No "Itch" in Michigan

I can always tell when someone is new to the Great Lake State. In the first few minutes of conversation, it usually comes out how they just moved to “Mitch-igan.” As a good ambassador of the mitten-shaped peninsula, I then have to correct them. “It’s pronounced Mish-igan,” I say, sometimes adding that the spelling came from the early French trappers and explorers who beat the British to the upper Midwest. (It’s hard to stop a good teacher-ambassador once he gets started.)

It comes as no surprise to students of English that the spelling system of this language is a nightmare. Almost half of our words are Germanic, coming from Anglo-Saxon; nearly another half come from Latin via Old French. Add to that a sprinkling of Arabic, Spanish, Greek, and other languages, and it is clear that our vocabulary—and the system used to spell it—is one huge mish-mash of letters, letter clusters, and even silent letters.

The good news is that there is a basic rule here. Most of the time, the “ch” cluster in English is pronounced /t∫/ as in child or lunch. Here are some common place names or people names which English speakers know:Chelsea, Massachusetts, Charleston, Chattanooga, Richmond…I’ll give you more examples on our website. And if your native language is Spanish, you will already know the correct pronunciation of those words.

Exception #1: At question today is the spelling cluster “ch” as we see in Michigan. Students who have studied French or Portuguese know that these two letters represent the linguistic symbol /∫/ or the English cluster “sh” as in she.

Here are some common “ch” place names or people names with the /∫/ pronunciation:Chicago, Michigan, Cheyenne, Charlotte, Michelle, Cheryl, Michelin, Chevron, Chanel, Chevrolet, and Cher. Maybe you can find more examples.

Exception #2: Another way to pronounce “ch” is with the /k/ sound. These words often come into English from Greek or Italian: chronicle, chemistry, stomach, echo, Christmas, headache, Chrysler, and chrome.  Ask your American friends for more examples.

Exception #3: The last group of exceptions to the “ch” rule are words which come from Hebrew. These words have the sound /X/ with friction coming from the back of the mouth (similar to the “ch” in Bach). Because most English speakers can’t pronounce /X/, they just substitute a /h/ sound in these Hebrew words. Here are a few well-known examples: chutzpah, challah, Chanukah.

For newcomers to my state, here is a tip for you: Michigan sounds like fish-again or wish-again. 

So, repeat after me: “Oh, how I wish-again I were in Michigan learning to fish-again.” 

Happy practicing, everybody!

Duck, Duck, Goose

The world of children’s games turned upside down this week in the U.S. when it was discovered that the national game of duck-duck-goose is not played the same across the entire country.  According to an article in BuzzFeed.com, one location, the north-central state of Minnesota, has been saying “Duck, duck...gray duck!” with their children.

For those viewers who are not familiar, duck-duck-goose is a long-standing school game where all participants sit on the ground facing into a circle, and a lone person—designated as “it”—stands outside of the circle.  This person walks counter-clockwise around the circle tapping each sitting person on the head or back.  As the “tapper” touches each person, he or she says “duck.”  One or two children may be tapped with “duck,” or perhaps many in a row.  At one point, the tapper taps one person and says “goose!”  The tapped person who is the goose must jump up and chase the tapper around the circle and try to catch him/her before he/she reaches the empty spot just vacated.

For American children, the game is great exercise and filled with suspense about who will get chosen for the chase.

So now, back to the story.  One Minnesotan named Christopher Pollard heard that the rest of the country was saying his state wasn’t playing this game “right,” so he posted to his blog a defense of Minnesota’s playgrounds. Christopher is trying to show the rest of the country how their version of the game is actually better.  Instead of saying just duck-duck-duck, etc., Minnesota kids have to name different colors, for example, “red duck, brown duck, yellow duck, green duck” etc. before shouting “gray duck” and starting the wild chase around the circle.

So, now, if you’re trying to teach your kids a classic American game, you might want to introduce this new twist to their playtime.  While they’re running around, they’ll also be practicing their colors!  And that’s what’s up this week!

Children in Minnesota playing Duck-Duck-Gray Duck (photo source: Minneapolis Star-Tribune)

WHA Refugee Simulation

Today’s news comes from across the pond in Geneva, Switzerland, where students at Webster University’s Geneva campus are getting a hands-on feel for the lives of international refugees.  The student-run Webster Humanitarian Association offers an intensive three-day simulation that participants will not soon forget.

Simulation participants begin their first day as refugees with a 5-km hike to the  Webster campus.  They are divided into “families,” given stories of fleeing from persecution, and even given sacks of flour to represent their babies they must care for.  They are treated gruffly by actors playing officials and guards.  They are separated, questioned, and searched. The lengthy interrogations often take place in a language they don’t understand. “Refugees” experience threats and a lack of food and water.  Participants are told that during this process, the women are often repeatedly raped.   

The second day of one particular simulation, the participants were awakened in the middle of the night, when the tents were entered, supposedly by the raiders who had chased them from their homes at the beginning of their flight.  They were dragged out into the cold night air and blindfolded, while other raiders re-entered the tents and killed their babies.

Although the refugee simulation was humbling and traumatizing, blogger Roberta Medrano Callejas said she would repeat the experience without hesitation because it had been so thought-provoking.

Webster Humanitarian Association at Webster University’s Geneva, Switzerland, campus promotes learning, human rights, and equality, marking special U.N. days such as the World Aids Day and World Refugee Day.  With its home campus based in St. Louis, MO, Webster’s Geneva campus boasts students from 90 different countries.

Today’s high-five, fist-bump, and tip of the hat go to Webster University for making us a little more aware of real issues going on in our world. 

For more information, check out Webster's site here.

Oops, Uh-oh, and Other Non-verbal Expressions

Non-verbal expressions

Would you know what I meant if I said “oops!”?  What about “uh-oh!”?  Sometimes Americans use words that aren’t really words to communicate basic thoughts.  Today's video teaches you seven non-verbal expressions that you will hear from your neighbors and co-workers.  If you see them written, they don’t look like words, but I assure you, they have meanings.  Some of them you may already know.

1.     Mmmm! – This is delicious. 

2.     Oops! – I made a mistake.  Maybe: I dropped something.

3.     Psst. – Come here. I have something private to tell you.

4.     Uhh (or: Ummm…) – I don’t know.  I’m not sure what to say.

5.     Uh-uh. – No. 

6.     Uh-huh. – Yes.  Sure.  I agree.

7.     Uh-oh. – Here comes trouble.  Something wrong is happening.

Several of these expressions are spelled similarly, so listen carefully.  There’s a huge difference between answering a question with uh-huh and uh-uh.  To practice saying them, ask a native speaker to help you practice the right intonation.

You can take a quiz on these expressions below.  (Don't peek above!)

Match these expressions with their meanings:

a) Mmmm!

b) Oops!

c) Psst.

d) Uhh/Ummm… 

e) Uh-uh.

f) Uh-huh. 

g) Uh-oh.  

____ I made a mistake.  Maybe: I dropped something.

____ Here comes trouble.  Something wrong is happening.

____ Yes.  Sure.  I agree.

____ No. 

____ This is delicious. 

____ Come here. I have something private to tell you.

____ I don’t know.  I’m not sure.

[To practice your listening skills, re-visit the What's Up? segment for the show with Paulo Saiani.]