Borat - An ESL Hero!
Monday November 13, 2006
Whether you like him or not, you have to admit that Borat (aka British comedian provocateur Sacha Baron Cohen) has become the poster boy of an ESL speaker here in the United States. While some find Borat offensive, I'm quite a fan. Why? The film will hopefully help native speakers think twice when jumping to conclusions when conversing with non-native speakers.
Comments
Hi Ken!
Borat is so funny! Those English mistakes that he keeps on repeating are common among students when learning a foreign second language. They alert EFL teachers and that’s good.
I completely agree with you in that students find it difficult to communicate with native speakers, and sometimes among themselves, basically because there’s a fear of saying something wrong or not being understood, even when they obtain a certain degree of fluency. So encouragement and patience are two important points to take into account.
I first met Borat yesterday night when reading your article. Watched your favourite video clips and laughed lots and lots and lots!!!
Still reading your marvellous articles.(That’s a matter of time!)
Best wishes to West United States from Spain. Congratulations!
May
Yeah! Borat is brilliant! I’m from England…home of Ali.G! But am teaching in russia…where some people so actually speak like the man himself - pure genius!
Jak se mas!! Thanks for introducing me to Borat. I spent the evening watching youtube videos. (Your link didn’t connect me to a spot I could view on my mac) As a result of all this exposure, I’m thinking in that awful accent and may have forgotten how to be speaking in English.