Cultural Immersion: Integrating Language and Cross-Cultural Learning for Non-Native English Students
After our excursion into the fascinating world of Business English last month we return this week to the trials of being a student of English navigating the seas of English Culture. There is a moment familiar to many learners of English that no textbook quite prepares you for. You have studied grammar diligently. You have conquered the mysteries of the present perfect. You know when to use much and many , can distinguish borrow from lend , and have finally made peace with the irregular verb to think , which stubbornly insists on becoming thought . Feeling quietly triumphant, you travel abroad, order a cup of tea in flawless English, and are immediately asked by the cheerful café assistant, "You alright?" You pause. You have spent years learning how to answer questions truthfully. Are you all right? Well, yes. A little tired, perhaps. Slightly bewildered. Should you explain about the delayed flight? Mention your allergies? Confess that your suitcase has gone to Frank...
