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Ask for help > unfaithful
unfaithful
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joy2bill
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Surely we should gear our lessons to 1 the students � age 2 the situation for which they will be needing English in the future 3 whether they need �exam � English or �street � language. 4 the interests of the students. I teach adults at an advanced level and so almost anything is acceptable. Were I teaching elementary children I would teach completely different things. My students love slang..I do not base lessons on it but I certainly embrace it if it comes up in class, even if only to correct misunderstandings. If I had a student using the word �cuckold � I would explain that it is rarely used now except obviously in that movie for some unknown fact. If we are expected to teach our students formal English which I �m sure most of us do why can �t we teach slang. Surely it �s just another example of register. Cheers Joy |
15 Feb 2012
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douglas
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I agree with Joy and Paugyg 100%. Many words that we now accept as "proper" English were long used as slang first. Just as children learning about sex (for example) at the busstop without explanations/clarification from their parents or a responsible adult leads to sometimes dangerous misconceptions (and more), I feel that leaving students to learn slang on their own is irresponsible of a teacher.
As for "cuckold": 56,900,00 hits if you Google it--my experience is that it is still in use and seems to be making a comeback.
Douglas |
15 Feb 2012
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cunliffe
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If someone is two-timing their partner, we say they are �playing away from home �, or �having a bit on the side �. �Cuckold � is a wonderfully evocative word - yes, you think of a poor old soul whose wife is running around, but it has really gone out of the language.
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15 Feb 2012
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MoodyMoody
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I guess people on this site don �t read a lot of Dan Savage. He uses "cuckold" (and many other deviant sexual terms) quite a lot. He �s the one responsible for giving Rick Santorum his "Google problem," for example. |
15 Feb 2012
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Jayho
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I don�t recall hearing cuckold before. And I even saw Crazy Stupid Love not that long ago.
�Dropped� is another colloquial expression used when dating. �He dropped her�, �They�re not going out anymore, she dropped him�. You can see it defined here.
�Get rid of� is another. �She cheated on him so he got rid of her�.
I explain slang to my adult students when it is appropriate but I sure hope that no-one asks me to explain Lady Gaga�s disco stick ride. I�ll suggest they google that one. |
15 Feb 2012
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paugyg
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Well, in the movie Crazy Stupid Love there �s a whole scene in which Steve � Carrell �s character shouts and plays with different forms of the word cuckolds. I believe it �s done to creat a funny effect, since, as I gather from what some of you are saying here, most people find this word to be "out-dated". Here I add the quote so that you can see it why it is so funny and how he plays with the word turning into a verb, a noun, etc. This is the beauty of English language!! The character even makes a point of the fact that the word is not used VERY OFTEN, which means that it �s still in use. And as Douglas said, I believe this word is making a comeback.
[after being dumped by his friend, Cal sits at the bar drinking and ranting]
Cal Weaver: You know a word that is not used very often anymore? Cuckold. I �m cuckolded. David Lindhagen cuckolded me. He made a cuckold out of me. He slept with my wife and I didn �t know about it! And that is the definition of cuckoldom. David Lindhagen took my wife and slept with her. Uuch! Thought I did everything right. Got married, had kids, the house. What do I get for it? I get cuckolded? David Lindhagen cuckolded me, he made a cuckold out of me.
PS, Douglas made an excellent point about slang: Many words that we now accept as "proper" English were long used as slang first.
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15 Feb 2012
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paugyg
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And may I add, that many words that are now know as "slang" words were consider proper or formal. Some of them, even, had a "royal" origin.... If you have some knowledge of history, you �ll know that the now infamous "F" word in its origin was an acronym for Fornication Under the Consent of the King. |
15 Feb 2012
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Jayho
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I remember that scene now but it obviously had no lasting impression on me.
I never knew that about the infamous "F" word. |
15 Feb 2012
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paugyg
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Well, that scene had a lasting impression on me, specially because of the overuse of the word cuckold and how the character makes it a noun, a transitive verb,and intransitive verb. I always love that about English!
If I remember correctly from my English History classes, they used to write the acronym for the phrase "Fornication Under the Consent of the King" on top of houses � doors to show that the couple in that house was married with approval of the king. Just a little example of the comings and goings of the language... how a word that used to be formal is now slang, and how a slang word can become acceptable.... |
15 Feb 2012
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almaz
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"Fornication Under the Consent of the King"? Yes, and golf originated in "Gentlemen Only, Ladies Forbidden". Oh, and ESL originated in "Er.. Somebody �s Lying".
I �m assuming you �ve got your tongue seriously stuck in your cheek, Paugyg. |
15 Feb 2012
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