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[Ace Harding]

This is a really dumb question I know:

In the US, part of the core curriculum is "English," so we have English class in addition to math, science, etc. In English class, you aren't strictly learning the language (grammar/vocab), though that is part of it. It's also generally a literature and writing class. For some reason, American public schools are pretty terrible at teaching this stuff. You can tell from some of my posts on this board! I'm wondering if its taught differently in other countries, or if what we have here is pretty typical.

I'm sure schools in most other countries teach grammar, writing, and literature in the native language. But do they roll it all up into one class like the one we call "English" here in the US? What do you call this class in your country? What do you typically learn in this class in the secondary grades?

What is it in the UK/Australia? "Letters?" I don't think you guys call it English...

 

[Randolph Freelander]

I'm sure other countries wish we would learn English.

 

[Ventrue]

What is it in the UK/Australia? "Letters?" I don't think you guys call it English...

Yeah we do. In Australia at least, probably UK also.

 

[cutmeamango]

Yes, and some places separate literature and writing as different but concurrent classes.

 

[DukeBobby]

What is it in the UK/Australia? "Letters?" I don't think you guys call it English...

We call it English in the UK.

 

[Dead Man]

What is it in the UK/Australia? "Letters?" I don't think you guys call it English...

Until 8th grade it is called Wollomazoo, and after that it is called Rocks. Might just be Australia though.

 

[DiscoJer]

What about diagramming sentences? Do other countries do that?

 

[Cookie18]

It's English in the UK. Why would we call it letters? We invented the language.

 

[ElFly]

Yes.

 

[codswallop]

US school system definitely working out well.

Until 8th grade it is called Wollomazoo, and after that it is called Rocks. Might just be Australia though.

May just be your region. My region didn't go up to 8th grade and we called it "dirt" prior to that.

 

[Fari]

What is it in the UK/Australia? "Letters?" I don't think you guys call it English...

It's called English in Ireland.

Don't see why it would be called anything else.

 

[Peru]

Yes. "Norwegian".

 

[Spring-Loaded]

Higher level foreign language classes in the U.S. deal with literature/interpretation of writing in that language. I'd imagine other countries probably do the same.

Or do you mean like "Spanish" class in Spanish speaking countries?

 

[Omikron]

Until 8th grade it is called Wollomazoo, and after that it is called Rocks. Might just be Australia though.

I learnt Tasmanian until around year 9, where I gave away even trying to understand.

 

[jambo]

Until 8th grade it is called Wollomazoo, and after that it is called Rocks. Might just be Australia though.

Ours was Wangalangadingdong, then Hooroo Class in high school. Taught by Professor Bruce.

 

[Elija2]

I went to a French-speaking elementary school and they had English class. This is in Canada by the way.

 

[Ace Harding]

Yes, and some places separate literature and writing as different but concurrent classes.

Yeah that's kind of what I was getting at. We do that at the university level but not typically at the high school level. I mean we teach a totally separate course on geometry (or calculus, or Biology), but not a separate course on the rules and style of English, and how to write (and speak) properly. I had some grammar lessons tossed into 7th grade English but after that it was "read this book and write about it." And the focus of the teaching was not how to write but how to interpret what we were reading. The "how to write" part was taught in red pen on the margins of my papers. I think we need to change our curriculum.

Edit: also just interested to hear if this kind of class in a Spanish-speaking country is called Spanish (or Espanol), or German in Germany, etc.

I mean we have Spanish class too but that's a foreign language.

 

[temp]

It's English in the UK. Why would we call it letters? We invented the language.

This post doesn't make any sense to my brain.


How does the term 'letters' imply that it's not the language's place of origin? If anything, wouldn't the originator of the language be more likely to have a non-referential, shorthand name for teaching the language?

 

[Major_Lazer]

Honestly why wouldn't it be called English in the UK/Australia/other English speaking nations....everyone in Australia does English from yr7 to yr12, one of the only subjects that isn't an elective.

 

[Soul_Pie]

In australia we call it "letters 'n shit", then there's advanced classes which are called "fuckin hard words". We have a real, thorough emphasis on swear words which are the most used in the Australian dialect.

 

[DrSlek]

I learnt Tasmanian until around year 9, where I gave away even trying to understand.

Oidah calld em chuzwazzas....

 

[jambo]

In australia we call it "letters 'n shit", then there's advanced classes which are called "fuckin hard words". We have a real, thorough emphasis on swear words which are the most used in the Australian dialect.

Too right you fuckin' cunt!

 

[lacinius]

In Canada, at least for me anyway, what most know as "English" class was actually called "Language Arts". It was called that right on up into junior high, and then once we started reading novels in whatever grade that was, then the class was called "English" class.

The language arts classes were heavily focused on writing, sentence structure, punctuation, spelling... basically learning the foundation of the language. Then reading and learning about novels and their structure, characters, meaning and analysis is how the focus changed into the proper "English" class.

 

[99hertz]

I'm in Puerto Rico and I went to public schools all my life (and still do, I guess). I had those types of classes but one was the "Spanish" class and the other was an "English class". They were mostly about reading novels or short stories, writing essays and giving oral reports.

 

[nephilimdj]

From my old memory

Did Reading for first few years of primary then English from 5-12

 

[lastplayed]

What is it in the UK/Australia? "Letters?" I don't think you guys call it English...

We call it "English" in English. As does most of the English speaking world I assume.

 

[glaringradio]

In the UK we have English generally up until your GCSE years, at which point its split into English Language and English Literature. At which point it becomes a completely and utterly useless subject. One of my biggest regrets is wasting one of my A Level choices doing English Literature. Reading books and writing essays for two years is not a good way to spend your time in school.

 

[GK86]

We call it English English.

 

[Ace Harding]

In australia we call it "letters 'n shit", then there's advanced classes which are called "fuckin hard words". We have a real, thorough emphasis on swear words which are the most used in the Australian dialect.

Haha OK - for some reason I just thought UK/Australian schools called it something different. Obviously we speak the same language so it makes sense it would be called the same thing. But you know how you guys have goofy ways of saying shit, like "Form" instead of grade. I didn't make "Letters" up, I think there are Colleges of Letters (Liberal Arts) or degrees in letters or something b

 

[jambo]

Haha OK - for some reason I just thought UK/Australian schools called it something different. Obviously we speak the same language so it makes sense it would be called the same thing. But you know how you guys have goofy ways of saying shit, like "Form" instead of grade. I didn't make "Letters" up, I think there are Colleges of Letters (Liberal Arts) or degrees in letters or something b

Seeing as American English came well after British English, it is your words that are goofy.

Exhibit A: aluminum

 

[FreeMufasa]

UK its English Language and English Literature. Language is compulsory and u can choose lit. After 15 that is

 

[G-Unit]

YES. its called spanish

 

[shortyme]

I went to a French-speaking elementary school and they had English class. This is in Canada by the way.

moi aussi

 

[Michan]

UK its English Language and English Literature. Language is compulsory and u can choose lit. After 15 that is

Are u sure its compulsory

 

[Reneledarker]

In Mexico we call it Spanish in school, at high school it changes to reading workshop and Writing Workshop.

 

[Kaworu]

In Spain first it's called Castellano/Español and in high school Lengua y literatura castellana so Spanish language and literature.

 

[BocoDragon]

In Canada, at least for me anyway, what most know as "English" class was actually called "Language Arts". It was called that right on up into junior high, and then once we started reading novels in whatever grade that was, then the class was called "English" class.

The language arts classes were heavily focused on writing, sentence structure, punctuation, spelling... basically learning the foundation of the language. Then reading and learning about novels and their structure, characters, meaning and analysis is how the focus changed into the proper "English" class.

Oh yeah.. I grew up on "L.A.", "Language Arts" myself, in Alberta.

But in pretty sure it's English here in B.C.

 

[deadmeadow88]

What is it in the UK/Australia? "Letters?" I don't think you guys call it English...

Yes it's "English" in Australia and the general focus is literature.

 

[GoldenEye 007]

In Canada, at least for me anyway, what most know as "English" class was actually called "Language Arts". It was called that right on up into junior high, and then once we started reading novels in whatever grade that was, then the class was called "English" class.

The language arts classes were heavily focused on writing, sentence structure, punctuation, spelling... basically learning the foundation of the language. Then reading and learning about novels and their structure, characters, meaning and analysis is how the focus changed into the proper "English" class.

Pretty much how it was for me in Florida.

 

[Kusagari]

I'm curious if the equivalent in other countries focuses more on grammar and good writing than the standard American English class does. American English classes more end up being the "read some books and learn some vocab" class.

 

[Remk]

Until 8th grade it is called Wollomazoo, and after that it is called Rocks. Might just be Australia though.

Is there a crocodile dundee specific class?

 

[DrSlek]

Is there a crocodile dundee specific class?

Noif class

 

[jambo]

Is there a crocodile dundee specific class?

It's a non-elective.

 

[umop_3pisdn]

Oh yeah.. I grew up on "L.A.", "Language Arts" myself, in Alberta.

But in pretty sure it's English here in B.C.

It was either or in Saskatchewan. If I remember right they called it Language Arts in elementary school (which here is K-8) and then English in high school. But yeah, in high school it was basically just a literary criticism/appreciation class with writing assignments. Once I got to University I remember wishing they had taught some points of grammar, etc, better than they had.

 

[firehawk12]

I think the OP is asking how English is taught in other countries.

In Canada, at least as far as I know, English composition is tied directly to studying English literature - so the emphasis is on literacy via reading works and interpreting texts via essays. At some point the emphasis on grammar and other mechanics is dropped, and there is a shift toward producing argumentative writing.

 

[Emwitus]

Grew up in kenya. We start learning english from kindergarten all the way to our last year of high school. Grammar, composition and literature. Usually the core classes are English, Native language and Math. But we rarely speak the language outside of class tho....


EDIT: Native language is kiswahili(swahili). We break it up into sarufi(grammar), Insha(composition) and Fasihi(literature).

 

[Chichikov]

We had literature and grammar, two separate classes.
Writing was done as part of the grammar class, which in retrospect, seem weird to me; also, there was very little writing in general, which is a shame.
Though in true retrospect, damn, we wasted obscene amount of time on grammar.

 

[Wolf Akela]

In the Philippines, we have separate classes for English and our own language. Most classes are taught in English. The English subject itself covers all sorts of stuff including literature and writing.

 

[RazorbackDB]

In Chile depends on the school, public schools start with the very basics numbers, letters, etc. and up to grammar and phonetic, still few people leave school speaking or understanding english. In my case i learned mostly froms games and movies but that's also why my english is so bad.

Private schools are another world but still depends on the school.

 

[Natetan]

In Japan the couse is called 国語 or national language, it's not called Japanese which I always find interesting.