The Management Consulting Group

Sad, but true. Just about everywhere you look online, the English language is suffering a fate worse than death. The problem, in reality, is so widespread that it has begun to affect all aspects of the language. “But, what on Earth does this have to do with Internet marketing?” you may be asking. Well, my fellow netpreneur…Everything!

It has everything to do with Internet marketing if you wish to portray yourself, and be perceived as, a Marketing Professional on the internet. Just remember, professionally speaking, Image is Everything. On the other hand, if you’re not particularly interested in putting your ‘best foot forward’ when marketing your services or products, and I really hope this is not the case, then none of this applies to you.

Obviously, we don’t have time here to do an in-depth study of the many instances of, what I would term, “casual disdain” I’ve witnessed online. So, in order to illustrate my point, I’ll concentrate on a small, but vital component of the English language: the innocent, harmless apostrophe.

Allow me to try to paint a picture for you. A long, long, time ago, around the time of the De Soto, the Corvair, bellbottoms, the VW “bug” (ring a bell?), and before beatniks became known as hippies, you could look at advertisement copy and expect, to some degree, that it had been reviewed and, presumably, corrected.

In other words, it was safe for women, children, and other life forms to view it, and read its content without suffering any permanent, debilitating psychological damage, such as a hard to diagnose speech impediment, or maybe an involuntary nervous twitch across one cheek.

What I see most of us doing now, at the dawn of the 21st Century, is that we read ad copy, and then, because it’s in bold letters on carefully selected background, surrounded by pretty pictures, we accept its message as Gospel truth. We get so bowled over by the “look” of it, that we forget to examine it critically enough.

Talk about your viral strategy, indeed…

Today, in the age of the cell phone, the Lexus, Viagra, the twenty five cent phone call, and a PC “in every barn,” wherever I look, I see the poor apostrophe maligned and misused. It gets no respect, either offline on signs, billboards, and late-night Infomercials, or (shudder) online in cyber country, on that very personal and intimate expression of its owner’s taste and personality: an individual’s web site.

Since I spend so much time online, much more, I think, than I spend on the real pavement of our world, I notice the glaring mistreatment heaped upon our poor little fellow- the apostrophe-by careless webmasters, even more. The main thing I notice is that the apostrophe’s originally intended use is slowly eroding; people are just making up their own versions of what its purpose really is. This is a prime example of what I mean by “casual disdain.”

It’s been reported in ‘The Really Up Yonder Gazette’, an influential publication dedicated to digging up gossip about the well known dearly departed, that both William Shakespeare and John Milton have thrown up their arms in despair, and are contemplating turning their backs for good on something that some would consider their own creation: our English language.

As a matter of fact, in a recent exclusive interview, “Willie boy” himself bemoans the effect all of this is having on his favorite language, as follows:

“Oh, perfidy that has befallen our instrument of expression, by us once nearly refined. Oh, treachery flung upon us by the masses shamelessly disdainful of reading and writing, of independent thought evidently incapable!”

Ahem…

Frankly, I firmly believe that this unwarranted offense was perpetrated by one of the first guys, if not the very first, who threw up that first Web site selling, say, floppy disks with instructions on how to extend the mileage on single-ply bathroom tissue by rewashing it, carefully drying it with your wife’s hair dryer (when she’d gone out of the house, natch), and then gingerly covering it with a special jelly for sofness. You know, just your average 3-Step Recycling Process used mainly in Third World countries like Wyoming, for instance…

For the purposes of this little tale, let’s call this first marketer, Butcher D. Grammer.

Well, this confounded fellow started something which has become a movement, or a new language convention. Butcher decided that the little fellow, my friend the apostrophe, should not be used according to any rules or previous language conventions; heck no, the little fellow would, according to our Bathroom Recycle Consultant, be used any ol’time.

He would use it, and so would the masses who were yet to come, but who would follow suit, and our Butcher knew this well, to interchangeably indicate either the possessive or the plural forms in any sentence.

So, a sentence such as, “The seller does not guarantee its potential profit,” became: “The seller does not guarantee it’s potential profit.”

Here he turned the possessive form of “its” into the abbreviated, or the contraction form of, it is. So, if you were to read the second sentence, removing the contraction, the last part would read: “does not guarantee it is potential.”

But, our little Butcher, a thorough and disciplined craftsman, was not through yet. After all, there was even more damage he could inflict on American English; and, leeringly, he mused, rubbing his hands together, “They’ll follow me blindly anywhere.”

Next, he turned his attention to the plural form of simple words. Just about any word ending in “s,” indicating that there was more than one object of whatever unit was being counted or measured, he turned into, you guessed it, the possessive form.

Words or terms such as, buyers, software tools, ingrown toe nails, battering ramps, fools, attractive girls, dumb-as-can-be-guys, and many, many others, became: buyer’s, software tool’s, ingrown toe nail’s, battering ramp’s, fool’s, attractive girl’s, dumb-as-can-be-guy’s.

As hard to believe as it may seem, Butcher reign of terror is still not only alive and well, but from what I’m going to show you, it’s expanding frighteningly. Please have a look at the following three additional examples, and cringe in terror:

1. If your interested, just sign up from the link below.

2. Just click here, and your done.

3. Simply load email address’s into your auto-responder.

Obviously, in the first two sentences, Butcher and his followers have cleverly used the second-person possessive pronoun “your” as a substitute for the abbreviated “you’re.” Their thinking being, “The heck with that comma-like thing which is supposed to go on top. Nobody will even miss it. And, we can get away with chopping off the last “e”, also.” (So, once again, the apostrophe gets the shaft).

As regards the third sentence shown above, quite frankly, I have no comment; I wouldn’t even know where to begin defining or deciphering it…I’m afraid to look at it. It’s just a stroke of genius from the hand of our hero, Butcher, who must have found the inspiration for this little morcel during a wrenching psychotic episode.

Now, I don’t know how other people feel about the sinister, pervasive, and, yes, viral damage caused by this one crazy guy, but I, for one, hope he has gone to his final resting place. Let him drive them crazy over there if (God forbid) he finds himself near a typewriter; as it is, Butcher’s handiwork makes me go nuts practically every day here in cyber space.

If only we could go back to that time in the past, 1962 comes readily to mind for one reason or another, when spelling and a little attention to grammar counted for something.

But, as they say, in Bolivia, “Dude, t’ain’t no use complainin’, ‘dem ‘dere day’s is long gone.”

Copyright 2004 Jorge M Vega

About The Author

After struggling for years trying to figure out what worked and what didn’t work online, the author, Jorge M. Vega, has started to “bring home the bacon” marketing on the Internet. Quietly, he has found a few select, sure-fire ways that anyone can use to begin making a comfortable home-based living, starting today: http://www.earnlarge.com/pbi

Our “mind power” is largely in the way we use our words, and limited by our vocabulary. Words, and the concepts they express, are different in each language, and there are differing common expressions. That’s why when you learn a new language, you learn new ways to think.

Most Americans see money as something created, not as a static quantity to be divided up. This is no coincidence. English is one of the few languages that speaks of “making” money. In other languages, the verb used is “to gain,” “take,” or “get.” The words used affect how people think about money. Personally, I think “making money” is a very healthy perspective.

Hablas Español?

Did you know that in Spanish, you’re not thirsty, cold or afraid? You have to say “I have thirst (yo tengo sed)”, “I have coldness (yo tengo frio),” or “I have fear (yo tengo miedo).” Could this change the way a person experiences things?

Definitely. Therapists are now telling people to stop saying or thinking things like “I am afraid.” That way of expressing it creates too much identification with the feeling. It’s healthier to say “I feel fear.” You’re not afraid, you’re a human; fear, like all feelings, is just a temporary visitor.

In Spanish you “take” a decision (tomar un decision). Is it possible that “taking” a decision could be less stressful than “making” one? It might subconsciously limit you, too, since you generally “take” from what’s available, while to “make” leaves your options wide open.

Other Advantages Of Learning A Language

You gain words when you learn a language, but also the ability to understand things better. Who can speak more precisely about snow; someone with three words for it (snow, sleet, powder), or an eskimo with 22 words for it? Which is more efficient, the German word “zeitgeist,” meaning “the taste and outlook of a period or generation,” or the nine words I just used to say the same thing?

According to the research, most people experience a general improvement in memory from studying a language. Research has also demonstrated that you can halt age-related decline in mental function by learning a new language. Tuck that little tip away for later in life, or better yet, why not start learning a new language today?

Steve Gillman has been studying brainpower enhancement, creative problem solving, and related topics for years. You can visit his website, and subscribe to his free Mind Power Course, at: http://www.IncreaseBrainPower.com/mind-power.html

There are five different stages in the second language acquisition process:

1) The Silent Period
2) The Early Production Period
3) The Speech Emergence Period
4) The Intermediate Production Period
5) The Advanced Production Period

Even though there is wealth of research on these different stages, out of these five periods, probably the most misunderstood, ignored or even unknown both by teachers and students alike is the first, the Silent Period, which will be the focus of our article today.

What is the Silent Period?

The first stage of the language acquisition process is called “The Silent Period” simply because the students aren’t doing much talking yet. In some learners this period may be shorter or longer, ranging between 2 to 6 months, though it may take much longer too, depending on the exposure to the foreign language that the learner has.

For example, a foreigner living abroad and surrounded by a new language all day may have a shorter silent period than a student in his home country who attends a bilingual school in which a second language is taught for four or five hours a day. In turn, this student’s silent period may be considerably shorter than that of a learner studying a second language for just two hours a week. So it becomes clear that generalizing how long this period may last is nearly impossible because it depends on many personal and individual variables that come into play.

The main characteristic of this stage is that after some initial exposure to the language, the learner is able to understand much more than s/he can produce. You can easily see this in two-year-old babies too! You can speak to them normally and they can definitely understand whatever you say. However, even if they wanted to say exactly what you said, they would not be able to. They may use some of your words but they would find it impossible to express their ideas in a similarly organized way, in spite of the fact that they may understand every single word we said.

This goes hand in hand with the fact that comprehension preceded production. We will always be able to understand much more than we can produce. For example, in spite of knowing little or nothing about economics, accounting and marketing, when I watch or read news reports on those fields, I can get a pretty good and accurate idea of what those reports are about. However, if someone asked me to explain what the reports said, I would surely resort to general language and simpler explanations to describe what the experts stated using specific jargon and technical analysis.

In other words, at the level of comprehension, I could manage to understand everything, but at the level of production I may not able to express everything I heard in exactly the same way. Nevertheless, with more exposure on those topics, and if they became meaningful to me and part of my everyday reality, after a while I would be able to start to use that specific jargon as part of my everyday vocabulary. In this example, the stretch of time between my initial exposure to the topic, maybe the first time I heard a report on those topics and the time when I could talk about it freely without jargon or any language-related problems could be considered my silent period in the field.

I want to highlight here that I am stretching the linguists’ definition of this period a little bit while saying this. Linguists refer specifically to the time when a person starts to acquire the language through exposure to it, understands a lot but is unable to express his or her ideas yet. When they talk about the “Silent Period” they do not imply that it refers to the acquisition of language at any stage of the second language acquisition process as I do. This is my humble opinion after several years of working with second language learners. Again, this is something that I have personally noticed that I feel could be perfectly applied to language learners at any stage of their learning as shown in the previous example.

As we have just seen when it comes to the first contact between a language learner with a second language this takes a new dimension, of course. For a long time they may be unable to utter a single word and that is perfectly fine and it is part and parcel of the language acquisition process. What is so peculiar about this period is that it has the special ability to make adult students anxious and drive teachers absolutely crazy! This is by far the most difficult period both for teachers and students alike.

One of the main reasons why I decided to write this article was to remind teachers of this crucial stage in second language acquisition and to make students aware of its existence so as not to place a heavy burden on themselves. By knowing this simple fact both teachers and learners can share the joy of teaching and learning without the stress associated with the feeling that they are not reaching their goals.

On occasions, the teacher’s lack of knowledge on these kinds of issues can produce unintentional disastrous results on their students’ self-esteem. How common it is for those of us who specialize in teaching methodologies to meet disappointed or even angry teachers complaining about their students’ lack of progress.

“We’ve been working on the Present Tense for over two months now. We’ve been doing drills, lots of repetitions, we’ve created real-life situations to make the language come to life and yet, they can produce little or nothing!”

“How come they not learn after doing this for more than three weeks!”

My reply in most cases is the same: “Just give them more time.”

As times goes by, provided that our students are in a truly communicative setting, they will start to produce what they cannot do right now.

The widespread ignorance of this stage in the language acquisition process can create very unwanted situations. As a Colombian saying goes: “la ignorancia es atrevida.”
Lacking an exact English idiom, or al least not knowing one myself, I will proceed to explain its meaning. The saying basically says that “ignorance is rude and causes us to do stupid things.”

On one occasion, while working in a pretty nice school in the US teaching ESL (English as a Second Language) to a child from Mexico, I got a call from my supervisor. She was extremely concerned as the principal of the school I was working at had called her to complain about my skills as a teacher as my student “had not been making any progress at all” since she started to receive my services. Even though this same principal had sat in on one of my classes and even written a report that said that my work was “above average,” she seriously doubted that my teaching approach really worked. After all, although the lesson had been fun and provided plenty of communicative opportunities for students to put the language to use, she had not seen any drills, repetitions, gap filling exercises, and grammar rules had never been presented to my group of “seven-year-olders.” So, in her opinion, it was only natural this student could not do or say much in English. The funny thing was…. this student has been in the US for less than two months and had been receiving ESL services for less than a month and a half!!!!

What is more, unlike the idea this principal had, she had made ENORMOUS progress. She could already understand most greetings and basic classroom directives; she could understand several types of questions on different everyday topics. She could even understand many things that people told her to do and basic facts! However, when it came to talking, she could just say one or two greetings and produce “yes” or “no” replies. Does this mean she had not made any progress? Does this means she had not learned anything? Not in the least! On the contrary, she was way advanced in her initial stage of second language acquisition and very soon afterwards she entered the early production period. Plain and simple, she was going through her silent period.

When I talked to the principal and explained to her, as politely as possible, what the silent period was and how much progress this girl had made, she could not help blushing and sighing with relief at the idea that “we had not been wasting our time!”

Once more, by knowing this simple fact we can relax, enjoy what we are doing without the frustrating feeling that we are getting nowhere. Students can also enjoy the freedom of knowing that sooner or later they will be able to put into practice whatever they are learning now, given the right language setting (For more info on the right language setting, please read my other articles: “Are you in a Really Communicative Second Language Classroom?,” Making the Most out of Your Second Language Acquisition Program,” and “Second Language Acquisition in Adult Learners – Parts 1 and 2.”)

If we are “masters and commanders” of our class, as it may happen if you have your own language school or if you have the freedom to do as you please, just knowing this simple fact can give you a whole different perspective of your work. Nevertheless, if you are working for someone who demands quick and immediate results, the best piece of advice I could give you is to do your own research on this topic; read as much as you can and be prepared to account for whatever you do with your students. Talk to your supervisor, peers, students or whoever is demanding results now and simply explain to them what the wealth of research on this issue shows. More often than not, the light that knowledge projects will dissipate the darkness that surrounds ignorance. Not only will they understand what you mean but they will also appreciate your efforts to make your classes more enjoyable and stress-free.

Julio Foppoli is a teacher of English as a Second Language, teacher of Spanish as a Second Language. He is also the creator and owner of http://www.esaudio.net/Spanish/online_classes.html, an online educational website with a technological edge, specialized in the teaching of Spanish as second language via audio-conference to native speakers of English from all over the world.

The website offers free listening comprehension activities with Spanish from all of the Spanish speaking world.

Introduction

In considering the use of L1 (the learners mother tongue) in ELT (English Language Teaching) on the part of the teacher, one of the first assumptions is that the teacher has a sufficient command of the students L1 to be of value in the first place. Another assumption which may well impact this scenario is that all the learners in a class or group have the same L1. While these assumptions may often be the case in numerous EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teaching / learning settings, many times they are not. In the case of multi-cultural classes (i.e., in the USA, UK, Australia, Canada, India, etc.) where the learners have different L1s, or when the teacher does not have a working knowledge of the learners L1, a frequent occurrence in Asia, Africa and eastern Europe, applied L1 use in the EFL classroom is severely limited or may be rendered virtually impossible.

Use of L1 in the Classroom

In my case, I’ll talk about those instances where I do in fact use the learners L1 in my EFL classes. I have acquired a working knowledge of Spanish and all my university and independent students have Spanish as their L1. Although I’m against any substantial use of L1 in ESOL (the teaching of English to Speakers of Other Languages) classes, there are situations where its use is quite valuable. In addition, at early levels a ratio of about 5 per cent native language to about 95 per cent target language may be more profitable than the use of “English only”. (Atkinson, 1987) On the first day of class with a new group, I explain to the learners that they are allowed to ask “How do you say ______ , in Spanish?” where the Spanish (L1) word or phrase is filled in the blank. This allows the students to get key vocabulary in their written or spoken expression while limiting their use of L1 in class.

When learners are stumped for abstract lexis, a word or phrase which cannot be easily elicited during the course of a lesson, I’ll simply “give” them the word in Spanish to aid in continuing with the smooth flow of the lesson and not get “bogged down” in trying to come up with the elusive lexis by other means. When a student gives me production of incomprehensible language, i.e., I (nor the other learners) cannot decipher what the student is trying to say in English, I’ll say “Tell me that in Spanish.” Armed with this new understanding I (or one of the other learners) can then provide that learner with corrected, comprehensible forms which otherwise might elude both (or even all) of us.

During a written exam, I’ll also “give” the learners a word or phrase writing it on the board in English and / or Spanish to avoid extensive disruption of the test-taking process. Since I do not prepare the exams, new lexis can creep into readings, instructions or exercises. When a learner, and as additional learners, ask for meaning or explanation of the word(s), I’ll simply point to the lexis on the board without speaking.

When playing communicative, TPR (Asher, 1966 and passim) or “fast-paced” vocabulary games such as a learner favorite called “STOP”, I’ll again provide a translation of new lexis to help develop the learners vocabulary. These could be lexis of places, names in English / Spanish, foods, animals or some verbs or use of the L1 in various code-switching activities. (Clandfield - Foord, 2003) This happens especially frequently when I need to explain why a particular word is incorrect or cannot be used.

L1 Use with LEP Learners

One additional instance when I switch to Spanish is when I must talk to LEP (Limited English Proficiency) learners about important administrative matters or procedures for which they do not have the necessary depth of vocabulary to understand. The importance of the material and their need to understand it outweigh the adherence of sticking to “English only” which is my “standard operating procedure” in the classroom. This is especially true in my case with groups of learners with less than about 250 contact hours of English which is equivalent to third semester or less. Note: Atkinson (1987 and passim) states 150 hours or less (second semester) for this stage although I have found it often extends into an additional semester.

On occasion, students will bring in a song or lyrics, usually Rock or Pop music, and ask the meaning of a word, phrase, expression or sometimes even the title. In providing the requested explanation (when I can), I use comparisons and / or translations into Spanish as often as is necessary. The same may occur with dialogue from popular films, movies and videos produced for native speakers of English. In rare instances, a cassette recording of a radio broadcast or book-on-tape has made its way into my classroom for the same reasons.

A final common instance in my use of L1 in the classroom is with learners in “repeat” or “remedial” classes of LEP learners. Since these learners have already demonstrated that the “traditional” teaching methods provided for in their course books is insufficient in teaching them the material. All these learners have failed the course at this level at least once, some twice or more. I subsequently use a series of alternative methodologies including translation and other types of input / feedback in the learners L1 to aid in the learning - acquisition process. These methods have, in fact, proved to be very successful. One reason may be that use of specially-targeted methodologies and altered classroom conditions help to lower the learners Affective Filters (Krashen - Terrell, 1983) and direct the new material and lexis to them in ways more compatible with their individual Multiple Intelligences and preferred learning styles (Gardner, 1983).

Conclusions

In conclusion I have stated that my use of L1 in the EFL classroom is minimal and should not exceed a ratio of more than 5% of the L1 to 95% of the target language. Key EFL classroom situations in which L1 can be utilized include:

• requesting new lexis

• explaining abstract terms

• to aid in the generation of comprehensible input / production

• during exams and other high-stress situations

• to maintain the flow of dynamic activities

• to explain idioms and expressions in songs, movies and videos

• giving information / instructions to LEP learners

• in adapting materials to the special needs of the learners

While the use of the learners L1 should be strictly controlled, it is plausible to make accurate use of it in activities to promote learning and acquisition. Ongoing language acquisition research and in-class practice supports that use of L1 should not be prohibited for its own sake, but allowed occasionally as an additional tool in the repertoire of the teacher and the learners as conditions warrant.

Note: Academic references for this article are available on request.

Prof. Larry M. Lynch has taught EFL, published ELT articles as an expert author, presented at numerous TESOL conferences and trained teachers in the USA, Colombia, Mexico, Ecuador, Panama and Spain. His work has appeared in Transitions Abroad, South American Explorer, Escape from America, Mexico News and Brazil magazines. At present he teaches at the Universidad Santiago de Cali in Cali, Colombia. To get original, exclusive articles and content for your newsletter, blog or website or information on TEFL presentations, specialized teacher training programs or conference speaking engagements contact him at: lynchlarrym@gmail.com

Brief History of the Italian Language

Documents dating as far back as the 10th century were written in Italian, although it is believed that some form of Italian language was used in the 8th century by people who did not understand Latin. Traders and clergy might have used this language to address the people of those days.

The Italian language has evolved into many different dialects and languages throughout the centuries due to differences in politics, lack of communications and mobility, and also various culture gaps as people of different origins migrated to Italy.

Differences in Dialects

There is a standard Italian language, which is taught in schools of all regions. The standard language was derived from Medieval Tuscan dialect. The dialects each have their own characteristics so even tourists can tell a difference when visiting more than one region.

The Neapolitan dialect, for example, is often used in popular songs. This language is called Napoletano. Speakers of this language change articles into single vowels. “Il” might be shortened to ‘O. The Roman dialect called Romanesco is where the speaker replaces the letter “l” with the “r” sound. Toscana is a dialect used by the Tuscans where the letter “c” is often pronounced as “ch” combined.

Rare Italian Dialects

In remote areas of Italy there are rare dialects that are in danger of extinction. These often combine two languages or several dialects to form their own distinct language.

The Judeo-Italian dialect is called Italkian. It is a minority language that was spoken by people living in urban areas of Rome or in central and northern Italy between the 10th and 17th centuries. The language was very popular in Livorno. It’s a blend of Italian and Hebrew, and only around 4,000 people actually use it as their primary language today.

Yiddish is another rare language that blends Hebrew and German. Ladino is a language that blends Spanish and Hebrew.

Jews who Speak Italian

At the beginning of the 20th century, Jews in Italy were fluent with their own language as well as standard Italian. They also had a dialect called Judeo-Italian, which differed by region and city. Judeo-Italian dialects were often used in Jewish rituals and the Passover Haggadah, and they were also written in Hebrew.

Italian Language for the Traveller

Travellers to Italy will benefit tremendously if they learn key Italian words and phrases before their trip. Eating at restaurants, visiting attractions or villages, and touring local sites will be much easier for the tourist who knows what to ask and how to ask in Italian! Courses to help learn Italian phrases as well as culture and traditions in various regions are available online.

Just like any other nation, the dialect one hears will depend on where he visits. The language and dialects make each area unique, and tourists can discover something new everywhere they go in Italy.

Where can find international cell phones and service for Italy in the USA? From http://www.planetomni.com Free incoming calls from all countries night and day and calling the states is just US $.60 per minute! They rent and sell phones and satellite phones as well and ship to you everything you need before you leave. They have service for more than 160 countries of the world’s 193 countries and they ship worldwide.

John Dulaney, born Dec. 11th, 1946, married with children.
Living most years since 1969 outside the USA and working in motion pictures since 1965 I started QuantumStar.com with my wife, Jojo, in March of 1994 in San Francisco, Ca.
I’ve lived in or been to approximately 36 countries and have lived under Democracies, Socialism, Communism, dictatorships, kingdoms and others. There is nothing like home.
I participated at Channel Four in Manila, Philippines during the “People Power Revolution” and stood, with my wife’s brother, along with half a million others against the threat of tank attack.
I have witnessed the ruinous effects of Socialism /Communism /Dictatorship in dozens of countries and today enjoy the remains of our freedoms and protections of the Constitution in the USA here in California.
Working in front of and behind the camera films around the world we removed to the suburbs and a quiet life, for a few years. We still have property in Umbria, Italy, some is for sale. After all is said and done I count my children, wife Jojo and my friends as my only real treasure.