Importance of correction (Learning Techniques, Methods & Strategies) Language Learning Forum

Importance of correction
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Language Learning Forum : Learning Techniques, Methods & Strategies

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mrwarper
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Message 9 of 10

14 November 2011 at 12:18am | IP Logged

s_allard wrote:

[...]
As many readers here undoubtedly know, Spanish often uses [...]
This may be splitting hairs, but I really liked the second formulation better although there was nothing really wrong with the first. This is what I would like to call language enhancement rather than correction.

I hope you don't mind if I take this opportunity to help you enhance your Spanish a bit, then. :)

Both "Me gusta el café" and "A mí me gusta el café" (or the thing about "Frederico" and Roberto for that matter) are correct, but the one starting with the pronoun isn't exactly "better" -- it may be a slightly different thing. By putting that pronoun first you focus the attention on whatever it represents, perhaps stating a difference from others, or to start a speech.

A mí me gusta el café -> maybe you're just starting to speak, maybe you have a friend who just said he likes coke, so you respond I like coffee, or I like coffee (possible retroactive translations). Not necessarily all the time, but there's usually a reason why you say "A mí me gusta..." instead of simply "Me gusta..."
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Sunja
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Message 10 of 10

14 November 2011 at 12:34pm | IP Logged

I don't deal with enhancement as s_allard mentions. I'm dealing with 2-3 business people (ESL) right now. They couldn't care less about the finer points of the language. They want to communicate ASAP. The rate of error is very high and so I have to pay sharp attention to what they want. I can't correct everything because that might discourage them. So I have to prioritize what corrections are most important for them and their work.

1. Pronunciation is probably the most important type of correction that I deal with. Last week I heard my client say "Sa steel has a sickness of 0.9" and I had to first think before I realised he was saying "the steel has a thickness of 0.9".

2. It's important to use time references if the tenses are a problem. If they say "I send the e-mail last week", it might be confusing, but the listener could infer that they meant to say "sent"

3. The other major correction is word order. We do drills and keep the sentences short until it becomes more automatic.

edit: as for myself, the first thing I want corrected is (again) pronunciation. I once read a text to a native French speaker and this wasn't a very good "test" because I was reading. Still, she didn't say anything so I took it as a good sign. It's a lot harder while speaking freely, and I haven't been able to do that yet -- I have to wait and see!

Edited by Sunja on 14 November 2011 at 2:07pm
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