Thursday, September 29, 2011

"I am English teach"

A couple of years ago I was on a mini bus on Vietnam's Cat Ba Island, a popular tourist spot near Ha Long Bay. I got talking to the woman next to me. "What you do?"

"I'm a journalist... ah, nha bao," I said. "What about you?"

"I am English teach," she replied.

She taught in a primary school and said this was one of her first times speaking with a foreigner. English is mandatory in primary schools in Vietnam, though people begin learning at different ages in different parts of the country. All students have to learn it, but unless they receive extra tuition—or are exceptionally talented—few can speak it fluently. Full story...

Don't miss:
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  2. When Miss Indonesia speaks in English...
  3. French is booming in English-speaking Africa...
  4. Stephen Fry on words and language...
  5. A look at that great English word "Fuck..."
  6. Is English about to replace Hindi as India's major language? 

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