Books for Polish speakers learning English

Marek:

So let me then understand: Poles (perhaps others too) are teaching their own using their usually heavily-accented and grammatically faulty English to teach other Poles English, thereby perpetuating source-language (Polish etc..) related errors in the target language (English) ad infinitum

osiolThreads: 59 Posts: 4,714 Joined: Jul 25, 07	Feb 3, 09, 17:57 / #
It was just a tad tricky working out where to post this. This forum seems to be much more geared up to helping English speakers with their Polish rather than vice-versa. If I wanted to help someone learn English without having to do all the work myself, what publications or even websites, are useful, particularly for beginners?

osiolThreads: 59 Posts: 4,714 Joined: Jul 25, 07	Feb 4, 09, 23:40 / #
Polish people don't learn English from books then.

MarekThreads: 4 Posts: 1,120 Joined: Feb 15, 07	Edited by: Marek Feb 5, 09, 15:41 / #
Osioł, the British Council has many publications for immigrant speakers of lots of languages, Polish well among them. Suppose their website would be your best guide (..though you've undoubtedly already thought of that route yourself-:).

McCoyThreads: 46 Posts: 1,756 Joined: Jul 3, 08	Feb 5, 09, 15:57 / #
anyone of poles remembers this book? classic (:

MarekThreads: 4 Posts: 1,120 Joined: Feb 15, 07	Feb 5, 09, 15:59 / #
Hmmmm, looks engaging. Do show us more-:)

McCoyThreads: 46 Posts: 1,756 Joined: Jul 3, 08	Feb 5, 09, 16:03 / #
I found just a picture of front cover.probably it was the most common book for learning english in late 80 and early 90. pure classic. whole generation started learning english with this book. i think i still have part 1 and part 2 somewhere in my parents house.

osiolThreads: 59 Posts: 4,714 Joined: Jul 25, 07	Edited by: osiol Feb 5, 09, 16:06 / #
Marek: British Council Alas there is no Polish council promoting the Polish language in such a way. That job is done by Poles working abroad and teaching various foreigners how to say "Beer", "I love you" and various swear-words. I just looked it up on the winterweb and all I could find from the British Council is a list of courses for learning English. They all cost money. I know nothing in life is free, but what about people working in the UK who can't afford to spend valuable time and money on going to college, and who would much prefer to receive a bit of help from books or from the internet? McCoy: English Is Fun I thought it might be. Looks like it could be useful for learners of a particular age. I wonder if there's a book called "Polish Is Flipping Tricky As..."

MarekThreads: 4 Posts: 1,120 Joined: Feb 15, 07	Feb 5, 09, 16:14 / #
So let me then understand: Poles (perhaps others too) are teaching their own using their usually heavily-accented and grammatically faulty English to teach other Poles English, thereby perpetuating source-language (Polish etc..) related errors in the target language (English) ad infinitum, like my computer virus example never being rid from the hard drive?? Is that it, sort of?? LOL Sure explains a lot, let me tell you. Once in Germany years ago, I was invited to observe an intermediate English class in a German gymnasium. The teacher self confidently proceeded as follows: Goot mawwninkk, aaffriydawddy! Zaaaw, pleeesss rreet ze tschepptuh frrahm ze lahhhsst hawmmveukkss... Almost laughable, I had to restrain myself from cracking up. LOL

mafketisThreads: 17 Posts: 1,880 Joined: Mar 31, 08	Feb 5, 09, 17:08 / #
Marek: So let me then understand: Poles (perhaps others too) are teaching their own using their usually heavily-accented and grammatically faulty English to teach other Poles English, thereby perpetuating source-language (Polish etc..) related errors in the target language (English) ad infinitum This is the normal situation and probably inescapable in situations of mass language learning. Whether mass language learning is a good idea or not is another question.

MarekThreads: 4 Posts: 1,120 Joined: Feb 15, 07	Feb 5, 09, 17:35 / #
Got a simple, 'inescapable' answer to this question: NO!! Got an even simpler question for you all: How come "mass language learning" of many of your languages here in the States, although by far fewer learners, is almost ALWAYS taught by native teachers/speakers of the language being studied, huh?? Is it solely a question of learner speaker percentage? If so, then expense be damned; all 1.7. billion Chinese should be learning English in school taught by how-many hundred/thousand or so English native speaking teachers, right?? LOL

MarekThreads: 4 Posts: 1,120 Joined: Feb 15, 07	Feb 6, 09, 22:08 / #
I'm not discouraging the study/learning of English, more, I'm appalled at the arrogance with which it's used, rather MIS-used, around the globe. Back pre-Globalization, round about 1981 or so, I entered a language school looking for a position as an English instructor. I met a woman there and asked if she was the chairperson of the department. In very French cadences, she replied that she wasn't, reminding me that, as good as her English was, as a non-native speaker, she hadn't a snowball's chance in Hell of getting a job teaching a language not her own. Today, I encountered a youngish man applying for a job as English tutor here at our college. His native language is clearly NOT English. When I asked for which language he was applying to teach, he nearly barked at me: "I teach English language, of course!!". Tsk, tsk, how our world has changed.LOL