Ottery St Mary's Josefina Gori 'teaching language isn't easy'

I invite you to delve into the enigmatic rules that make my job uniquely demanding, where the only response is often: "because that's just the way it is, and if you doubt me, ask Miguel de Cervantes!" The intriguing part is that these challenges are not exclusive to English students learning a foreign language but also resonate with international students and educators teaching these languages, underscoring the universal nature of many linguistic hurdles.

One valuable lesson I've gleaned from my years as an Adult Education Tutor is that when a foreigner's expression lacks a logical explanation, students often revert to their inquisitive childhood stage. No matter how diligently you attempt to clarify, you usually end up with a benevolent agreement. For instance, how do you elucidate to your students that Spaniards use the same word for "wife" and "handcuffs"?

Even more, you have explained to your students that Spain is a predominantly catholic country and that, for many years, divorce was not recognised. You tell them that when you are talking about your "parents", you use the word "padres", which happens to be the plural form of the word "father". This does not necessarily mean that every child in Spanish-speaking countries happens to have many "fathers", but it is simply the grammar rule that says that if you have a masculine and a feminine noun, you refer to both in conjunction and use the masculine noun but in plural form.

How do you explain to a foreign student why the English say something "expensive" is "dear"? Only the Italian students will understand it as they have the word "caro" as both synonyms of expensive and dear. Or try to explain to a foreign student that the words "baseline" and "Vaseline" or "Reading" and "reading", although they have the same vowel combination, are pronounced completely different. These linguistic quirks add a touch of humour to the learning process, saving a tutor from having to explain the Reading Saxon origins.

When it comes to courtesy, things get even more complicated. In English, you ask somebody to do something for you by saying: "I would like you to…" but in Spanish, you are more direct; if you want something done, you say: "I want that you…". Or you call a waiter by saying: "Oiga!" – Listen! - For years, I tried to get my students to say it that way, and that suitable manner is a matter of using the proper ending of the verb when addressing different people. Otherwise, you never get your soup. They refused to do it because it sounded too rude. Ultimately, I gave up and told them to add "por favor" –please- if it made them feel more comfortable.

I'm avoiding mentioning the most hated tense among my students: the Subjunctive. This tense makes or breaks your learning process; only a few teachers survive the challenge. Try to explain to a student that it is not "God, save the King", but "God save the King". The "save" is subjunctive, not imperative, because you aren't giving God an order but expressing the hope that he will be a saviour. This pattern repeats many times, from the well-known song: "If I Were a Rich Man" to wishing somebody a good journey or congratulating friends on their birthday.

I will always be grateful to those who built Babel Tower, which, according to the biblical story, was the origin of all human languages. They have provided me with many years of an incredible, fulfilling profession that not only allowed me to meet a lot of interesting people but has also given me the opportunity to understand that the diversity of a language is all we need to understand the richness of human diversity