Thursday, March 19, 2020

English Teaching Abbreviations Explained

English Teaching Abbreviations Explained You might be a bit confused by the all the English teaching abbreviations that are used in the profession. Here is a list of the most common English teaching abbreviations that are used in the profession with an emphasis on ESL / EFL teaching. ELT - English Language TeachingESL - English as a Second LanguageEFL - English as a Foreign Language The main difference between these is that ESL is English taught to foreign language speakers living in an English speaking country like the United States, Canada, England, Australia, etc. English as a foreign language, on the other hand, is taught to those wishing to learn English for their study/ work / hobby needs but who live in countries where English is not the first language. Teaching Abbreviations to Know Here are some more important abbreviations related to teaching, teaching certificates, and English exams: AAAL - American Association for Applied Linguistics ACTFL - American Council on the teaching of Foreign Languages AE - American English BAAL - British Association of Applied Linguistics BC - British Council BEC - Business English Certificate - Cambridge business English exam certificate BrE - British English BVT - Bilingual Vocational Training CAE - Certificate in Advanced English - the fourth Cambridge Exam Cambridge Exams - The standard in English examination throughout the world outside of the USA (where the TOEFL is preferred). CALI - Computer-Assisted Language Instruction CALL - Computer-Assisted Language Learning CanE - Canadian English CAT - Computer Adaptive Testing CBT - Computer-Based Teaching CEELT - Cambridge Examination in English for Language Teachers. Tests the English competency of non-native teachers of English. CEIBT - Certificate in English for International Business and Trade for advanced levels. CPE - Certificate of Proficiency in English - the fifth and the most advanced of Cambridges series of exams (roughly comparable to a score of 600-650 on the TOEFL). CELTA - Certificate in English language teaching to adults (Cambridge/RSA Teaching Certificate also known as C-TEFLA) DELTA - Diploma in English language teaching (Cambridge/RSA Language Teaching Scheme) EAP - English for Academic Purposes ECCE - Exam for the Certificate of Competency in English (Michigan University) - lower level. ECPE - Exam for the Certificate of Proficiency in English (Michigan University) - higher level. EFL - English as a Foreign Language EGP - English for general purposes EIP - English as an International Language ELICOS - English Language Intensive Courses to Overseas Students. Government registered centers teaching English to overseas students in Australia. ELT - English Language Teaching ESL - English as a Second Language. ESOL - English for Speakers of Other Languages ESP -English for Specific Purposes (business English, English for tourism, etc.) ETS - Educational Testing Service FCE - First Certificate in English - the third of Cambridges series of exams (comparable to a score of 500 on the TOEFL and 5.7 on the IELTS). GMAT - Graduate Management Admission Test. The GMAT measures general verbal, mathematical, and analytical writing skills. GPA - Grade Point Average GRE - Graduate Record Examination - an evaluation test for graduate admission to colleges and universities in the U.S. IATEFL - International Association of Teachers of English as a Foreign Language IPA - International Phonetic Association K12 - Kindergarten - 12th grade. KET - Key English Test - The most elementary of Cambridges series of exams L1 - Language 1 - native language L2 - Language 2 - the language you are learning LEP - Limited English Proficient LL - Language Learning MT - Mother Tongue NATECLA - National Association for Teaching English and other Community Languages to Adults (UK) NATESOL - National Association of Teachers of English for Speakers of Other Languages NCTE - National Council of Teachers of English NLP - Neurolinguistic Programming NNEST - Non-Native English Speaking Teacher NNL - Non-Native Language MTELP - Michigan Test of English Language Proficiency OE - Old English OED - Oxford English Dictionary PET - Preliminary English Test - The second of Cambridges series of exams. RP - Received Pronunciation - standard British pronunciation RSA/Cambridge C-TEFLA - Certificate of Teaching English as a Foreign Language to Adults. A professional qualification for prospective EFL teachers. RSA/Cambridge D-TEFLA - Diploma of Teaching English as a Foreign Language. Advanced qualification for EFL teachers who have already completed the C-TEFLA. SAE - Standard American English SAT - Scholastic Assessment (Aptitude) Test - pre-university entrance exam in the USA TEFL - Teaching English as a Foreign Language TEFLA - Teaching English as a Foreign Language to Adults TEIL - Teaching English as an International Language TESL - Teaching English as a Second Language TESOL - Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages TOEFL - Test of English as a Foreign Language - the most common English proficiency exam for North American universities and colleges, also accepted by some British universities and employers as proof of English proficiency. TOEIC - The TOEIC (pronounced toe-ick) is a Test of English for International Communication. VE - Vocational English VESL - Vocational English as a Second Language YLE - Young Learners English Tests - Cambridge Examinations for young learners

Monday, March 2, 2020

Complex Question Fallacyâ€Definition and Examples

Complex Question Fallacys A complex question is a  fallacy in which the answer to a given question presupposes a prior answer to a prior question. Also known as (or closely related to) a  loaded question, a trick question, a leading question, the fallacy of the false question, and the fallacy of many questions. Have you stopped beating your wife? is the classic example of the complex question. Ralph Keyes has traced this example back to a 1914 book of legal humor. Since then, he says, it has . . . become the standard allusion to any question that cant be answered without self-incrimination (I Love It When You Talk Retro, 2009). Examples and Observations Lets talk about Glaucon.  Where did you get the poison  you used on him?I never!His whole family died- wife, children, mother, the lot. Surely you feel badly about that?Didymus passed his hand over his eyes. I didnt poison anyone.†(Bruce Macbain,  The Bull Slayer: A Plinius Secundus Mystery. Poisoned Pen Press, 2013)  He was woken two hours later and presently a doctor examined him.What drugs were you on? he asked.Wilt stared at him blankly. Ive never taken any drugs in my life, he muttered.(Tom Sharpe,  Wilt in Nowhere. Hutchinson, 2004)   The Unjustified Presumption Plurium interrogationum, which translates as of many questions, is otherwise known as the fallacy of the complex question. When several questions are combined into one, in such a way that a yes-or-no answer is required, the person they are asked of has no chance to give separate replies to each, and the fallacy of the complex question is committed... Did the pollution you caused increase or decrease your profits?Did your misleading claims result in you getting promoted?Is your stupidity inborn? All of them contain an assumption that the concealed question has already been answered affirmatively. It is this unjustified presumption which constitutes the fallacy... The complex question has to be broken into simpler ones; and often the denial of the fact presumed invalidates the larger question altogether.(Madsen Pirie,  How to Win Every Argument: The Use and Abuse of Logic, 2nd ed. Bloomsbury, 2015)   Trick Questions The fallacy of complex question is the interrogative form of the fallacy of begging the question. Like the latter, it begs the question by assuming the conclusion at issue:Before rushing to answer a complex question, it is best to question the question: a) Have you stopped beating your wife?b) Did John ever give up his bad habits?c) Are you still a heavy drinker? In each of these questions there lies an assumed answer to a previous question. Did John have bad habits? is the unasked question whose answer is assumed in question b. We need to withhold any answer to question b until this prior question has been resolved. In some instances of this fallacy, considerable struggle may be necessary in order to liberate ourselves from the misleading influence of a complex question. The serious consequences of complex questions can be appreciated by considering these trick questions, which would be out of order in a court of law: d) What did you use to wipe your fingerprints from the gun?e) How long had you contemplated this robbery before you carried it out? (S. Morris Engel, With Good Reason: An Introduction to Informal Fallacies, 3rd ed. St. Martins, 1986) An Implicit Argument Although not an argument as such, a complex question involves an implicit argument. This argument is usually intended to trap the respondent into acknowledging something that he or she might otherwise not want to acknowledge. Examples:Obviously, each of the questions is really two questions.(Patrick J. Hurley, A Concise Introduction to Logic. Thomson Wadsworth, 2005) Have you stopped cheating on exams?Where did you hide the marijuana you were smoking?