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Among the Chinese, Korean and Japanese (I am not referring to Chinese-American/Canadian/Australian; Korea-American/Canadian/Australian; or Japanese-American/Canadian/Australian), I find many can write English much better than speak English.
This is only based on my personal experience, among the Japanese they are sometimes difficult to understand when they speak English, but I could say the same with Koreans. It is my understanding it is because the Japanese language lacks alot of sounds that is common in the English language and hence Japanese people may have a difficult time pronouncing.The Chinese speakers- can vary if they are from Singapore or Hong Kong they have a different accent. I do find, in general those from Singapore seem to be more fluent in speaking English than those from Hong Kong. Plus, the Chinese languages unlike Korean or Japanese is tonal. So many of the native Chinese speakers may speak English with a tonal undertone.
But, I do not feel the native Korean speakers are more fluent in English than native Chinese or Japanese speakers.
In which countries are advanced math and science taught in foreign languages?
Many. Even in Hong Kong high school science is (or was) taught in English. In India, universities use English.
Graduate schools (science and engineering) in many European countries use English too. A German friend of mine found it interesting that I learned calculus in Chinese only. He learned it in English.
It's amazing to them that there are Chinese terms for derivative, integral, eigenvalues etc. The rest of the world use the same terms (or similar terms), but East Asia do not, especially in China.
BTW, some minorities in China speak better English than Han Chinese, if we only talk about those who went to college.
I had a Uyghur friend in graduate school. As long as he arrived in America, he could carry a fluent conversation in English with a decent accent. Most Han Chinese cannot. He studied economics or something in China and had never been to America.
Among the Chinese, Korean and Japanese (I am not referring to Chinese-American/Canadian/Australian; Korea-American/Canadian/Australian; or Japanese-American/Canadian/Australian), I find many can write English much better than speak English.
This is only based on my personal experience, among the Japanese they are sometimes difficult to understand when they speak English, but I could say the same with Koreans. It is my understanding it is because the Japanese language lacks alot of sounds that is common in the English language and hence Japanese people may have a difficult time pronouncing.The Chinese speakers- can vary if they are from Singapore or Hong Kong they have a different accent. I do find, in general those from Singapore seem to be more fluent in speaking English than those from Hong Kong. Plus, the Chinese languages unlike Korean or Japanese is tonal. So many of the native Chinese speakers may speak English with a tonal undertone.
But, I do not feel the native Korean speakers are more fluent in English than native Chinese or Japanese speakers.
Not sure if it's just an isolated case, but this is what I observered amongst the three groups:
- Japanese is somewhat based on a syllabic library of sounds so they have real trouble with some words in English. Koreans in essence use Hangul - the alphabet which much more accurately maps sounds.
- Chinese in general (all else equal) being that they are from similar financial backgrounds to the Koreans/Japanese and exposure to English (TV, Internet etc) seem to have trouble grasping the English language, verbally speaking. I've never met a Han Chinese native master spoken English to the level where there is no real detectible accent, this is possibly due to tones? When they speak longer words in English they seem to add a tone to it somehow.
- Koreans being relatively wealthy and ambitious/eager to do business with the rest of the world seem to have the best incentives amongst the three, although this lack of ambition amongst the Japanese is beginning to reduce at a time when Japan Inc. is fading into oblivion. The Chinese seem to think they will rule the business world so tend to have this mentality of "I just need a grasp of English".
Not sure if it's just an isolated case, but this is what I observered amongst the three groups:
- Japanese is somewhat based on a syllabic library of sounds so they have real trouble with some words in English. Koreans in essence use Hangul - the alphabet which much more accurately maps sounds.
- Chinese in general (all else equal) being that they are from similar financial backgrounds to the Koreans/Japanese and exposure to English (TV, Internet etc) seem to have trouble grasping the English language, verbally speaking. I've never met a Han Chinese native master spoken English to the level where there is no real detectible accent, this is possibly due to tones? When they speak longer words in English they seem to add a tone to it somehow.
- Koreans being relatively wealthy and ambitious/eager to do business with the rest of the world seem to have the best incentives amongst the three, although this lack of ambition amongst the Japanese is beginning to reduce at a time when Japan Inc. is fading into oblivion. The Chinese seem to think they will rule the business world so tend to have this mentality of "I just need a grasp of English".
99% people who speak a second language have some accent, unless the second language is acquired at a very young age. Not just Chinese people.
Most Chinese (in China) do not bother to improve their English at all. If you really go to China you will find the vast majority of college graduates cannot carry a conversation in English.
In which countries are advanced math and science taught in foreign languages?
the philippines does not have a well-developed native language to teach advanced math and science (e.g. we don't have the filipino efficient equivalent of the specialized terms), hence they are taught and tested in english almost by default, although of course some smattering of the native language happens in the course of the discussions. but the main body of instruction and tests are done in english
As I know with some Korean, Japanese and Chines. Some of them are good at English skill like native speaker while some of them are not, when I talk to them who do not good at English. I have to use gestures or easy English vocabularies with them. It makes me confuse sometimes when I talk to them, but I can understand for what they need.
I don't know about "most" yes most who work customer service with a closer to an American as opposed to an Anglo accent. The Philippines is however a place where many Koreans go to study English
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