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Assignment no 1 : Answer no 1

Ten Qualities of a Good EFL Teacher

The best EFL teachers are not born but are made. While an innate interest in teaching is
required, I have realized over the course of my education and my teaching career that to

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stay on top of the game, we EFL teachers must always be learning. We cannot afford to
lose focus on the qualities we need to practice, the knowledge that we need to acquire,
and the learners we need to keep up with. Teaching is far from being a passive role: a

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professional teacher is always active and observant, even when they are not teaching.

There are some qualities that make a good EFL teacher. Being aware of these qualities,

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and more importantly, working at it, can turn a competent teacher into a brilliant one!
Based on my experience and my interactions with fellow EFL teachers I have narrowed

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these down to ten.

1. A Love for Teaching and Language og

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a.
Some of us know teaching as a calling. We know that we want to teach. It comes from a
need to help our community and to make a difference and to make lives better. You
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must really want to teach and to share knowledge to be effective as a teacher,

irrespective of what you are teaching. EFL teachers must also love language and its
intricacies, but that alone will not be enough. Teaching a language requires more than
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telling students what the rules of the language are. You must be able to identify
strengths of a learner as well as their weaknesses, know the most appropriate methods
of skill transfer, and possess immense patience in order to make the jump from a
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language specialist to a teacher.

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2. Communication is Key
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In language learning, communication is extremely important because that is the aim of a

language class – to enable learners to communicate in a new language. Again, a teacher
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is required to be a good communicator. A teacher must be a good listener to understand

the learners and their needs. In addition to that, a teacher must also be able to
communicate clearly so that learners, who often come from diverse backgrounds,
understand the teacher. Communication is also the best way to get feedback from
learners and assess if they have learned the concepts satisfactorily.

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3. An Organizer and Planner

As a language teacher, you have to set objectives and plan your lessons. Many of these
lessons may require activities. The learning activities need to be planned ahead – goals,
steps, resources, and evaluation. Apart from this, crucial to a teacher’s success is
classroom management. It involves lesson planning as well as managing different
learners with different learning styles and behaviors in the classroom. Most of the

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organizing and planning strategies can be learned in teacher training. Practical
experience will, over time, assist the teacher with what works and what does not work.

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4. A Learner for Life

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Language does not remain static – neither are the modes of language use and learning.
They are constantly evolving. Hence, teachers must evolve. It can be achieved through

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refresher courses as well as paying attention to the news in the English language
teaching field as well as other related fields. Technology is also important. Teachers
need to understand how to exploit technology to teach language as well as how
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technology could change the way in which language is used. Language is not restricted
to verbal communication anymore. It has been adapted to suit technology – abbreviated
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forms in texting, for example. Traditionally, language teachers used pen-to-paper
writing practice in class yet now teachers should teach students how to write emails
which would follow a different format and style. Besides, teaching and learning feed
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each other.
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5. Knowledge, Knowledge
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It is important to have a call for teaching, enjoy language and possess good
interpersonal skills. Yet for all of these to be used effectively and to have the intended
impact, what is necessary is a solid foundation and that comes with knowledge. Not only
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do you need to have knowledge pertaining to the language but you should also need to
have teaching knowledge – methodologies, evaluation, classroom management, and
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learning styles. Together, language and teaching skills, will make you more effective as
an EFL teacher.
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6. Innovative Thinker

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An EFL teacher must be able to quickly think on their feet and to respond with new ways
to present concepts. This is helpful on many levels. Being able to think in an
innovative manner could help you simplify complex concepts like grammar rules that
normally put learners to sleep. Different learners may respond differently to a lesson
and you’ve got to be able to explain the same thing differently to each learner using
diverse examples and activities. Some students may learn through tasks while others
learn with images, and still other learners may acquire through storytelling or dictation.
An EFL teacher must think out of the box to keep learners engaged and to achieve

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objectives.

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7. Empathy Opens Doors

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Teaching is humanistic. Hence, empathy is a prerequisite quality for EFL teachers. A

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teacher must have an interest in people – who they are and what they are about – in
order to meet their language learning needs through teaching. Not all people have an

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easy life. A learner may be performing badly due to stress that interferes with their
ability to pay attention. Another learner may be shy or bullied and hence doesn’t
participate in classroom discussions. Teachers have to pay attention to these cues,
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empathize, and be patient with such learners. Empathy builds trust and that can
dissolve barriers to learning.
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8. An Interest in Culture
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Since many people who commence language learning lessons could be from differing
cultures, an EFL teacher must be curious and interested in other cultures. It can inform
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teaching in many ways. Learners may use grammar rules influenced from their first
language while their intelligibility may be reduced due to the learner’s language. An
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Asian learner may use ‘they’ as a form of respect even when referring to an individual.
When an EFL teacher comprehends culture, they will know how it is influencing a
learner’s ability to learn English. EFL teachers can also use the customs and traditions
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of various cultures in teaching so that learners don’t feel completely alienated and learn
English through familiar contexts.
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9. Know How to Motivate

A teacher is a leader due to the fact that they must encourage learners to meet a
common goal. And as with any good leader, a good teacher must know how to motivate
learners to continue life-long learning. Just showing up for class and completing

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assignments is not an indicator of learning. A teacher must generate enthusiasm to learn

by understanding the needs of the learners. Are learners interested in learning English
to increase employment opportunities, to move to an English-speaking country, or to
communicate their thoughts better? Understanding these needs is necessary as an EFL
teacher can encourage a student to meet their personal needs and sustain their interest
in learning.

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10. Be Reflective

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A good EFL teacher must be reflective by nature because this will make them aware of
themselves as people and as teachers. They will know their strengths and weaknesses,

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and this understanding could help them improve as people and as professional teachers.
Reflective time lets you focus on methods that have been used in the classroom and

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what needs to be developed. It is also a good idea to take feedback from colleagues and
students to grow as a teacher.

Assignment no 1 : Answer no 2
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Language
a.

Language is a system that consists of the development, acquisition, maintenance and use of
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complex systems of communication, particularly the human ability to do so; a language is any
specific example of such a system.
The scientific study of language is called linguistics. Questions concerning the philosophy of
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language, such as whether words can represent experience, have been debated at least
since Gorgias and Plato in ancient Greece. Thinkers such as Rousseauhave argued that language
originated from emotions while others like Kant have held that it originated from rational and logical
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thought. 20th-century philosophers such as Wittgenstein argued that philosophy is really the study of
language. Major figures in linguistics include Ferdinand de Saussure and Noam Chomsky.
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Estimates of the number of human languages in the world vary between 5,000 and 7,000. However,
any precise estimate depends on a partly arbitrary distinction between languages
and dialects. Natural languages are spoken or signed, but any language can be encoded into
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secondary media using auditory, visual, or tactile stimuli – for example, in whistling, signed,
or braille. This is because human language is modality-independent. Depending on philosophical
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perspectives regarding the definition of language and meaning, when used as a general concept,
"language" may refer to the cognitive ability to learn and use systems of complex communication, or
to describe the set of rules that makes up these systems, or the set of utterances that can be
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produced from those rules. All languages rely on the process of semiosis to relate signs to
particular meanings. Oral, manual and tactile languages contain a phonological system that governs
how symbols are used to form sequences known as words or morphemes, and a syntactic system
that governs how words and morphemes are combined to form phrases and utterances.
Human language has the properties of productivity and displacement, and relies entirely on social
convention and learning. Its complex structure affords a much wider range of expressions than any
known system of animal communication. Language is thought to have originated when

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early hominins started gradually changing their primate communication systems, acquiring the ability
to form a theory of other minds and a shared intentionality.[1][2] This development is sometimes
thought to have coincided with an increase in brain volume, and many linguists see the structures of
language as having evolved to serve specific communicative and social functions. Language is
processed in many different locations in the human brain, but especially in Broca's and Wernicke's
areas. Humans acquire language through social interaction in early childhood, and children generally
speak fluently by approximately three years old. The use of language is deeply entrenched in
human culture. Therefore, in addition to its strictly communicative uses, language also has many
social and cultural uses, such as signifying group identity, social stratification, as well as social

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grooming and entertainment.

The Importance of Linguistics to a Language Teacher

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Linguistics is the study of languages, and as such, is of great importance to language teachers. Linguistics

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helps teachers convey the origins of words and languages, their historical applications, and their modern day

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relevance. Combined, this approach to teaching language helps students gain a better, more in-depth
understanding of their assignments and work product expectations.

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Uses of Linguistics in Teaching

The use of linguistics in education is continuing to grow, and is often cross-disciplinary in nature. Not
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only is it utilized by language instructors, it is also used in early childhood development, psychology
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and anthropology education, as well. Linguistics is not only the study of language, but also includes
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the evolution and historical context of language, speech and memory development. It includes the
structure and meaning of speech, and of written languages as well as an understanding of the
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context in which certain words are used.

Foreign Languages
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When teaching a foreign language, linguistics is important to a language teacher in that providing
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historical context to word origins can help students better comprehend the language. This is
especially important when it comes to comprehending the differences among conversational speech,
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formal speech, and abstract rules about word usage in different cultures. This can actually overlap
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into regional dialects within the same country.

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English Language

Linguistics is equally important to language teachers who provide instruction on the English
language. Linguistics helps students understand regional dialects and colloquialisms. It also helps
students identify the origins of sayings and phrases that have evolved over time, but sayings that

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may not have the same relevance or meaning in contemporary society. Linguistics can also help
guard against self-embarrassment, using words that are common, but have historical context that
may make them inappropriate or insulting in polite society.

Linguistics in Writing

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When a language teacher provides instruction on writing and composition, understanding linguistics

is important in helping students compose material that has its intended effect. For example,
linguistics plays a role in making an argumentative essay compelling, if the writer can harness their

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knowledge of word use to better solidify and present a position. Likewise, an understanding of

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linguistics can help a creative writing student develop prose that speaks to the reader's senses and

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transports them to a different state of reality.

In a society in which people communicate more than ever before via electronic means, composition,

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meaning and even true exchange of ideas through the written word can be lacking. Teaching and
studying linguistics provides the tools necessary to preserve and advance the art of reading, writing
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and communication. This is essential in the educational arena, the workplace and in society.
a.
Assignment no 1 : Answer no 3
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How does mother tongue affect second

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language acquisition?
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A new study is exploring how a person’s native language can influence the way
the brain processes auditory words in a second language.
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Because cues that signal the beginning and ending of words can differ from
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language to language, a person’s native language can provide misleading

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information when learning to segment a second language into words. Annie

Tremblay, an assistant professor of linguistics at the University of Kansas, is
trying to better understand the kinds of cues second language learners listen for
when recognizing words in continuous speech. She also is studying how
adaptive adult learners are in acquiring these new speech cues.

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Working with a group of international collaborators in the Netherlands, Korea,

and France, Tremblay received a three-and-half year, $259,000 National
Science Foundation grant for the research.

“The moment we hear a new language, all of a sudden we hear a stream of

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sounds and don’t know where the words begin or end,” Tremblay said. “Even if
we know words from the second language and can recognize them in isolation,
we may not be able to locate these words in continuous speech, because a

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variety of processes affect how words are realized in context.”

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For second language learners, some cues are easier to pick up than others, such

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as which consonants are common in starting and ending words. An example is
the “z” sound, which is a common end to words in English but is not often found
at the beginning of words.

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Other cues, such as intonation, are harder to master and are more likely to be
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influenced by a speaker’s native language. Tremblay points to English where a
stressed syllable is a strong indication that a new word is beginning. But in
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French the opposite is true; prominent syllables tend to be at the end of words.
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“This kind of information can’t be memorized in a language such as French. It

has to be computed. And this is where second language learners struggle,”
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Tremblay said.
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An example of confusion is the French phrase for cranky cat, which in French is
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“chat grincheux.” For a brief second, the phrase can sound like the English
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pronunciation for “chagrin,” a word with French origins.

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“If you hear the ‘cha’ syllable as being prominent, it cannot come from the word
chagrin in French because the first syllable of chagrin will not be stressed in
French,” Tremblay said.

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With her international collaborators, Tremblay manipulates intonation cues

similar to the example above to test how listeners use these cues to recognize
words. In one experiment, participants hear a sentence containing a phrase
such as ‘chat grincheux,’ see four word options on a computer screen such as
chat, chagrin and two unrelated words, then are asked to click the correct word.

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An eye-tracking device determines when and how long the participant focuses
on each word.

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Another experiment has participants listen to an artificial, made-up language for
20 minutes. They are then asked to identify words in that language.

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So far the research group has studied native English and Korean speakers who
have learned French, and native French speakers who live in France or in the
U.S.

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One of the more interesting findings is that when languages share more
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similarities but still have slight differences, it can be harder for second language
learners to use the correct speech cues to identify words. For example, in
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French and Korean, prominent syllables tend to be at the end of words.

However, there is one small difference: Korean intonation drops before the next
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word begins. In French, intonation drops during the first syllable of the next
word.
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“For English speakers, the differences between English stress and French
prominence are so salient that it ought to be obvious and they ought to readjust
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their system,” Tremblay said. “Whereas in Korean they think, ‘Oh, this is just
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like Korean.’ It sounds similar, and they don’t readjust their use of this
information.”
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Researchers also found that native French speakers who lived in France did
better than native French speakers who lived in the U.S. at using French-like
intonation cues to locate words in an artificial language. In fact, the longer a

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native French speaker lived in the U.S., the worse they did at using the cues
from their native language.

“This suggests that the speech processing system is extremely adaptive.

Despite all the claims about the existence of a critical period for language

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learning, the speech processing system is actually very flexible; it might just
take a long time to completely override the effects of the native language,”
Tremblay said.

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The research group continues to collect data and plans to include native Dutch

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speakers who speak French.

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Assignment no 1 : Answer no 4
What Is the Relationship between Grammar and og
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Vocabulary?
a.
The relationship between grammar and vocabulary is one of partners working together to create
meaningful communication. Words in a language are known as vocabulary, while grammar gives the
methods and rules for combining those words into sentences. Ideas are communicated when both
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grammar and vocabulary work in tandem.

Vocabulary lists are often grouped by root words or language of origin, and they are always
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changing. Loanwords are words taken from one language and added to another, following
the second language’s grammar and, sometimes, its pronunciation. In English, for example, “ballet”
was assimilated from French and “kayak” from the Yupik people of Alaska.
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Affixes are syllables that can be attached to a word. Grammar and vocabulary work together with
affixes to transform a word into a different part of speech, add to its meaning, or change a verb’s
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tense. The affix –ion changes a verb into a noun. For example, participate changes to participation
and imagine becomes imagination.
All words in vocabulary can be divided into verbs, nouns, pronouns,
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adverbs, adjectives, prepositions, conjunctions, and interjections, collectively known as the eight
parts of speech. Grammar and vocabulary unite to combine words, the vocabulary, into the right
arrangement, the grammar, according to these parts of speech. The placement of a word in a
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sentence can change its function. For example, “my dog caught the ball” has a different meaning
from “the ball caught my dog.”
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The syntax of all Romance languages, as well as English and Arabic, combine the parts of speech
into a subject-verb-object (SVO) construction. “A girl ate peaches” is a proper SVO sentence. Other
languages use a subject-object-verb construction, such as “a girl peaches ate,” and a few use the
verb-subject-object order, such as “ate a girl peaches.” While each of those examples uses proper
vocabulary, only one gives clear meaning in English through using correct grammar.
Subject/verb agreement is the term for making the subject and verb fit together. For instance, both
“he runs” and “they run” are proper sentences, but “he run” and “they runs” are incorrect in standard

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English. Students of any language must learn how the vocabulary of a language adapts to fit
different grammatical constructions.

Punctuations are written symbols, other than letters, that tell you what words belong together.
Periods, exclamations points, and question marks separate one sentence from another, showing
when a thought is complete. The comma has many roles, from separating items in a list to helping a
conjunction combine two sentences into one. In speech, punctuation is indicated by tonal cues, such
as raising pitch at the end of a sentence to show it is a question.

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Assignment no 1 : Answer no 5

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Connotation vs. Denotation

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Here's another way to look at it. Denotation is the standard definition of a word, whereas
connotation is the feeling evoked by a word.
Let's consider another word: gritty. The definition of gritty is "having a rough texture." So, in

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a literal sense (denotation), we might say, "This sandpaper is gritty. It'll make that
countertop nice and smooth."
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But, consider this sentence "That side of town is pretty gritty." In that sense, we're not
saying that section of the city has a "rough texture" in a literal sense. Instead, we're saying
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it's a tough neighborhood, perhaps with issues related to crime and poverty. As such, you'll
want to have your wits about you when walking through its streets. That's connotation.
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Connotation and Denotation Examples

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You can be the judge. We'll list a series of words and include their denotation (exact
definition) in the left columns and a possible connotation (feeling) in the right column. See if
you agree.
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Cheap
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That t-shirt was so cheap, it pilled in a matter of weeks.

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Costing very little

This suggests that the t-shirt wasn't just a bargain buy. Rather, it was of poor
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quality. The implication is that a higher-quality garment wouldn't have pilled.

Dabble

To show a You should never dabble in drugs.

superficial interest

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When someone says you should never dabble in drugs (or anything harmful),
they mean you shouldn't touch them. Nevermind a superficial interest or a
momentary experimentation. The connotation of "dabbling in drugs" is "stay
back." Don't even go there.

Innocent

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What does she know. She's just an innocent.

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Free from guilt or
wrongdoing In this context, the implication is that she's not just free from guilt; she's
lacking in worldly knowledge or experience. She's naive. It carries a

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derogatory connotation, implying that the speaker has more "smarts" than the

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other.

Jabber

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I thought he would never stop jabbering.
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Quick, often
a.
nonsensical talk To wish someone would stop talking can mean anything. Perhaps you want
quiet; maybe they're not letting you get a word in. But, to say someone's
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jabbering carries the negative connotation of someone who's talking

nonsensically and starting to annoy you.
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Knockout

Julia Roberts was a knockout in that red dress.

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A harsh blow that

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knocks someone
unconscious This is a term for an extremely beautiful man or woman. It's supposed to
conjure up images of people passing out at the site of a stunner. Of course,
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this never happens, but the connotation is total enchantment.

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Mutt
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That mutt is always barking.

A dog with a mixed
In this example, "mutt" carries a negative connotation. It's a term used in
breed
anger or frustration to reference an inferior, annoying dog. The implication is
that, if the dog wasn't a mutt, it would be better behaved.

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Pour

His work continued to pour in.

A liquid flowing or
dropping onto
something If anything is pouring in, the connotation is that you can't keep up. When
something drips or drops in, that carries a slow connotation. But, when

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something pours in, it's coming in at a rate that's too fast.

Twinkle

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There was a twinkle in her eye whenever she smiled.

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To shine with quick
flashes of light To say someone twinkles when they smile or they have a twinkle in their eye
connotes an element of positivity and goodness. If someone has a twinkle in

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their eye, they're usually thinking positive thoughts (and, perhaps, wanting to
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Wave
a.
She grieved in waves of sadness.
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A swell of water
caused by wind Imagine an ocean wave literally crashing down on you. If you're not prepared,
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it's unpleasant. So, for anything in life to come upon you in waves, that means
it's more than you're able to handle - until you find a way to swim to the
proverbial shoreline and catch a breath.
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