Third, Thirsty, Three, Throw, These, Those, That

I gave my second English lesson today. There were a lot more students today. I've decided to focus on pronunciation, as a lot of Haitians have studied for a number of years, but they don't have many native speakers with whom they can practice. In some ways, it's easier because the lessons can be very basic, and we can simply work on bringing their pronunciation closer to a natural pattern.

I start with TH. The aspirated sound in "third" generally becomes an f sound. So I tell them to stick out their tongues and relax their lower lips. They look at me like I'm crazy. I tell them to try it. Same reaction. So I lean forward and stick my tongue way out. I make the sound. They all laugh. Then I said, "Try it." This time they do- even if they mess up, they can't possibly seem more ridiculous than I. I take that as success. I still hear f, though. So I hold down my bottom lip. They try that. Almost perfect. We make it through a list of maybe 15 words before moving on to the th in that and this. And h, and r. Each time I try to make the sound I hear them make, followed by the correct one. When they hear them together, they seem to be able to catch the difference. If we go back and forth, my making a sound, their repeating it, and my making it again, back and forth, I can hear their sound approximating mine more and more closely. Haitians have an amazing capability for learning languages and accurate pronunciation once they have access to the correct sounds.

After warming up with sounds, we practice conversation. Many of them already know a lot, so I let them direct their own conversations in pairs at the front of the class. When I hear a grammar problem or something that doesn't sound natural, we talk about options for how to best express what it is that they want to say. We clap for everyone when they finish. There is often a lot of laughter, but I make it a point to have them laugh at me first, so the laughter ends up being fun rather than embarrassing.

To practice reading, we go over a few English sayings (strategically pertaining to things like punctuality and perserverance) and a passage I typed up about daily activities.

To finish, we sang a few rounds of "Head, shoulders, knees, and toes," and then I taught them the Hokey Pokey. For those of you who have had the distinct pain of hearing me sing, you can appreciate the graciousness of the Haitians who patiently listened long enough to catch on and rescue me by joining in.

And we'll do it all over again on Monday at 4pm!