Is my teacher adeqate?

[Salieri_Bar]

My teacher of the English language has been working in a secondary school for almost 30 years but falls short in English. For example, she claims that "apparent" and "obvious" are the synonyms and has never heard of the verb "devise"! Is she adequate for her position?

Thank you.

 

[Amigos4]

'Apparent' and 'obvious' are synonyms!

As for your teachers competency, we would need to know more information about her background and credentials.

 

[Raymott]

My teacher of the English language has been working in a secondary school for almost 30 years but falls short in English. For example, she claims that "apparent" and "obvious" are the synonyms and has never heard of the verb "devise"! Is she adequate for her position?

Thank you.

I disagree with amigos that "apparent" and "obvious" are strict synonyms (not many words are); but at least this is evidence that at least one native speaker thinks so.
Given that some English teachers from various parts of the world have trouble putting a correct English sentence together (search this site for examples), it is not immediately apparent or obvious that your teacher is 'inadequate'.
No one is perfect. She is obviously not to be trusted as the final word in English vocabulary, but it's still possible that she's good enough to teach basic English to native Serbian speakers.
What level is she teaching at?

 

[BobK]

It's easy to catch any teacher out in a lapse (real or imagined); what matters is whether they can teach.

b

 

[Tdol]

Did she say they were always synonyms or were synonymous in a particular context?

 

[Salieri_Bar]

I had an argument with my classmate. He was claiming that both words have the same meaning but I disagreed so we decided to ask our teacher. My classmate asked her if both words were synonyms (in general) and she answered: "Yeah, both words are completely the same".

 

[Amigos4]

I disagree with amigos that "apparent" and "obvious" are strict synonyms (not many words are); but at least this is evidence that at least one native speaker thinks so.

Raymott, why aren't 'apparent' and 'obvious' synonyms? The following indicates they are synonymous:

Obvious Synonyms, Obvious Antonyms | Thesaurus.com

apparent: West's Encyclopedia of American Law (Full Article) from Answers.com

Amigos

 

[BobK]

Raymott, why aren't 'apparent' and 'obvious' synonyms? The following indicates they are synonomous:

Obvious Synonyms, Obvious Antonyms | Thesaurus.com

apparent: West's Encyclopedia of American Law (Full Article) from Answers.com

Amigos

There's overlap. It all depends on what you mean by synonym - and what you mean by the words in the definition. Some people say synonyms have 'the same or nearly the same meaning' and then disagree about the meaning of 'nearly'. Raymott used the expression 'strict synonym', and said - I agree - that in real life 'strict synonyms' are very rare. Web-sites and books that list 'synonyms' aren't strict.

b

 

[Raymott]

Raymott, why aren't 'apparent' and 'obvious' synonyms? The following indicates they are synonymous:

Obvious Synonyms, Obvious Antonyms | Thesaurus.com

apparent: West's Encyclopedia of American Law (Full Article) from Answers.com

Amigos

"Apparent" means "to the appearance", "on the evidence in front of us".
1. "It's apparent that you haven't thought about this." This means that it seems that you haven't. It appears that you haven't.
2. "It is obvious that you haven't thought about this." This is a stronger statement. This means not only is it apparent, but I believe it is true. I infer from the appearance (and perhaps something further) that it is true that you haven't thought about it.

This is how I've always understood these words. Saying, "Obviously you are wrong" is a stronger statement than "Apparently you are wrong". This latter leaves open the possibility that there might be something beyond current appearances that would prove you not wrong.

Note that your own dictionary makes this distinction by giving a definition of 'obvious' as 'quite apparent' thus strengthening the meaning.

http://www.answers.com/topic/obvious

 

[Amigos4]

Raymott, with all due respect, I stand by my statement that 'apparent' and 'obvious' are synonyms.

The original post did not ask if the two words were 'strict' synonyms. To me, a 'synonym' is a 'synonym' whether it is strict or not.

Nonetheless, questioning the inadequacy of a teacher because she believes these words are synonyms seems like a very shallow litmus test! As for the teacher not knowing that 'devise' is a verb, if the non-native speaker pronounced 'devise' (verb) as 'device' (noun), I can see where some confusion might exist!

In any event, based upon these two examples, I think it is extremely unfair for us to pass judgement on the adequacy of an individual who has been teaching for three decades.

Amen!

 

[Raymott]

Raymott, with all due respect, I stand by my statement that 'apparent' and 'obvious' are synonyms.
Yes they are.

Obvious: Synonyms: apparent, ascertainable, clear-cut, definite, detectable, discernible, distinguishable, estimable, evident, good-sized, goodly, healthy, large, manifest, marked, material, measurable, noticeable, observable, obvious, perceivable, perceptible, plain, pronounced, recognizable, sensible, significant, sizable, substantial, tangible, visible
Obvious Synonyms, Obvious Antonyms | Thesaurus.com


The original post did not ask if the two words were 'strict' synonyms. To me, a 'synonym' is a 'synonym' whether it is strict or not.
How about now that the teacher has come back with: "Yeah, both words are completely the same"? (Post #6) Does that change the substance of the original post and the "strictness" with which the claim has been made?

Anyhow, to me the difference is totally goodly and sensible [sic]!

R.

 

[Tdol]

Nonetheless, questioning the inadequacy of a teacher because she believes these words are synonyms seems like a very shallow litmus test!

I agree with this. Also, when asked a question in class where an instant answer is called for, it is easy to give an over-general answer. When you have time to think of examples, it's easier to find examples of usage and differences, and everybody seems agreed that there is overlap- the question is how much.

 

[Raymott]

I agree too, and I think it’s quite understandable for a teacher to say things like this. The inevitable result of admitting that the words are not strict synonyms is having to answer, “What’s the difference?”. As we’ve seen this is difficult enough for native speakers. I would be very tempted to agree that they are complete synonyms too in a classroom situation. It’s a simple choice between telling a little white lie, and committing yourself to another ten minutes of work before the next class (and multiply that by the number of “What’s the difference?” questions you let yourself in for per day).
Given that, it’s not so much a sign of inadequacy as one of self-preservation.

 

[BobK]

... when asked a question in class where an instant answer is called for, it is easy to give an over-general answer...

This reminded me of a time when a Polish student was reading a story which used the word 'zloty'. I told him that there was no /zl/ in English; what I meant was that in words not borrowed from other languages, word-initially, this consonant cluster was impossible. But it does occur quite frequently in phrases like 'has left'.

b

 

[birdeen's call]

Some people say synonyms have 'the same or nearly the same meaning' and then disagree about the meaning of 'nearly'. Raymott used the expression 'strict synonym', and said - I agree - that in real life 'strict synonyms' are very rare. Web-sites and books that list 'synonyms' aren't strict.

I think there can even be a problem with the definition of 'strict synonyms'. Is it enough that they denote exactly the same entity or should they also be used in the same way?

I told him that there was no /zl/ in English

Off-topic
Although this cluster isn't at all strange for my language, ironically, this is not the case where it's present... It's one of the cases in which English speakers borrowed the spelling and not the pronunciation. And not only did they borrow just the spelling but also got rid of the diacritics. ;-) It's "złoty" with a barred "l" originally. It's pronounced /zwɔtɨ/. Another example is "kielbasa" which is "kiełbasa" in Polish.

 

[BobK]

I think there can even be a problem with the definition of 'strict synonyms'. Is it enough that they denote exactly the same entity or should they also be used in the same way?

Good question. I generally try to avoid the word "synonym" if I can because it means so many different things to so many people. Discussions involving it tend to generate more heat than light. ;-)

Off-topic
Although this cluster isn't at all strange for my language, ironically, this is not the case where it's present... It's one of the cases in which English speakers borrowed the spelling and not the pronunciation. And not only did they borrow just the spelling but also got rid of the diacritics. ;-) It's "złoty" with a barred "l" originally. It's pronounced /zwɔtɨ/. Another example is "kielbasa" which is "kiełbasa" in Polish.

Thanks :up: I didn't realize how far off the mark I was - imprisoned* by English phonology! ;-)

b
PS *Well, at least hidebound.