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.