Tongue Twisters

While I was in Chiang Mai, Thailand in 2009 I did a quick little Thai cooking course. The only participants were me and a German couple. On the ride back to town the woman asked me to write down a couple English tongue twisters for her. She collects tongue twisters in foreign languages. I thought this was fun so I got her to write down some German ones for me too:

Blaukraut bleibt Blaukraut und Brautkleid bleibt Brautkleid.

Blue cabbage remains blue cabbage, and the bride's dress remains bride's dress.

Fischer's Fritz fischt frische Fische,
frische Fische fischt Frischer's Fritz.

Fischer's boy Fritz fishes for fresh fish, fresh fish fishes Fischer's boy Fritz.


Now, tongue twisters are a lot of fun to play with in ESL classes. I dazzle them with selling seashells and baffle them with Betty Botter. This summer I asked some of my teenage international students to share tongue twisters in their language. They aren't usually allowed to make a peep in their own language but I thought this was an OK exception since the other students got to learn a little bit about other languages and cultures. They seemed to enjoy themselves. Here's what I got:

(Catalan) Setʒe jutges d'un jutjat menjen fetge d'un penjat.

Sixteen judges of one courthouse eat the liver of a hanged man. Or something like that.

(Catalan) El pinxo li va dir al ponxo vob que et punxi amb un punxo? I el ponxo li va dir al pinxo que si pero que a la ponxa no!

I didn't get a translation for this one. A translating website is saying something about a bully and a raincoat pricking and punching each other. I don't think I trust it.

(Spanish-Spain) El perro de San Roque no tiene rabo porque Ramon Ramirez sela ha robado.

The dog of San Roque doesn't have a tail because Ramon Ramirez stole it.

(Spanish-Spain) Si Pancha plancha cuatro panchas, cuantas panchas a planchado Pancha?

If Pancha irons four "panchas," how many "panchas" did Pancha iron. I couldn't figure out what "panchas" are.

(Spanish-Mexico) Pepe Pecas pica papas con un pico Pepe Pecas pica papas.

Pepe Freckles chops potatoes with a spade Pepe Freckles chops potatoes. Or something like that.

(Japanese, transliterated) Tonari no kyaku wa yoku kakikuu kyaku da.

Roughly: My neighbour's guest is a guest who eats lots of persimmons.


I could just go to this page, and I have, but it's more fun to share them in person. Please forgive my inaccurate translations and interpretations.

Wise beyond my years

One of my kindergarten students was in a fight with a classmate. She was being sullen and refused to participate in class activities and would lash out at the offending boy in Korean occasionally. The time came for the class to go upstairs to the playroom for gym class and Ally (the offended) shut herself inside the classroom after everyone left. This sort of thing has happened with her before. I went back in and tried talking to her, trying to coax her upstairs. "But I'm very sad and angry. Luke and David are always touching me and the girls." I told her Luke makes me angry too but that we can't be sad and angry all day. We should try to be happy. And she said, "But Teacher, I'm a kid."

Yes, absolutely. One reason why I know I shouldn't make teaching children a lifelong career is that I keep wanting them to make rational adult decisions and take responsibility for themselves and I sometimes get really frustrated when they don't. Rationally, I know I can't expect that of them but I haven't been able to totally shake it yet. My immediate response to moody kids is to ignore them partially cuz I don't want to deal with them and partially because I think giving them attention is just perpetuating the behaviour.

But I mean, it's not always that they're acting out. Like with Ally, she was just pissed off at a jerky boy, for good reason. She showed me that I'm both right and wrong. They're more mature sometimes than I give them credit for, but they're just kids. They can be wise beyond MY years.