suggestions anyone?

[Chun (Jimmy) Huang]

Thanks, Phil, for the observation.
Yeah it may be cultural. (I think it was) Dorothy Lee wrote 
something like this: For the Americans, zero/silence is "nothing" 
and thus needs to be filled up; but for Japanese (for example), it 
bears its own existence and value. Hence, a Japanese person can 
sit around all day not doing anything (in American eyes) while 
enjoying her break, but when an American got a break, she'd need 
to find something to do or she'd feel that she has wasted the 
time.

Yeah but the teacher-student/adult-children relationship must be a 
different thing. I think in East Asian cultures in general the 
adults would have a even stronger desire to help children do 
things than the American or European adults would. In Taiwan's Han 
society, there's this saying, "Children should be all ears, no 
mouth" - that is, when adults (parents and teachers) speak, 
children are not supposed to respond. Maybe that's why the 
Taiwanese students, when learning a second language, tend to be 
better in writing and reading than in speaking. maybe.

Dr. Hardman, please help me out if I made a wrong reference. I am 
on a road trip and couldn't check my bookshelves.

Jimmy/Chun



On Thu Dec 09 18:40:54 EST 2010, Phillip E Cash Cash 
<cashcash at EMAIL.ARIZONA.EDU> wrote:

> Hi all,
> 
> I don't know if anybody has mentioned this but I will just 
> briefly add
> that in terms of behavior, adults have this (mostly unexamined) 
> drive
> to be understood when speaking to children.  Much like when 
> people
> have this (largely unexamined) need to blurt out speech when 
> silence
> enters into the conversation.  Is it a cultural thing?  Hmm, not 
> sure,
> maybe.
> 
> Perhaps it might force the issue when teaching a language.  One 
> could
> have the greatest curriculum in the world but if the teacher has 
> this
> unexamined need to be understood it could limit the options of
> learners.  Maybe this is the source for some teachers blurting 
> out
> English during your lessons.
> 
> Just curious,
> Phil
> 
>