Native speakers' opinion needed!

[Blackness]

I have a question for all native speakers of English. Could you please tell me how would you explain the meaning of the word "insecurity" to someone who doesn't speak English? I would be very very grateful for your answers , especially those spontaneous and instinctive! I need your answers to compare them to those given by the advanced learners of English in Poland that take part in my experiment. I am looking forward to your answers!

 

[BobK]

I'd act it out, especially with that sort of class. You could turn this into a team game - adjectives in a hat, sts have to get their group to guess which one they're acting out. (A related Parlour game - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia uses adverbs and is called 'In the Manner of the Word' - I'm sure you can work out what it involves.

b

 

[Blackness]

Thank you for your reply Still...

In my experiment I ask advanced and upper-intermediate students to tell me what their associations with the word "insecurity" are. This word doesn't have an exact equivalent in Polish , therefore I ask them to come up with at least a few possible equivalents, possible associations etc (those "interviews" are recorded) . Now I would like to know how native speakers understand this word. Is it about anxiety, fear, uncertainty..etc? Could you please tell me what your associations are?

 

[Tdol]

If, for example, you have job insecurity, you worry because you could lose it, so one sort of insecurity can come from this feeling that you don't fully possess or control something, or don't (fully) belong.

 

[NADORI]

:-D HI, I'm quite sure that unsecurity means something we can not predict.

 

[NADORI]

sorry I mean insecurity

 

[SanMar]

1) Not feeling confident.. or 2) not trusting in something.. or 3) some degree of fear

They are all linked but the focus shifts a bit depending on the situation.
That's the first thing that popped into my mind.

Native speaker
Not a teacher.

 

[Blackness]

Thank you so much for your replies! - this is exactly what I expected everything you mentioned was a very valuable piece of information for me and I would be even more grateful if even more native speakers wished to present their ideas on what insecurity is

To those who have already done it- thanks once again!

 

[BobK]

Autobiographical tangent; yawn.

This thread reminds me of a song I wrote/sang in an OUP pantomime. People at the press were worried about losing their jobs, and felt generally insecure. It was felt by some that management was intentionally fostering a sense of insecurity, to strengthen their bargaining hane.

Referring to Securicor - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, I dreamed up a uniformed service that spread such feelings: Insecuricor. I guess you had to be there...

Meanwhile, back at the thread...

b

 

[lettie]

Insecurity

I would find a picture of a living thing failing, hiding, or looking insecure. I would compare it to a photo or image of a living thing that is secure, confident or the same in a confident (opposite) pose. In between I would engage the learner in a discussion or thinking that starts with 'what does this picture say to you' progressing up to the confident pose. A number of photos can be used as the teacher walks the learner up the stairs from insecurity to security in posture. This I think will help a person who does not speak english to identify with a great definition of what insecurity may mean but does mean to them. This will give you the learner an opportunity to learn the learners words that compare with or are equal to english terminology that have to do with the english term researching...insecurity. Hope this helps! :shock: Lettie

 

[BobK]

Re: Insecurity

:up: Sounds good. The trouble is that https://www.usingenglish.com/forum/linguistics/145274-native-speakers-opinion-needed.html#post740485 makes it clear that what is wanted is words - in my view this obsession with near-synonyms and 'translation' is a sterile back-water. But it's a sadly popular one. :-(

b

 

[birdeen's call]

I have a question for all native speakers of English. Could you please tell me how would you explain the meaning of the word "insecurity" to someone who doesn't speak English? I would be very very grateful for your answers , especially those spontaneous and instinctive! I need your answers to compare them to those given by the advanced learners of English in Poland that take part in my experiment. I am looking forward to your answers!

What were the learners' answers?