’m traveling with picked up our bags at Shanghai’s Pudong International Airport on Saturday and boarded a bus for the three-hour drive to Hangzhou, signs the whole way were in both Chinese and English.

China Daily reports that more than 300 million Chinese already are studying English—nearly one quarter of the country’s population. And in the next five years, all schools will begin teaching English in kindergarten, and all state employees younger than 40 will be required to master at least 1,000 English phrases.

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Watch your language
By Daniela Piteo, Thorold News Niagara

The English language is rife with descriptive words, yet we seem to rely heavily on one word to express a vast array of emotions, situations and outcomes.

The word is so infamous, it is the only one that can be referred to with one letter alone.

When it is uttered, it is referred to as dropping an f-bomb.

It is explosive, powerful and definitely not appropriate in some situations.

On a recent televised award show, an actress was given a prestigious honour and in her flustered exuberance, she dropped an f-bomb. It was neither the time nor the place.

There are roughly, according to the Oxford English Dictionary, 170,000 words in the English language, yet one word alone that shouldn't be used in certain domains, finds its way into out dialogue.

During a recent trip to Thorold Secondary School, the f-word was being dropped almost ad nauseam. Yet, the teachers roaming the hallways didn't blink.

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Indirectly speaking: A music-lover's guide to... curriculum development
By Mike Guest, The Daily Yomiuri

February 28, 2011—Have you ever been disappointed by "greatest hits" or "best of" albums? You know, those cash cows that record companies (remember them?) foist upon the public because they require no new compositions or recordings from the artist? For me somehow they always came up lacking. There was often little flow, as the tracks originally came from separate albums and often muted any thematic or dynamic buildup that the band was originally trying to achieve.

This trend has recently been exacerbated by the iPod, with its ability to shuffle tracks, turning what were once cohesive artistic statements, where each track was placed carefully for the sake of developing a holistic dynamic, the whole concept of an "album," into a series of disjointed sound bites. Tracks were never meant be randomly slotted in. If they were, what would be the point of them being placed together on an album?

A poorly developed English course curriculum can have the same effect on language learners. When a course is treated primarily as a bunch of discrete, self-contained lessons, even if they are individually "good" lessons--the teacher's greatest hits--and nothing more, little will be retained by students. The idea of an English course should contain a sense of cohesion and unity, a process and development carefully thought out so that each individual unit contributes to the sense of the whole…

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