Oh Clap!

Most Japanese people are easily able to pronounce leading "L"s, as in leap, or lounge, or lap. But when it's in the middle of a word, especially when next to another consonant, it comes out sounding like an "R". Many jokes have been made in American movies and TV shows about this. Today I created a class for three of my more advanced students. I taught them about words like habit, addiction, vice, conscious, intention, and ritual.

When I asked them for an example of a ritual, one of my students named Yoshie told me about how when they go to a shrine and pray, they "wash their hands, gargle, ring a bell, crap twice, bow, and then crap one more time at the shrine." I did all I could not to laugh in her face. They are challenging to correct as students because most of them take it really hard, get down on themselves, and don't speak as much for the rest of the lesson. I had to treat this gently.

One of the other students, however, laughed his head off, knowing what she had said. "Teacher Spencer? Isn't that like saying S-H-I-T?" he asked me. I nodded and asked him to explain it to her (so I wouldn't get in trouble). He told her "crap" is when we us the toilet once a day, and we proceeded to work on saying "clap" for the next 7 or 8 minutes. It wasn't easy for them. I explained to her how important it is, though, so that she's not laughed at in a less forgiving setting.

At the end of the lesson, before saying goodbye, Yoshie said "Teacher Spencer? Thank you for helping me, and I promise not to crap at the shrine ever again." It's moments like these that make it all worth it!