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 "nothing is willed unless it is first known", in other words, you cannot desire that which you don't know. This is, of course, quite a truism, but it goes a long way to explain certain attitudes.

Whatever your opinion about the video below, I believe it doesn’t aim to be representative of the current reality in the United Kingdom. As of this writing, 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 in that classroom 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. After all, statistics show that the overwhelming majority of murders are committed by men. That said, 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 aspiring to have those jobs only if they realize that getting them is actually feasible. In the meantime, little boys should become aware that you girls can also pursue those careers. In short, the message of the video is: IT IS POSSIBLE, which may be interpreted as an echo of Obama's famous YES, WE 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. Why? Well, the answer is pretty straightforward, isn't it? Languages are sexist because their speakers are (or were) sexist. Simple as that. In other words: the problem lies with the users. Words such as butcher and taxi driver are not marked for gender, but (and this I find uncontroversial) they tend to be "socially marked". Whenever we hear the word butcher we often think of a man. Something analogous happens when we hear the word nurse, which is also a gender-neutral noun even if it usually conjures up the picture of a woman. In fact, that is why many English speakers feel the need to use the job title male nurse when they refer to men in the nursing profession. Think about it: male nurse. Seriously? I personally take issue with that. The way I see it, male nurse is simply ridiculous. Like I just said, he term nurse is already gender-neutral. The "male" part is, therefore, completely unnecessary.

The good news for us, language learners, is that neutral words abound in the English language. Just consider nouns like painter, astronaut, secretary, teacher, architect, surgeon, scientist... You may think it is rather irrelevant, but it does help us make progress in the area of gender equality. Now, isn't that 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 because we have perfectly apt alternatives like humankind, human resources and the average person. Funnily enough, when it comes to job-related vocabulary, controversy still exists in English. Some actresses, for example, are now partial to the gender-neutral term actor. Thus, the Academy Awards give a prize to the "best actress in a leading role", but the organizers of the Golden Globes favor a different description: "best female actor". One is led to assume that some people feel there is something wrong with the word actress. Is that lexical choice just a fad or is it here to stay? As is usually the case, only time will tell.