The Section on, "Why We're All Becoming American..."

     Although this is a blog for Grammar class, I feel I have been writing about a lot of things that pertain to linguistics, but oh well, It's interesting and easy to write about!  When I read the title of the section, Why We're All Becoming American,  I was reminded of the wonderful documentary that we watched, The Linguists, and how amazing it was to see learn about all the different cultures they included in their project.  I remembered talking about how sad it was though, that languages are disappearing, and thinking that it's important for us to learn about each others cultures so we can better understand one another and become more accepting individuals, but that it is important to really embrace cultures and learn things about them so that the culture doesn't just disappear.  I like the "melting pot" idea, in the sense that when in America, you can have your rights and freedoms, and be treated as an American in that way... but not that we should all start talking, eating, dressing, and behaving as the typical "American"... that would just be homogenous, BORING and HORRIBLE.  Back to The Linguists though... after watching the documentary in class, we spoke about how languages are disappearing because of children... they are sent away to schools for better a better education and opportunity at life, but they begin to place a stigma on their native tongue and culture;  though this book gives off a much lighter mood, than the documentary, the paragraph still reminded me of it.  They authors write about how, "due to the wide distribution of American television and movies, the younger generations of all cultures are developing a generic form of North American body language".  They say how members of different generations will have different understandings of gestures; for example, "Australians in their sixties will identify the Two-Fingers-Up as an insult whereas an Australian teenager is more likely to read it as the number two but recognize the American Middle-Finger-Raised as a main form of insult".

Vocabulary


distribution- (n) an act of distributing, the act of spreading something around

generation- (n) an whole group of people living at and around the same time

homogenous- (adj) composed of parts that are all the same

disappear- (v) to cease to exist

embrace- (v) to accept willingly

"melting pot"- (n) A country where a blending of races and cultures is taking place

boring- (adj) dull and tiresome


Match the vocabulary word or term to the correct definition

distribution         a. whole group of people living at and around the same time

generation          b. country where a blending of races and cultures is taking place

homogenous       c. accept willingly

disappear            d. dull and tiresome

embrace              e. composed of parts that are all the same

"melting pot"     f. of distributing, the act of spreading something around

boring                  h. to cease to exist

I used a preposition when I said "we watched the documentary IN class", please insert the correct preposition into the following sentences.

1. I listened to a lot of music (on/at) the plane ride.
2. The clown (to/in) the circus was very funny.
3. While in Thailand, my cousins rode (on/ in) an elephant.
4. I have to go (to/at) the store for some fruit today.
5. We will drive (in/ on) the car for five hours tomorrow.

The Section About Italians

       In one of my previous posts, I wrote about watching the movie, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, and how there were certain aspects of it that reminded me of my own, Italian family.  I have to say, I do not find my family to be tacky or showy like the Greek family from the movie, but what I mean is that I have always noticed some number of parallels between the two cultures.  In the body language book I am reading (and trying so hard to find time to finish) there is a little section on Italians that made me laugh, and really explained some things for me (haha).  In one part of the chapter, the authors say how, while in Italy, when talking to Italians, they seemed to invade their space, continuously touching them, talking over them, and almost yelling and sounding angry.  "But these things are a normal part of everyday friendly Italian communication.... Not all things in all cultures mean the same things".  They go on to mention that what seems like an affectionate arm-touching during an italian conversation is simply an Italian persons way of stopping the listener from taking the floor...because they want to be the one talking.  They compare French and Italians and how French, use their forearms and hands, but Italians use their entire arms and body and describe talking with both, a daunting task.  Of course, everything the authors are writing is from an Aussies point of view, but all the same, I feel it can be appreciated.  My family members and I sometimes talk about how we think we all have issues and anger/tempers and how our family gatherings can sometimes cause anxiety... but maybe we are just true Italians?

Vocabulary


forearms- (n) Part of a humans arm in between the elbow and wrist


anxiety- (n) Distress or uneasiness


affectionate- (adj) Showing or love or fondness


compare- (v) To examine two or more things for similarities and differences


section- (n) A distinct part of/ subdivision of something


previous- (adj) Occurring before something else


appreciate- (v) To be thankful for



1. When you bump the volleyball, make sure it hits on your _____________.


2. I love that both of my dogs are __________, giving kisses all the time. 


3. Test taking causes me a lot of ________________. 


4. I hate when my mom __________ me to my brother. 


5. My favorite part of the magazine is the __________on hair styles. 


6. The weather was so much better than it had been the _________________ day. 


7.  My aunt is always there when I need her and I really ____________ it.


I used a conjunction when I wrote, "of course, everything the authors are writing is from an Aussies point of view, but all the same, I feel it can be appreciated.", the conjunction is but.  Please add a conjunction and comma to the following sentences, in the correct places.

1.  I did not try the pizza at the resturaunt the pasta was very good. 
2. The party is so much fun we ate danced sang all night. 
3. Every year for my birthday my mom makes me cupcakes an icecream cake too.
4.  the ballerina daced twirled all over the stage like a fairy.

The Body Language Book

        So during the summers, I lifeguard for the Town of Babylon, which is fantastic, because I am able to be outside earning money, and there's even time to do some serious reading.  This past summer a friend lent me this great book titled, The Definitive Book of Body Language, however it was toward the end of August and I never had a chance to get through it before the school year began.  Today I opened it back up and happened to be on the Cultural Differences chapter.  How perfect, I began reading again and remembered how easily the amusing, Australian couple, who wrote the book, just suck you in!  There's too much I could write about here, but ill pick one part that stuck out to me.  I know it sounds so obvious, but sometimes I just sit back and think to myself, how incredible it is, that there's an entire world out there, and we are only living on this one continent, in this one state.  Imagine all of the different, unique people and cultures you will never get to experience (not meaning this in a negative way at all)... I mean of course, if you are someone who loves to travel you can provide yourself with opportunities to meet people, but I just mean, it's impossible to meet everyone.  This being said, all of these differences and all, I found the part of the cultural chapter about "cultural basics being almost the same everywhere", pretty fascinating.  The authors mention how, for the most part, the six basic facial expressions register the same to people in 21 different countries.  The only large difference was with the Japanese, who saw surprised when they were shown the fear picture.  Lastly... and most interesting, the same man who carried out this study, Paul Ekman, "went to New Guinea to study the South Fore culture and the Dani people of West Irian who had been isolated from the rest of the world.  He recorded the same results, the exception being that, like the Japanese, these cultures could not distinguish fear from surprise.

Vocabulary


isolated- (adj) Separated from people or things

negative- (adj) Bad 


continent - (n) One of the major land masses on our Earth

earn- (v) To recieve in return for work

lifeguard- (n) A person in charge of water safety

"suck you in"- Catching your interest

"6 basic facial expressions" - happy, sad, angry, fear, surprise, disgust, calm

Matching, match the vocabulary word or phrase to its correct definition

isolated                                              

negative                                             

continent                                           

earn                                                   

lifeguard                                            

"suck you in"                                    

"6 basic facial expressions"   

   

a. catching your interest

b. separated from people or things       

c. bad

d. one of the major land masses on our Earth

e. a person in charge of water safety

f. to receive in return for work

g. happy, sad, angry, fear, surprise, disgust, calm

h.  o

ne 

of the major land masses on our Earth

I used the past tense in my writing, when I wrote, "this past summer, my friend lent me a book".  Please change the following verbs in the past tense, back to their regular form.

1. Watched

2. Cooked

3. Wrote 

4. Celebrated

5. Laughed

My "Teacher" Language

        The other day in Linguistics, we were talking about the ways that people use different registers when speaking.  People change the language they use depending on the setting and the types of people surrounding them.  When I thought about it, I figured that I use about five; I speak much differently when I am with family,  professionals at work, peers, students, or people who I consider elders.
       At work, when communicating with my students, I simplify everything I am saying, and am extremely careful about my word choice.  I have to be so careful of the way I say things and the words I use to make sure I can elicit the right kind of responses from my students.  Come to think of it, all the lesson planning, and academic work that I do is the much simpler part!  Today during Math, I was playing a game with my students to review the concept of, more than/ less than.  I use a set of laminated index cards on which I put varying amounts of dots in different arrangements on each card.  When I show a student the two cards, they (or we) count the number of dots on each card, they hold up the correct amount of fingers and then I will either ask them which card is more, or which is less.  I wanted to challenge one of my students a bit so I gave her two cards that both had four dots on them but were arranged differently.  The goal was to see if she would think there were more dots if they were more spread out on the card, to truly test her understanding of "4".  So she did a wonderful job, counted four dots on each card and smiled, telling me, "they the same", I told her, "Yes, they are the same", and she repeated.  Next I wanted her to understand that, because they both have the same number of dots on them (4) we can say "they are equal", so I made the sign for same with my fingers (placing your two index fingers together, palms down, pointing away from you) and turned it sideways and it looked like an equal sign (which the student already knows) and she said "equal" and we high fived.  She was so excited and had done great work, but in our classroom we place a lot of emphasis on proper communication and manners; I told her, "okay, so now you can say, they..." and she said "them is equals".
        Today reminded me how much we as teachers, shape the lives of our students, I always think of the impacts that middle school and high school teachers have on students, because teenagers are at such a volatile time, but there is something almost magical about being part of the building block steps, when skills are just beginning to emerge.

Vocabulary


linguistics -(n) The science of language


surrounding (adj) - Enclosing or encircling 


elicit- (v) To draw out or bring out


manners- (n) A persons outward way of behaving


high five- (n) Gesture to show "good job!", where you hold up your hand with another person, palms facing each other and slap your hands together.


laminate- (v) Covering paper within two layers of plastic and sealing them together with heat


remind (v)- To cause someone to remember something


Match with the correct definition:


remind                         a. Bring out
laminate                       b. A persons outward way of behaving
high five                       c. Cause someone to remember
manners                       d. Enclosing something
elicit                              e. Seal paper between plastic using heat
linguistics                     f. Celebratory gesture
surrounding                g. Science of language

Plural Endings- I added an s onto the word dot to making it plural, meaning, more than one dot.

Add an s to make each of the following words plural:

1. Girl
2. Plate
3. Juice
4. House
5. Candle

It was fun...

        I chose to watch My Big Fat Greek Wedding, to analyze for my Linguistic Analysis paper, and I am so glad!  I always wanted to see the movie but just never had.  I definitely thought I would get sick of it, after alllllll of the rewinding, pausing, fast forwarding, transcribing, and analyzing, but I found myself watching it again, after I was done.  I think this was in part, due to the fact that the Portokalos family reminded me a bit of my own (though mines Italian).  I wrote in my paper how their family is high volubility/ low distance and that certainly rings true for mine!  Sometimes it feels like everybody is in your business, you have no privacy, and people are making insulting comments without even thinking.    There is, however, an overabundance of food and family at every occasion we have, but sometimes, it's just because it's a Sunday.  While analyzing the movie, a few times I found it a little difficult to pinpoint mistakes in their language, because some of the accents, opinions and behaviors are so closely related to what I have experienced and am used to hearing.  Seriously, even down to Aunt Voula's bibopsy.... my aunt happens to be able to pronounce the word properly, but... I kid you not, she had the SAME thing happen to her about 8 years ago.  Anyway, as cheesy as I feel admitting it, I have not laughed as hard as I did during this movie,  in ages.

Vocabulary


My Big Fat Greek Wedding- (n) Movie about a stereotypical Greek family and the marriage of their 30 year old daughter to a Non- Greek.


transcribe (v)- To make a written copy

Portokalos family- (n) Family of the main character, Toula, in the movie, MBFGW


high volubility/low distance- (adj) Excessive speaking and closeness with poor boundaries

overabundance- (n) An amount that is greater than required

seriously - (adv) with genuine intent

biopsy- (n) removal of a piece of tissue from a living being, to be used for close study

Write the correct vocabulary word or phrase in the blank


1.  There weren't enough seats, due to the ____________ of people at the show.
2. Many Greek and Italian families can be characterized by _________/__________ relationships.
3. By the way he looked at her, you could tell he was __________ in love.
4. It did not take that long to ____________ the part from MBFGW, that I needed for my paper.
5. The movie, _____________________________ is a hysterical, romantic comedy.
6. I was a little scared when I had my skin checked at the dermatologist and had to have a       _____________________ taken.

Please write a five sentence paragraph about what your favorite funny movie is, and why.

          My cousin was married this month and it was beautiful!  Although the special day started out cloudy and rainy, by the time we arrived at the church (though it wasn't warm) the sun was working its way through and stayed out until it set!  The wedding took place at St. Joseph's Church in Astoria, Queens, which was a beautiful venue, and the reception was held a few blocks away, at a restaurant, named Cavo.  At the reception there were Flamenco dancers,  beautiful flower arrangements (created by my aunt), and framed pictures of the couple from their wedding in Thailand.  Weddings are such wonderful celebrations to take part in, I hadn't attended one in quite sometime, let alone actually been in one!  It was a lovely time spending such a happy occasion with all of my family members, and getting to meet new ones!  I couldn't help think of both, our Grammar and Linguistics classes, while at the wedding and reception.  As most of the individuals on my cousins, wife's, side of the family speak some dialect of the Spanish language, I could feel myself concentrating extra hard when speaking to them so that I didn't make myself look or sound like a fool.  I so enjoyed conversing with many of them,  I would've been very embarrassed if I had noticeably spoken louder or slower than I would normally speak.  As with most fun occasions, it was almost sad for the day to end!  I only wish I was attending their third celebration in Malaga, Spain!  I can't even begin to imagine all of the invigorating cultural experiences I would have.

venue- (n) A setting where something takes place
Flamenco - (n) Style of dancing characterized by rhythmic clapping and stamping of feet
flower arrangements-  (n) A group of flowers organized for a decorative purpose
reception- (n) A social gathering or celebration
dialect- (n) A social variety of a language

conversing - (v) An spoken exchange of thoughts or feelings, a conversation
imagine - (v) To form a mental picture of something

1.  The young bride wanted to make sure she chose the perfect __________ for her special day.
2. After __________ with the pediatrician, the mother decided to put her son on antibiotics.
3. The huge_______________ on the tables made the party look like a beautiful garden.
4. In the middle of winter, I love to close my eyes and __________ myself at the beach with the hot sun     and crashing waves.
5. Can you believe how quickly those __________ dancers clap and stomp to the rhythm of the music?
6. It's interesting that despite knowing the same language, people may still face obstacles in communication due to the many different __________(s).

Verb:  A word that expresses action, I used the verb, converse, when I talked about "conversing" with people at the wedding.  Also, I used another verb when I wrote about being able to "imagine" all of the culture I have yet to experience.  




Underline the verb in the sentence.


1. We had fun helping each other!
2. My grandma and I baked delicious cookies.
3. We waited such a long time for the show to start.
4. After dinner the girl watered her garden.
5. The boys played in the dirt all day.

I've Been Thinking...

        Though none of the students in my class are English language learners, they are all special education students, so they do face a lot of obstacles with their language.  I suppose when I think or talk about the way they speak, I would be focusing more on their speech than their language, but  the two relate very much.  Lately I have just been thinking more about how, with all of their speech deficits, each child seems to have his or her own language. It is so fortunate for these children that they stay with the same teachers for three years, because it has taken us nearly two, to efficiently translate their sounds and words.

        In our Linguistics class, we were talking about how some ESL students are falsely classified, when an actual difficulty with learning the English language is chalked up to be a learning disability.  When I hear people working with my students who are unfamiliar with them and their language, it gives me a chance to see how such problems can arise.  At first meeting, many teachers would have no idea of the  capabilities or intelligence of my students.  Due to their speech/language deficits, a lot of information they are trying to communicate becomes lost in translation, which, over time, can become frustrating and  disheartening, for the students as well as the adults.

obstacles (n)- Something that hinders progress
suppose (v)- To believe something as true
focusing (v)- Concentrating on something
loop (v)- Staying with the same group of people for more than one year
efficiently (adj)- Being successful at something
falsely (adv)- Wrong or misleading
 capabilities (n)- The ability to become affected by a given action

1. The girl was __________ accused of stealing the necklace.
2. All of the ________ of the new iphone are incredible!
3. Some people judge a persons __________solely on their physical appearance.
4. I __________ the hot temperatures melted my chocolate bar.
5.  A special needs person will face more __________ in their life than a typical person.
6. While earning my degree in Psychology I was ___________ on Special Education.
7. It is hard for me to complete the job because I am __________ with the machinery.

Adverb- Part of speech that modifies or qualifies other verbs or clauses.  For example, I use adverbs in my writing when I say, "falsely classified" and "efficiently translate".

Find the adverbs in each sentence
1. That Italian restaurant is famously good.
2. In the race yesterday the yellow car was so much faster than the red one.
3. At the end of Cinderella, she and the prince live happily ever after.
4.  I nervously asked my teacher what material would be on next weeks test.

22 Hours Later....

      Two years ago, when my cousin and his girlfriend announced to our family that they were in engaged to be married, we were all so happy for them.  They had originally informed us that they would be having a destination wedding in Key West, Florida, which we were all looking forward to (to say the least).  Since then, their plans have changed quite a few times.  Over the summer, they finally decided they would be having three different celebrations in three different countries, as a way to include all of their wishes and desires for their very special day.
      In April, they will be getting married in New York City, followed by a small cocktail hour in Brooklyn.  A week after their New York wedding, the pair will be traveling to Spain so my cousin and his fiance may share the joy with her family who still lives in Malaga.  First, however, and the part I feel is the most interesting, they are kicking it all off with a wedding in Thailand where they will be taking part in a traditional Thai wedding ceremony.  This includes wearing traditional garments, being painted with Henna, and riding atop elephants.  The two merry travelers left yesterday and 22 hours later, they are probably sitting somewhere on a beach receiving back massages, manicures and pedicures for three dollars, while the rest of us are trekking through the 30 mph winds..UGH!


Announced-(v) To state in advance
Engaged- (v) Promised to be married
Married- (adj) Two people who are legally joined as partners
Informed- (adj) Having been given information
Changed- (v) To transform or convert
Decided- (adj) To have determined something
Painted- (adj) Covered with a coating of paint


Interjection- A word added to a sentence to express emotion.  I use an interjection in my posting when I wrote, "...trekking through 30 mph winds...UGH!."  I used UGH! to express annoyance and irritation.


Choose the correct interjection to fit the sentence

1. _____________ thats a beautiful necklace! (WOW, UGH)
2. _____________ put that glass down now! (HEY, HURRAY)
3.____________ I missed a spot when I moped the floor! ( PHEW, OOPS)
4. You're going to wake the baby __________! (YEAH, SHH)

This past weekend my mom and I went into the city for my cousins, fiances, bridal shower in Fort Washington, New York.  We had groaned at the sight of the invitation which said the restaurant was located on 187th St.  We had never been that far uptown before and knew it would take over an hour each way.  After setting out on Saturday, taking new subway routes to knew places, going for a stroll in a new neighborhood, and meeting new people, it turned out to be a great day and a lovely experience.  The bridal shower was really more of a lunch (at a fantastic mexican restaurant)and gave my mom and I an opportunity to meet some of his fiances family members.  In attendance, were women from her mothers side of the family, from Malaga, Spain, and women from her fathers side of the family, who are Dominican.   It was very interesting for me to listen to the ladies speaking amongst themselves.  I am very excited for the cultural blending that will come from this marriage.

Fiance - (n) Wife to be

Bridal shower - (n) Celebration where friends and family give gifts to the bride

Groaned - (v) Sound expressing displeasure

"Setting out"- Phrase, meaning started or began 

Subway - (n) Electric railway operating under the ground

Stroll - (n) Leisurely walk

Opportunity (n) - Chance due to a favorable combination of circumstances

Heritage (n)- Practices that are handed down from the past through traditions

Blending - (v) Combine

1. On Saturday I went for a __________ in  the park.

2. I love talking to my relatives and finding out new information about my Italian __________. 

3. My brother __________ when I asked him to take out the garbage.  

4. Before _______________ on our ten hour drive, my mom made every one of us use the bathroom.

5. When we help my mom cook, I'm always the best at __________ all of the ingredients together. 

6. When Jenna walked into the _________________ she was so surprised!

7. Attending a top university allowed Mark the __________ to make crucial connections in business.

Collective Nouns
A collective noun is singular in form but names a group.

Example: I used the word family as a collective noun in my post when I wrote, "In attendance, were women from her mothers side of the family, from Malaga, Spain, and women from her fathers side of the family, who are Dominican."  Although the word family is used in its singular form, I am referring to all of the individuals who makeup that one group.

Use the collective nouns in the bank to complete the sentences.  

team     band     audience     herd

1. As Michelle slid into home plate, the _______________ erupted in cheers at once.
2. The _______________ had to carry their instruments for such a long time during the parade.
3.  Will Ferrell was so funny in the show, the _____________ was laughing the entire time.
4. The dog managed to gather the _______________ within seconds.

An Unsusal Weekend in Brooklyn...

Last weekend when my friend invited me to stay with her in Brooklyn I was looking forward to it with anticipation.  She was house sitting for a coworker so, at the very least, staying at the apartment would be a fresh experience.  My friend Kerry also accompanied me, and we walked down the sidewalk looking for the building number until we found ourselves faced with a two story, concrete building with detailed molding and four beautiful, old, wooden doors.  We assumed we had somehow missed the apartment and became momentarily worried that we had already gotten ourselves lost.  However, when Lana popped her head out of the double doors in the middle, we became pleasantly surprised and quite perplexed.  Immediately, questions ran through my mind, Is this where we are staying?  What the heck is this place?  Are we staying in an old firehouse? Isn't this too pretty to have been a firehouse? As we crossed the threshold and asked Lana, "Um, was this place a Church at one time?" She looked at us with wide eyes replying, "No, it used to be a funeral home"

anticipation (n)- Having prior knowledge of something and awaiting it's outcome.
experience (n)- Directly participating in something.
accompanied (v)- past tense of accompany - To be in association with something or someone else.
concrete (n)-  A solid, hard building material.
molding (n)- A decorative trim used on and inside buildings.
assumed (v)- past tense of assume - To form an opinion before all the facts are confirmed.
momentarily (adv)- A short amount of time.
perplexed (v)- past tense of perplex- Confused
immediately (adv)- Without delay
threshold (n)- The place of entrance/exit to a building

The minute I woke up this morning I shuddered with ______, I just had a feeling the day wouldn't be so great.  When I woke up I hit my head on the ______, while coming down the stairs.  On my way to the car, I slipped on some ice and skinned my knee on the ______.  Third, after starting my car, it ______ stalled.  Just as I ______ that the day couldn't get much worse, one of my headlights burnt out.  Thankfully, brother ______ me to purchase a new light for my car.  I  knew having him there would make the ______ much more bearable. As my brother and I crossed the ______ of the auto parts store, I felt overwhelmed.  Looking around at all the different parts made me very ______.  I was______ thankful that my brother had come along to help.  


Verbs in the past tense: These types of verbs express an action that was started or completed in the past, as in, the action or experience has already happened.  


Choose the verb that fits correctly in the sentence
1. The girl turned to me and _____ something I couldn't understand. (mumble / mumbled)

2. Emily ______ up the snowy hill with her sled dragging behind. (struggled/ struggle)

3. A group of politicians ______ an important decision yesterday.  (make/ made)

4. After a huge dinner, Matt and Sasha ______ for a while.  (talked/ talk)