’acific Region

Letters

Futa Helu -

an Enigma

OF your regular columnists Jemima Garrett remains your most informa tive, Futa Helu the most enigmatic.

Having worked and visited in the Pacific over a 10-year period, I am very familiar with the Melanesian indirect way of addressing important things, and 1 have some familiarity with the ‘Pacific Way’; indeed I am sympathetic to both and count some islanders amongst my closest friends.

Futa Flelu, however, remains an enigma to me. His articles are actually quite direct, along with ‘Pacific-like’ hints. Yet the appears to ‘tear down’, but does not ‘build up’. I can be sympathetic to his exposure of the failings of some of my Western contin gent and forbears - yet I fail to find adequate hints of solutions to the problems he writes about. His recent f March 1992) ‘Playing into priviligentia hands is no exception: I :an say ‘yes, yes ... yes’ to a number of filings he points out, but where are aroposed solutions/alternatives?

I would like a response from a Pacific islander, who can point out vhat I’m missing or at least tell met 'hat benefits they get from Futa delu’s articles. There is, of course, a )lace in society for someone to disturb he status quo. If that is indeed his nain purpose in writing, it would help ne to know it - and I’ll stop searching or hints of solutions to the problems he aises.

Ralph E. Ireland

Ox on England OX9 4QE

English in the

’acific Region

’LEASE allow me to make your eaders aware of an area of interest that have been following for several years, have been working to prepare a umber of Australian government 'bools for their role in training udents from the Pacific nations I refer to the area of technical nghsh training and the task of helping udents for whom English is a second rnguagc. For many of these people, ‘clinical English may well be a Liiguage that is totally off the planet, y this, I mean the language written in lany technical text books in insti

itions of higher learning both in

ustralia and in the Pacific zone.

The problem is that these reference

books are written for readers with skill in English as a first language. Even these readers may well find consider able difficulty with the abstract level of expression in these books. For overseas students, the difficulty can be enor mous.

I often remind Australians of the

difficulty they would face if they

attended a course in Germany and were required to read abstract German textbooks and listen to a teacher who

spoke quickly in colloquial and ab

stract German. Little use could be made of the technology of a railway system or of an automated car as

sembly plant, to name only two

aspects.

An argument can be mounted for both sides of the issue. In the era of global exchange of information, all students of the world have the right of access to all knowledge. On the other hand, the financial constraints that apply to all nations will dictate that focus be placed on the level of technology that is relevant to the progress of the nation.

Technical textbooks can be written in a way that intimidates the reader.

The words used can be too complex.

Complex ideas can be explained by use of complex words. Sentences can be too long with a number of ideas linked by commas. The writer may have focused the level of expression at what he/she sees as the

level of the clever student. Limited use can be made of diagrams and flow charts.

The worst feature of many technical textbooks is that each chapter is not accompanied by mastery activities. The student has no other option than to read and try to memorize the information. I always advise teachers to insert at the end of each chapter up to 40 questions or tasks that lead the student through the main points of the chapter. Once the students have completed the tasks, they have understood and applied the basic know ledge of each chapter.

It is also important that any textbook have a glossary of terms and an extended spelling list. In this way, students can seek explanation of terms and be able to use the forms of words. A student may be able to use the word “compress” but does not know that this word is also accompanied by “compression”, “compressor” and “com pressed”.

I have always advocated that overseas students be supported by a language teacher who works in the technical insti tution. For this reason, I was pleased to visit the Solomon Islands College of Higher Education to view the employment of English teachers working within the tech nical schools of the College. This is a very important development. The college is not the first technical institution to use such an approach. However, it was very pleasing to see such a development in the Pacific zone.

B.D. Copeland

Victoria, Australia