"After one beer I feel more fortunate, after two I couldn't care less. "
Apparently Lady Bracknell said this in The Importance of Being Earnest, though I am paraphrasing slightly. Wilde, being an Irishman, clearly understood the role of the pint in Irish life. And Brendan Behan's muse was practically fuelled by the stuff.
I'm not advocating getting smashed before your lessons. Definitely a no-no. But if like 90% of Irish people you are to some extend repressed, then a little bit of social lubricant can go a long way to loosening your foreign tongue.
But don't go too far! For starters, this would only make sense in a social setting where alcohol fits in - hence my suggesting that you don't get tanked before turning up for your next lesson. Another problem is that while the first drink will help you forget your inhibitions, the next few will help you forget your Chinese.
I have never tried this technique with Chinese, but I can attest to its value in a number of other European languages. German in particular (though this may have a lot to do with their beer).
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Marrying a Chinese girl: that certainly is the ideal way to learn the language (overnight, so to speak). It is tough to find the chance to practice Chinese here.
Chinese karaoke prizewinner. Now that's some feat. (I never new such a thing existed). Are the lyrics displayed in hanzi or pinyin?
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