FUN WITH WORDS USING SPOONERISMIN ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING

FUN WITH WORDS USING SPOONERISM

IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNING¹

Tri Rina Budiwati

Abstract

Playing on words (punning) in the class is the activity often done in English teaching-learning process. One of alternative methods can be suggested is by using Spoonerism – one kind of punning, referred to Dr. Spooner of New College, Oxford, who has been credited with accidentally producing a great many, often humorous, speech error. Both of the teachers and students can gain much benefits from spoonerisms in English teaching-learning process.

Key words: playing on words, Spoonerisms, English teaching-learning

Introduction

This paper will not be about deep research academic article, rather it is intended to bring alternative method in English language learning. The method is hoped to give interesting phenomenon how fun learning English is by using words played amusingly.

In language, word is defined as a speech sound, or series of them, serving to communicate meaning and consisting of at least one base morpheme with or without prefixes or suffixes, or it can be said as unit of language between the morpheme and the sentence (Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 1996: 1538). Therefore, playing on words means amusing oneself by using speech sounds which are formed or sounded as his/her intention. In other words, it is called punning – the use of words which are formed or sounded alike, in such a way as to juxtapose, connect, or bring out two or more of the possible applications of the words, usually in a humorous way (Ibid: 1090).

Meanwhile, spoonerism is one kind of punning, referred to Dr. Spooner of New College, Oxford, who has been credited with accidentally uttering a number of amusing verbal transposition (“Spoonerism and Spoonerisms”, 2007: par 3). For example:

(1) “Blushing crow” for “crushing blow”,

(2) “our queer old dean” for “our dear old queen”, etc.

Then, the writer will use spoonerism as one of alternative methods of English language learning. Here, the four basic skills (reading (i.e. vocabulary), listening, writing and speaking) could be combined to empower the students’ ability and capability in learning English.

What is/are Spoonerisms?

Spoonerisms are slips of the tongue named after the Reverend William Archibald Spooner who was warden of New College, Oxford, between 1903 and 1924. The Reverend Spooner was famous for producing a great many, often humorous, speech errors (Libben in O’Grady, et. al., 1997: 439-40). Libben adds that the characteristic pattern in Reverend Spooner’s errors is a tendency to exchange the initial consonants of words in the utterance as can be seen from the following example:

(3) What he intended : “You have missed all my history lectures”

What he said : “You have hissed all my mystery lectures”

(4) What he intended : “You have wasted the whole term”

What he said : “You have tasted the whole worm”

Spoonerism is a form of metathesis, the switching of the order of sounds in pronunciation. But, Spoonerism used to refer to transpositions occurring spontaneously and erratically, i.e., the speaker would consider them mistakes (“What is a Spoonerism?”, 2007: 4). In this case, the effect of the switching of sounds is planned and the result is often humorous. The following are the examples of more funny Spoonerism.

Spoonerisms	What he intended
Fighting a liar	Lighting a fire
Cattle ships and bruisers	Battle ships and cruisers
Nosey little cook	Cosy little nook
Our shoving leopard	Our loving shepherd
A half-warmed fish	A half-formed wish
Is the bean dizzy	Is the Dean busy?
Know your blows	Blow your nose
Go and shake a tower	Go and take a shower
Tease my ears	Ease my tears
Nicking your pose	Picking your nose
You have very mad banners	You have very bad manners
It is kisstomary to cuss the bride	It is customary to kiss the bride

Source: “Selection of Spoonerism”, 2007

http://www.fun-with-words.com/spoon_example.html

How can Spoonerism be used in English Language Learning?

As it is stated that the four basic skills (reading/vocabulary, listening, speaking, and writing) can be learnt and taught by using spoonerisms. Then, how are spoonerisms used in learning and teaching the four skills?

1. Expanding Vocabulary using Spoonerism

Dealing with reading skill, the writer focuses on vocabulary from the examples of spoonerisms found in some sources. Teachers and students can use them to expand and increase their vocabularies by understanding the meaning of the words in spoonerisms, then by associating to the other words.

For example, by understanding “fighting a liar” from the intended words “lighting a fire”, they can understand more than one discourse. They can understand a discourse of “fire” which can be used or “turned on” by using the word “lighting”. Then, they can associate the words to “flame”, “hot”, “cold”, “warm”, “humid”, or the words or discourses. From the spoonerism “fighting a liar”, they can understand a discourse on “liar” who can be “fought”, “the ways to fight a liar”, “who is liar?”, etc. Next, they can associate the words to the other words such as “true”, “false”, “battle”, “war”, etc. By understanding and associating the words, directly or indirectly, they are enriching their words in English.

2. Listening and Speaking Spoonerisms

How can Spoonerisms be listened? Of course, teachers and students must cooperate to utter the spoonerisms and to listen attentively. Since the intended words and spoonerisms have very close speech sounds, pronouncing the utterances must be careful. This activity, the writer is sure, must be fun and exciting as they can be voiced in certain stress and tones like a rhythm of song or poetry (connect also to tongue twister such as she sells sea shells in the seashore). Moreover, the funny spoonerism will make the teaching-learning relax. Exactly, this activity must be related to speaking activity.

By uttering the spoonerisms, students will be trained to speak minimal pairs (almost the same sounds) and to be careful to differentiate the distinguished sounds. Moreover, they will be used to speak English well and correctly. For example, they can be asked orderly the phrases first and then its spoonerism like

blow your nose — know your blows

so help me God — go help me sod

I’m a stamp dealer — I’m a damp stealer

Etc.

3. Writing new spoonerisms

After understanding (esp. the meaning of) spoonerisms, teachers and students can create their own spoonerisms. This activity can be done, for example, by using the ordinary words in daily life then they are changed to be spoonerism or by determining the theme/discourse, then interchanging the words into spoonerism.

For instance, the ordinary words like “sit down please” can be changed into “pit pawn lease”. Or, when the students are asked to make spoonerisms from the theme/discourse love, they can make spoonerisms like “you are my cover” from the words “you are my lover” or “Toning bombers to you” from “nothing compares to you”. Ok, play your own words with new spoonerisms.

What Benefits of Spoonerism for English Teaching-Learning?

Playing on words, undoubtedly, are fun, exciting and challenging in teaching and learning language. Words, in fact, are the key for a teacher to be played to create amusing or boring class. So, making fun with words in the class can give some benefits both for the teachers and students, like:

1. To expand vocabulary and understand the discourse;
2. To understand the distinguished voices through listening;
3. To be able to pronounce the distinguished voices;
4. To be able to create new own words in improving writing skill;
5. To make teaching-learning process more fun and exciting;
6. To encourage English learners to improve their general English.

Conclusion

As one of materials for teaching-learning English, spoonerisms are exciting phenomena in English to be used to create more relax situation in the class. The four basic skills in English can be empowered by using spoonerisms. Both teachers and students can get much benefits from them in the process of teaching-learning English, such as: o expand vocabulary and understand the discourse; to understand the distinguished voices through listening; to be able to pronounce the distinguished voices; to be able to create new own words in improving writing skill; to make teaching-learning process more fun and exciting; and to encourage English learners to improve their general English. Lastly, hope you enjoy teaching-learning English in the class with spoonerisms.

Bibliography

Libben, Gary. “Brain and Language” in O’Grady, William, et. al. Contemporary Linguistics, An Introduction. Harlow, England: Pearson Education Limited, 1997.

Webster’s New World College Dictionary. Revised and Updated Third Edition. New York: Macmillan, 1995.

“A Selection of Spoonerisms”. Updated 2 December 2003, accessed 2007. http://www.fun-with-words.com/spoon_example.html

“Spoonerism and Spoonerisms. Updated 2 December 2003, accessed 2007. http://www.age-of-the-sage.org/quotations/spoonerism_spoonerisms.html

“What is a Spoonerism?”. Updated 2 December 2003, accessed 2007. http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-a-spoonerism.htm

PRESENTER’S PROFILE

Name : Tri Rina Budiwati, S.S., M. Hum.

Institution : Lecturer of English Department, Faculty of Letters,

Ahmad Dahlan University, Yogyakarta.

Address : Jl. Pramuka 42, Sidikan UH Yogyakarta 55161

Phone: (0274) 450369, Fax. (0274) 450368.

Cellphone : (0274) 7435129

E-mail : budiwati_rina@yahoo.co.id

S1 degree is from English Department, Faculty of Letters, Gadjah Mada University (1998) and S2 degree is from Jurusan Ilmu-ilmu Humaniora Minat Utama Linguistik Universitas Gadjah Mada (2003).

Selected Papers, i.e.:

1. Gender-Biased Terms in Indonesian: A Sociolinguistics Study (2001),

2. Bias Gender dalam Penggunaan Istilah Bahasa Indonesia pada Penutur Jawa (2003), Bias Gender dalam Bahasa Indonesia (Thesis S2, 2003),

3. Gender Discourse in Indonesian and Arabic Languages (2004),

4. Language between Men and Women (2004),

5. Language Choice in A Multilingual Society: A Case Study of English Department Students at Ahmad Dahlan University (TEFLIN, 2005),

6. Gender Values Implanting through Children English Song: A Critical Discourse Analysis (JETA International Conference and Workshop, 2007) and

7. A Critical Discourse Analysis on the Use of English on Note Book Covers Made in Indonesia (International Conference on English Language Study 5, 2007) .

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¹presented at International Seminar on Research in Social Sciences, Educations, and Humanities – Psychology, September 11^th , 2007, at Lembaga Penelitian dan Pengembangan, Universitas Ahmad Dahlan, Yogyakarta.

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