I love language!

I’m a language geek. Thus far, I have studied French, Spanish, Italian, and Chinese and don’t plan to stop learning new languages until I’ve study as many as I can remember! There’s nothing that fascinates me more than the words people choose, the intonation with which they say them, and in turn the meaning behind the words. I also enjoy the grammatical and linguistic nuances that each language has to offer. Even languages in the same branch can vary greatly in sound, vocabulary, grammar, structure, etc. Also, countries and/or provinces/states in the same region have different cultures and traditions.

While studying these various languages, especially French, I developed a greater awareness and understanding of different aspects of English language and grammar. For instance, the past tense of French uses two forms of the verb: a past participle (-ed ending in English) and an auxiliary verb (to be or to have). I had no idea what an auxiliary verb was or when/how to use it in any language before my French class; however, through French I learned its function in French and English.

Language does not have to be studied in a school setting, though many people are first introduced to language in school. It can be studied at home using an interactive language program such as Rosetta Stone, in a foreign country during a vacation or a study abroad program, or at a library or other public place that offers a language program, to name a few. In these settings people can learn the language at their own pace and in the manner in which they want.

Language learning is not simply academic, it is social and cultural as well. In the process of learning a new language, I learned about the food, music, history, art, etc of the countries in which that language was spoken. By learning about another culture I started to reflect on and compare cultural practices in America and in my family to those in France and discovered that despite the differences, there are many similarities between cultures (i.e. Bastille Day and Independence Day, All Souls Day and Dia de los muertos, etc.).

     

Vocabulary

1.      Fascinates (verb) – interest, intrigue

2.      Intonation (noun) – the way someone says something, the tone

3.      Branch (noun) – group of languages with similar origins; part of a tree that has leaves or loses them in the winter

4.      Linguistic (adj) – related to language

5.      Nuances (noun) – subtle difference

6.      Function (noun) – purpose or use; (verb) fulfill daily activities

7.      Auxiliary (verb) – helping verb used in the past tense

8.      Geek (noun) – someone obsessed with something (when used with an adjective); someone deemed “uncool”

Vocabulary Exercise

1.      Your ____________ choices in this paper were far more advanced than in previous papers.

2.      I cannot __________ in the morning before I drink my coffee.

3.      __________ verbs in the French past tense are “être” and “avoir”.

4.      He was ___________ by the hot dog eating contest.

5.      The __________ of his voice told me that he was very excited about something.

6.      English and German are in the Germanic language __________.

7.      He loved video games so much that his friends called him a video game ________.

8.      A __________  of Spanish dialects is that the letter y can be pronounced with a “yuh” or a “juh” sound depending on the region in which the speaker lives.

Grammar Point and Exercise

Throughout its history, the English language has adopted words from other languages (the reverse is also true.).

How many English words can you name that were adopted from another language? List at least 5. 

Crocheting

One of my favorite activities to do in my spare time is crocheting. I’ve been crocheting for about 5 years and learned how to crochet from my mom. She tried to teach me while I was still in high school; however, I found the learning process very frustrating and difficult so I was not successful in my first attempt to learn how to crochet. My freshman year of college I was inspired to attempt to learn again by my suitemate who had a real knack for crocheting. She created animals, food, Christmas trees, scarves, blankets and various other projects without the use of a pattern. I used to ball the skeins of yarn she had for projects and watch in amazement as new creations came to life. I decided that year that I wanted to try crocheting again and on my second attempt I was successful despite some difficulties along the way. I enjoy crocheting because I find it relaxing and I can do repetitive, less complex projects while watching TV or listening to music. It’s also a novel activity and great way to make a gift for someone or to make something for yourself. My family and friends love the homemade crocheted gifts I’ve given them. I’ve made wallets, scarves, blankets, animals, food, potholders and other various creations. I also feel a great sense of accomplishment when I finish a new project or learn a new stitch.

Vocabulary

Crochet(-ing) (noun)/ Crochet (verb)/Crocheted (adj): a craft that uses yarn and a metal or plastic tool (a needle) of various sizes with a hook.

Introduction to Crocheting - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbZIQ0TKIo8

Suitemate (noun): someone who lives in the same general space but in a different room, generally in a college dorm

Knack (noun): talent, skill for an activity      

Pattern (noun): repetition, directions for creating something

Ball (verb): to form a circular shape out of yarn; (noun) item made of plastic, rubber or various other materials that is generally circular and is commonly used in sports and games

Skein (noun): yarn in an oblong shape; the shape in which yarn is sold in a craft store

Stitch (noun): loops created by a crochet/knitting needle; a closure for a bad wound

Vocabulary Exercise:

1.      She has a ________ for soccer.

2.      Crocheting uses a number of ___________ for different projects.

3.      Do you like the solid colored dress or the dress with the ________ better?

4.      My grandma _________ a blanket for the new baby.

5.      While watching my favorite show I _________ some new yarn.

6.      I have _________ of yarn in various colors.

7.      Her __________ doesn’t go to sleep until 3 in the morning.

Grammar Point: Pronouns

Words that replace nouns. Limited number of pronouns. Help vary writing.  

Singular – I, You, He, Him, She, Her, It

Plural – We, Us, You (All), They, Them

Grammar Exercise:

Rewrite the sentence and replace the word in bold with the appropriate pronoun.

1.      I went to the movies with my friends.

I went to the movies with ___________.

2.      Joe bought 4 bottles of soda and 3 bags of chips for the party.

_____ bought 4 bottles of soda and 3 bags of chips for the party.

3.      Katherine met with the professor after class.

Katherine met with ______ after class.

4.      My cousins and I love to watch sports together.

_________ love to watch sports together. 

Slopestyle: My New Favorite Olympic Event

Every two to two and a half years, most of us are glued to our televisions for two to three weeks watching sporting events we wouldn’t ordinarily watch or don’t have access to on a regular basis. I personally enjoy the Summer and Winter Olympics because I get a chance to see and learn about sports outside the mainstream and have the opportunity to find a new sport to enjoy. During the Winter Olympics I’ll watch hockey, curling, figure skating, ice skating, speeding skating and maybe some luge and bobsledding events, but I don’t generally watch any snow-related events such as skiing or snowboarding because I’ve never been interested in them. However, this past weekend, I stumbled upon the Men’s Slopestyle event and I decided to watch it because it was a new Olympic event. I was glad I did because it was awesome. I’ve seen few things cooler in Olympic sports than snowboarders rotating in the air doing 1080s, 1260s, 1440s (higher numbers of degrees than I ever learned in math class). It’s an incredible experience to watch the snowboarders do different tricks off the railings and mini ramps then watch them spin around in the air and stick their landings. The experience is also a bit nerve-racking because the snowboarders could easily fall and hurt themselves. The Men’s Slopestyle event was especially fun to watch because the dark horse of the competition, American snowboarder, Sage Kotsenburg, won the gold medal.

Vocabulary

Glued to (verb): unable to take yourself away from something

Mainstream (noun, adj): most popular within a culture or country

Slopestyle (noun): a snowboarding event in which snowboarders do tricks on railings and make flips off different sized ramps

Rotating/Rotate (verb): to spin around in a circle; to change position or place (i.e. rotate a shift at a job, rotate turns in a science lab)

1080 – spin in 3 complete circles

1260 – spin in 3.5 circles

1440 – spin in 4 complete circles

Nerve-racking (adj): anxious; nervous; worry

Dark horse (noun) – not favored to win; underdog

Vocabulary Exercises

1.      Nowadays it is ____________ for elementary school children to own a cell phone.

2.      She was the _____________ of the figure skating competition because this was the first Olympics in which she participated.

3.      Walking on stage to receive my diploma was ____________.

4.      In ____________ it is difficult to complete a _________.

5.      After 5 minutes each group ____________ and goes to a different station.

6.      He was ____________ to his Xbox 360 once he bought Super Smash Brothers Brawl.

Grammar Point

To capitalize or not to capitalize? We know that proper nouns such as names of people, places, months, days, pets and so on should be capitalized, but what about words that are only capitalized in certain circumstances? The rule is that if you refer to a specific person, region, thing the word is capitalized, otherwise it is plural. For example, in the phrase “president of the United States” the word “president is not capitalized because it does not refer to someone or something specific; however, “president” is capitalized in the phrase “President Obama” because “president” refers to a specific person.

Grammar Exercise

State whether the sentence is correct or incorrect and change the mistake(s) if the sentence is incorrect.

1.      I live in southeastern New York.

2.      The next summer Olympics will be in Rio.

3.      The English monarch who has reigned the longest is queen Elizabeth II.

4.      My uncle’s birthday is on Valentine’s Day. 

My Best Experience

The characteristics for what qualifies an experience as good or bad can depend on the perspective of the person, the outcome of the experience, and the person’s culture and/or beliefs. A situation that one person may perceive as bad or negative, someone else could see as good or positive. Though some people views experiences at a past or current job as negative because of the circumstances or people surrounding them at that job, I found that overall my first job was a rewarding experience.

My first real job was as a sandwich maker at Stony Brook University during my senior year of my undergraduate career. I also worked as a camp counselor for two summers but I consider that to be strictly a summer job as opposed to a part-time or full-time job that lasts throughout the year. At first I was intimidated by the job because I had no experience as a food service worker. I also knew how busy and crazy the dining hall could be as well as how unfriendly, college students could be sometimes. However, I had very understanding managers who let me east my way in and see how everything worked before they made me do anything. I was also fortunate to have a patient, kind co-worker who taught me what I needed to know about making sandwiches and helped me when necessary. Over time, I became more and more comfortable making sandwiches and got to know my co-workers well.

The people I worked with came from various Hispanic and Asian backgrounds which was unfamiliar and refreshing to me since I live in a town that lacks diversity. I learned about the difficulties my co-workers faced coming to America as a student and/or worker and how much they appreciated the opportunity to come to this country and make a better life for themselves and/or their children. I also learned about the sacrifices my co-workers made so their children would be able to experience the best life possible. I taught my co-workers some English words and phrases which at times were difficult to explain, practiced my Spanish and even learned some words in Chinese. The most rewarding experience outside of my job itself was helping one of my co-workers study for the U.S. Citizenship Test because she trusted me enough to help her.

Overall, my experiences at this job made me appreciate all the opportunities I have considering the struggles many people go through to have the same opportunities. The people I met inspired me to help others in a similar situation and made me realize I wanted to be a TESOL teacher. I also felt empowered and independent working at my job because I was able to make my own money and do something for myself.

Vocabulary

Undergraduate: first level of college at which you earn a Bachelor’s Degree upon graduating.

Career: “an individual’s journey through learning, work, and other aspects of life”*

Part-time [job]: one works under 40 hours and does not usually get medical benefits.

Full-time [job]: one works over 40 hours and generally receives medical benefits.

Refreshing: new; a good change; thirst-quenching; cool

TESOL: Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages.
*Career. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Career. (I know Wikipedia isn't the most reliable source but I thought the definition encompassed my thoughts best and was very clear and concise.)

Vocabulary Exercise
1. On a hot summer day, an ice cold drink is very ______________.
2. My friend has a _________________ job at Staples.
3. The retired soldier had a second _____________ as a teacher.
4. He works ________________ as an accountant.
5. I received my ____________ Degree in ______________. 

Grammar Point
When you quote something from a novel in APA or MLA format that is less than four lines the period always goes after the parenthesis. In MLA format, the in text citation includes the author's name and page number on which the quote was found whereas in APA format, the in text citation includes the author's name and the novel's year of publication. 
i.e. "All that is gold does not glitter, not all those who wander are lost" (Tolkien 168). or (Tolkien 1994). 

Grammar Exercise
Properly cite the following quote in MLA and APA format. 
This a quote from Suzanne Collins' novel Catching Fire found on page 178 and published in 2009: 
MLA -"You could live a hundred lifetimes and not deserve him, you know" 
APA - "You could live a hundred lifetimes and not deserve him, you know"