#nnes

[tastytoastz]

As a none native english speaker I'm so happy that the "Sorry english is not my first language" at the begining of fics is seen as something positive by most people instead of being something for the writer to be ashemed over or making people consider not reading the fic. I've been anxious about my english writing before and seeing people talk about reading the "English is my second language" note and getting excited fills me with so much joy.

[coolmaycroft]

[taylortruther]

more lyric explanations for non-native english speakers! these are lyrics from the 1.

Roaring twenties, tossing pennies in the pool

roaring twenties is a term that refers to the decade of the 1920s, which in US history was the decade before the great depression. it was a period of economic prosperity and huge societal change (the car and electricity were introduced, there was a sexual revolution especially with women's place in society). it’s symbolized by flappers, jazz, progressive politics, luxury, and flamboyance. the great gatsby takes place during this time and as we know, gatsby and fitzgerald is a big influence on taylor.

it also probably refers to taylor's twentieth decade, especially since she celebrated her 30th bday in december.

tossing pennies in the pool refers to the practice of throwing your spare change/coins into fountains to make a wish. idk about other countries but if you go anywhere in the US with a fountain, you'll see pennies at the bottom from people making wishes.

so this line is looking back on an exciting time where they were carefree, before a big crash; and a time they had a lot of wishes that probably didn't come true.

---

We never painted by the numbers, baby / But we were making it count

paint by numbers is a common art activity; it's basically a coloring book page, with literal numbers telling you what color paint to put where. (here’s a good example. so in this picture, all the number 3s on the page should be painted the green marked 3.)

to make something count means to make it worth your time, or to make it meaningful. and she is using it as a little pun: they didn't follow the numbers in the paint-by-numbers kit, but they still made it 'count' (like counting numbers.)

so this line means that they didn't following a set path in their relationship; instead, they did things their own way, but they made it work and it was worth the effort.

[taylortruther]

Can you please explain some of these lines, please? - Rosé flowing with your chosen family x how did a middle-class divorcée do it? x hero flying around saving face x we gather stones, never knowing what they'll mean x in the weeds x wool to brave the seasons x the devil's in the details x swing for the fences x ash from your fire/if I'm on fire you'll be made of ashes, too

thank you for your patience!! this got long so i am putting this under a cut. 

rosé flowing with your chosen family  (the 1)

rosé is a type of wine, and alcohol is “flowing” during parties, celebrations, etc. 

chosen family is a term that means the close friends and loved ones that you are not related to, but that you treat like family. they are family by choice, not blood. 

so taylor is describing a moment where she could have been celebrating with him and his closest loved ones, if their relationship had lasted. 

how did a middle-class divorcee do it?  (the last great american dynasty)

basically, the neighbors are wondering how someone so average and scandalous managed to get this incredibly wealthy, well-respected husband. they are being petty and gossiping about rebekah’s background. 

“middle class” refers to a person’s social class which is based on income, education level, occupation, etc. 

divorcée is a gendered term, meaning a woman who has divorced her husband (divorcé refers to a man who has divorced his wife.) she divorced her first husband in 1946, and divorce was rare and frowned upon back then, so it was scandalous for her to remarry someone as prominent as bill harkness. 

in other words, they think it’s unusual for someone wealthy and prominent to marry someone that isn’t. this mirrors people’s perception of taylor being with someone like joe, too.

i didn't have it in myself to go with grace and you're the hero flying around, saving face and if i'm dead to you, why are you at the wake? (my tears ricochet)

taylor is pointing out this person’s hypocrisy. she didn’t die quietly, meaning she caused a huge scene and it made her look bad; meanwhile, her tormentor (possibly her murderer) got to manipulate the situation to look like the good guy who ended her life.  

we gather stones, never knowing what they'll mean  some to throw, some to make a diamond ring you know i didn't want to have to haunt you but what a ghostly scene you wear the same jewels that i gave you as you bury me (my tears ricochet)

gathering/throwing stones refers to the phrase “those who live in glass houses should never throw stones.” basically, this means: don’t be a hypocrite; don’t criticize others for things you are also guilty of. jewels are also stones (gemstones).  

so taylor is saying that we can use our pain (stones) to hurt others, or we can use it to create something good, like art (a diamond ring.) and she created the diamond rings that her tormentor is wearing during her funeral. she is also implying that her tormentor is partially responsible for her death (he threw stones at her, because he is a hypocrite, hence why he is wearing the ring she made him.) 

in the weeds (seven)

i answered this here before i heard the song. but in context of the song, i think it means she wants the girl in her memory to remember her as a child who was “wild” and completely free to be herself. 

wool to brave the seasons (invisible string)

the force that brought taylor and joe together also helped her escape her previous relationships and protected her through her hardships. “wool to brave the seasons” implies that she was protected from her struggles, the way a wool sweater might protect you from the cold. 

the devil's in the details, but you got a friend in me would it be enough if i could never give you peace? (peace)

this is a common phrase that means a situation may seem easy at first, but it will actually be harder than expected. so taylor is saying their relationship will have difficult moments, but she’s his friend/partner, and he can trust her to take care of him even in the hard times. 

swing for the fences  (peace)

this is a baseball reference that means you are trying to get a home run (because you are trying to hit the ball as far as possible). this means she’ll support him and cheer him on and push him to be his best.  

this is, in my opinion, a reference to this line in new year’s day: i'll be there if you're the toast of the town babe / or if you strike out and you're crawling home

ash from your fire/if i'm on fire you'll be made of ashes, too (hoax / my tears ricochet)

when a fire burns something, it turns it to ashes. in hoax, this line means she has been burned, so she’s been turned to ash from his fire; in my tears ricochet, she’s saying if she’s being destroyed, she’s going to destroy the people who hurt her as well. 

[taylortruther]

for any anons who speak english as a second language: “in the weeds” is a phrase that means you have strayed from your original goal, and/or you are being overwhelmed by small or insignificant details, and/or you cannot keep up with the pace of work. it’s another way of saying someone is overwhelmed or struggling. 

[lifewsunny]

Native English Speakers vs Non-Native English Speakers

This is a topic that usually seems to crop up in South East Asian teaching job groups. Mostly for the fact that a flood of Non-Native English Speakers (NNES) usually comment within the group or on job posts asking if they are able to teach based on their situation or qualifications. 

The frustrating thing about this is actually from the Native English Speakers (NES) and the sense of entitlement and privilege that immediately seen from their comments and replies. A large majority of NES seem to think that due to being able to speak with an ‘English Accent’, they are entitled to lead the field of TESOL and that they have priority, everything else is second rate and a laughable matter.

Scottish, Irish and Welsh are 3 types of accents that reside in the UK, a native English speaking country. If you tried to speak to people from these places, there is a high probability that you will struggle, even if you are a native English speaker yourself. So with accents understandably being a variable that doesn’t determine ability, what does then?

Qualifications. Qualifications can be seen clearly, regardless of where you are from, which country or language you speak. Qualifications show what you are capable of and what you know and what you have learnt. The time you’ve taken to understanding something and the effort you’ve put in.

Person 1: A TEFL qualification and 1 year of teaching experience in a kindergarten

Person 2: A BA degree in Education, a Master’s in TESOL, a CELTA and 5 years of teaching experience in Public Schools.

Looking at these two types of people, Person 2 definitely seems like the more qualified teacher, with more qualifications and experience in teaching. The issue is, Person 2 is from China and Person 1 is from the UK. Who are schools and companies more likely to hire?

A really common overlooked point is that NNES have actually BEEN where their students are. They’ve struggled in learning that language. They’ve understand that the difference in pronunciation between Read in the Past and Present tense is learnt and understood in a certain way because they were in the exact same position. So wouldn’t the NNES be better qualified in a manner of speaking from reasons such as this? Of course! But the issue is, they don't look ‘Western’ or have a ‘Western Accent’ or a ‘Western upbringing’. 

With teaching, one thing I've come to learn is that learning through relatability is extremely beneficial and really enables students to learn more efficiently. So, a white, British teacher from Scotland doesn’t really seem that relatable to 10 year old Chinese students then... Whereas, a Chinese teacher with a BA and MA in education and 5 years experience probably would be more suitable in understanding their needs for Second Language Acquisition, right?

The point I'm trying to make isn’t that one or the other is better, but due to the way Language teachers are being vetted, it’s affecting students so negatively because of what people think they need rather than giving students what they actually need. It isn't a white face. It isn’t a posh south London accent. It isn’t someone with an American passport. It’s someone who simply has the qualifications and ability and knows what they're doing.

[miblogdespam]

Cultural appropriation, imperialism and colonialism.

Since I’m not a native english speaker, I’m using few words.

Influence is strong in two ways: North to South, and West to East. This exist since imperialism and colonialism, with all the “we bring civilization to this people” (I’m thinking more about the African one, but any type of colonialism works) specially since the Cold War, when “ways of life” were selling types of economies, and the media were used as propaganda all around the world. Of course, colonialism wasn’t right anymore, but the influence persist.

This includes political, ideological, linguistic, economic and cultural influences.

The influence to South to North, and East to West is weak. So, as you can deduce, influence is not equal.

This means that all people from East and South can speak english, can use jeans, can like TV shows from Britain and the USA, and can do whatever the North and West do: It’s ok to do so, no one ever is going to tell you that the type of jacket you are using was created in the USA and that you are appropriating their culture. No one is going to tell you that you have to had an english-speaker parent or grandparent to learn english. No one is going to tell you that that is cultural appropriation.

But when it is something from the South or East, it is almost sacred. People from North and West see it like “the other’s thing”, not something that they can use. They think they are respecting other cultures, but what they are really doing is keeping the inequal influence. “It’s ok if you wear jeans, but it’s not ok if I wear something of your culture”, “it’s ok if you speak english, but it’s not ok if I speak spanish”.

Anthropologists studied people from other cultures because they were not equals, they were something to study, not something that could speak for themself. The clothes, languages, and culture in general was something to study, but not something to learn from, or to take things in equal influences. Nowadays, people say “you can not use it/study it, it’s cultural appropriation” because the “other” culture it’s not seeing as something as equal as the North and the West.

What if someone wears something, celebrates something, learns something? You know what he is doing? It’s seeing the other culture as equal, as something as good (or better) than his own.

I’m sorry I can’t explain all I have in my mind (it’s in spanish).