Kira's English System

Todd: So, Abidemi, let's talk about languages.

Abidemi: Sure.

Todd: So, you are from Nigeria and Nigeria has many languages, correct?

Abidemi: That's true, yes.

Todd: How many languages can you speak?

Abidemi: I would say that I can speak one language very well.

Todd: Me too.

Abidemi: And that would be English. But, I speak other languages fairly well. Yoruba, which is a Nigerian language, French, and a little bit of Japanese, as well.

Todd: You are Canadian also, and in Canada, students study French, correct?

Abidemi: That's true, yes.

Todd: Do you speak French often in Canada?

Abidemi: While I was living there, I spoke it a lot more, yes.

Todd: Do you like French?

Abidemi: I love French. I love learning languages.

Todd: French, I think, is very hard for some people, myself included, because the pronunciation of some words is very different than the pronunciation of American English, so I think it's funny that there are some words in French that look exactly the same as words in English, but we pronounce them completely differently. For example, I will say the word in English, and you say the same word in French. Okay?

Abidemi: I will try.

Todd: For example. Impossible.

Abidemi: Impossible.

Todd: Right, so that is so interesting. Again, impossible.

Abidemi: Impossible.

Todd: And they're spelled the same, correct?

Abidemi: That's true.

Todd: Yeah, how about reservation?

Abidemi: Reservation.

Todd: That's so cool.

Abidemi: I have never thought of it like that before, Todd, but you're right. They look the same, but the pronunciations are different.

Todd: I think it's a trick because we see the word, and we know how to say it one way, but we have to say it a different way.

Abidemi: That's true.

Todd: We just can't do that well.

Abidemi: That's true.

Todd: Yeah. So, you can speak Yoruba.

Abidemi: Yoruba, yes.

Todd: Yoruba. How do you say, "How are you?" In Yoruba.

Abidemi: Bawo ni?

Todd: Oh, that's so cool. Again?

Abidemi: Bawo ni?

Todd: Bawo ri?

Abidemi: Bawo ni?

Todd: Oh wow. That's so cool.

Abidemi: Thank you.

Todd: Have you ever taught that language?

Abidemi: No, never. I don't think too many people want to learn it outside of Nigeria.

Todd: I think in the future, more people will want to learn unique languages.

Abidemi: I hope you're right.

Todd: Yeah, maybe.

Abidemi: Maybe.

Todd: What language do you want to learn in the future?

Abidemi: I have many that, if I had more time, I would like to learn. I'm interested in Japanese, of course. I live in Japan now, so I would like to speak it better. I would also like to learn Mandarin, Russian, Hausa - another Nigerian language, Spanish, and maybe a couple of others.

Todd: Yeah, there's so many languages I want to learn. I want to learn Spanish too. I can speak some Thai and Japanese because I lived as a teacher in both countries. But, I want to learn a language that has the same alphabet. I can read Thai, but not very well. I can read Japanese, but not very well. I want to learn a language where it's easy to read and see what the word is. In Thai, you can't do that. In Japanese, you can't do that.

Abidemi: I know what you mean. It would make it easier to learn the language.

Todd: But in Russian, you can't do that.

Abidemi: That's true.

Todd: Right? It's completely different.

Abidemi: That's true, but they have alphabets that are the same. You just have to decode them.

Todd: A little bit, yeah. We have the phrase, 'it's all Greek to me,' which means you have no idea. Anyway, thanks a lot, Abidemi.

Abidemi: Thank you, Todd.

Where is Abidemi originally from?   3

1. Canada

2. Japan

3. Nigeria

4. The United States

Besides English, which other Nigerian language does Abidemi speak fairly well?   2

1. Hausa

2. Yoruba

3. Japanese

4. French

Why does Todd think French pronunciation can be difficult for some English speakers?   3

1. Because French words are always spelled differently than English words.

2. Because French grammar is very complex.

3. Because some French words look the same as English words but are pronounced differently.

4. Because Todd has never studied French.

What French word does Todd use as an example that is spelled the same as in English but pronounced differently?  3

1. Restaurant

2. Merci

3. Impossible

4. Bonjour

What is the Yoruba phrase Abidemi teaches Todd, and what does it mean?    2

1. "Bawo ni?" meaning "Thank you."

2. "Bawo ni?" meaning "How are you?"

3. "Yoruba ni mi" meaning "I speak Yoruba."

4. "O ka re o" meaning "Goodbye."

Which language does Abidemi currently live in a country where it is spoken and wants to learn better?   3

1. French

2. Mandarin

3. Japanese

4. Russian

What is one of the main reasons Todd wants to learn a new language?   1

1. He wants to be able to read and pronounce words easily.

2. He wants to travel to more countries.

3. He thinks it will help him in his teaching career.

4. He wants to impress Abidemi.

Which of the following languages has Todd lived in a country where it is spoken and taught?   3

1. Spanish

2. Russian

3. Thai

4. Mandarin

Where is Abidemi originally from?

1. Canada

2. Japan

3. Nigeria

4. The United States

Besides English, which other Nigerian language does Abidemi speak fairly well?

1. Hausa

2. Yoruba

3. Japanese

4. French

Why does Todd think French pronunciation can be difficult for some English speakers?

1. Because French words are always spelled differently than English words.

2. Because French grammar is very complex.

3. Because some French words look the same as English words but are pronounced differently.

4. Because Todd has never studied French.

What French word does Todd use as an example that is spelled the same as in English but pronounced differently?

1. Restaurant

2. Merci

3. Impossible

4. Bonjour

What is the Yoruba phrase Abidemi teaches Todd, and what does it mean?

1. "Bawo ni?" meaning "Thank you."

2. "Bawo ni?" meaning "How are you?"

3. "Yoruba ni mi" meaning "I speak Yoruba."

4. "O ka re o" meaning "Goodbye."

Which language does Abidemi currently live in a country where it is spoken and wants to learn better?

1. French

2. Mandarin

3. Japanese

4. Russian

What is one of the main reasons Todd wants to learn a new language?

1. He wants to be able to read and pronounce words easily.

2. He wants to travel to more countries.

3. He thinks it will help him in his teaching career.

4. He wants to impress Abidemi.

Which of the following languages has Todd lived in a country where it is spoken and taught?

1. Spanish

2. Russian

3. Thai

4. Mandarin