In electronic conversation with Tomáš Gráf,
the University teacher of English and of teaching English, the prolific author
of textbooks who is at the moment delved deep in research into what does it
mean to be an advanced student of English, offers his quick wit and his view on
the rather poor salary conditions at Czech Educational Institutions, accounts
for his optimistic teaching influences, and, of course, the topic of bread
baking does not go unmentioned.
How are you feeling today?
Like I’ve been here before.
Many students know you as this energy abounding English stylised man. Do
you possess some mysterious internal engine, are you just biologically wired to
be constantly vivacious, or do you think it’s a matter of one’s worldview?
I like to think it’s all about what and how we want to
be – so, a sort of worldview if you like. But honestly, a psychiatrist would
make a nice case of me – a nutcase.
Has anything unusual happened to you in the last week?
On Saturday morning I managed to wake up not feeling
tired. Still don’t know though precisely how it happened.
By what or by whom have you been inspired in your teaching methods?
Yeah, I agree. It must all come from somewhere, all
your quirks and vagaries, and perhaps some of the deeper things as well. The
most inspiring teacher I’ve had was Petr Eben, a genius with a smiley heart and
boundless kindness. I also keenly remember Přemysl Janota (an outstanding
phonetician). As for the
energetic side of my teaching I think I actually find quite a lot of
inspiration in my students. I look forward to them – at least most of the time.
I love watching their reactions when I ask them a question and I see the
initial confusion, and then the search, and then sometimes the realization that
together we’ve managed to open a door or two. That charges me up.
Hadn’t this conversational intimate style been rather intimidating to
your early students when this method hadn’t been as honed as we have
experienced it?
You’ve made me worried. I’ll have to do some thinking
now, and apologies to those who have been intimidated.
What else are you passionate about besides languages and what are the
activities you’ve had to sacrifice so that you could pursue them?
Baking bread, and what have I had to sacrifice for
that? My waistline for sure.
- On Academia & Language Learning
Most of the professors we have interviewed pointed out the inadequate
pay and the need to take up multiple jobs to earn their living. As a result of
this research suffers. Can you see this situation improving in the near future
so that Humanities experts would be appreciated more?
If it wasn’t for savings, I don’t think I would be
able to do this job. But this is my choice and a kind of tax I pay for the
privilege of being able to work with such wonderful colleagues and intelligent
students. Somehow, and it’s not quite like me being this pessimistic, I don’t
believe it is going to change much.
What would you recommend to an aspiring Czech academic in terms of
career? Leave the country?
What is an academic career? Research? A quest for some
miraculous discovery? Or is it something less tangible as education, perhaps?
The hope that you might help somebody along, the feeling you might be able to
change something? What I would recommend is pretty straightforward and boringly
old-fashioned. Be curious, be diligent, be organised, ask questions, look for
answers and question them with all your might. And also always look one step
ahead of the one that you are just about to take. If you care about education,
then please stay at home, your country needs you.
What is your thesis in the academic work you’re writing at the moment?
I am trying to see if my students’ stage of
advancement can be measured linguistically.
What are the topics you engage within your academic works or would like
to research in the future?
The topics are fascinating, things like fluency,
complexity, idiomaticity, the nature of advancedness and native-like
proficiency, language acquisition. I’m especially fascinated by anything to do
with teacher-training and finding out if we can teach somebody to be a good
teacher, but don’t ask me what that is.
You have written countless textbooks and conduct a seminar in the field
of language acquisition. Have you come across some trick to learn a foreign
language faster/better?
I have. But if I told anybody they wouldn’t listen,
and if they did there would be no more need for teacher-training, and I’m not
ready to retire yet. So I’ll keep it a secret for now.
Which of the two do you think should prevail in the early stages of
learning a foreign language: passive absorption of language as spoken/written
by the natives or active study of grammar?
Both things are actually pretty passive. I think one
needs to be as active as possible both in the absorption and in the production.
That’s the key.
Do you think that the shift in language learning towards more
interactive learning and directly away from the ‘dry’ toiling over grammar is
necessarily a good thing?
Language teaching and learning must be interactive,
but I don’t think you can interact without at least some foundations. You do
need grammar and vocab, you need to know how things are done with the language
so that you can develop flexibility. For myself, I wish I had a ‘cvičebnice gramatiky’ for any language
I’d like to learn.
In how many languages are you able to conduct a conversation? Are you
planning on learning another or of which do you crave to deepen your knowledge?
This very much depends on the time of the day, but
often I can’t string words together even in Czech. But sometimes I get by in
Russian, Italian, perhaps still in Spanish. I yearn to learn German.
- Further on languages
Have you ever written any fiction/poetry/drama?
I have, and a large volume of my poetry is awaiting
publication in the series How not to…
Volume 2 is in the offing, with a simple but effective title “Cvičebnice anglické fikce”. Volume 3,
entitled Time to…drama is, I believe,
to be published posthumously.
What is your stance on people who compose not in their native tongue?
Giving up the freedom offered to you by your own
mother tongue?!
Do you consider yourself bilingual?
Bilingualism is notoriously difficult to define. But,
honestly, there will always be so much more you can do in your own mother
tongue. I don’t think you can learn any other language any better. It’s just so
many things beyond just language which enter into communication.
What is your relationship to
your mother tongue? How does your Czech personality differ from your English
one?
Czech is
infinitely more cuddly. As for my identity, I often feel that starej Gráf and Mr. Graf are two very
different people.
You said that you could talk fluent English as soon as you landed in
Britain without prior speaking practice. Do you think you have a special talent
for English? Or have you simply devoted the greatest amount of time to studying
it?
I spent a vast amount of private and intimate time
with English before ever becoming personal with a native speaker, that’s true.
Precisely how I learnt to speak the language without actually ever speaking it
will always be a mystery to me. Chomsky might say I had an English Acquisition
Device. Who knows?
- Miscellaneous
I haven’t got one, but I like Sting’s performance of
John Dowland’s songs.
What other genres/bands/composers do you fancy?
I am moved by the voice of Eva Cassidy (but I do not
fancy her). I like Dylan (and I don’t fancy him either). But I’m mostly a
classical music fan.
What one book would you thrust into English Studies student’s hands?
Liesmann’s Teorie
nevzdělanosti.
What is your favourite word in terms of meaning and in terms of sound?
The first one is the word journey because it’s so adventurous and full of life, and I love
the sound of path because it sounds
so English to me.
What accent of English do you abhor the most?
My own, of course.
Would you boast of yourself as a maestro bread baker now?
I wouldn’t like to because I would have to stop
looking forward to the day that I make the most perfect loaf of bread. I love
journeying.
What is the next hot thing in Anglo fashion?
A baguette in the shape of a Union Jack?
Jaromír Lelek
