Thang you!

Yesterday I met my Vietnamese student again, the one with problems pronouncing the th sound. We had a busy class, working on various things in the textbook, and I didn't have time to concentrate on her particular problem. I had been intending to do some more minimal pairs with her, but the other students kept me on my toes.

At the end of class as everyone was leaving, they all called, "See you next week!" She did, too. And then she turned back and added, "And THHHHANG YOU!"

We stared at each other, and she laughed delightedly at the expression on my face. Her th was PERFECT. (The k was entirely absent, however.)

"You've been practicing, haven't you!" I said.

"Yes," she said. "On the train." She held her hand up in front of her mouth, the way I'd shown her. "The thin tin man," she said.

Now all we have to do is to work on her final stops. We'll do that next week. A student like this one can accomplish ANYTHING. Or ANYTHINK, for that matter.