Job Discussion Forums

dajiang · Joined: 13 May 2004 Posts: 663 Location: Guilin!

Yes... verbing weirds language.

thelmadatter · Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 4:50 pm Post subject: C and H

Calvin and Hobbs totally rock.

John Hall · Posted: Thu Feb 08, 2007 11:49 pm Post subject:

Today, I was doing a four-hour intensive class, and decided that the one break permitted by the university would be at the 2 and 1/2 hour mark. It was a beginner class, and just before the break, one student was finding it hard to "hold it" any longer. So, she put up her hand, and with crossed legs and a mild urgency, asked, "May I help you use the washroom?"

I thanked her for the offer, but told her I could do it myself. Laughing

The whole class had a good laugh.

shuize · Joined: 04 Sep 2004 Posts: 1270

The funniest thing a student ever wrote to me:

"You are a very good teacher and you have a very important job."

Jerezgirl · Joined: 29 Jan 2007 Posts: 18 Location: Jerez, Spain

Has anyone heard the same mistakes from students so many times that you end up making it yourself without realising?

I work with Spanish, and I have occasionally heard myself saying things like "I have 34 years" instead of "I am 34", and "I have lost my train" instead of "I have missed my train".

As soon as I say it I know it�s wrong, but I have already embarrassed myself by then!

Nicole

ilaria · Joined: 26 Jan 2007 Posts: 88 Location: Sicily

Hi Jerezgirl, yes my intermediate Italian occasionally does interfere with my mother-tongue English in the way you mention.

But more often I deliberately use English words with their Italian meanings when talking to English-speaking colleagues, and they do it too. 'You should lament to the DoS!' Or, 'Let's go and fume.' (Lamentare = complain; fumare = smoke.)

We used to conjugate English verbs the Italian way - 'Smokiamo?' - but that just got annoying.

Don't know why we do these completely pointless things, or why they're so easy.

Venti · Joined: 19 Oct 2006 Posts: 171 Location: Kanto, Japan

John Hall · Posted: Fri Feb 09, 2007 5:12 pm Post subject: L2 Interference

Jerezgirl · Joined: 29 Jan 2007 Posts: 18 Location: Jerez, Spain

Only yesterday I said "He has smoken a cigarette".

Oh dear. Embarassed

shuize · Joined: 04 Sep 2004 Posts: 1270

11:59 · Posted: Sat Feb 10, 2007 4:25 pm Post subject:

Native speakers of Cantonese seem unable to produce /'in.sekts/, invariably rendering it as /'in.ses/ or /'in.sest/. Anyway, I'm often told by local Hong Kong Chinese teachers that they are amazed that I live 'so far out in the countryside' (by which they mean 30 mins. away by train). This, they say, is because of both the distances involved getting to and from work, and all the /'in.sest/ in such areas (the adjective often used is 'rampant').

furiousmilksheikali · Posted: Sat Feb 10, 2007 4:49 pm Post subject:

gaijinalways · Joined: 29 Nov 2005 Posts: 2279

The bigger problems with Cantonese speakers is the 'l' and 'n' confusion. So good night becomes good light! Cool

dajiang · Joined: 13 May 2004 Posts: 663 Location: Guilin!

A student of mine had learned some words by herself, however she muddled them up a bit when she said:

"I couldnt find my vag ina."

when she meant to say pajama.

after that she kept making the same mistake a few more times, and in the end she just stopped saying either word at all for fear of mixing up.

Dajiang

Sweetsee · Joined: 11 Jun 2004 Posts: 2302 Location: ) is everything

Last night in a lesson we were working on telephone conversations and in one exercise the students were asked to put the caller on hold. One of the men said to the other, "...can I hold you?"
We were busting up!
Enjoy,
s