Discussion about this post

User's avatar
Cary's avatar

Great article! Thanks.

As an EFL teacher, I stress this point, that you can't understand English (or any language) without learning about the culture. A lot of my students get this, but some are very instrumentalist. "I only want to learn business English" or whatever. "Weeelll, you at least need to learn the basics of a few sports to really understand the metaphors, to say nothing of spontaneously using them, especially on other context." (They are all baffled by baseball, since it's quite weird compared to the 'get the ball to the other end of the play area and into a ring or box' team sports they're most familiar with.)

I'm going to read this with some of my more advanced students.

Tangential, but your fellow hiker not knowing who/what the pope was reminded me of this. I had a student who didn't know who Winston Churchill was. I was shocked, especially since she knew who Stalin and Rooservelt were. And she was like your young companion: smart, well-educated, etc.

Expand full comment
RDM's avatar

“Paging Drs. Lakoff and Turner, lobby courtesy phone…..paging Drs Lakoff and Turner….”

Absolutely great article — one imagines one can hear John Gatto cheering from his heavenly repose…

Expand full comment
6 more comments...

No posts