Some of the best moments in language
learning happen through discovery of a strange idiom or etymology.
Last year I came across a strange Japanese word: 矛盾
(mujyun). The two characters that make up the word are
spear (矛)
and shield (盾).
Naturally, I thought this must refer to some kind of fighting or
warrior, but to make sure I looked it up. The meaning was completely
different! So I checked the etymological dictionary. According to
this Japanese etymology website,
the word originated from a street vendor who sold spears and shields.
The vendor would walk up and down the street yelling, “this spear
is so sharp that it can pierce any shield” but then also yelling
“this shield is so hard that no spear can pierce it.” And thus
putting the two together as a word came to mean “contradiction.”
In searching for ways to practice
listening to Japanese, I discovered a podcast in which a Japanese
researcher of fairy tales recounts a story every week. These stories
can be fairy tales or folk tales, with a fairly even balance between
European and Japanese origins. The Japanese ones are always quite
foreign to me and always introduce me to new aspects of the culture.
By exposing students to other cultures,
they will be more understanding of other people and times. In my
classes literature and language produce a plethora of ways to
introduce different cultures to the students, whether through
participating in a tradition like “poisson d'avril” (April fool's
day for the French) or researching places relevant to the topics of
study. For me both of these experiences introduced a unique sensation
of wonder into my life, a sensation which may be the primary drive in
my own learning experiences. And hopefully my students too will
experience this sensation of wonder.
Attached is a podcast about three boys
who loved water candy. I had no knowledge of water candy (mizuame)
until I heard this.
My son has a book called the "Grumpy Kangaroo". It starts with a little boy, named Tony opening what they call " a word window". Your post reminds me of that- and reading opens us to a new world.
ReplyDeleteI loved that story! It's an eloquent description of what a contradiction is. That's the kind of example that the students will take home, and share with their families. I'm going to tell mine later!
ReplyDeleteI am a social studies teacher and I think exposing students to new cultures is key. I think it is awesome that you know parts of another language that is so cool. it will service you well especially in teaching.
ReplyDeleteBrilliant! What an example of a contradiction.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed your blog.
Nice to meet you.
Diana Haig