"L" or "R"

My English is my second language.


In Japan, school students start to learn English from junior high school, around 13years old.


Nowadays, many elementary schools have English program, but not in 1980s.


The biggest challenge for Japanese people is the difference between "L" and "R", and also the pronunciation of "TH".


Japanese language does not have the pronunciation "R".


It is hard for Japanese people to roll up the tongue for "R", 

or bite your tongue for "th" , its really hard !







My name is Mari, but the Japanese pronunciation is more like "Madi" or maybe "Mali", not "Ma-ree".  


If people have hard time pronounce Japanese way of saying "Mari", I prefer to be called "Mary" instead of "Mah-ree" .  Mah-ree does not feel good, for some reason.




ANYWAYS,


When I came to Canada in 1999, I spoke very little English.  


I was able to understand what people were saying if they spoke slow, but the challenge was the speaking part!


Best sentences that I could say very smooth were, 

"May I use the bathroom?" (very important)

"Can you speak slowly please?" (even though slow speak does not help)

"Pardon me ?" (just to keep the conversation going)

Well, I was a gymnastics instructor when I came to Canada in 1999, and I had to teach Canadian kids!


I did not know how to say "bend your knees", "tuck your head", "point your toes" etc.

How could I teach while I could not speak ???

I had to write down all the sentences that I would use during the gymnastic class, and practice how to say over and over at home.


"tuck your head,,, tuck your head,,, tuck your head,,,"


I think back, I was pretty brave...




Kids were the best English teacher there too!


I would say 
"Grab your uncle!!!"
In Japanese : "あなたのおじさんつかまえて！！！！”


Then the kids would say
"Its not uncle, its ankle!"
In Japanese ”おじさん、じゃなくって、足首よ、あしくび！”





This is just a little mistake, but R and L can make embarrassing mistake! 
I made so many mistakes because of the R and L !






My host family asked me what kind of food I like.


As a Japanese, I proudly answered,



" I love lice! I eat lice everyday!"
In Japanese : ”わたしはシラミが大好きです！　私はシラミを毎日食べます！”


"OK Mari, lice is the bugs that live in your heard and itchy.  You don't want to eat those buggers."





Oh, OK, its "R", not "L".




Another time, I was telling gymnastics kids loudly and joyfully,


"Crap your hands, kids! Crap your hands!"
”みんな〜、お手手にウンチ！　お手手にウンチ〜！”


Kids did not know what to do. The smart girl who always corrected my English whispered in my ear, 

"Mari, you really should not use a bad word like that."

Then, another time,
I saw a wedding and the groom was so handsome!





I said
"Wow, the broom is so handsome!"
”わ〜！　あのほうき、かっこいい〜！”



Yes, I got the "R" right, but I did not get "G" this time!

Grrrrr!

The most embarrassing mistake was when the government election was happening.

Yes, eLection.

I was in a car with my boyfriend, and asked him

"I wonder if he is erected?" 

In Japanese : ”あの人、勃起してもらえたかなー？”

"P,Pardon me?"

It must have been hard for him to hold from laughing, while shy, quiet Japanese girl (back then) asked a very vivid question. 




After all these 11 years of English speaking life, I still use the first sentence that I used 11 years ago, 
"Can you speak slowly please?" sometime to my own children.

and I don't mind!