THE PRICE OF GRINGLISH?

This is a post for those proficiency students who really love English and are interested in the origin of words as well as those who like the discussing finance and politics! I cannot say that it hasn't been inspired by all those politicians who like to show off their English and those who wish they could!

Disclaimer: May I emphasise that I intend no political bias with this, I merely wish to highlight a great (linguistic) speech and instigate lively debate on current affairs!

Ever heard of Xenophon Zolotas? He was director of the Bank of Greece as well as interim non-party Prime Minister for a short period. He was a proud Greek and wanted to emphasise the influence his language has had on English and so in two speeches, one in 1957 (which I deal with here) and the other in 1959, both (if I am not mistaken) as closing speeches to the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development, he spoke using using predominantly words of Greek origin. I have included discussion points to give you food for thought!

Whether you are Greek or English you may find this a little hard to decipher so click the link after the text for 'translation' into more familiar English/Greek.

I always wished to address this Assembly in Greek, but realized that it would have been indeed "Greek" to all present in this room. I found out, however, that I could make my address in Greek which would still be English to everybody. With your permission, Mr. Chairman, l shall do it now, using with the exception of articles and prepositions, only Greek words.
Kyrie, I eulogize the archons of the Panethnic Numismatic Thesaurus and the Ecumenical Trapeza for the orthodoxy of their axioms, methods and policies, although there is an episode of cacophony of the Trapeza with Hellas. With enthusiasm we dialogue and synagonize at the synods of our didymous organizations in which polymorphous economic ideas and dogmas are analyzed and synthesized. Our critical problems such as the numismatic plethora generate some agony and melancholy. This phenomenon is characteristic of our epoch. But, to my thesis, we have the dynamism to program therapeutic practices as a prophylaxis from chaos and catastrophe. In parallel, a Panethnic unhypocritical economic synergy and harmonization in a democratic climate is basic. I apologize for my eccentric monologue. I emphasize my euharistia to you, Kyrie to the eugenic and generous American Ethnos and to the organizers and protagonists of his Amphictyony and the gastronomic symposia.

English translation here, Greek translation here

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS ON THE FINANCIAL SIDE:

"But, to my thesis, we have the dynamism to program therapeutic practices as a prophylaxis from chaos and catastrophe. In parallel, a Panethnic unhypocritical economic synergy and harmonisation in a democratic climate is basic."
(But to get to the point, we have methods that can prevent catastrophe. Also, sincere international economic cooperation is necessary.)

This particular sentence caught my attention almost immediately as it is indicative of how little times have changed though indeed time has passed.

(It seems to me that Zolotas would have been in favour of the European Economic and Monetary Union as he assisted Greek accession into the European Union).

To combine this with the present day political and financial climate here are some things to discuss:

1. Do you think monetary unity is a viable solution?
2. To what extent do you think the European Economic and Monetary Union is working?
3. Do you think that the basic principles Zolotas laid down (unhypocritical and democratic) are in place? Explain why/why not.
4. Does monetary union encourage or discourage these two principles within a Society? Explain why/why not.
5. What are the benefits and drawbacks of monetary union for a)large and b)small member states?
6. Why do you think Britain and Denmark chose not to join the Eurozone but be part of the EU?
7. Does a single currency really encourage unity between (vastly) different nations? Why/why not?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS ON THE LANGUAGE SIDE:

1. Zolotas emphasised how much Greek has influenced the English language but has Greek and Greece had any other influences on foreign culture? Consider other areas of life, not only language.
2. What other languages have influenced English? Or your own language? What effect has this had?
3. How has English affected your native language?
4. Are there any words which are universal - understood without translation? What are they? 
5. If there were a common language would we all speak it the same way?
6. Would there be fewer misunderstandings if we all had the same language because and meanings would not be lost in translation?
7. Have you heard of Esperanto?
8. What do you think of it?

MOONRAKING

I am a West Country girl and proud of it!I was born in Somerset and grew up in Wiltshire, both predominantly rural areas. Now as you are aware, because this misunderstanding holds true world-wide, country folk are supposed to be a little bit behind city dwellers in all things. This month's post brings you a legend from Wiltshire, courtesy of www.swindonweb.com which proves this is not always the case! (You will also find the article here as a PDF for class use, which includes the poem mentioned in the text. I haven't posted it here as it is long and written in a dialect that will be hard for most to understand!)

 

The Legend of the Moonrakers

The story behind the Wiltshire Myth...

The legend of the Wiltshire moonrakers is well known, but while the outline of the story is well documented, filling in the details largely depends on which book you read. The story is simple, though, and its message clear.

A pair of Wiltshiremen, engaged in smuggling brandy, hide a barrel of the contraband from the excisemen in a nearby pond and when they return at some later time, in the dark, they are caught in the act of raking the barrel back to land.

They immediately claim that they are trying to rake cheese - the reflection of the moon - from the pond and the excisemen, amused by the apparently simple-minded rustics, leave them to it.

The moral of the story is that, despite their earthy accents, Wiltshire folk are not as slow-witted as some would believe and, to this day, people born in the county are proud to call themselves moonrakers.

Just when the incident took place is far from clear, particularly as smuggling is by no means restricted to any one period in history, but at least one historian has claimed it originated in the 18th century.

The site of the pond is a matter of fiercer conjecture, with any one of the many Wiltshire towns and villages which boast a pond laying claim to be the home of the original moonrakers at one time or another.

Bishop's Cannings, which has produced a number of tall stories over the years, is named in one book, Ralph Whitlock's 'Wiltshire Folklore and Legends'. He claims the two original moonrakers were from this village, which is a stone's throw from Devizes and its suitable pond. Local people certainly seem to favour Devizes as the site of the pond.

Perhaps there are some clues in the verses written by Edward Slow, which are reproduced below. Published in 1894, this is at least closer in time than the modern versions of the story, though that, too, has surely been coloured by time.

At the end of the day, there isn't even any evidence that the story is based on fact. Most fables are fiction.

Whatever details the original story had have been twisted and lost as the moonrakers' legend has been handed down from generation to generation.

And that's exactly as it always is with all the best legends.

Text/artwork courtesy of www.swindonweb.com

VOCABULARY:
Be engaged in = to be involved in/do
Smuggling = carrying illegal things from one place to another
Contraband = things smuggled
Excisemen = police in charge of preventing smuggling/making sure dues or taxes are paid
Be caught in the act = to be found doing something you should not be
Simple-minded = not clever, uneducated
Rustics = country people
Earthy accents = country accents (specifically of people who work the land)
Slow-witted = stupid
Be a matter of fierce conjecture = debatable, controversial
Be a stone’s throw from = be close to
Be coloured by time = be changed by time
Hand down = pass on

QUESTIONS:
Were the Moonrakers really as ‘slow-witted’ as they appeared to be?
Why do you think Wiltshire people ‘are proud to call themselves moonrakers’?
Why do you think no one really knows the exact location of the pond in the legend?
Why are country folk generally considered to be ‘slow-witted’?
Are there similar legends from your area that explain why people have a particular name or reputation?
Wiltshire is famous for dairy products such as cheese as well as those produced from pork, such as ham, sausages and bacon. What is your area famous for?
Can you think of any other legends or myths that are passed on from generation to generation within your family, country or culture?

DO YOU LIKE CHRISTMAS PANTOMIME?

"Oh, yes you do!"
"Oh, no I don't!"

There are so many things that I love about Christmas but one that I really miss, being away from home, is an English Christmas Pantomime. That anticipatory hush when the lights went down before the curtain went up. The colours and costumes that amazed me as a child are as vivid now as then, With crazy special effects and poor Buttons who never got the girl. There is nothing quite like a "Panto" (short for Pantomime) for laughs with all the family. Where else but Britain would family entertainment include cross-dressing, custard pie fights, magic, songs and innuendo? Popular TV stars appear in shows all over the country during Christmas and the New Year. So to learn about what "Panto" is, watch one or both of these videos (see the links below), print up the worksheets I've made to accompany them and have fun! 


Panto poster for Cinderella.

  


1. This is a 3 minute video for a quick listening comprehension exercise. (Suitable for B1 and up.)

What is "English Pantomime"?

  

Worksheet


2. This is a 10 minute piece showing examples of Pantomime characteristics.(The exercises are more suitable for B2+ and up.)

Characteristics of English Pantomime


Worksheet

"It's behind you!"

A pantomime horse.

Some Horsey Idioms
"Stop horsing around!" Don't be silly!
"A dark horse" Someone/thing unknown or hiding something.
"Only fools and horses (work)..." Meaning: Only foolish people work & do not earn a living in an easy (usually Criminal) way.
"Hold your horses!" Slow down!
"Eat like a horse" Eat a lot.
"Get off your high horse." Stop thinking your are right all the time.


Season's Greetings to you all!

Miss!

A Teacherly Ramble Part 3 - Reading

READING, you either love it or hate it! That's my experience with students but that's because of the way they view this skill. For those of you who love them, keep reading you may find something new to do. For those of you who hate it, read on for just a little. Persevere please and I will try to engage you!

If this skill is given a purpose, other than 'Do your home work!' then it becomes a means to an end not just a chore. So how can you go about this?

 

Get in the right frame of mind.

I love reading!!!!

No exaggeration but why??

Infinite facts, and knowledge.
Laze about on rainy days with a good book!
On Line there are free books and stories at the touch of a button!
Vocabulary builder. Everyone (even me!) improves their vocabulary by reading.
Escapism; books take you out of this world!
Romance, sci-fi, horror, humour, biography - there is something for everyone!
Eating; if you can't read a recipe you can't make yummy foods so well!
Adventure, danger, excitement, suspense - in fact, every life experience.
Do it anywhere!(I have a reading app on my phone & even read in the bank queue!)
Instant access - no waiting around.
New horizons. I've travelled around the world and beyond in a book!!
Good for you and your rep. No parent* or teacher will tell you off for reading a book!

*Matilda's dad doesn't
think much of reading!

Follow these links for some great fiction suitable for tastes!
Daily Science Fiction
Every Day Fiction
Good Reads (for reviews of books)
Smashwords (Check the title you choose is free!)
Worthy of Publishing
Gutenburg's Children's Bookshelf

If you want something more akin to classroom reading try these!
Reading quizzes and games on Line
The British Council Stories and Poems


There are hundreds of other cyber libraries out there. If you have a favourite let me know!

I'll leave you with some words from one of my favourite authors, Roald Dahl,
“I have a passion for teaching kids to become readers, to become comfortable with a book, not daunted. Books shouldn't be daunting, they should be funny, exciting and wonderful; and learning to be a reader gives a terrific advantage.”  
Happy reading!

Miss!





 

SHEDDING LIGHT ON PUMPKIN CARVING!

Halloween is upon us once more and as you know it's one of my favourite times of year. As an EFL Teacher it is part of my job to teach you about the customs and traditions of English speaking countries and as I dealt with the the history of Halloween last year, this time round I thought I'd do something a little more practical. A quick how-to on pumpkin carving. You don't have to celebrate Halloween to have fun doing this and if you are careful you can save the pumpkin pulp and bake pies, soups or dry the seeds for a great snack - recipes links included! (Purple words explained below.)

WARNING: Sharp knives must be used so be very careful and get an adult to help you if necessary!

1. You can use any kind of pumpkin, marrow or courgette to create a Jack o' lantern. Wash the outside as you want your lantern to glow!

2. Using a sharp knife, cut off the stalk section remembering to leave enough of the flesh around it to use as a lid. If you are using a long thin vegetable such as a marrow or courgette, you can slice it about one third from the top.

3. Using a soup spoon or a table spoon hollow out the vegetable so you are left with about half a centimetre of skin/flesh left. If you you are using a marrow or courgette don't forget to do the lid as well! This is the longest, hardest and messiest part so be patient and persevere!

 

 4. Now you can carve your design. If you need guidelines draw it with a permanent marker on the outside first. There are two ways to cut; either cut pieces away to make holes so the flame is visible or cut way just the outer skin and leave a little flesh so the flame glows through the opaque flesh.  Faces are traditional but I have seen beautiful scenes, abstract designs and even pictures copied from books!

5. Tea lights are the best for lighting your pumpkin as they have a foil base and none of the wax spills.

REMEMBER: Candles are dangerous and must be kept away from flammable objects such as curtains and furnishings. You should never leave your Jack o' lantern unattended whilst lit.

RECIPES
American Pumpkin Pie
Greek Pumpkin Pie
Smashing Pumpkin Soup
Roasted Pumpkin seeds

For lots of other things Halloween I found a great site last night called Halloween Forevermore, check it out! It has film reviews, stories and articles about Halloween 365 days a year!

VOCABULARY
shed light on - to make something easy to see/understand
pulp - soft string inner part of a pumpkin
marrow/courgette - vegetables of the same family as pumpkins
glow - shine in the dark
flesh - soft part of the pumkin that can be eaten
slice - cut
hollow out - take the insides out of something so that it is empty inside
skin - the hard outer part of the pumpkin
persevere - keep trying
opaque - allowing light but niotimages to pass through
abstract - with no clear design
wax - what candles are made of
flammable - easily catch fire
unattented - alone

Happy Halloween!

Miss!




 

Speaking/Listening - A teacherly back-to-school ramble (Part 2)

Learning a language entails speaking that language. In my book, if you can't speak you haven't really learnt a language (I exclude Latin and Ancient Greek and other languages that are no longer used on a daily basis from this argument!) The three most common choices for a language learner are English Lessons, chatting to someone who is a native speaker or to friends who are learning the same language. However, classroom time is limited, if there are no native speakers in your neighbourhood to practise on and your friend's English is worse than yours; what do you do?

If you have time and money to spare visit a country where the language is spoken,either for a holiday or to live/work! On a more realistic basis, you could join an on-Line learning Community such as The Mixxer, this is and Adult education site and you must be over 18 to use it, not because of its content but for reasons of safety of the users. Minors are allowed but with the permission of a parent or guardian. Babbel/Friends Abroad and italki are other such sites.

Sing your English! Yes, I'm serious! There are endless videos with lyrics on You Tube and other sites where you are sure to find your favourite songs and hey presto! Karaoke here we go! Invite friends round and make it a party!

Worried about accent and pronunciation?  Don't! As long as the person you are speaking to is not puzzling over what you are saying, a hint of a foreign accent is a lovely thing! Regional accents tend to be very popular these days. Not so long ago (well quite a while ago now I think about it!) I was turned down  from a job on the radio due to my too English accent! Even so if you fancy getting your accent right try Learn the Accent.com.

If you are still despairing, fret no more, we are all in the same boat! I've mentioned this poem before in my posts but here's Benny Lewis, the Irish Polyglot, reading it and there are great pictures and a phonetic translation too.

Benny has a great website so if you are studying ANY Foreign language sign up and find new ways to do old things! Fluent in 3 months!

Listening is an underrated skill but essential if you are to communicate effectively. I believe it is also one of the most enjoyable to exercise. Think how often you hear your native language on a daily basis and more importantly, where you hear it. Translate these into English. The radio and TV are bound to figure there somewhere.

Try uploading an English speaking Radio to your phone/PC and listen to that instead of one in your native language. You will hear music, news, debates, plays and loads more! Check out Lamplight Theatre (For kids of all ages), Focus on the Family Theatre, Ranger Bill (Kids adventure stories), BBC Radio 4 Extra (Stories read aloud). There are many more out there.

Watch TV series/film without the subtitles altogether or with English subtitles, tune into English channels. Most people can find BBC World News on TV (in Greece at least).

You can even listen to audio books, search the Web for your favourite stories read in English! Try LibriVox which has a huge selection of free audio books to choose from. They are all read by volunteers but to a very high standard.

Next and last instalment Reading/Writing coming soon! If you are interested in the Scottish Referendum I have added a pdf to the CAUSE FOR DEBATE section too.
 

Plenty of time... A teacherly back-to-school-ramble! (Part 1)

Freddy Mercury sings "No time for losers, cos we are the champions..." (See the previous post.)

As much as I love the music of Queen I have to disagree with this sentiment! I have plenty of time for anyone who loses, of doesn't gain the grades they want in exams or fails to achieve in any other project they have set their sights on completing.

No, (I can hear all you realists out there harking on) I'm not a deluded 'everyone can win' type (not exactly) or even worse, 'every student deserves an 'A+'.

"That ain't gonna happen!"

(And anyone who tells you otherwise is a bare-faced liar!) 

I believe that everyone can do their best and achieve what they want if they are determined to. That goes for just about anything . (No, George, I don't mean that if you really want to, you can surf the Milky Way. That is a fantasy not a goal.)

First of all, have a look at this video. It's about ADHD but more importantly about how we learn and how we judge learning/passing/winning or whatever label you want to put on it.

(Thanks to Colin for sharing this so I can share it with you.)

 

You know which part I like the most? (One of many!) The bit where Sir Ken says 'Don't Copy! Because that's cheating!...Outside of school that's called collaboration.' It reflects something I always tease my classes about.

"If I could enter you in the exam as a group, you'd get straight As!"

It gets a laugh more often than not and students know full well that I'm not angry at them. Some of you might be tutting at my unruly classes but remember collaboration is a really important life skill to learn. "It's the stuff of growth." 

 

That put me in a bit of a sticky, hypocritical situation as the thing is I have to 'train' my students to pass exams where 'collaborating' most certainly doesn't go down well. What I try to do is to make the fun bits fun and get through the necessary, pen-on-paper, hard work, so let me quote Sir Ken again, "Our Children are living in the most intensely stimulating period in the history of the earth." (Sir Ken Robinson, educationalist) 

and use his idea of  'divergent thinking'. Use all this lovely 'genius' you had as a preschooler and answer this question:

 

How many ways to learn English can you think of?

 

Throughout September, I'm going to post some sites where you can find interesting things to help you learn English as well as all kinds of other hints and tips for helping you listen, speak, read and write better. Hope to be of some help...

 

Miss