Show:
Language
The Amazing Race - Lang Barriers
Learning By Degrees
Overcoming the Barrier
What We Have Learned So Far
100
The general character or attitude of a place, piece of writing, situation, etc..
What is tone? (How you say something determines its meaning... But does tone work the same in various languages? Something to think about.)
100
German or Dutch
What is the language spoken by the gas attendant? (Whether for business, pleasure, or for The Amazing Race, travelling abroad can lead to situations where you do not understand a native even when you really need to.)
100
He is an American journalist and television personality known for anchoring on CNN. He anchors two news programs and is the syndicated host of his own talk show.
Who is Anderson Cooper. (Anderson Cooper is a well known journalist, willing to travel to unfamiliar locations, Cooper tries to inspire everyone to pursue their dreams, regardless of the conditions.)
100
This US missionary doctor had to learn this new language in order to not only treat his patients but also to get a medical licence in the language.
What is Thai? (Thai uses a different alphabet than English with different characters. More specifically the language the doctor had to learn is called Central Thai.)
100
An appeal to emotions.
What is pathos? (The appeal to emotions can be useful in preparing an argument. Many people do not wish to even listen to something unless they are connected emotionally. This affects how we speak, argue, in both English and other languages.)
200
An idea or feeling that a word invokes in addition to its literal or primary meaning.
What is connotation? (Remember connotation is very important in English. However, it also very cultural and even regional. This may affect how well one communicates with someone from a different place who may speak a different language.)
200
"We do not take US dollars is what I thought I heard."
What is the phrase that the contestant thought the native was saying? (In some cases, the tactic of trying to use cognates to identify a phrase can work. But in some cases, the language is too different and it won't work.)
200
According to the author, this degree is the safest (in regards to getting a job) to acquire this year, with 46% of graduates already having been offered jobs.
What is accounting? (Accounting requires business, analytic, and math skills. In many poor areas or areas with many ESL students, these skills are often poorly or rarely taught. How can students overcome these odds and succeed in a math related field?)
200
The language has a different alphabet and is tonal.
Why was it difficult to learn the Thai language? (Many Eastern languages are tonal and have very different alphabets. This is why Chinese, Japanese, Hungarian, Arabic, and Korean are the five hardest languages in the world to learn for Westerners.)
200
An inference drawn from insufficient evidence.
What is a hasty generalization? (Fallacies are using rhetorical appeals/devices in a corrupted way. Although it may seem appealing to use fallacies, in reality, they only hurt your argument.)
300
Logos, Pathos, and Ethos
What is a rhetorical appeal? (Some uses of logos, pathos, and ethos make sense in English, but at the same time may suggest something different to a non-native speaker.)
300
He found a woman who spoke English/ an interpreter.
What is the way that the contestant overcame the language barrier? (The contestant was lucky. In many cases, you will not have a translator available. It is important to learn ways to overcome the language barrier.)
300
Professor Vedder of the University of Illinois makes a case for the superfluity of this institution.
What is the academy (Higher ed/college/university) (The academy is a term that often invokes negative thoughts in regards to higher ed. It is not a new theory that too many people are going to college or getting degrees. What do you think? Should less people attend college?
300
Dr. Nick Walters had difficulty learning this language in high school.
What is Spanish? (Spanish is one of the Romance languages derived from Latin. Although English is Germanic, it has many Latin influences. Thus, Walters was surprised he could learn Thai over Spanish. What language would you like to learn?)
300
The standard citation format in the study of English, among some others. Without using this, your credibility is limited, and thus so is your use of ethos.
What is MLA citation? (Remember, it is important to use MLA as it builds credibility and improves a paper's appearance. It is also imperative because it is plagiarism to not cite a source correctly when using information that you did not create.)
400
The use of many words where fewer would do, esp. in a deliberate attempt to be vague or evasive.
What is circumlocution? (This is one of the ways that we can overcome language barriers when speaking with someone who speaks a different language.)
400
They would have failed.
What is the result if they had not been able to overcome the language barrier? (It is imperative that one can overcome language barriers. Although not many are contestants on a game show, many people will run into similar situations on the job or while on vacation.)
400
According to the author, we become better citizens by doing this.
What is going to college? (Studying history, reading books, etc.) (The college experience is not designed merely to improve your chances of getting a better job. It allows us to learn about history and politics and other general topics that allow us to become better citizens. In addition, it allows to learn socially and culturally as well.)
400
He works in the hospital in Thailand as well as hosting Bible studies. He had to overcome many challenges including the language barrier to do this.
What is he working for? (Many people will face many challenges when trying to find work. One of the biggest as society progresses is the language barrier. How do you feel about learning another language?)
400
23,060,040 people.
What is the number of people who speak a language other than English in their home in the US? (For many people, English is a second language, and for others they have no English skills. Imagine if you lived in a country where you spoke little to none of the language. What can we do to help promote other cultures and languages in the US?)
500
The use of written words or print (a letter or word) using the closest corresponding letters of a different alphabet or language.
What is transliteration? (Remember, it is not always easy to do this. Have you ever tried reading the instructions for something made in China or Japan?)
500
I needed to pump before I payed.
What is the actual thing the gas station employee said? (If one cannot understand the language or context, one may misunderstand another person. The contestant thought the he was being yelled at, but in reality, the employee was trying to help.)
500
This student posits the theory that, "a college degree buys you nothing" to which Mead responds that it is beneficial to think of a degree as more than just "buying" something.
Who is Alexander P. Grimsdall?
500
He teaches not only Christian students but also these students.
Who are Buddhist students? (Buddhism is a religion represented by the many groups that profess various forms of the Buddhist doctrine and that venerate Buddha, a philosopher whose teachings are prevalent in Asia and now worldwide.)
500
The Greek god of opportunity, the youngest son of Zeus was always depicted as running, with an odd lock of hair on his forehead that one could grab onto and thus "seize the moment of opportunity".
Who is Kairos? (In the myth, if you missed the god as he ran by, you missed the opportunity. Similarly, when speaking, English or another language, you only have one opportunity to make it count. Could this make it difficult for non native speakers in the US to get a job?