12.02.2009

the oddity of language

As part of my preparation for teaching I'm required to get 25 TEFL volunteer hours. I'm currently a classroom assistant and tutor with Centro Latino in Cambridge (and I highly recommend it if you're looking for someplace to volunteer!) While going over vocabulary today in the ESOL class that I assist the following conversation came up:

Teacher: Repeat after me, kitchen
Students: (collective mumbling resembling the word kitchen)
Teacher: KITCHEN not CHICKEN. You EAT chicken IN the kitchen. Kitchen not chicken.

Later...
Teacher: Dirty. Dirrr-ty. Dirty. Yes, it does sound like turkey. Dirty turkey.

All I have to say is that I am going to have so much fun next year! Teaching English makes you realize how hysterical and nonsensical language can be. Who thinks of this stuff?

2 comments:

Jon said...

"English doesn't borrow from other languages. It follows them down dark alleys, knocks them unconscious and goes through their pockets for loose grammar."

Erin said...

LOL Well put Jon!