#70, Article: ‘English is ‘Fun” by Sophia Jaychandran

English language in the present day context has undergone a whole lot of new dimensions and paradigms. This is clearly manifested in the manner in which the language that has been rather receptive and flexible to many inflexional changes. In my presentation, I wish to highlight some of the easy but rock-solid ways of acquiring the language thereby making the entire process a matter of fun and pleasure. In the context of ELT (English Language Teaching) and ELL (English Language Learning), numerous methods and approaches have been worked out with the sole objective of making the exercise learner-centered. Such a methodology aims at making learning (in this context, language acquisition) fruitful and rewarding.

As teachers we can capitalize on the learners’ aspirations and the creative inclinations in order to maximize learning. This requires resourcefulness and farsightedness on the part of the teachers. With the dawn of interactive teaching and experiential learning, the onus in the present day scenario has been shifted upon teachers. English teachers these days are confined only to the teaching of the components as prescribed in the syllabi. The need of the hour is to integrate certain elements that act as appendages in the process. This method will certainly infuse tremendous zeal in the minds of the learners and thus the teaching-learning process could be triggered in the right direction.

As the SCLP (Student Centered Learning Process) is much in vogue, pedagogical theories are supplemented with practical and purposeful domains. Before citing the various means to make English language acquisition an active process, I wish to mention that we can draw a great deal of substance from the real world and incorporate the same in the regular teaching process. Some of these techniques are entailed as below:

• Affixes
• Conversion
• Compounding
• Blending
• Clipping
• Homophones
• Homonyms
• Idiomatic Expressions
• Anagrams
• Newspaper Headlines

Activities pertaining to these domains hold a paramount significance in enriching the students’ vocabulary and making the entire process one of great pleasure and fruitfulness. Many times we witness an atrocious avoidance of these “out-of-the-textbook” practices. I have elaborated these techniques which can aid the teachers and thereby herald a welcome change.

Affixes: In the context of grammar affixes are known as the forms or units that are added to the beginning, middle or end of the word in order to create a derivative word or inflection. Affixes are of two types: 1. Prefix- A linguistic element that is not an independent word but is attached to the beginning of a word to modify its meaning. 2. Suffix- A linguistic element that is not an independent word but is attached at the end of a word to modify its meaning. Some examples of prefixes are cited below:

“Un”- unable, unimportant, unclear

“Dis”- disability, disappear, disqualify

“In”- incompetent, incorrigible, incongruous

“Mis”- misplace, misappropriate, mismanage

“Il”- illegal, illegible, illegitimate

“Ir”- irradiate, irrational, irregular

Similarly, the following list presents some of the suffixes:

“tion”- nationalization, administration, abbreviation

“ment”- management, judgment, government

“ity”- ability, stability, gravity

“ness”- goodness, kindness, happiness

“able”- manageable, loveable, traceable

“some”- gruesome, irksome, awesome

Learners can be allotted individual or group tasks and be asked to work these affixes out. Eventually, they can obtain the derivatives and refer to the meanings of each word, if required. The Grammar-translation method would be handy in this respect. This exercise has assisted my students to a considerable extent as a vast majority of them have their schooling from the vernacular medium.

Conversion: Conversion is the act of converting a word from the given part of speech to another. This method helps in the formation of accurate sentences. An internalization of the part of speeches is mandatory on the part of the learners.

The following example can be referred in this regard:

“Beauty”- noun

“Beautiful”- adjective

“Beautify”- verb

“Beautifully”- adverb

Or

“Estrangement”- noun

“Strange”- adjective

“Estrange”- verb

“Strangely”- adverb

A regular pattern based on the conversion exercise can be established in the classroom in order to achieve desired results.

Compounding: In this practice, two or more words combined together to coin an entirely new word. English vocabulary has an ocean of such examples and most importantly, learners may even be aware of the compound words but once the technical terms are introduced, the performance may improve. As teachers we can build up on their existing stock of knowledge and exploit it to the optimum. The following are some examples in this context:

• Black-board
• Desk-top
• Straight-forward
• Stress-free
• Life-time
• Test-fire
• Mind-blowing, etc.

While assigning projects and supplementary tasks to the learners, these activities could also be embedded.

Blending: Blending is defined as an act of combining different parts of two words in order to coin new word. E.g.:

• Slim + tender = Slender
• Smoke + fog = Smog
• Teleprinter + exchange = Telex
• Work + alcoholic = Workaholic
• Emotion + icon = Emoticon
• Digital + camera = Digicam

These words can be taught in one go and evokes interest on the part of the learners.

Clipping: This is a technique in which only a part of the given word is used in its place, in most of the cases. (Especially in the day-to-day usage) E.g.:

• “Fan” from the word “fanatic”
• “Lab” from the word “laboratory”
• “Demo” from the word “demonstration”
• “Memo” from the word “memorandum”
• “Ad” from the word “advertisement”
• “Cell” from the word “cellular phone”
• “Limo” from the word “limousine”

Homophones and Homonyms: The interplay of homophones and homonyms accounts for an easy but effective practice in the realm of ELT and ELL.

A homophone is a word that is pronounced in the same way as one or more other words but it is different in meaning and sometimes spelling. E.g.:

• Hair- Hare
• Meet- Meat
• Bare- Bear
• Pitcher- Picture
• Sight- Site
• Right- Rite
• Steel- Steal

A homonym is a word that is spelled or pronounced in the same way as one or more other words but has a different meaning altogether. E.g.:

• Lead- Lead (metal)
• Tense- Tense (anxious)
• Bear- Bear (tolerate)
• Rear- Rear (behind)

Idiomatic expressions play a key role in vocabulary enrichment and language enhancement. Figurative and suggestive usage of language is considered to be a hallmark in one’s speech as it adds charm and a distinct flavour. The connotations associated with the idiomatic language expresses the maximum content in minimum words. As a part of daily teaching activity, the respective teachers of English must also assimilate the teaching of idiomatic expressions and their uses in a leisurely fashion. Some of the examples are quoted below:

• “the prime of life”
• “to beat about the bush”
• “to call a spade a spade”
• “to grab the opportunity with both hands”
• “a child’s play”
• “to toy with an idea”
• “to be hen-pecked”
• “out of the frying pan into the fire”
• “icing on the cake”
• “to add a feather to one’s cap”

Anagrams: When it comes to having fun English language, anagrams lend in an equal share. An anagram is a word rearranged to form another.

Coupled with clues, anagrams really make the process lively and rewarding. E.g.:

• Draw- Ward
• Life- File
• Live- Veil, Vile, Evil
• Spot- Tops, Pots, opts
• Race- Care
• Roman- Manor
• Seal- Sale
• Pleat- Petal
• Rose- Sore
• Tram- Mart
• Medical- Decimal

Newspaper Headlines: For an avid reader of the daily newspaper (English newspaper, in the context of my paper), the very act of glancing through the headlines can initiate a learning process. Cashing in on the reading habits of the learners, a teacher can accomplish the desired objectives in a structured manner. Metaphorical context of the headlines can be acquired when going through the full article or the news report. Some of the catchy headlines which I used in my classroom are as follows:

• “Captain Steve (Steve Waugh) saves sinking ship” (When Steve Waugh’s innings thrust Australia a place in the Finals- 1996 World Cup)
• “BCCI puts Modi (Lalit) on sticky wicket” (Well, we all know the Lalit Modi episode)
• “Russia to flex its muscles” (In the context of the bitterness between both the nations)
• “Mumbai- A Concrete jungle??” (Mega-structures)
• “New Jersey- the Gujarat of USA” (As Gujaratis flock there)
• “The Buck stops with PC” (In the context of the Naxalites)
• “M.S.Dhoni in a new innings.” (When he wed Sakshi)
• “Laxman conquers Lanka” (When India won the crucial test match against SL)

An assimilation of this practice assures a healthy acquisition of English and proves beneficial in making them competent in its usage. As English has gained a paramount significance and the learners burdened with the ever-increasing pressure of its precise use in day-to-day life, the aforesaid tasks provide scope for a “breather” in this context and bridge the gap.