"Littlelittlelittlelittlelittlelittlelittle...."
Try saying it fast... very fast like we do tongue twister!!
"Littlelittlelittlelittlelittleliteli,teli,teli,teli.little..."
Maybe you already know it, the result of saying it fast.Well, maybe you don't, not especially if you don't understand Dusun language.
Bah, again say it, fast, faaaaastt... as fast as doing the hateful tongue twister (I hate tongue twister)!! Practive will perfect it...
1,2,3...
"Littlelittlelittlelittlelittlelittle...
teli,
teli,
teli,
little, teli...."
T.E.L.I...
TELI...
You got that word??? You actually say the word 'little', but if you do it fast without halts... you will definitely, unintentionally say the word 'TELI'!!
That's exactly what my boys did during our Literature discussion this very week, only with intention. The intention was being naughthy in the class. I couldn't recall how the word 'little' came into our discussion. The next thing I realized, they (the boys aka the monkeys, the clowns, lots of other names) chanted it, "littlelittlelittlittlelittlelittle..teli,teli......"
"teli,
teli,
teli...." they chanted with big grin spread widely on their faces!!!
TELI - Dusun word for their own private part!!!! And they chanted like it was the biggest joke in the whole universe!!! Funny!!!!
Some of my girls hissed angrily, "Crazy!!! That's your own little brother you are saying. Shame on you oh!"
Like expected, my boys' grin became wider. They looked at eact other with mischief aura and wildly they continued chanting, louder than previous "littlelittlelittle..telteliteli... teli, teli..."
I was not angry at all. At all. In fact, I found the boys' action comical I was trying best to suppress my laughter. But if I laughed, my boys would think, "Aha.. see our teacher gives green light for us to behave in such way!" Must not do that!! Their behaviour was actually such a great disturbance for the P&P.
My resolve went like this, "Oh... nice song!! Why don't all of you boys stand up move in front here... stand facing the whole class, sing the song again like a nice choir, hmmm??"
"Cho, teacher. Don't want," Jairin the spiky hair who initiated the chant pushed his chair backwards, a sign I took as a refusal to my command.
Silence reign the class.
"You are under a lot of pressure recently right? Extra class every evening and night for your PMR? Hmm... you need to destress I know. Maybe that is one of the ways? Hmmm... make it a nice little choir, your chant just now? Here in front of the class?" I challenged.
My boys suddenly sat properly. Their back straight. Books were neatly arranged on their table. Pens that were inside their pencil box now in their hands. Good.
"Nah koto (Dusun for serve you right)..." several of my girls said.
The naughty ones said, "Ah.. teacher we really want to hear the boys sing in front," at this, some of my ones gave my girls their killer glance.
"Well, in fact the whole school can hear it during assembly if... if they chant it again, that will happen!!!" I said!!!
Afterwards, our lesson went smoothly ever after. Not. Who can guarantee 'an ever after' in my class 3 WIRA where my boys and my girls are all 'akal panjang' kind of students!!! Gladly no ever after!
THE END.
Littlelittlelittlelittlelittleee...teli....