Learning Language Through Laughter provides a unique and enjoyable approach to the study of Nepali language and is based upon two premises. The first is that language acquisition should be fun and stressless which is conducive to a natural and expedient learning environment. As noted scholar Professor Panday indicates in the Preface, laughter is a medicine that provides benefits for our health and as such the mastery of jokes and comedy unconsciously helps to increase one's language ability. Secondly, the humorous stories contained within provide mini situational dialogues-dialogues that because of their humorous or odd situations, lend themselves to easy memorization of vocabulary words and the situations when those words are used. Jokes are short situational stories that all of us have learned and memorized effortlessly and naturally in our childhoods. The same principal is applied here with the ultimate aim of learning jokes in the target language of Nepali. As an added benefit, humour is said to be culture specific, thus the jokes also provide a unique window into the lighter side of Nepali culture.
Matthew J. Eynon was born in Cleveland, Ohio, U.S.A. He served as a U.S. Peace Corps volunteer to Nepal (1977-1980) where he was a high school science teacher in the village of Rukumkot, Rukum District. He earned Master's degrees from Ohio University (1980) and Indiana University (1983 & 1989) and a Ph.D. from Indiana University (1992). He is currently a professor in the Foreign Language Department of Tenri University, Nara Prefecture Japan. His publications include: Learning Language Through Lyrics: Classical Japanese Pop (Vols. 1 & 2); Learning Language through Lyrics: Nepali Film Songs (Vols. 1 & 2). His translations include: Ancient Tales of Tenri (Vols. 1 & 2); Legends of Nara, and Ancient Tales of Asuka.
As often occurs with many language students, one reaches a point in the language acquisition process where it feels as if a brick wall has been hit. There are no more "introductory" classroom-based materials available, and going completely "native" with the target language leaves one swimming in a sea of words and incomprehensible idiomatic expressions. This book is designed to help fill that gap between basic and advanced levels of Nepali language and as such it presents authentic Nepali language in a digestible format.
The jokes in this book are drawn from several sources including the Internet and inexpensive joke magazines found at many stationary stores throughout Nepal. As much as possible, jokes have been selected to represent a true Nepali flavor and as such, reflect various humorous aspects of Nepali society. As in many cultures, the country bumpkin arriving to the big city often commits social blunders and with Nepal this is no exception. Other stories deal with eating and religious customs and the relations between servants and masters. Still others are puns playing on the subtle differences in pronunciation. Particularly through puns a sharp distinction in pronunciation is brought to the forefront of the language student's consciousness between minimal pairs of words, a common area of mistake when studying language. With the proliferation of Internet usage, some of the jokes found here may have been translated from other languages. However, in the adaption process those jokes have been altered to fit Nepali settings making them more or less, authentically Nepali. All the jokes are guaranteed to not only tickle your funny bone but, more importantly, also increase your Nepali vocabulary and improve your grammar comprehension through the internalization of anecdotal stories.
So after arming yourself with several stories in this book, find yourself a seat in a chia pasal, or on a cautari resting spot under a pipal tree where people are gathered and taking a break and practice your Nepali through joke telling. You will be surprised at what an ice breaker the stories are. Everyone loves to hear a funny story to make their day.
I wish to thank Ram Kumar Panday for help with the selection of jokes in this book. We culled from hundreds of jokes the most suitable ones for the language and culture student. Three acquaintances, Rajendra Thapa, Damodar Badal and, Pratik Shrestha were helpful in the creation and editing of sample sentences, and editing of the overall text. I am extremely indebted to Mr. Devi Prasad Dahal who edited the manuscript with the keen eye of a Nepali language scholar. Mr. Madhab L. Maharjan of Mandala Book Point was extremely helpful in making this book a reality. Finally, I wish to thank Tenri University which provided both financial assisting in the publication of this book and an environment in which to research and write its contents.
**Contents and Sample Pages**
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