English: Personal Experiences - for iPod/iPhone: Recent Episodes
The Open University
How has the English language influenced your life? How would you define your relationship with English? In this collection these questions are explored by Poet Benjamin Zephaniah, writer Sindiwe Magona, and author Jung Chang amongst others. They discuss the impact of the language; and describe the part English has played in their life. For many of us the language can broaden experiences and opportunities, for others it can create obstacles and become a hindrance. How often do you change they way you speak to adapt to different environments or accommodate other peoples assumptions? Can we get an insight into who people are by how the use grammar and pronounce words? In a series of conversations we’re given access to the varying perspectives on the English language from a range of personal experiences.
This material forms part of The Open University course U214 Worlds of English.
Transcript -- Benjamin Zephaniah describes his love for the organic nature of English language.
Transcript -- Colin Goh explains how English influenced his life growing up in Singapore.
Transcript -- Derek Simpson discusses how growing up in a working class area changed his accent.
Garth Judd describes his experience adapting his accent to accommodate different environments.
Transcript -- Garth Judd describes his experience adapting his accent to accommodate different environments.
Transcript -- Jennifer Childs explains how she's inherited elements of her mothers speaking habits.
Jung Chang considers the experience of growing up under Mao and how that affected her access to English.
Transcript -- Jung Chang considers the experience of growing up under Mao and how that affected her access to English.
Li Xing describes her relationship with the English language and how it altered her career.
Transcript -- Li Xing describes her relationship with the English language and how it altered her career.
Megumi Kato Inman debates the benefits and obstacles of belonging to different cultures.
Transcript -- Megumi Kato Inman debates the benefits and obstacles of belonging to different cultures.
Najabulo Ndebele explains as a child he was unaware that English was a bi-product of colonialism.
Transcript -- Najabulo Ndebele explains as a child he was unaware that English was a bi-product of colonialism.
Transcript -- Roline Salomons talks about how young she was when she was exposed to English.
Transcript -- Sindiwe Magona reminisces about how she couldn't decipher English as a child.
Transcript -- Vatsala Vedantam explains how the English language helped unify her family.