Why one learns English, or a linguistical andecdote from life

[kehlen-crow.livejournal.com]

My parents' friends have a son and a granddaughter who live in Canada. When they go there to a visit, the wife goes to a course of English.
She being in her late 60ies and no immigrant, the other students once enquired why she need the language.

You see, says she, my granddaughter once said, "Бабушка, look!", and I was caught by surprise, Какой лук? Я сегодня никакого лука не покупала!

No more questions were asked :)

(Granny, look! - Why onion, I haven't bought onions today! (they sound the same))

Comments

[kart.livejournal.com]

Reminds me of the story of English speaker in Pusan, Korea.

First, in phonetic Korean, sort of...
Lady at bus stop: Wat dae! (here it comes)
English speaker: Mun dae. (what)
Lady at bus stop: Bus dae! (the bus is coming)
English speaker: Oh, happy birthday!
Lady at bus stop: ????

Next, in the English that the guy thought he heard...
Lady at bus stop: What day?
English speaker: Monday.
Lady at bus stop: Birthday!
English speaker: Oh, happy birthday!
Lady at bus stop: ????

[zhirafov-nyet.livejournal.com]

I don't think the vowel in "look" sounds like the Russian "у". If anything, «лук» sounds like "Luke". Idk. The professor tells us all the time that Russian pay more attention to consonants that vowels, so that probably has something to do with it.

[kehlen-crow.livejournal.com]

May be it isn't this close, yet that's a real story :)

[padruka1988.livejournal.com]

The way Americans say 'look' does not sound like лук but in many other accents, they sound very similar or even the same. Thanks for that story - it made my day. :)

[kehlen-crow.livejournal.com]

You're welcome :)

[upthera44.livejournal.com]

The pronunciation of "look" with a Russian accent sounds a lot like лук.

[ivan-groznii.livejournal.com]

I believe the key to this story is that it happened in Canada. It doesn't work for any of the accents I am familiar with from British English or American (United States) English, but with certain Canadian accents it would be pretty close. I would imagine that a Canadian who pronounces "about" as "a boot" (which is a fairly common Canadian accent) would be inclined to pronounce "look" as "Luke."

[archaicos.livejournal.com]

Imagine a toddler pointing at you or something in your hands and saying "дай!"

[fiachasorcha.livejournal.com]

I can definitely see that happening, I have a funny feeling I say things like that in Russian more than my very kind, although always helpful, professor says I do.

As soon as I read this I thought of a friend whose last name is the genitive plural of onions (well the americanized version anyway) which for some reason always made me giggle.