L is for leap

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Look before you leap. Augen auf beim …!

It being leap year (Schaltjahr), on-air psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane challenges everyone, himself included, to take a leap of faith (sich vertrauensvoll auf etwas einlassen, ein Risiko wagen) and do something that they have never tried before. It all goes very wrong… Frasier, Season 3, Episode 16 (Feb. 27, 1996):

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5 Responses

  1. OH FRASIER is one of my favourite shows ! this one and “Have I Got News For You” (with Angus Deaton) are the two shows I enjoyed so much and was so proud to understand (it took me hours of concentration before getting all the humour packed up in it). I also love the fact that…it all goes wrong. Thank you!!

  2. Good morning, Alice!
    Series are a great way to keep up-to-date with English. Is there anything on DVD that you can recommend for French??
    This “leap”-thing is a big topic for me. I often go and make a huge fool of myself because I decided many moons ago to be more daring, to be an early adopter, to test the waters. It does have to do with being a basically trusting and optimistic person and thinking that there are too many opportunities out there to stay at home and safe. And if things go wrong, well, we all gotta die sometime. Or, as the Germans say, “Einen Tod stirbt jeder!” 😉
    Have a lovely third Advent!

  3. What do the Germans say? can you translate?
    Yes, you are right, life is short, BUT I think that this type of generalisation can be very wrong. It looks good”we are all gonna die” and everything, it looks logical. But we are humans. Everyone is different. You can take a leap only *when* you feel you are ready. Otherwise it goes wrong, and the problem is : you can’t take it because you were not ready in the first place. Another thing : we are connected to others. People around us can be an example of success in one particular domain. They can help us just by seeing them live. They can help us realise why we are not ready to take the leap and what to do to be ready. It is a process, a natural process, not rocket science. But usually what we hear is : go ahead, don’t be afraid, and so on… it’s the same with learning another language. I never say “go ahead”, I respect the learner’s silence, even when it’s a long silence. Taking the plunge into another language is such a big leap for some people. After all, language is the essence of everyone of us, very complex, very personal.
    I’ll think of a good DVD to recommend to you. Now I’m leaving for the week-end,
    A bientôt !
    Alice

  4. “Einen Tod stribt jeder” translates to “Everybody must die some death some day.”

    Yes, I agree, being happy to take that leap is a matter of temperament. I also go gentle on students.

    I’m a big fan of TPR (total physical response), which lets students sort out their perceptions, ideas and feelings before they make any response at all, and often play TPR games.

    They can be very quiet, e.g. cards with statements to sort in rubrics of personal or general validity.

    Or they can be fun, moving around activities, joining a group in a corner designated to represent something. Just thinking about this “public declaration of love” topic, I might ask “Proposing in public is very romantic” vs. “Proposing is an intimate act and needs privacy” and then letting them start up their conversations in those groups – and then pairing up people from those two groups for discussion and debate.

    BTW, I think love is a very private thing. I find it quite thrilling when my sweetheart shows his love and affection for me in public. But proposing in public? Never!

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