As a teacher of English as a foreign or second language, have you ever wished you knew more about your students' mother-tongues? Learner English is a practical reference book which compares the relevant features of the students' own languages with English, helping teachers to predict and understand the problems their students have. The nineteen chapters, each of which covers one language background, are written by specialists with experience in teaching students from the areas concerned. The chapters describe and explain ...
Read More
As a teacher of English as a foreign or second language, have you ever wished you knew more about your students' mother-tongues? Learner English is a practical reference book which compares the relevant features of the students' own languages with English, helping teachers to predict and understand the problems their students have. The nineteen chapters, each of which covers one language background, are written by specialists with experience in teaching students from the areas concerned. The chapters describe and explain the most important typical pronunciation, grammar, vocabulary and other mistakes of learners who speak Dutch/Flemish, Scandinavian languages (except Finnish), German, French, Italian, Spanish, Catalan, Portuguese, Greek, Russian, Farsi, Arabic, Turkish, Indian languages, West African languages, Swahili, Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese and Thai. The book is accompanied by a cassette with authentic examples of the various accents described in the book.
Read Less
This book was helpful because I tutor ESL students. The differences between their native language and English helps me to know how to introduce concepts.
Nancy Lee F
Nov 18, 2012
Essential reading for TESOL
Swan's book identifying several languages' structures and features is essential for every TESOL toolbox. It helps teachers identify the errors that learners make based on the transfer of first language knowledge to second language acquisition.