So this is Christmas

Like John Lennon said, “So this is Christmas and what have you done?”. One could easily sing “So this is Christmas and have you learnt much? It has a musical ring to it, doesn’t it? Okay. The Christmas break is a good opportunity to have a reality check.

Lately we have gone over the various techniques you can use to emphasize information. Some of the most usable ones are fronting an element (next year I’m going to go ice-fishing), using unusual words (the new window cleaner is rakishly good-looking), altering the word order (never have I had so much fun at school), the pseudo-cleft sentence (what I like about my father-in-law is his love of dragons) and, of course, the cleft sentence (it is in Castro that I want to learn English). C1 students should also consider using idioms (her boyfriend is a stuff shirt) and collocations (he was highly regarded by his colleagues). B2 is still a descriptive level, which means, you're okay with non-idiomatic language.

On a completely different note, there are two reasons why I have decided to post a the video featuring my favorite youtuber these days: Josh Turner. Number one: the kid is insanely talented. Number two: the tune is very Christmassy. By the way, those of you that are oversensitive to the religious factor will realize that, in this particular song, the religious references are zero, which is not really exceptional. As a matter of fact, if you bother to read the lyrics of most Christmas standards in English you’ll see that the overwhelming majority of them are not religious at all. Check out this brief selection: The Twelve Days of Christmas (1909), White Christmas (1942), I’ll be home for Christmas (1943), Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas (1944), Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1949), Merry Christmas Baby (1947), Happy Christmas (War is Over) (1971), Last Christmas (1986) and All I Want for Christmas is You (1994). I'm just saying…

Anyway, make the most of these days. 

Some English speakers choose to use the Season’s greetings which to me sounds rather Star Trek-y. Happy holidays is religion-free but bland and Happy Winter Solstice has a preposterous New Agey ring to it that doesn’t really do it for me. So I’m going to go with good old Merry Christmas, because… it is Christmas. See you all next year!

Essays and presentations

The Christmas festivities are upon us. Indeed. Before we take that break I would like to take a moment to remind everyone of some practical issues, such as essays and presentations.

All C1 students are expected to submit a 250-word essay about a personal connection with a specific place. Needless to say, the essay should include a description of that place.

Dear B2 students, on page 46 you will find exercise 10A, which offers four different topics. Choose one and write 200 words about it.

The deadline for both groups is December 22.

As for your presentations, I don’t think I need to tell you how critically important it is to be able to discuss a subject without struggling to come up with the right words. Some of you may shy away from that particular task but, believe me, speaking in public is an essential skill for a language learner. Anyway, the presentations will start this week. So get those PowerPoint slideshows ready!

In the meantime, those of you that are beginning to have second thoughts about the very idea of coming back to class please take some time to read this article about the benefits of learning a foreign language. Even if you don’t totally agree with it, you may find yourself picking up some pretty useful vocabulary.

On fluency

To some learners using a language like a native speaker is the Holy Grail of foreign language learning. I will not dispute the unquestionable benefits of interacting with native speakers at their level. If you want to go the whole nine yards I think that’s great. The truth is that, most of the Indiana Joneses and Lara Crofts of language learning do not end up finding that Holy Grail. Is that sad? The answer ought to be a resounding NO. Research shows that very few people achieve a native-like command of their target language which is why I believe that fluency is a more realistic goal. Granted. Being fluent demands a certain level of self-confidence but that confidence can be achieved because (remember this) it depends on achievable factors. Watch the video clip below and find out how you can do just that. The little secret I give away may actually boost your self-esteem.

Nihil volitum, nisi praecognitum

An old scholastic aphorism states that nihil volitum, nisi praecognitum, which in plain English means “you cannot desire what you don't know". That is, of course, quite a platitude but it goes a long to explain certain attitudes.

Say what you will about the video below these lines. I believe it doesn’t set out to be representative of current reality in the United Kingdom. After all, only 13% of British surgeons are women and there is only one female pilot in the Royal Air Force (the one in the video). So it is perfectly understandable that the kids should have drawn men having those jobs. For the same reason they would have probably depicted men had they been asked to draw a murderer. Statistics show that the overwhelming majority of murders are committed by men. So far, so good, right?

I suspect that the campaign was simply trying to provide little girls with role models because those little girls may actually consider the possibility of training to have those jobs in the future if they realize that getting those jobs is actually feasible. In the meantime little boys should be aware that you don’t need to be a man (or an "alpha male", for that matter) to pursue those careers. In short, the message of the video is: IT IS POSSIBLE, which may be interpreted as the European answer to the American YES, YOU CAN.

So let’s now turn to the English language. Is it sexist? Of course it is. Kinda, sorta... Don't roll your eyes. Most languages are sexist. But why? Well, the answer is pretty straightforward, isn't it? Languages are sexist because their speakers are sexist. Simple as that. In other words: the problem lies in the users not in their mother tongue. Words such as butcher and taxi driver are not marked for gender but the sad truth is that, by and large, they are "socially marked". Whenever we hear them we often think of men. Something analogous happens when we hear the word nurse. It is also gender-neutral and yet (because in the minds of millions of speakers it conjures up the picture of a woman) many English speakers feel the need to use the job title male nurse when they refer to men.  Male nurse. And I personally take issue with that. In my book, I'm sorry, male nurse is just ridiculous. The term nurse is already gender-neutral. The "male" part is completely unnecessary. The good news is that neutral words abound in the English language. Just consider nouns like painter, astronaut, secretary, teacher, architect, surgeon, scientist... So the future is quite bright for that area of gender equality. Isn't it great?

Still, some changes are definitely necessary. In my opinion, obviously sexist words such as mankind, manpower or expressions like the man in the street should be avoided at all costs. We have perfectly apt alternatives like humankind, human resources and the average person. When it comes to certain job-related vocabulary, controversy still exists. Some actresses, for example, are now partial to the gender-neutral term actor. One is led to assume that they feel there is something wrong with the word actress. It's that choice just a fad or is it here to stay? As is usually the case, only time will tell.

Debating is an art form, isn’t it? Unfortunately great orators and polemicists are becoming a bit of a dying breed. Say what you will about Christopher Hitchens, for example. He was indeed a controversial speaker. You may certainly agree or disagree with his opinions. You may consider his political and philosophical views debatable or even offensive but one undeniable fact is that he was exceedingly articulate. He made clear points and gave his opponents plenty of food for thought. I sometimes have the feeling that over the years speech-writing and speaking skills in general have yielded the stage to emotions and beliefs and, more recently, to "post-truths" and alternative facts. These days speeches tend to be mostly about “connecting with the audience” and much less about articulating a coherent discourse with cold facts, persuasive arguments and informed opinions. But I digress…

Be that as it may, in our courses (B2 and C1) we are only expected to politely agree and disagree, show support and question our interlocutor’s points, which is no small feat in itself. I'm afraid that the ability to be funny, aggressive, pompous, vulgar or creative is truly beyond our scope. So let’s keep it simple by considering an easy subject matter.

The video below these lines shows a (deliberately) shallow approach to a commonplace issue: national stereotypes. Why have I chosen such a trite topic? Because I’m convinced that both upper-intermediate (B2) and advanced students (C1) should first master the obvious statements before they can move on to more versatile forms of expression. The girl in the video is in some ways an over-the-top version of an average American (her hand movements, her enthusiastic mannerisms, her facial expressions are a little on the nose) but, in terms of vocabulary, she offers gold to learners of English. Let me tell you why.

To start with, she uses many B2 level expressions, for instance, “to get to know each other and figure things out”. Pay attention to how she phrases an obvious statement “Germans can often be quite direct”. She resorts to a generalization but she doesn’t say “In my opinion Germans are direct”, which would sound too blunt. Before plunging into a sweeping statement she is smart enough to mention another platitude: “everyone is different and unique but…”.

There is a good deal of C1 stuff as well: “looking back on it…”. Check out the idiomatic phrases: “As an American I’m used to beating around the bush about things, softening the blow…”. All in all, I find this video quite practical for those of you that want to incorporate “standard expressions” into a conversation that (let’s face it) we are all bound to have from time to time.

 

Be inspired!

I got news for you! You already speak English. You can communicate. So congratulations everyone! That is a major achievement indeed. This time I'm not trying to be ironic. I really mean it. Congratulations. Can you imagine you could express yourselves in Arabic or Japanese they way you do in English? Wouldn’t it be great? Unfortunately (because you are learning English and not Arabic) you probably downplay your accomplishments a lot but the truth is... it remains an respectable feat. Still, I suspect many of you need to feel motivated. Don’t you worry about that. I can come to the rescue. How do I intend to do that? Well, before I address that you should read some more. Just bear with me for a minute.

In Europe we tend to be so skeptical of everything, don’t we? We often respect pessimism as if it were a good thing. That may be the reason why terms such as “inspirational” or “inspiring” are viewed with what I can only describe as smug disdain. The thing is... I find that utterly ridiculous (to say the least). One book, one movie, one speech, one conversation, one chance encounter can be truly inspirational. By that I mean that reading a book, listening to a lecturer, talking to a stranger… any of those experiences can make you feel the need to DO something (not just THINK about something). Grant Snider happens to be a great illustrator that keeps a beautiful blog which I find really inspirational. It manages to combine a fresh approach to creativity with a smart use of language. It’s quite remarkable. Trust me. And even if you don’t like his cartoons, just the vocabulary is worth a visit. This is his website: incidental comics. Have fun!

International English

Teaching language for communication or using the communicative approach used to be two of the most frequently used mantras in the realm of foreign language teaching. The power of simply communicating (no matter how) has been partially debunked. It may be a gross oversimplification, but the truth is that, for a number of years most foreign language instructors were obsessed with the idea that anything goes as long as a student gets the message across. Mistakes are unavoidable, accuracy is not critical providing that your interlocutors understand what you mean. Yes. I won’t deny that all that is true. As a matter of fact that's what so-called international English is all about: an imperfect, simple, un-idiomatic "dialect" which is clearly non-native but practical nonetheless. However, it must be pointed out that international English is only acceptable for a student until they reach the B1 level.

The B2 level requires an increasingly high degree of lexical accuracy (kill > murder > assassinate). A person, for example, can be a patient at the doctor’s practice but a client in a lawyer’s office and a contestant in a TV quiz show. Using basic terms such as person, man or woman in every context tends to be annoying to say the least. Still, even the B2 level is, for the most part, descriptive and therefore not too exciting.

The C1 level, of course, is slightly more demanding. As we have seen, a C1 speaker is expected to use colorful expressions, idioms, proverbs, phrasal verbs, similes, nuanced words that show an attitude, etc. Why? Just compare a cold boring expression like former lover with the more idiomatic old flame or the rather flippant ex. Do you feel the difference? I bet you do.

It goes without saying, the more you know, the wider your range of options is. Let’s suppose, for instance, you have walked in on someone stabbing another person. How do you refer to that (horrific) situation? You can say you caught the criminal red-handed (idiomatic), in the act (neutral) or in flagrante delicto (very formal). Since the nuances are different, your listener’s reaction will of necessity be different. For similar examples check out the following chart:

Plain	Colorful option # 1	Colorful option # 2
I was surprised	I got the shock of my life	I was caught off guard
Never	When pigs fly	When hell freezes over
No matter what	Come rain or shine	Come hell or high water
There’s no more to say	Period	End of story

All this comes to prove that, while communication remains a respectable aim, there comes a point in a language student’s life when relaying the message is just not good enough. That’s when you realize you want to be able to sound funny, folksy, agressive, elegant or distant. In other words, you want to be an advanced speaker.

Pronunciation

Hi there language freaks! I thought I might cheer up your Halloween break.

As I said at school, I have decided not to teach pronunciation like I used to do (i.e. 10 minutes every day). If I’ve learnt something over the past 25 years on the job that is the grim truth that teaching pronunciation is pretty useless. No matter how hard I try. No matter the angles I use. On average, most adult learners in Spain dismiss pronunciation out of hand. I do know they would love to pronounce things a little bit better but I suspect that some of them would also like to be a little bit taller and their attitude to both wishes is surprisingly similar. For the most part, they are just not willing to go the distance. Part of the tragedy lies in the fact that, unlike children, grown-ups have a special gift for finding excuses not to pronounce things. Here is a brief summary of the standard excuses:

Excuse	Truth
I feel weird when I say things right	That is your problem. Many speakers from other countries don’t have that problem
The Spanish media mispronounce words	Your teachers don’t. Native speakers on the internet don’t. Many speakers from other countries don’t.
People might laugh at me if I pronounce words correctly	(Some) people may laugh at you when you speak with an embarrassing accent. If they don’t, they might only patronize you. Not nice, is it?

Comedian John Oliver (the one and only) recently used the graphic below to joke about a confusion. In Spain that is no joke. What am I talking about here? The dreaded [v]. What about it? Well, the truth is that Spanish speakers (and Basque speakers, for that matter) are probably the only people in Europe that have trouble pronouncing the V-sound. What does that entail? For one thing unwanted mix-ups (best/vest, very/bury, blog/vlog, etc.). Another undesirable consequence of bad pronunciation is miscommunication. Suppose you’re on the phone and need to give someone your work email address, which happens to contain a “v”. Suppose you pronounce a [b] instead of a [v]. You know what? You may never get an email from that contact. Finally there’s the “prestige thing”. Believe it or not, people react differently to speakers who don’t pronounce basic sounds… I could also comment on the widespread inability to articulate simple words like “she”, “English”, etc. So… what can you do about it? Just practice simple sequences like these: everybody, vibration, bravery. This website has a lot of minimal pairs (in case you're curious).

There is really no use trying to venture any further if you don’t master the basic problem areas first. In our case that means: the V-sound, the SH-sound, the initial sp- st- sk- clusters and the regular past tenses (played, worked, etc). Once you have that down we can begin to wander into uncharted territory. Remember that even if the context makes it easy for people to understand what you mean, the impact of bad pronunciation is inevitable. Food for thought.

Today I would like to remind you all of your homework (which you should send to my email adress: rdelapena@eoilaredo.org)

C1 students: you were kindly requested to submit an essay expressing your opinion about the influence of a person’s name. Remember?

B2 crowd: I would like you to write a 250-word recount of a personal experience. Think of some unique anecdote, a funny experience you like to share at parties, etc. Just make it interesting, please. We have learned how to do that, haven't we?

Just remember this:

B2 students: watch out for avoidable mistakes, be careful with those verb patterns: (it prevented them from going to jail), go for natural combinations (a crowd gathered outsider the theater) and use several tenses (although she had been considering other options she ultimately decided to marry Archibald)

C1 learners: you are expected to use natural expressions. For example, if you’re discussing how important a person’s name is you may want to deal with the connection between one thing (the name) and another (their life). Many verbs come to mind: it has an impact on your life or it has an effect on your life. Alternatively, you may say that something makes a difference. Then you can proceed to embellish the expression: it had a great impact on my teenage years, it has quite a powerful effect on...

The speaker in the video I posted two weeks ago said all this: “can our names really influence our personalities?”, “can our names predict our futures?”, “there have been a ton of studies over the years trying to figure out how our names affect our lives”.

Let’s just dwell on that for a second. Check out the verb+noun combinations: influence-personality, affect-life. If you’ve been reading carefully you may have noticed that I have already given you a third collocation “to have an impact on you life”. We know that those combinations are safe because two different competent speakers have used them. The legitimate question might be can I say “it impacted me”? To which the answer is yes. I personally don’t like it (for reasons regarding style) so I never use it but it definitely is used.

Do you have to use those very words? Not necessarily. You can, of course, choose to define the kind of influence/impact something has. Check out these sentences: it has ruined my life, it has boosted the sales, it has limited my chances, it has forced me to come to terms with… etc. That might actually be the true difference between B2 and C1. The B2 speaker is happy not to make a mistake (it has influenced my life). The C1 speaker goes a little bit farther (the media has a powerful effect on people). A C2 speaker might choose from a wider gammut of resources ranging from the evocative (it has become the bane of my existence) to the prosaic (it the most critical factor for securing a job interview). All in all, one thing is clear, we should always aim for natural expressions, i.e. sequences that frequently used. “Grammatically possible” doesn’t cut it anymore.

Patricia Camino

When the World Trade Center was destroyed by a terrorist attack on September 11, 2001 the producers of the TV series “Friends” (arguably one of the most successful sitcoms ever) had to face a tough dilemma: should they acknowledge the tragedy in the show or have their characters go on with their lives? As it turned out, they decided that the New York City depicted in the series was not the real New York but rather a dream-like version of it. They also thought that the feel-good vibe of the show might actually offer grief-stricken New Yorkers a way to escape from the ubiquitous news of a horrific catastrophe. I suppose we all sometimes act like that. It’s human nature… but when the pain is sudden, sharp and all-pervasive it is almost impossible to pretend that nothing really happened. Even if it is true that, as they say, “the show must go on” I believe a few words must be uttered first.

I am fully aware that this blog is probably not the ideal place to write a eulogy nor is it a teacher’s duty to do so, after all a blog like this one exists only as a tool to help students. Yet I can’t pretend a dreadful tragedy has not occurred. I just can’t. I refuse to stifle my urge to let my feelings show. So here goes…

Patricia Camino died yesterday. She was one of my C1 students in Castro Urdiales and barely twenty-four hours later I’m still in a state of unspeakable shock. I am lucky enough to have known her personally. She was my student some years ago and even agreed to appear in one episode of my series of video podcasts on English pronunciation. Every now and then we would bump into each other in Castro Urdiales and catch up.

What can I say about Patricia?

She could light up any room she walked into. Her enthusiasm was simply infectious. She was a generous student, a devoted mother and loyal friend. So I felt truly happy when I learned she had been elected to hold office as a councilwoman in Castro Urdiales, partly because it was a project she was passionate about and also because the world of politics desperately needs people like her. Just two weeks ago she texted me to let me know how thrilled she was that she had gotten a place in the C1 course. On Tuesday evening, right after class we exchanged a few words…

Devastated by the loss of Patricia, one thought keeps echoing in my head: the world is today a little bit worse because she’s no longer around. RIP.

What's in a name?

Attention my dear C1 students! This post is for you.

Names can be tricky. A name that is attractive and refreshing in a country might be old-fashioned and boring somewhere else. Names are also deceitful because they sometimes hide weird or unexpected information, which is why I'm still baffled that most people are completely unaware of the actual meaning of their own names. Let's face it. How many Claudias know that their name means “limp” in the original Latin? How many Kennedys realize their last name used to mean “misshapen head” in Irish?

The video below these lines is a nice summary of some of the ideas that came up in the classroom. Those conflicting studies that reveal latent forms of racism may only confirm that we all have mixed feelings about certain social trends. We should also “update our prejudices”. Some names that used to give away information about the parents’ background have become so mainstream that they are no longer useful.

To know that Eugene, Walter and Sheldon are not exactly sexy, that Amanda and Brooke are hot, that Kevin is alright in the US but carries certain connotations in the UK requires the kind of language experience that belongs to the world beyond the C2 level. For the time being, we should be happy if we manage to understand the lexical differences between such diverse terms as pseudonym, moniker, stage name, assumed name, pen name, given name, maiden name, forename or nickname.

 

Just a little reminder

My dear B2 and C1 followers (I say followers to use "the parlance of our times"), here’s a little reminder of some of the things we discussed in the classroom last week. I thought a voiceover might help you remember the explanations. Just remember that this presentation is only intended as a brief summary of what the B2 level is mostly about. C1 students should realize that they are expected to have overcome the challenges. Don’t forget that specificity translates into nuanced expressions whose meaning may vary according to perspective, register, dialect, etc. Enough said, right? Enjoy it...or ignore it. It's really up to you.

Welcome to my course

Greetings, new students, former students and occasional walk-ins. The new school year is upon us! This time I'm going to be teaching two consecutive levels: B2 and C1. At this point in my career I still feel the need to wonder if you are all fully aware of what those levels really entail. So, for the sake of clarity, allow me to remind you that B2 is an intermediate level (I know, we call it Avanzado 2 but that's just an unfortunate misnomer), which makes it possible for a learner to discuss a wide range of subjects even if (s)he still sounds like (s)he is trying. B2 speakers tend to use pretty basic blanket terms (to go, to see, to clean). C1, however, is all about lexical accuracy (to commute, to glimpse, to wipe). It is also the start of something remotely resembling a natural kind of expression. You will be expected to use fillers, idioms and even stammer (for the right reasons). Are you ready for the challenge?

The European Day of Languages

Anyone out there? Last I checked around 80 people decided to read a post. I don't anticipate a better following this new school year but what the heck... Anyhow, September 26th is the European Day of Languages, which (unlike the Eurovision Song Contest) is one of those celebrations we Europeans should be proud of. The way I see it language diversity is a key element in a person's intellectual development. It undoubtedly offers many practical benefits (better qualifications which may lead to a better job, the ability to speak to at international airports, the chance to enjoy films or books in the original version, etc.). Sadly, I'm afraid that one needs to speak several languages in order to truly appreciate what the greatest reward of them all can be: depth, complexity and, above all, open-mindedness.

In my view speaking a second language makes you necessarily more tolerant because it forces you to see things in a different light or, at least, from a slightly different standpoint. Famously the late Umberto Eco wrote a book titled Dire Quasi La Stessa Cosa. It dealt with his experiences over the years as a translator. That title hit the nail on the head, didn't it? To say almost the same thing. Indeed a translator tells you, "more or less", "kind of", "approximately" what someone else has said. And it's precisely in the differences that one finds how wonderful other people's worldview can be. Paraphrasing the old saying, we may state that the magic is in the details.

I was recently asked to submit a 90-second-video about my own experience regarding foreign languages to a website where other speakers had posted their thoughts on the matter. The teacher behind the project seeks to show their students the many reasons why learning a language is always worthwhile. Here is what I had to say:

All the way

A couple of years ago, in good old Germany, someone asked me how come I could speak English they way I do. I remember I offered a very simple answer: “I went all the way”. The funny thing is that I later realized I had borrowed that reply not from the Sinatra song but rather from “Pretty Woman” (I believe it was the bathtub scene, where Vivian asks Edward if he had gone to college).

Anyway, I mention this because I recently came across a poem by Charles Bukowski which challenges us to do exactly that: “to go all the way”. Granted, it is extreme advice, coming from an extreme man. Leaving aside his controversial, self-destructive lifestyle, his rough prose, his legendary misanthropy, etc. Charles Bukowski was, among many other things, an interesting man. In one of the two poems recited in the clip below he suggests we should all act as if we were possessed by a life-consuming passion. I don’t think I can quite share such a radical take on life but I can certainly relate to the idea of pushing the boundaries, disregarding conventions and always going the distance. The truth is not everyone is cut out to be that passionate about things. Some people just want to dip their toes in the water. Some others prefer to plunge into it and explore the boundless abyss. Should we all dive and risk everything? Probably not...

Take the case of language learning. One may only want to learn enough English to travel or to read technical manuals or to make a business presentation or to express their feelings accurately or to write poems. You are entitled to choose how far you want to go. That said, it is true that those who go all the way often enjoy an indescribable kind of satisfaction. But I digress… This is my last post in this academic year. I’m afraid we have reached our final destination (for the time being). Are you somehow satisfied? Terrified? Calm? Indifferent? Whatever your feelings might be, please take two minutes of your time and listen to these poems. Appreciate the mesmerizing, gravelly voice that reads them, feel the words, savor the ideas, disagree with them, think of your own verses. It’s one of the great payoffs of learning a language, is it not?

Perseverance does pay off

A long tradition of blissful unawareness made it possible for epic blunders to happen in Spain. Just take the famous case of the Servicio de Hostelería Industrial de Terrassa (see photograph below).

 

Okay. That may be an extreme example but the trend still exists. We are still ignorant of many aspects of the English-speaking world. Let’s take the case of the dubbing industry in Spain. Leaving aside incorrect translations, one could argue that changing an actor’s hairstyle would be unacceptable. Oddly enough, it is perfectly alright to change his voice. Constantino Romero, for instance, had a voice which sounded just as elegant, throaty and velvety as that of James Earl Jones. It was therefore the perfect choice for the characters of Darth Vader in "Star Wars" and Mufasa in "The Lion King" but was clearly inappropriate to dub Clint Eastwood, who has always had a raspy voice which, by the way, fitted the “rough-around-the-edges” tough cop we all know as Dirty Harry. That’s just one example of an iconic voice (Eastwood’s) that was drastically modified by the film industry in Spain.

We should not forget our famous problems with English sounds. Incredibly, in the Internet era we have managed to come up with ridiculous pronunciations of personal names (Johnny Depp, Andy Murray), of brandnames (Reebok, Pioneer), of supposedly sophisticated words (socialite, vintage) or technology-related terms (Linked In, meme, etc…)

As for vocabulary issues we have created an infinite number of nonexistent words:

Real English	Made in Spain
audition	casting
camp site	camping
to switch channels	zapping
supermodel	top model

To be fair, as far as imaginary “English” vocabulary goes, analogous situations can also be found in France (whose elite invented its fair share of un-English expressions such as footing, autostop, parking, etc.) and, of course, in Germany, where unbelievable terms like handy, streetworker or basecap were mysteriously coined to refer to concepts like cellphone, social worker or baseball cap). Anyhow, I don't think that should make us feel any better.

Still… It is hardly understandable why Banco Sabadell chose to use the name “BS online” for its Internet service. I think it is safe to say that B.S. is precisely the kind of thing that no client needs to get from his or her bank.

The course is over. It is time to look back on your progress. At school you’ve had the chance to be in touch with a good deal of real English. I have tried to teach you some basic principles: imitate native speakers, seek exposure to the language, favor natural expression over grammatical productions, and so on and so forth. Those of you who are still coming to class will soon realize how rewarding perseverance can be. Hopefully you have gained a sense of direction and a more realistic take on the whole learning process.

N.B. There will be one last post in a few days.