Sir Keriandel at his workplace
Anna: I think that the average age in SL is 35. Are you younger or older than 35?
Keriandal: Younger
Anna: What is your mother tongue?
Keriandal: Finnish
Anna: When did you create your first avatar, and why?
Keriandal: Lol, this one will sound odd.
Anna: *giggles* Why?
Keriandal: I saw CSI episode about SL and well, all started from that
Anna: Mhm in that episode, for what I know, SL was not portrayed too realistically nor to positively. What did you think when you first log in?
Keriandal: I was amazed that this type of simulator has good graphics
Anna: Did you try some other Virtual worlds or Multi-user online game (like Wow) before?
Keriandal: WOW sucks…lol.
Anna: *laughs*
Keriandal: Yeah… many MMorpgs
Anna: So you came from the online gaming world.. mhm I will ask some questions to you later on that.
Anna: Did you study or learn English before entering SL? If yes, what was your level, more or less?
Keriandal: I had good base of English
Anna: Was your English level average for your age and your country or higher?
Keriandal: Higher
Anna: Because of the MMorpgs? or there was another reason?
Keriandal: High interest toward the language
Anna: but when you played online, you were using the English language, right?
Keriandal: Mostly English
Anna: Is there any difference in the use of language in MMorpgs and SL?
Keriandal: Well same type as English was used for chatting
Anna: And could you say that your higher level of English was also due to MMorpgs?
Keriandal: To some parts yes
Anna: Has your English improved since you joined SL?
Keriandal: Yes
Anna: Can you be a bit more specific? How? How much?
Keriandal: Enough that I can outtalk most of my country’s people
Anna: Why and when did you start roleplaying?
Keriandal: On the day I came to Artstonia
Anna: Lol, and it was simply so?.. When did it happened? How many moths after you entered in SL for the first time?
Keriandal: On the second day
Anna: So you arrived in SL and you went straight to Artstonia? *surprised* How did you find it? I mean.. it’s a single Sim in a sea of Sims..
Keriandal: On the main pain page hehe
Anna: *Smiles* yes, it was in the showcase once.. now I don’t think it’s there anymore. But well.. How did you feel about roleplaning in Artstonia? Did you notice any difference with the roleplaing in MMorpgs?
Keriandal: Much more enjoyable
Anna: Why?
Keriandal: Because you can create the character to look as you want it, and much more deeper
Anna: And the interaction? With other players? Is it different?
Keriandal: yes
Anna: *giggles* why?
Keriandal: OHMYGOSH. Cause they don’t look all the same, all got different backgrounds
Anna: Since then, that is, since when you arrived at Artstonia, have you attended any course, or engaged in other activities that could have helped you improving your English (reading, movies, trips etc)
Keriandal: I do read English books and so on
Anna: But you did not attend any course, right?
Keriandal: No
Anna: And do you practice English only in SL or as well in other contexts (work, leisure, other virtual worlds or communities)
Keriandal: Mainly in SL
Anna: How many hours do you spend roleplaying? How many hours in SL (in general, rp or not)
Keriandal: Well.. you count: 1 year 9 months averagely around 4 hours/day on each day
Anna: And you said that in your opinion your English has improved, due to SL and roleplay, right? But.. which kind of language did you learnt here? The same language you would learn in class?
Keriandal: I think I’ve learned more of the language that is most common. Not British nor American. Just the most common and then of course different sort of variations, you know
Anna: For instance?
Keriandal: Well, I might have learned rather different styles
Anna: so you think that the kind of language you find in SL has a broader register respect those you find in a RL class?
Keriandal: Yup
Anna: Most roleplay are in chat, that is people do not “speak” but simply write what they have to say. Do you feel comfortable with your spoken English? Do you know many words or expression in their written form but not how they sound?
Keriandal: I speak in English on Skype also, so that helps a lot
Anna: Ah.. you did not tell me that when I asked if you practice English as well in other ways.. *shakes her head*
Anna: Are you afraid of learning “bad English”? I mean, many players use the language to characterise their characters, for instance speaking in a way that resembles ancient English. Many others are not English speakers, I mean, English is not their mother tongue. Do you think that it affects you? I mean, that you can learn a sort of “wrong model”, or that it could affect the way some people might use the language?
Keriandal: I got filter in my head so that I convert it always to normal English
Anna: So you don’t think that there is the danger of people going then to real life and say “I be” and things of that sort?
Keriandal: lol. You hit the nail
Anna: *smiles* And people makes a lot of typos… because we all write very quickly (and foreigners like me make a lot of spelling mistakes, or vocabulary mistakes)… can it influence negatively your language?
Keriandal: No cause typo is a typo
Anna: So, you think that you do not run the risk of taking up bad habits here? Language habits I mean..
Keriandal: I got 99 habits but bad language aint one, lol
Anna: *smiles* Can you remember and share with us a language learning situation in roleplay? A moment in which you realised that you were learning something new? Or a moment you were aware of some language learning taking place?
Keriandal: Usually that happens at least twice a week as some one says a word I don’t recognise then I take dictionary and find it.
Anna: Only words? Not structures or expressions?
Keriandal: Those also
Anna: Would you recommend roleplay in SL to improve one’s foreign language skills?
Keriandal: Only as addition to language course. Some basic knowledge would be good.
Anna: Not for beginners you mean? Or are you meaning that it will not be useful “alone” without a language course going with it? Independently from the level?
Keriandal: I mean, if you don’t know the language I would recommend some school, like lessons..
Anna: Ok, let’s take a upper intermediate or higher level student? would it be possible for him to learn English through roleplay alone? With no teacher? Or do you think it would be risky somehow?
Keriandal: Well as I said… it would be good to study first.. and after ye know the basics ye could start to learn in SL.
Anna: Thank you very much. Is there anything that I did not ask you that you would like to add? Something language related of course.
Keriandal: I don’t think so
As a ntive speaker of English, I can confirm that Sir K has a very good command of the language .. I did not realise that he was not English until yesterday. (Not so sure he’s really Finnish though …!). This is an interesting and honest interview … thanks as ever for your entertaining and informative posts Anna B!
The next one is with sir Sol… waiting for him approving it
would not like to have to suffer his revenge, in case i say something he does not like it.