Busytown: Sons for the Return Home
258 Responses
First ←Older Page 1 … 5 6 7 8 9 … 11 Newer→ Last
-
When I was 16 I went to Tahiti on a student exchange for french class - my host family was amazed that I could tell kiwis/americans/brits/aussies apart, even when they were speaking french (I guess we all mangle their vowels subtly differently) - to the french we all sounded like english people speaking french
-
Deborah, in reply to
Language. Or to be precise, she said it was language, and that even though she had a high score on IELTS, she was nowhere near the proficiency level she needed. I guess the point is that even if we set the IELTS entry standard higher, many students would still need a great deal of assistance in the first few months as they learn how to live in English, not just read, write and speak the language in test situations.
-
Carol Stewart, in reply to
In my travels in Argentina and Chile in particular, it was interesting that the local people we met who spoke English did so with an American accent - as they had been taught by Americans. It was also interesting that they struggled to understand our Kiwi English. One of our group has an American father and a mild American accent, and they found him much easier to understand.
-
could be the results of American TV too
-
recordari, in reply to
Was that because of language problems or culture shock?
I think this is certainly a problem. Arriving in Tokyo without any Japanese, they ran courses on culture shock at the youth hostel. Well, I certainly remember being told about the roller coaster ride that would be my life for the first 3 - 6 months. Aspects of it lasted the whole 14 months I was there.
They get perfectly respectable grades in the subjects they want to study, but their business grades are appalling.
Ain't that the truth? Probably equally so for many Kiwis nowadays, with the stigma attached to the 'arts' subjects.
One woman from Guatemala (true!) said that she had arrived with an IELTS of 7.5 (that's very high), to do a Masters, and she struggled to understand anything at all for the first three or four months.
Again I think it's because IELTS doesn't indicate proficiency in things like discourse, extended writing in English, or cultural competency, which are all significant factors when trying to succeed academically overseas. In general it can take at least 6 months to a year to acclimatise properly, IMhO.
ETA: Excuse the random reply to.
-
Wow, you paint such an emotive picture, Jolisa. You capture the pull back south so well. Many Kiwis may be the descendants of straight-talking, pragmatic pioneers, but we remember our homeland with the passion and poetry of Renaissance painters...
-
recordari, in reply to
many students would still need a great deal of assistance in the first few months as they learn how to live in English, not just read, write and speak the language in test situations.
Snap-ish! Took me too long to write my post.
-
BenWilson, in reply to
Depends how 'custom' (and therefore emotinally attached) it is.
Yes, indeed. If it's got serious sentimental attachment, that would make it worth the bother. But don't do it for the money savings...chances are there won't be any and it's a bunch of hassle for nothing. If you've sunk hundreds or even thousands of hours of your life into making it choice, then it's a hobby, and it's almost certainly worth transplanting that. Doing up vehicles is an expensive hobby, very seldom is it done for the purposes of making money. Most of the cool cars I've owned over the years have belonged to down-on-their-luck hobbyists. That sounds a bit mean, but practically, they're almost always super stoked if you buy their car, because they get the money they need, AND it's one last chance to show someone all the work they did, to a person that's very likely to appreciate it.
-
If I owned this, I'd be bringing it home. Just sayin'.
-
As for schools not being overly enthusiastic about adopting the standards, the one our three go to in Sandringham is holding out pretty well. But, there is news of considerable pressure being applied to recalcitrant schools. There does seem to be a number of principals willing to stretch the limits of the offside line to the maximum though.
You can sense that there's a battle going on quietly between about 20% of schools who have decided that this is worth dying in a ditch over, and the Ministry/Minister, which is just sometimes spilling out into the public sphere.
My impression is that they're all being crushed slowly.
I expect that James Butler’s guess that Pacific nations might be right up there is right, just as a numbers game.
Samoa, Niue would be well up above 15% in NZ, let alone overseas. Half at least?
We spend a high proportion on students (allowances, interest free loans), at the cost of institutional support.
Actually we spend quite low on both. And as a university staff member, students have been helping fund my reasonable pay increases for a few years now.
-
Brent Jackson, in reply to
When we were trekking in the Andes with various Spanish, Dutch, English and French people, without realising it, our speech had modified to be slower and clearer. We shared a meal with another group which also had a kiwi in it and got to talking. The Europeans couldn't follow our conversation - it was too fast, with too many missing sounds. They were very surprised. One of the Dutch women (who spoke excellent English), initially thought we were speaking a different language.
For Asians even with moderately good English, this must be very hard.
-
Carol Stewart, in reply to
initially thought we were speaking a different language.
I guess we are, in a sense.
We went to see The Guard last night and I think a good proportion of the dialogue passed me by.. -
Rich Lock, in reply to
I'd be bringing it home.
I'd be flying it home. It does fly, right?
-
Carol Stewart, in reply to
Actually we spend quite low on both. And as a university staff member, students have been helping fund my reasonable pay increases for a few years now.
What did you make of Virginia Larson's editorial in the latest North and South?
-
BenWilson, in reply to
Heh, the perfect example a vehicle that would end up costing a fortune. You wouldn't be able to get a WOF for it without substantial modifications, and probably wouldn't actually want to drive it anywhere in NZ, in case you hit a bump. But who would be crass enough to drive such a beauty?
-
Steve Barnes, in reply to
If I owned this, I’d be bringing it home. Just sayin’.
That is the sort of car that someone not bothered by inflation would admire.
;-) -
Lilith __, in reply to
If I owned this, I’d be bringing it home. Just sayin’.
I think someone on its planet of origin would miss it. Sayin. ;-)
-
Simon Grigg, in reply to
For Asians even with moderately good English, this must be very hard.
In Singapore, Malaysia and Hong Kong, where English is a first language to many, I find it very hard to make myself understood at times, especially away from the urban centres.
And the West Pacific English dialect they speak day to day, which I guess is spoken by far more people than our variety, sounds very stilted, almost staccato, to my ears.
could be the results of American TV too
An American a wee while back insisted to me that folk in Hong Kong had such a reasonable grasp of English because they'd picked it up from US movies and TV.
He was immovable even when the history was explained.
-
Rich of Observationz, in reply to
who would be crass enough to drive such a beauty?
But that's the point of a car - you've got to drive it, even if only under controlled conditions, to demonstrate it's reality. Otherwise it's just a car-like sculpture - it could have an engine that doesn't work and wheels that don't turn.
-
recordari, in reply to
That is the sort of car that someone not bothered by inflation would admire.
But it's green. That must count for something.
And Ben, do you have to be so practical? In fact it's the kind of car the Southward Museum would love, so just get them to look after it.
But, alas, I don't actually own it. I'm clearly not 'TUFENUFF'.
Beam me up, Scotty!
ETA:
But that's the point of a car - you've got to drive it, even if only under controlled conditions, to demonstrate it's reality.
I'd totally drive it. Cause that's how I roll. Anti-inflationary anarchist that I am.
-
If I owned this, I’d be bringing it home. Just sayin’.
So an alternate universe based on the drawings of
Robert Crumb and Bruce McCall does exist... -
recordari, in reply to
So an alternate universe based on the drawings of
Robert Crumb and Bruce McCall does exist...From your links, I think this is possibly the best car photo in the history of cars or photos.
Whoops, car jacked another thread. My bad.
-
umm - I suspect that's just been flung off a merry-go-round
-
Sacha, in reply to
possibly the best car photo in the history of cars or photos
Marvellous
-
Sacha, in reply to
sounds very stilted, almost staccato, to my ears
is that just retaining the rhythm of their own more intonation-based languages?
Post your response…
This topic is closed.