[samsiahk]

Hi Sherli...well, when we teach we should be aware (because of this "openness" factor -that there are many varieties around) of the fact that the language will be used in many, differring situations. Like in the Malaysian case, the "official" system would be BE but with the AE becoming more acceptable, I usually explain to my students about both. The same case in using the dictionary...I mean if I use the Longman or Oxford, both give the explanation (pronunciation, meaning, acceptability etc) for both English versions. I think this goes well with the notion that a teacher, nowadays, can only function as a facilitator -the most we can do is make sure that the students are aware of the possibilities out there, and they should be flexible enough to be able to adjust in any given situation. Well, this sounds superb on paper, in reality it is not as easy given that being a non-native speaker sometimes lowers the confidence level.
Has anyone ever hear about cognitive grammar?