The Lion Moos When It Is Angry

A woman at an association I work with shared with me a delightful little book printed here in Morocco. Her sister is using it to study English. Translated, the pocket-sized paperback is entitled Learning the English Language, copyright 2008/1429, by alouma@menara.xx. ½ Arabic-English dictionary and ½ useful phrases, it amused me. I’ve quoted some excerpts to share with you (spelling and punctuation intentional):

-“Books are very interesting and contain a lot of knoledge.”
-“Look at that blind, he tries to know the way by his stick.”
-“Can I found large shirts according to my size”
-“Kangaroo moves especially by jumping”
-[See title of this blog]
-“There are machines to wash dishes instead of women.”
-“People need to eat meat because it contains proteins.”
-“Christians unfortunately believe by mistake that Jesus is the God child.”
-“Work law forbids to hire immature children.”
-“Glue is useful for students at school and the shoe repairer too”
-“This voice from the control device is due to the ironic keys in the bag.”
-“I benefit from my bank accout by repetitive bank loans”
-“I hear strange voices at night.”
-“Recently, young clothes become very tight.”
-“I don’t know why the blood is running without stopping.”
-“My fathers-in-law are all still alive.”
-“Acids have an acid taste”
-“In each year, there are three handered and sixtee five days and a quarter of a day.”
-“The tongue pronounces easily all languages”
-“It’s wonderful to go to amuse ourself in the nearest forest.”
-“Muslim, jew and Christian can live together in mutual peace.”

To be fair, my organization compiled a useful guide to Darija in order for me to promote technical assistance and cultural exchange. Here are some direct quotations of what I “studied:”

-“The mouse is scared of the cat.”
-“Hassan is singing in the shower.”-
“She doesn’t like beer.”
-“But this is not the place for bicycles.”
-“Police! Okay, may God help you.”
-“I’m just a normal citizen from America. My job is to help people in Morocco. That’s all I know.”

These quotations in no way reflect my point of view, or that of PC or the U.S. government. I know my tongue does NOT easily pronounce all languages, and what the hell is a normal citizen from America like??? I’m a fan of mutual peace though. In 2010, I hope not to hear any lions mooing.