Postgraduate Degree for School Teachers in Indonesia is Not A Must

School teachers of English in Indonesia should not have a postgraduate degree. It is a fact that to be a teacher is not easy. The teacher has to complete a professional curriculum in a teacher education institution to get the certificate of teaching qualification as a proof that he/she has passed examinatons and gained a certain degree of knowledge in teaching English as Foreign Language (Rasyid, et al, 2015). The teacher also has to comprehend the areas of teacher competences which consist of pedagogical competence, professional competence, personality competence and social competence (BSNP Indonesia, 2015). However, having a postgraduate degree could not be considered as one of the qualification.  It is true that it is better than graduate degree, but it does not guarantee that one who has the postgraduate degree is more competent to be a teacher than the one with graduate degree.

Everybody knows that English subject that is learnt in schools contains the basic materials. It focuses on four language skills and four language elements. English Education scholars have learnt all of the materials related to the English subject for school students. It is enough to teach the students with the knowledge from graduate degree. They only have to comprehend the materials much better, so they can anticipate the students’ questions. they also need to practice using English more, so they will have many experiences to share, and can give a good example in practicing English to the students.

Another reason why postgraduate degree is not a must for school teachers of English in Indonesia is the presence of a program called Training of Teacher Profession. This program is specialised to graduate scholars who want to work as teachers. It is good to learn more about how to be a good teacher and how to make lesson plan, scoring rubrics, etc. They can also practice microteaching and many things that are needed in teaching and learning process in schools later. If this program can run well, good English teachers undoubtedly can be resulted.

Furthermore, to continue the study in postgraduate program is not cheap. It needs much money to register. In this case, not all of graduate scholars are able to continue their study. It is rather difficult to study in postgtaduate program when they still do not have a job. They may wish they could get a job easily by having a graduate degree. They might be smart or capable for teaching, but if the school teachers should have postgraduate degree, it means that the work field has lessened and they could not be considered to teach. So, it will be more difficult for them to continue their study if the work field is limited.

Lastly, one with graduate degree is enough to be qualified as a teacher. One only need to learn and practice more before teaching, so he/she can be more competent than before. In short, postgraduate degree does not need to become a teaching qualfication. One can consider to continue his/her study to the postgraduate program after becoming a teacher.

REFERENCES
Rasyid, Muhammad Amin, et al. 2015. Getting insights Into The Perennial Truths of EFL Teaching-Learning Processes. The Perennial Truths: Introduction to TEFL, State University of Makassar, 27th July [Lecture Notes taken by Ayu Pertiwi, 2015].

BSNP Indonesia. 2015. Standar Pendidik dan Tenaga Kependidikan. Available at: http://bsnp-indonesia. org/ ?page_id=107/ [Accessed August 2, 2015].

7 Proverbs and Their Meanings

A "proverb" is a short, traditional saying in general use. It usually expresses some obvious truth or familiar experience. Here are some proverbs that are well known in English, though some of them come from other languages. The meanings given are generally accepted meanings, though other interpretations may be possible.

1. "Don't cross your bridges before you come to them."
Don't worry about problems before they arrive.

2. "Soon learnt, soon forgotten."
Something that is easy to learn is easy to forget.

3. "Even a worm will turn."
Everybody will revolt if driven too far.
* worm (noun) = small thin animal with soft body and no legs
* turn (verb) = revolt, fight back

4. "It was the last straw that broke the camel's back."
There is a limit to everything.
* straw (noun) = dried stalk of grain (like grass)
* camel (noun) = large long-necked animal in the desert

5. "The way to a man's heart is through his stomach."
Many women have won a man's love by cooking good meals.
* way (noun) = path; route

6. "Where there's a will there's a way."
If we are determined to do something, we can do it.
* will (noun) = strong determination, desire.
* way (noun) = path, method

7. "The best advice is found on the pillow."
We may find the answer to a problem after sleeping.
* advice (noun) = recommendation as to what to do
* pillow (noun) = cushion to rest your head on sleeping

source: englishclub.com

Structural Grammar

1. The philosophers in the Structural Grammar developing English:

A.European Structural Linguistics:

Sir William Jones

In the 1780s Sir William Jones, an Englishman, contributed invaluable linguistic information. He had become fascinated with Sanskrit. He had come across the work of an ancient Indian scholar, Panini, who had written an extremely detailed grammar of Sanskrit during the fifth century B.C.

Jones had convinced tat the enormous number of similarities between the roots of Sanskrit and those of Greek and Latin provided strong evidence that all three of these languages were in some way related.

Jones hypothesized that a great many other European and Asian languages probably had histories which could be traced back to the same original parent language.

Jones speculated that whatever that original source language might have been, it had been spoken so far back in history that it no longer existed.

Franz Bopp

In 1816 Franz Bopp, a German language scholar who is often called the founder of historical and comparative linguistics, published Uber das Conjugationssystem, in which he did two things:

First, he supported the results of his own comparative studies of verb inflections in Sanskrit, Greek, Latin, Persian, and several of the European Teutonic (Germanic) languages.

Second, he contended that his own results, along with those of other comparative inquiries, furnished convincing support for the theory that not only had all these languages developed simultaneously, although independently, from a single parent language, but that it also was quite possible to recover enough empirical historical linguistic evidence to be able to reconstruct a fairly close approximation of that ancient Indo-European language which had bben the source of them all.

Charles Darwin

In 1859, Darwin’s book On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection was published, followed twelve years later by a second book, The Descent of Man.  In these volumes Darwin argued that humans evolved, very gradually and over an enormous period historical time, from more primitive ancestors.

B. American Structural Linguistics:

Franz Boas & Edwars Sapir

Franz Boas, and later his student, Edward Sapir, were the first to formally proposed that structural analysis should be conducted on three sucessive levels, beginning with the sound level, proceeding next to word structure analysis, and only then to the analysis of syntax or sentence structure.

Leonard Bloomfield

Bloomfield’s most important contribution as probably his method of “immediate constituent” analysis.

Charles Carpenter Fries

Among Fries contributions were these:
First, he divised a word-classification system based solely on the forms or structure of isolated words.
Second, he listed five grammatical devices which serve, in English, to signal grammatical clues.
Third, he invented asystem of grammatical analysis by means of test frames.

2. The characteristics of structural grammar:

A. Principle of structural grammar:

Lyon says that structural grammar or modern linguistics is based upon the following principles:

- Priority of spoken language
Linguistics is a descriptive, not a prescriptive science.

- The linguist is interested in all language
Priority of synchronic description.

- The structural approach
‘Langue’ and ‘parole’.

B. The grammar system

A language must have a system for putting its words together in meaningul relationships. This is the role of a grammar, and it is what the structuralist refers to as grammatical meaning.

- Nominalization: a method of indicating names for objects and ideas; also, a means of changing nonnaming structure to a naming one.

- Predication: a method of making an assertion or an affirmation.
Modification a means of associating particular qualities, limitations, or qualifications with a particular word or idea.

- Subordination: a method of showing the relative importance of ideas of unequal significance.

- Coordination: a method of showing that certain words or ideas are of equal importance.

- Complementation: a means of completing a construction begun by a verb.

Phonology

Work at the phonological level in the description of English was made possible largely by the contributions of Trager and Smith, who devised a method of isolating English phonemes and who developed a phonemic alphabet for American English phonemes.

Morphology

Investigation at the morphological level is confined to word-structure, and while investigators may make use of the methodology and conclusions of the lower phonological level, the may not justify any of the morphological analysis by reference to the higher, syntactic level.

Syntax

Our next task is to look beyond isolated forms to determine the syntactic environments in which certain word types typically occur.

(Sumber: Textbook Mata Kuliah Grammar)

Interesting Places in Tana Toraja (Speaking Task)

One of interesting place that I visited is Tana Toraja. I visited it about 8 months ago. When I went to Tana Toraja, it could be done using a bus from Makassar to Makale with a trip to the approximately 10 hours. An interesting tourist attraction in Tana Toraja is associated with the release ceremony of that dead, called Rambu Solo. But, unfortunately there was no ceremony when I visited Tana Toraja. In this moment, I want to share about 5 place of interest in Tana Toraja that I have visited with my friends.

1.    Pallawa

Tongkonan Pallawa is one tongkonan or traditional house that very interesting and were among the bamboo trees on the hilltop.Tongkonan is decorated with a number of buffalo horn that is attached at the front of traditional house. 

There were some shops that sold souvenirs and original things from Toraja. But, I wasn’t interested in all souvenirs there. So, I didn’t buy anything there.

2.    Londa

Londa is the steep rocks on the side of a typical tomb Tana Toraja. One was located on high ground from the hill with a deep cave where the bodies crates arranged in accordance with the family line. The origin people said that there was a couple who weren’t permitted to get married, so they committed suicide. Then their corpses were assembled in this grave by their families. The people believe that this way could make that couple together forever. About the grave, I hope that was the last time to go there because I was afraid to walk there. The way was  so slippery and I slipped there. That’s why I don’t want to go back for the second time. My friends and I were given opportunity to take some pictures there. After that, I bought some gifts for my family.

3.    Ke’te Kesu

The objects of this charming village are Tongkonan, rice barns and buildings in the surrounding megaliths. About 100 yards behind this village there is a cliff with the grave cemetery site dependent and tau-tau in a given building stone fence. Tau-tau shows the daily appearance of the owner. This village is also known as carving skills possessed by its inhabitants as well as a great place to shop for souvenirs. I bought bracelets there.

4.    Lemo

This place is often referred to as the home of the spirits. In the cemetery you can see the corpses Lemo that stored in the open air, amid the steep rocks. This cemetery is the combination of death, art, and ritual. At certain times, the clothes from the bodies will be replaced with a ceremony Ma Nene. I think Lemo was a unique grave because it looks like a circular orange. We just took some photos because it was raining when we just arrived there.

5.    Kambira

Kambira is located in Buntu Sangalla village. It was a tree grave. Only little baby corpses that buried here. They were buried in that big tree. As usual, my friends and I took some photos there. haha.

That’s all interesting places that I have visited with my friends. I really enjoyed this vacation and I wish I can go to another interesting place with my friends.

Word Stress

The stressed and unstressed words are commonly determined by the following factors:

1.    The value of the vowels in the words.    There are two English vowels which occur in weak-stressed syllables, namely /ə/ and /i/.

Word desert

Noun /`dezət/

Verb /di`zз:t/

2.    Some suffixes are always stressed in English, and when they are suffixed to the words they move their stress to the syllable before them

-ation	pro`nunce	pronunci`ation
	pro`liferate	prolife`ration
	co'mmunicate	communi`cation
	in`vestigate	investi`gation
	in`vigilate	invigi`lation
	segregate	segregation
	re`cite	reci`tation
	in`form	infor`mation
	`decorate	deco`ration
	ex`claim	excla`mation
	de`nationalize	denationali`zation
	orga`nize	organi`zation
	ob`serve	obser`vation
	inter`pret	interpre`tation
-itious		am`bitious
		super`stitious
-icious	su`spicion	sus`picious
		ju`dicious
-acious	‘fallacy	fall‘acious
-ition	ex`pose	expo`sition
	`definite	defi`nition
	predi`spose	predispo`sition
-ician	`comedy	co`median
	`politic	poli`tician
-itious		am`bitious
		super`stitious
-icious	su`spicion	sus`picious
		ju`dicious
-acious	‘fallacy	fall‘acious
-ition	ex`pose	expo`sition
	`definite	defi`nition
	predi`spose	predispo`sition
-ician	`comedy	co`median

3.    Some suffixes are unstressed, but the syllable before the suffix is always stressed.

-ity	`able	a`bility
	`active	ac`tivity
	`formal	for`mality
	`rapid	`rapidity
	real	re`ality
	`public	pu`blicity
	`humid	hu`midity
-ic	a`cademy	aca`demic
	`energy	e`nergetic
-ify		`classify
		`terrify
		hu`midify

4.    Words of the two syllables which can be nouns or verbs. Nouns of two syllables usually have the stress on the first syllable while verbs in the second.

No	Word	Noun	Verb
1	present	/`preznt/	/pri`zent/
2	export	/`ekspɔ:t/	/Ik`spɔ:t/
3	impact	/`Impækt/	/Im`pækt/
4	import	/`Impɔ:t/	/Im`pɔ:t/
5	imprint	/`Imprint/	/Im`print/
6	incense	/`Insens/	/In`sens/
7	incline	/`InklaIn/	/In`klaIn/
8	increase	/`Iŋkri:s/	/In`kri:s/
9	indent	/`Indent/	/In`dent/
10	insert	/`Insз:t/	/In`sз:t/
11	insult	/`Insʌlt/	/In`sʌlt/
12	address	/`ædres/	/ə`dres/
13	contract	/`kɒntrækt/	/kən`trækt/
14	object	/`ɒbʤikt/	/əb`ʤekt/
15	overhang	/`əʊvəhæŋ/	/əʊvə`hæŋ/
16	converse	/`kɒnvз:s/	/kən`vз:s/
17	convert	/`kɒnvз:t/	/kən`vз:t/
18	intern	/`Intз:n/	/In`tз:n/
19	permit	/`pз:mIt/	/pə`mIt/
20	desert	/`dezət/	/di`zз:t/
21	suspect	/`sʌspekt/	/sə`spekt/
22	protest	/`prəʊtest/	/prə`test/
23	exploit	/`eksplɔIt/	/Ik`splɔIt/
24	console	/`kɒnsəʊl/	/kən`səʊl/
25	compound	/`kɒmpaʊnd/	/kɒm`paʊnd/
26	ally	/`ælaI/	/ə`laI/
27	prospect	/`prɒspekt/	/prə`spekt/
28	defect	/`di:fekt/	/dI`fekt/