The tango is an evocative dance that has its origins in 19th century Argentina. It developed on the riverside, or ribera, of the Riachuelo River in Buenos Aires in the early 1880s. At the time, Buenos Aires was a city in expansion due to large numbers of immigrants coming from Europe in search of work. The majority of the new immigrants were single men, largely sailors and artisans by profession. To mitigate their loneliness many frequented brothels or burdeles with live music for entertainment. As the atmosphere was somewhat melancholy, undertones of longing, loss and separation are present in the music. The dance that developed is a slower, more intense and restrained version of the milonga, a dance that had previously been popular in the same circles, and features very intricate footwork and partnering.
Read moreCultural Corner: La quinceañera
When a girl turns fifteen years old in many parts of Latin America her family throws her a special birthday party. Both the girl and the party may be referred to la quinceañera. This term comes from the number fifteen in Spanish which is quince. This age traditionally signified when a girl turned into a young woman. The closest equivalent in North American culture would be a debutantes ball.
Read moreCultural Corner: German Etiquette
Part of learning a new language is also learning the culture that surrounds it. Here we will focus on German cultural norms surrounding meeting, greeting and addressing people in various situations. Keep in mind that the following are generalizations and there are always exceptions to the rule.
Read moreI just finished reading The Power of Babel by John McWhorter. McWhorter is an American linguistics professor who has written many interesting books on various linguistic topics. As an African-American, he has a special interest in black American English and has written many books on the topic. The Power of Babel however is a general treatment on the history of the languages of the world. It is written for both linguists and laypeople alike and the author uses specific examples from wide reaching languages to show the amazing variety and complexity of human speech.
Read moreGrammar Tips: Spanish use of the personal a
In Spanish, the preposition a is placed in front of a noun or pronoun that refers to a specific person or persons functioning as the direct object of the sentence. Remember, the direct object is that which receives the action of the verb directly.
For example, in the following sentence Sandra is the subject and Miguel is the direct object.
Sandra sees Miguel. Sandra vee a Miguel.
Read moreFurther Learning: Romance Languages
Spanish is a member of the Romance family of languages. They are called Romance languages not for being romantic, (which they are!) but for originating from Rome where Latin was spoken. All modern forms of these languages originated from a later form of Latin called Vulgar Latin spoken in the 7th through 9th centuries. To show the similarity between Romance languages here are a few examples of the word for sun:
soleil (French), sol (Spanish), sole (Italian), sol (Portuguese), soare (Romanian)
Read moreGrammar Tips: Idiomatic Expressions
Idiomatic expressions or idioms are phrases that do not translate directly from one language to another and are often couched in the history and language of a specific culture. A good example of an idiom is, “it’s raining cats and dogs.” To a native English speaker it is obvious that people’s pets are not literally falling from the sky but to a learner of English this expression could be very confusing indeed!
Below are some useful idiomatic expressions. Integrating idioms into your everyday conversation is essential to achieving fluency in a foreign language.
Read moreFurther Learning: Germanic Languages
English and German are both members of the Germanic language family. All modern forms of these languages originated from a common ancestor language spoken in the region of modern-day Scandinavia roughy 2500 years ago. Linguists call this language Proto-Germanic. To demonstrate the similarities between these languages here are a few examples of the word apple:
apple (English), äpple (Swedish), Appel (Low German), Apfel (High German), æble (Danish)
Read moreFurther Learning: Online Resources
Learning a language today has never been easier for those who are unable to go and live in a foreign country to study their target language. There are numerous online resources available to help with listening and comprehension skills as well as to practice verb conjugations and build vocabulary. The challenge can be filtering through these resources to find the best ones. Below are my recommendations of podcasts, websites and apps that can serve as excellent supplemental materials. All sources are free unless otherwise indicated.Below are my recommendations of podcasts, websites and apps that can serve as excellent supplemental materials. All sources are free unless otherwise indicated.
Read moreCultural Corner: Gauchos and Yerba Mate
Cowboys of Argentina and Uruguay are called gauchos in Spanish. These are men that live and work their whole lives on the open plains, or pampas, of South America. They have for many generations represented the liberty and romance of this harsh landscape. Although there are not as many of them as in the past they are still viewed as a strong national emblem of their respective countries.
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