First, I would work on the correct pronunciation of the phrases. How are you is really straightforward: Kemon asen? But I’m fine is “bhalo asi” and is difficult to pronounce. The “bha” in “bhalo” is pronounced like a “ba” with a “ha” said immediately afterwards. It essentially sounds like a lengthened “ba” sound. To teach this, I would have the kids pronounce the “Ba” and then the “Ha” sounds separately and eventually have them say the sounds next to each other.
The other two phrases “What’s your name” and “my name is ______ “ are “apnar nam ki?” And is “amar nam _____.” These are both easy to pronounce.
In order to practice responding and asking these questions, I would have the kids sit in a circle and pass a ball among them. The person who has the ball must pass it to another person in the circle and ask either “how are you?” or “what’s your name”. The person who receives the ball must answer accordingly, and subsequently pass the ball and ask one of the questions.
I have taught English to Japanese kids using this technique, and it seemed relatively successful. I also taught Bengali phrases to people at school like “how are you”and “I’m fine” , by explaining the pronunciation as described above. Obviously I did not use the ball technique. Instead I just practiced asking them questions and had them ask me questions.
Splitting the pronunciation of the “ba” and “ha” really seemed to help people pronounce the word “bhalo”. By the end of the going through the questions, most people were able to ask and answer the questions successfully.
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