What to study first -casual English or formal English?

Erica   Sun Feb 08, 2009 10:08 am GMT
Hello. I have a question.

Should someone who is just starting to learn English (a beginner) study CASUAL ENGLISH first or FORMAL ENGLISH? What do you think?

(CASUAL ENGLISH = conversational English that sometimes are ungrammatical and have lots of slangs, fillers and abbreviations etc)

(FORMAL ENGLISH = English used in news reporting, formal articles, formal speeches etc)

Thanks.
Robin Michael   Sun Feb 08, 2009 11:04 am GMT
Formal English

also if you are studying British English, you should study RP

Received Pronunciation.


What people call 'The Queen's English'.


The reason is, that if you learn 'Formal English' your English will be accepted everywhere and can be used to communicate with everyone.

If you learn only slang, and you speak with a dialect or accent, you will be marked out as someone of limited ability. Perhaps that is unfair: 'uneducated' might be a better expression.

I think that people learning English as a Foreign Language can benefit from using Microsoft Word to check their spelling and grammar. For some reason I was unhappy with the way that I spelt 'uneducated' so I quickly checked my spelling. You also have this possibility.

Again this sentence:

<<The reason is, that if you learn 'Formal English' your English will be accepted everywhere and can be used to communicate with everyone.>>

is not quite right. I could change it to, << and (Formal English) can be used>>.

<<<<The reason is, that if you learn 'Formal English' your English will be accepted everywhere and Formal English can be used to communicate with everyone.>>

So, you will find that learning 'Formal English' you also learn various 'informal variations'.
tuora   Sun Feb 08, 2009 11:25 am GMT
I would say learn "normal" English. Everyday English which is not formal but not informal either. The English used in news programs is usually not exactly what I would call formal, especially in modern times where they try and jazz it up a little. The same with radio programs especially with a lot of interviews. Also, try reading blog-style news on the internet, which is often a bit less formal than ordinary articles, but not too informal either.

Anyway, if you can't get that level that is somewhere between, I'd say go for formal. You can't get too formal with mainstream media programs anyway. Get a good grounding and then the informal will be picked up in the same way you'd pick up new slang in your own native language - a lot more naturally than learning it artificially at the beginning without really understanding what it's all about and perhaps misusing it terribly.
Caspian   Sun Feb 08, 2009 12:52 pm GMT
I agree with Robin Michael
Johnny   Sun Feb 08, 2009 3:26 pm GMT
<<(CASUAL ENGLISH = conversational English that sometimes are ungrammatical and have lots of slangs, fillers and abbreviations etc)>>

Casual English is not ungrammatical.
I would start with informal English, since it's the one that comes first when learning a language naturally. First you learn "Hey dude, how's it goin? Wanna hear a fart of mine?", then you learn "Excuse my flatulence, your Majesty".
TommyHawk:   Sun Feb 08, 2009 4:39 pm GMT
Why can't you start from both?
Erica   Sun Feb 08, 2009 5:00 pm GMT
<<if you learn 'Formal English' your English will be accepted everywhere and can be used to communicate with everyone. >>

I agree.

But I've come across some Americans who think that non-native speakers who speak very formal English in a casual setting are strange because they speak unnaturally and "too correctly" in their sentences. And they usually think "Oh, this guy must have studied English from a textbook and they seem stupid because they speak so awkwardly" even though ironically their sentences are constructed very beautifully. so I think learners maybe need to sound native-like sometimes and use a bit of slangs like "Hey what's up hun? Wanna check out my new car?"
Erica   Sun Feb 08, 2009 5:14 pm GMT
<<Why can't you start from both? >>

I could start from both but I need one to put my most effort on, at least in the beginning, so as to avoid unnecessary confusion. But from the couple of advice given to me here, it's logical that I should start with formal English to get a good grounding first
Uriel   Sun Feb 08, 2009 9:22 pm GMT
I would agree. You have to learn the rules before you can master the exceptions. And formal and conversational English aren't terribly different. Using slang or regional colloquialisms correctly and in the right context so as not to sound clumsy or dated or laughable is actually a tricky proposition that requires that you understand when and where to say it and how it will be interpreted by your audience, what it will say about you, its social contexts, etc., and that's not a task for beginners. Also, it changes so quickly that it wouldn't be a good basis for learning the rest of the language. Stick to regular, grammatically-standard English and you will get a lot farther. Once you've mastered that, then you can begin to explore non-standard usages.
Robin Michael   Sun Feb 08, 2009 9:38 pm GMT
Last night, a car ran into the back of my car. So today, Sunday, I phoned my Insurance Company and gave them the details. The Call Centre Clerk asked me if it was alright to call me by first name. I said 'No'. The conversation was quite formal and it went reasonably smoothly.

Sorry, the point that I failed to make at the beginning, is that although my Insurance company says they use UK Call Centres, the person on the phone was South Asian i.e. Indian.

Previously, I had phoned the same company to enquire about insuring a car that I have just acquired. The clerk was 'overly familiar’; his 'conversational' style was extremely irritating. I felt as if I was talking to Ali G (Borat) (Sacha Baron Cohen). Deliberately or not, he was rude, and in the end I just hung up. He was also incompetent!
hateful   Sun Feb 08, 2009 10:51 pm GMT
You're more likely to sound like a goof if you misuse informal language, and also you will sound like a poseur.
LL   Mon Feb 09, 2009 12:00 am GMT
Erica,

I'd like to suggest "slang" for "slangs" in your posts. Also, I would try "pieces of advice" instead of the way you put it. This will make you sound more natural in English.

It's better to sound a little too formal than to go the other way and be too familiar with someone.
John   Mon Feb 09, 2009 5:33 am GMT
If you are in a formal classroom situation then you are most likely going to learn formal/proper/normal English.

When I studied German the teacher didn't come out and say "we only teach formal German here...."

You question is flawed. It should have been. "Should I learn English on street or in a classroom?"
rgdfrsdf   Mon Feb 09, 2009 2:24 pm GMT
<<"...Wanna hear a fart of mine?">>

Ahahahaha. No one says that, neither formally nor informally.

And for the billionth time, it's "slang"! NOT SLANGS!
Kate Blanc   Tue Feb 10, 2009 4:47 pm GMT
Formal English 1st, of course:

It is I.
Whom did you see?
Better than I.
I wish I were there.
I like dancing. -So, do I.



Casual English can be learned later:

It's me.
Who did you see?
Better than me.
I wish I was there.
I like to dance. -Me too.