English

[brionon]

I've just read that in England pupils who speak English as a second language do better in English than native speakers. Now why doesn't that surprise me ?

[Davethedog]

Because you are gullible

[Graham-W]

Cos they lern them verbs an tings propper init.

[jim360]

It could be said to depend on how you define "better". Someone who has learned English as a foreign language might well have better grammar, syntax, and more precise pronunciation. On the other hand English has never been in its history about precision of grammar, syntax and pronunciation. It's evolved into the versatile language it is today because in the past native English speakers gave up caring about, for example, the convention of gender-specific nouns, "agreement" of adjectives (I think the only modern example is blond/blonde, or at least there aren't that many more), varied declensions of verbs (no more do you have to learn any more than, say, ten different forms of the same verb to cover all tenses and subjects ("be, am, is, are, was, were, been, being" is about as many as there are for a single verb, as opposed to the forty-odd forms of the verb "to be" in French:http://french.about.com/od/verb_conjugations/a/etre.htm ).

[KARL]

How do you teach a language ? Is it by accepting that there is a correct way to deal with it and everything else is incorrect ? Or is it by allowing each and every individual to define their own correctness and award them full marks for doing so ? In the latter case there is no teaching involved and an examination is by definition impossible. Or at least that is what my sickth sense tells me.

[ToraToraTora]

link please? Sounds like a load of old pony to me.

[cassa333]

They try harder. Simples

[glenbar]

My ex was Polish and spoke several languages. He used to say once you have learnt one it was easier to learn another. Don't know how true this is. He did however have Latin at school which I think helps with some.

[mikey4444]

Your basic premise is unclear, and non-scientific. For instance, what is the best fruit, apples or oranges ? If you want to make orange juice, than it can't be apples can it ?

What do you mean by "second language" ? A minority of people here in Wales are bilingual, ie speak English and Welsh. Which language is the first and which is the second ?

What do mean by "do better" ? What, in English GCSEs exams perhaps ?

There far too many variables in your post to come to any conclusion.

[brionon]

ToraToraTora LINK ?? A schoolteacher told me. There is no bloody link. Jesus some peop+le.!!

[Canary42]

So which is it "I've just read" or "schoolteacher told me" ?

Only jesting !

[Baldric]

"I've just read that in"

"A schoolteacher told me"

So which was it?
Jesus some peop+le.!!
;-)