Return-Path: <nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov> Received: from literacy (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by literacy.nifl.gov (8.10.2/8.10.2) with SMTP id e8SCcl920378; Thu, 28 Sep 2000 08:38:47 -0400 (EDT) Date: Thu, 28 Sep 2000 08:38:47 -0400 (EDT) Message-Id: <39D33A4B.23B24185@cwcom.net> Errors-To: listowner@literacy.nifl.gov Reply-To: nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov Originator: nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov Sender: nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov Precedence: bulk From: Sue Taylor <m0199400@cwcom.net> To: Multiple recipients of list <nifl-povracelit@literacy.nifl.gov> Subject: [NIFL-POVRACELIT:44] Introduction X-Listprocessor-Version: 6.0c -- ListProcessor by Anastasios Kotsikonas Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.7 [en] (Win95; I) Status: O Content-Length: 3124 Lines: 81 Hallo everyone. I have been reading your introductions and want to add mine to the list. I'm an interloper - I live in Essex and work in an inner London UK college. I have been enjoying and joining in the discussion on nifl - womenlit and hope you do not mind my joining in occasionally here too. I have been involved with literacy since the mid-1970s. My main responsibility now is running basic skills classes for 15 - 19 year old students, most of whom are school drop outs or were expelled because of 'inappropriate behaviour', what ever that means! Most students have South Asian, African or African Caribbean backgrounds although many were actually born in London, so issues of identity are often discussed in class. I also do a variety of other things. I am a sociologist with a linguistics major in my first degree so I am lucky enough to be able to teach on a variety of courses including Access courses (designed to enable mature students to go on to University without the usual examinations requirements) and Level 5 (Masters level) Professional Development in Cultural and Linguistic Diversity, Educational Research, Post Compulsory Education and Training and some TESOL teacher training options including second language acquisition theory. My research interests are with South Asian (Pakistani) women and their use of literacy. I would particularly welcome reading contributions from other researchers or teachers who are studying or observing literacy within a gendered, cultural and religious context. By the way, I need to point out that I write in UK English and you will need to forgive me if I occasionally forget that you might not understand a particular phrase and similarly I may entirely miss the point of something you are saying for similar reasons. Also, unless I remember to change the spell check over to US English, my spellings may also seem a little peculiar so please bear with me and ask me what I am talking about if you fail to understand what I am saying. However there is an important reason why I am making this point here - acceptable terminology associated with 'race', ethnicity and so on appears, from the American literature, to be occasionally used quite differently in the UK. The social concept of 'race', for example, is often viewed as being a problematic and pejorative term and this is often marked by the use of inverted commas around it. Similarly 'mixed race' is also viewed with suspicion, but I think its use is more acceptable in America. When I say Asian I mean South Asian, when my American Colleagues say Asian they refer to Japan, China, etc. Am I right? So, if I say something that is inappropriate to your ears please let me know, but also remember that everyday language is also culturally embedded so that what offends you might not offend me and visa versa. I suppose this is a plea for tolerance and understanding. It might also open up a discussion at some point about how we perceive one another by linguistic markers that we are probably unaware of in everyday discussions. Just a thought.... Best wishes to you all Sue London, UK.
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