Learning a language Through Laughter

Learning to speak a foreign language can be an extremely challenging task. As an English language teacher in Israel, I have made my share of mistakes in Hebrew and then some. These bloopers have become the best tool in my teacher's toolkit.

Laughing at myself and encouraging my students to do the same has opened their hearts and minds, increased their self confidence and paved the way for language acquisition and appreciation. In this hub I will share my favorite stories, jokes and minor mishaps, which I hope will tickle your funny bone and inspire you to relax and enjoy the ride while teaching, learning and living.

I think it is most appropriate to start with one of my most recent language bloopers, which in a way are related to hubs, well, hubcaps.

Running late because of playing with wordle or some other web 2 application, I was in my usual state of the mad dash for class. (hang on, my ADD mishaps will be in a unique hub of their own:)). I was making pretty good time in my snazzy, sexy, new, leased Mazda 2, when all of a sudden I drove over a pot hole. I should say pot crater. Looking back in my rear view mirror, I saw one of my brand new hub caps rolling away. I stopped the car and ran back to get it,struggled to put it back on , failed and tossed the hub into the back seat.

I made it to class, with grease on my hands but of course unaware that my face was covered in it. Huffing and puffing and putting on a great show to make up for being 10 minutes late, I told my college level students in Hebrew that I had lost my hubcap. From their faces, I knew I had done it again. What had I said to get those smiles???? It wasn't the grease.

I had said, in phonetic hebrew: Ha tavassa sheli offa. I did not realize that the word for hubcap is tassa, not tavassa. So what had I had been saying was...My peacocks flew away. Yes, yes, I insisted, my peacocks just flew off the car because of the pot hole.

Here is another one of my favorites, which I get a lot of mileage out. My students would come into my English class after Hedva. They always had homework from Hedva, they were always talking about Hedva and had less time for me and my English. I was getting slightly fed up, and perhaps even a little jealous.

I insisted to know who Hedva was and what she taught them so that we could switch hours. I wanted my students fresh in the morning, not wiped out after Hedva's class. After many giggles, one of them finally piped up and said. Karen, Hedva is not a person. Hedva is an acronym for Hashbon Differentialie ( Some math and statisics class, these were engineering students) So for a whole semester,I had mistakenly assumed that HEDVA was a teacher.

Well, I am the same person who in her first day of class in McGill University, in Montreal was in a frantic search for the TBA room. ( To Be Announced)

There is a happy ending to this one, none of the other English staff members had ever met Hedva either!!!! :) Now when ever one of my students makes a mistake with an acronym, I tell them they are "making a Hedva".

My best stories are the ones I tell about my husband's English language adventures. He knows he is the source of my inspiration on my first day of class and is demanding royalities. :)

Many years ago while visiting me in Montreal he managed to get lost. He called me from a pay phone, telling me he was lost. I asked him to tell me the names of the cross section. "Cul de Sac and Cul de Sac" which is French for dead end!!! It took me a while to find him, but I obviously did.

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Upon our first dinner in a steak house, the waiter inquired as to how my husband wanted his steak. "Medium?" he asked.

The answer: "Of course not, I'm an extra large!"

Not too long ago , we hosted a house guest from the states who was speaking about her 50 year old son. My husband was shocked that she had a 50 year old son and asked her secret to looking so young. , While looking down, she answered , "Oh, it is in the genes.". To our delight, my husband insisted that I go and get myself a pair of those Levi's.

Every year I tell these stories and collect many more. Sweet endearing language bloopers that make you laugh and give you strength to keep trying! The secret to language learning. Don't be afraid to take risks!

Karen Eini