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 #17 (permalink) Fri Jul 25, 2008 6:15 am They forgot one Plug here - Is this correct? |
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| You are entitled to that opinion, but your counter-argument is revealing in itīs absence or do you not agree with the statement concerning less usage of present perfect in American English. |
Huh? What "absence" are you talking about? Yes, I would agree that the present perfect is used less often in AmE than in BE. Or didn't you get that from the first part of my post?
I would also suggest that it is typically easier for an American ESL teacher to teach American English, and it is typically easier for a British ESL teacher to teach British English. Actually, that should be obvious, shouldn't it? Did your American ESL friend(s) tell you precisely which "rules" were different as regards the teaching of the present perfect and the simple past tense? What are these simplified rules for the present perfect vs the simple past? I'd be interested in reading that.
By the way, I've had British colleagues tell me that they have trouble with the American usage of the simple past tense. I've had Germans tell me that British English is simpler, and I've had Germans tell that they think American English is easier. So, where does that leave us? I'd say we're stuck with a bunch of subjective and varying opinions. ;)
The future with 'will' (and without 'shall'), for example, is something I might call a (recent) simplification, but that was not what was being discussed in this thread. The topic was specifically the use of the present perfect vs the simple past tense.
What was the name of the "respected Israeli linguist" whose opinion you say you're quoting? And do you happen to recall in which century this linguist thinks American English was "founded"?
Talk of actively trying to make tenses in American English "simpler" specifically for the benefit of German immigrants reminds me of a myth I heard constantly when I was living in Germany. It seemed to me that nearly every German had heard this myth, and perhaps you've been told the story too. German legend has it that there was once a vote in the US to decide which language should be the official language of the United States, and that German lost out to English by only one vote. If you have heard this popular German myth, I hope you didn't believe it -- 'cause it just ain't true. ;)
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| #18 (permalink) Fri Jul 25, 2008 6:20 am They forgot one Plug here - Is this correct? |
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| there was once a vote in the US to decide which language should be the official language of the United States, and that German lost out to English by only one vote. |
Really? Gott in Himmel!
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 Mister Micawber
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Yankee
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| #20 (permalink) Fri Jul 25, 2008 7:10 am They forgot one Plug here - Is this correct? |
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Hmm-- a grain of truth in the story.
Now, however, I get my California absentee ballots in English, Spanish, Korean and Farsi (and there may be a couple of other languages I have forgotten)!
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| "These workers don't suffer--they don't even speak English." |
Taken another way, this is quite true.
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| #21 (permalink) Fri Jul 25, 2008 7:14 am They forgot one Plug here - Is this correct? |
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I happen to have a brochure from the Pentagon written in German....
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Yankee
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| #22 (permalink) Fri Jul 25, 2008 9:43 am They forgot one Plug here - Is this correct? |
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Hi Amy
The linguist is Penny your. I can not recall her quoting a century for the founding of AE.
I think you misunderstood my meaning concerning the "simpler" fact. Simple past is easier than present perfect for Germans, and therefore was the justification of my ex-boss for having the approach she did.
Subjective opinions depend on language exposure and the degre of seperration of languages I believe. If Brits have trouble with AE usage of simple past, then they are petty.
But we should try to get our lingo back from yas.
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Stew.t.
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| #23 (permalink) Fri Jul 25, 2008 10:24 am They forgot one Plug here - Is this correct? |
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| stew.t. wrote: |
| I think you misunderstood my meaning concerning the "simpler" fact. Simple past is easier than present perfect for Germans, and therefore was the justification of my ex-boss for having the approach she did. |
Hi stew,
I'd agree that the simple past is easier to learn, but many Germans misuse the present perfect when referring to finished events or activities. SLI, I suppose.
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| #24 (permalink) Fri Jul 25, 2008 11:30 am They forgot one Plug here - Is this correct? |
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Hi Ralf
Where do you think this comes from "Mein Herr"? :D
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