Myths

One truth that surprised me from the Wilson quiz was the myth that students understand English native speakers better than foreign English speakers. I had originally thought that this was a true statement. It seemed to me that it would be easier to learn English from someone who spoke it clearly and distinctively without accent or common mistakes adding to the confusion. When I read Wilson’s comments about the myths, I understood the reason that this statement is a myth. In the same way that I understand someone speaking English from my community better than someone from the southern states, so do foreign English speakers understand someone from their communities and language better than someone speaking with a different accent. The mannerisms, common mistakes and word choices are all influenced by an L1. What seems normal and helpful to me may be odd to others.