Biblical Hebrew Forum

["Barry H." <nebarry AT verizon.net>]

On 7/22/2013 8:19 AM, Chris Watts wrote:
> Ok positive proof that my modern hebrew needs some serious
> negotiation.  I never meant 'too old to be a woman' but that is
> obviously what I wrote quite funny since this is how I would have
> said it in conversation and been laughed at.  (made a similar mistake
> in dutch many years ago when starting to learn - I ordered chips with
> hot peanut butter sauce and onions - I instead asked for chips and
> peanut butter sauce with lots of cows udders please!  instead of
> onions because the two words are only different by a single letter,
> and I pronounced that single letter obviously)

With my students, I tell them "One little letter -- it can make all the 
difference. Look at the word sit -- add a letter and it can radically 
change the meaning [at this point, they are not at all sure what letter 
I'm thinking of, and I supply a pregnant pause] -- just put an 'e' at 
the end, and you get "site..."

However, in mastering a modern language, it's those kinds of mistakes a) 
that are the most embarrassing at the time b) that we learn the most 
from and c) that are the most fun to talk about later.

--
N.E. Barry Hofstetter
my.opera.com/barryhofstetter/blog

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