And how do you say that in Vietnamese?

I have a newfound appreciation for language, now that I’m teaching English to non-native speakers.

Seriously…think about it. Language is so complex. A toddler learns with ease…how? Is there truly a “language acquisition device” in our brains? I don’t even know how many languages there are in the world. 5,000? More? Maybe so. I never thought the biblical story of the tower of Babel was much of anything when I was a kid. Just a bunch of people foolishly trying to build a tower to heaven. But God is so incredibly creative! I’m glad there are lots of languages. I love hearing so many in the classroom each day.

I also think of all the ways we play with language and am amazed. Words with Friends? Crossword puzzles? What about puns, hink-pinks, rebuses, hangman, acrostic poems? Not to mention everyday language. I love the freedom in choosing the perfect way to say something.

“The weather is quite mild today.”
or…
“The sunshine is just perfect.”
or maybe…
“It sure is a beeeeea-U-tiful day!”
You can say it anyway you want it. That’s the way you need it. Anyway you want it. (I think that’s Journey…?) :)

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I’ve also noticed the difference punctuation makes in emotion.
Exclamation points can be so chipper! Sometimes more than necessary, even!

I am doing great!

Periods can sound so dull. And lifeless.

I am doing great.

Ellipses make a thought sound incomplete…like you have more to say…but aren’t sure you should say it…

I am doing great…

And no punctuation at the end? I think it makes a person look lazy. Like they don’t even take the time to consider which type of punctuation to use, which would convey the correct emotion.

I am doing great

Maybe I’m a nerd. But I think it is just so intriguing how our language works!
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One more thing. Today in class, I was teaching new vocabulary words to my Level 2 ELL students, when one of my Vietnamese students, ya know…let one. It was really loud. And everyone just lost it. I couldn’t help but laugh, too! There was no hope for refocus for a while. So I just let us all have a good laugh (even the kid who did it). He was laughing so hard he had to get up and get a tissue to wipe the tears from his eyes. The students were almost calmed down again when I asked “How do you say that in Vietnamese?” Then the laughter started up again. It was just so funny! I didn’t know that my genuine curiosity about their word for farting would cause such an uproar. Ha!
Even though I was unsure about teaching high school, I have found that I love coming to school each day and teaching them. They have helped me see our language in a whole new way. And they make me laugh. It’s a good life with the 9-12th grade English Language Learners. :)