What’s in a word?
So as a language teacher the one thing that drives me beyond crazy is that my learners seem to believe that they can change the spelling for pretty much any word. Most of the learners are of the opinion that “l” and “r” are interchangeable, “h” is optional, and that words can be sounded out all the same like Oshiwambo. I understand the sounding out letters the way they appear, as they do in Oshiwambo but the others they drive me insane. For example Thomas and Tomas are two different names, even though my learners think they are the same, but when I have to alphabetize their names it makes a difference! Then they’ll change the “l” and “r” in words, so I am not Lindsey but usually Rinzy (that is how they like to spell it, I have found it written on papers and in my text books). Some days I have a David Shilongo and others I have David Shirongo, and it’s the same with other names like Henock Malulu or Henock Maruru. I am constantly finding myself attempting to explain that words spelled with r and different than words spelled with l’s, though the concept doesn’t seem to really sink in. The reason in which they get confused is that they don’t use the r sound in Oshiwambo so somewhere in their education they learned that l and r make the same sound. They even confuse it when reading aloud! I know I should probably push it more, but it’s just become rather amusing because no matter how much or how loud I yell they don’t seem to believe me that l’s and r’s are different!
I can see how that wourd dlive you clazy! : ) Keep up the good work. What you are doing is very challenging but very noble. We can change the world to be a better place, even if it is only one child (and one spelling lesson) at a time.
Whoooo, I do not spell correctly and my spell check does not always help! but I drive my Uncle Bob crazy as your students drive you crazy. My brothers just go along with my incompetence and understand what I am writing just as you understand what your students are writing. On example that you will chuckle is for a long time I started the note with “hay”;
lofl,
Sometimes looking at their native language helps you to understand why they keep missing concepts in English. Like what you are doing with the /l/ and /r/ situation.
English is a hard language to teach. Some words follow phonetics rules and then we find words that go against the rules and conventions of what we previously taught students to use. I guess that is what happens when you are working with a language that the roots of words come from so many sources.
Keep on working with them — I heard somewhere that it takes 21 repetitions for a concept to be remembered by the average person.
You are doing good work. While it may not seem like your learners always appreciate you, the experience that you are giving them by having someone from across the planet from another culture to come teach them is priceless and many of them will appreciate it at some point in their lives.
I can totally feel your pain Linds. Do your learners also have trouble with the /th/ sound? I would get anything from /zh/ to /dh/ instead. Any sounds outside of the language are (of course) much harder for them to catch on to but it seems that they also have trouble grasping the fact that languages are different and that you will not always be able to manipulate your language to get an example for the other language. Sometimes they are just different and it sounds like you are having this issue as well. Makes me feel a little better haha but don’t worry they will get there. Just keep pushing you are doing great
Sounds like the Oshiwambo’s already speak good English. I’ve been accused of not pronouncing ‘r’ for over 70 years and I’ve given talks at Cambridge Univ, England. Of course it’s also possible no one understood me.
What kind of books would you like, subject, age, number ?
Gramps
The books they seem to love are actually Children’s Encylopedia’s. They have so little access to factual information so they love reading these nonfiction books with many brightly coloured pictures!
They are coming, I know it will just take time and that is one reason I am so excited that next year I will move up with my learners so I will teach 8 and 9, instead of 7 and 8.