Friday, November 16, 2007

Learning Kannada

Learning Kannada:

There is no real text book, and the workbooks are …. interesting.

For example, all numbers until 100 are written out (like in English, they follow the same pattern after 20), so why write them ALL out? After the numbers section, logically (apparently) there’s the section on “Sentences of Two Words” which include:

Good boy
White horse
Little girl
Stepmother
Jasmine bud
Parrot’s talk
Drink medicine.


Very logical.

Sentences of three words include these useful phrases:

There are thirty days in a month.
He sings well.
The elephant has four legs.


The last section, which in all normal language texts would be a dictionary, is entitled “Some Words” and includes in this exact order:


Pure
Unexpectedly
Unexpected
Without reason
Untimely
Misdeed
Elder sister
Neighbourhood
Letter of the alphabet
Affection, liking
Gold-smith
Rice water
Irregular
Rice mixed with turmeric powder
Imperishable
The study of alphabet
A degree of terrestrial latitude
The eye
Eye-disease
Undivided
Pitch
Uneatable
Entire, whole
Wooden bolt
Uncounted

Lovely.

But here’s for something funny. In another text, here are two sample conversations:

What is your dog doing?
It is barking in the road.
Why is it barking?
There is a mad man going in the road, it’s barking at him.

Why did you come late to the Kannada class today?
Oh! I could not get the wretched bus; always there is some trouble or the other.
Was it late when you left?
When I woke up, it was already seven therefore I was delayed.


I LOVE IT!!!!

And you wonder why I am not learning Kannada …..



Here some pictures of .... the view from my classrom, the classroom itself with some students.



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