Interview

As an English and German major, I decided to interview a professor in the Foreign Languages Dept. just so we get some variety. I'm taking some poetic justice because I only scribbled down key words during the interview.

1. Role of correctness/grammar- how is it important in the field.
~It's important to build a skeleton, a solid structure of grammar, to be able to speak a foreign language. It's important to know the rules and when to break them. (Like when native speakers break their own rules for slang and dialect).

2. What do you expect students to know?
~Subject, noun, verb, object, and adjective. Without students knowledge of these basic building blocks, if they don't know what these words mean in English, learning a foreign language is just going to be that much more difficult. Knowing these parts of speech is crucial.

3. To what degree does lack of effective communication matter?
~In the classroom and when I'm grading, it's fairly easy for me to figure out what people are saying. However, if someone is traveling in a foreign country and they mess up the word foot for food, it's going to cause a lot of problems. It's very important to be able to communicate well in other languages.

4. How important is grammar in regards to grading? (We discussed the affect of English grammar on other language's grammar)
~ When problems like dyslexia come into the picture, it's a different situation. Otherwise, teaching first and second year language classes where the grammar of the language is being learned, to grade the errors is just part of the daily structure. There also is the problem of being able to decipher what the student is trying to say- if I can translate it word for word back into English and understand then it's okay- when it's evident that something on the side of English grammar is wrong- I can't really grade down for that. I'm here to teach one language not two. I just worry when I notice these kinds of problems.

5. Do your students have a good grasp on grammar?
~Because most of my students have learned another language, yes, they have a good understanding of grammar and it's easier to move through material.

6. What changes have you seen over time?
~I've only been teaching a few years, and I've moved here from the south, so it's more of a geographical change. Coming from the south- well it's a completely different scene there than here in Oregon. (Example: leaving out articles. )

7.What bothers you the most? What errors do you see the most?
~Like I said, I've seen it all. The biggest problem I've seen has been with possessives. Some people just have no idea. It doesn't bother me unless the problem is so overwhelming that I can't understand the text.

8. Can a writer's style keep you from understanding what they're trying to say.
~Absolutely. And bad penmanship. Sometimes I simply can't read it. Or when they try to put English expressions into the language and it's usually not possible to do a literal translation, which is difficult to piece out.

9. Tips for success?
~ Learn another language, and your understanding of English grammar will improve ten fold. Also be aware of parts of speech.

That's it!
~Kelly Butler