Why Teaching Languages Should Be One Big Joke!

For most of you reading this, you will already have first-hand experience of learning at least one other language. So, at what point can one consider oneself “fluent” in another language? Can you call yourself fluent in French if you can make it around a French market or order confidently in a restaurant without too many faux-pas and yet you may be stumped by a topical conversation on issues of the day?

However you measure your progress, they do say that as soon as you start to DREAM in another language, that your brain has started to acquire naturally the new language. What comes out of your mouth can be another matter (and the source of much hilarity, at times) but that is just a question of practice!

One of the better benchmarks for me is the understanding of idioms, puns and subtleties involved in jokes of your new language. And learning language should be FUN!

As a teacher of languages for many years, I have amused myself at passing on jokes as early as possible to my students, even the little ones.

Here are a couple of jokes that may liven up your lessons or classroom and will have the kids amusing themselves for weeks to come:

Teaching French numbers:
Two cats set out to swim across a river. Their names were “One Two Three” and “Un Deux Trois”.
However, as you know, cats cannot swim very well and only one of the cats made it across.
Which one succeeded and why?
Answer: “One Two Three” made it over because “Un Deux Trois” cat sank!
Get it?