Job Discussion Forums

scb222 · Joined: 24 Jan 2003 Posts: 175 Location: Brisvegas, Oz

Some Turkish teachers and students at my school tell me the opposite of hobby is phobby in Turkish corrupted-English. I try to tell them there is no such thing as a phobby. They tell me it is the opposite of hobby. I dont get it. Any ideas? has anyone else ran into this bizarre word?

tekirdag · Joined: 13 Jul 2005 Posts: 505

I know of students saying "fobi" to mean "phobia". I suppose if we push it, a phobia can mean the opposite of hobby. We run to our hobby, run from our phobia...

yeah, I think it's weird,too. Laughing

Baba Alex · Joined: 17 Aug 2004 Posts: 2411

Sheikh Inal Ovar · Joined: 04 Dec 2005 Posts: 1208 Location: Melo Drama School

Perhaps they see hobbies as an obsessive compulsive disorder ... making its opposite, the 'phobby', an 'order' of doing nothing ...

... the people over here have avidly pursued their 'phobbies' for millennia ... so much so that evidence of past and present 'phobbying' is everywhere ... in fact it's what gives the place its character ...

SweetOne · Joined: 19 Jul 2003 Posts: 109

My guess is that they don't understand the word 'hobby' and thus are confused and laying the groundwork for the invention of a word, namely, 'phobby'. But, I think the suggestion that they are confusing 'phobia' is possibly correct. Or, they are just pulling it out of their butts and trying to confuse you. That, i have found, is another 'trick' many students like to play on us. They are entertained watching us attempt to explain the unexplainable.

tekirdag · Joined: 13 Jul 2005 Posts: 505

SweetOne · Joined: 19 Jul 2003 Posts: 109

I know it's the same. But, a lot of students don't realize that we teachers know this. Thus, the game playing. I just now asked a few of my students about this and they laughed, saying they never thought there was an 'opposite' to 'hobby' in English. I had to backtrack and tell them that there isn't, in fact, an opposite but that I was wondering if they had ever heard any such thing before. They hadn't. They, like I, think that it is PERHAPS a joke.

tekirdag · Joined: 13 Jul 2005 Posts: 505

Game playing? Well then, sounds like some people have mean students! Laughing

I'll have to thank my students for being nice to me when I see them! Razz

Baba Alex · Joined: 17 Aug 2004 Posts: 2411

Kick the sh*t out them, they'll never leanr otherwise.

Is like the silent method, except I call it the violent method.

*bes kicking on the students*

dmb · Joined: 12 Feb 2003 Posts: 8397

The violent way? I like it. Does that involve the teacher attacking the student with cuisinaire rods?

btw Did you know that Caleb Gattegno was a Jewish Egyptian Mathmatician....me neither until I googled him.