Nervously, you step through the doors of the language school. Before committing to buying a course of English lessons, you ask one of the teachers about the school and its methods.
“What kind of teaching methods do you use?” you ask.
“Well, we’re quite flexible,” says the teacher. “I can teach daily conversation lessons, business lessons, preparations for a test, etc. Is there any particular method of learning English that you would like to try?”
Pulling out a hip flask and taking a sip of whisky, you answer, “I’d like to study English using the Ig Nobel Method.”
The Ig Nobel Prize is awarded to scientific research that at first makes you laugh, and then makes you think. This year’s main prize was won last week by a group of researchers in the Netherlands. They compared how well two groups of native German speakers performed when trying to learn Dutch conversation. One group studied in the normal way, and the other group studied after drinking some alcohol. The researchers found that the students who had drunk alcohol performed better, especially with their pronunciation.
I normally offer my students a cup of tea to drink during our lessons. Should I start offering them something stronger?
Vocabulary:
Dutch
courage – this is a drink of alcohol which is taken to reduce anxiety. The expression comes from hundreds of years
ago when sailors in the Dutch navy were given alcohol before battles to help
give them the courage to fight
[eg., “I
think I need a little Dutch courage before asking her for a date.”]
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