How Latinos Learn English

How Latinos Learn English calls the attention of influential readers to the need faced by over 10 million inhabitants in the USA. An endless closed circle has trapped them --they cannot learn English because they are not prepared to embark in that serious and demanding effort with the right tools and the right approach. On the other hand, many Latinos are not prepared for that task because the information and motivational messages that could show them how to go about it cannot be found in Spanish nor are offered by people around them

Besides, there is a pervasive Anglo-American vision --that it is rude to correct or interrupt a person talking. This pervasive vision hurts more than helps. Latinos need the active participation of well-informed people, people who are conscious of this problem and can help them. This book tells how you can help and guide them. This book tells how you can help and guide a Spanish speaker learn English as a second language while at the same time you improve your Spanish through the comparison in grammatical structures you will meet.

The efforts many vocational schools and city colleges are doing, specially in the Southwestern region, are very important and badly needed, but they seem not to be sufficient. Proof of this is that a very high percentage of adult Latinos living in the USA cannot speak or read English and do not seem interested in learning it.

Most ESL textbooks used in classes are all-English books, written for the use of students from any linguistic background, not specifically Spanish. They develop the presentations and exercises for every little detail of the language. Unfortunately, those may not be the specific points on which Spanish speaking learners need to concentrate the most. This means that one-size-fits-all textbooks usually do not meet the cultural needs and expectations of Latino students. "How Latinos Learn English" fills this gap and emphasizes the aspects wwhere Spanish differs most from English, thus being a student-friendly guide.

The phonewtic problems a Latino student will face before he masters the American English pronunciation system require the guidance and help not only of a native speaker as a model, but of somebody who has some phonetics background. "How Latinos Learn English" devotes 19 pages to describing the articulation of the relevant English sounds, and gives abundant material for drills, as well as the presentation of the International Phonetic Alphabet symbols. This section will also help you discover the secrets behind pronouncing Spanish correctly.

This book is primarily intended to be used as a guide by an English speaker who wants to tutor a loved person or friend whose mother tongue is Spanish. It will also be very valuable to people who are contemplating travelling to Latin America and earn their living by teaching English, either at schools or in private classes.