A
heartfelt Hooray and all our best wishes for the new
Association. In these days of selfishness and utter individualism,
it is really rewarding to see how a group of teachers have decided
to create a new space for SHARING experiences, plans, hopes, and
illusions with their colleagues. For the benefit of our profession at large we
need many more of these ELT associations, centres, athenaeums and
forums throughout the country. Congratulations to the Excutive
Committee of APISE !
5.- BUZZWORDS
Did you
know that our dear SHARER Silvia Tubio is co-publisher of an electronic
magazine for Teachers of Business English? Did you know
you can subscribe to it for free?
To
subscribe send a blank e-mail to: tbusiness-subscribe@listbot.com.
Here as an appetizer a section of her last e-zine:
Buzzwords
By now you are familiar with many
of them. Here are some just for fun, hoping they do not apply in your company..
Blamestorming: Sitting
around in a group discussing why a deadline was missed
or
a project failed and who was
responsible.
Seagull Manager: A manager
who flies in, makes a lot of noise, craps all over
everything and then leaves.
Adminisphere: The rarefied
organizational layers beginning just above the rank
and file. Decisions that fall from
the adminisphere are often profoundly
inappropriate or irrelevant to the
problems they were designed to solve.
Ohno-second: That
minuscule fraction of time in which realize that you've
just
made a BIG mistake. Like making the
selection that reformats your hard drive. No nanoseconds here, your "Oh, no!"
can stretch for a long while until you come up with some "smart"
idea.
6.-
BERNIEH´S CORNER : HOW THE QUEEN HAS CHANGED
Hello, dear SHARERS!
As a little Comeback present for
everybody on this list, I am posting an interesting short-article by Ian
Stuart, where the author describes how the Queen's (spoken)
English has been evolving in recent years. So, from now on, when you
hear any of various mispronunciations I am so fond of perpetrating, please
bear in mind that they are not wrongly produced sounds, but just my way of
following the trend :-)
Regards,
Bernieh.
-----------------------------------------
If you want to
get a hid get a het
by Ian Stuart
December 22,
2000
http://www.themestream.com/articles/271549.html
The Italian Mafia make you an offer
you can't refuse; the Glasgow Mafia
make you an offer you can't
understand. That used to be the case, anyway.
But regional accents are in a
turmoil at the moment. Firms operating call
centres and telephone help lines
like the Scottish accent because it sounds
honest and reassuring; a bluff
Yorkshire accent is also acceptable- but
Brummie (Midlands) and Welsh sound
a bit...fly...dishonest. That's what the
market research boys say
anyway.
And spoken English is changing
faster than ever before. For the last ten years Estuary English (EE)
has been working its way up from the south east of the country. Apart from linguistic
crimes such as "well good" and "innit", EE tends to lose the final
consonants (and often intermediate consonants as well)- and even vowel sounds are
changing. There is no longer any great distinction between "to" and "too"
- both of them tend to come out as "tew" - listen tew Tony Blair if you
don't believe me. Of course, some EE is just old fashioned Cockney - "blood" -
or "blud" as a Yorkshireman would say it, comes out as "blad" or "bled" if
you are a bit higher up the food chain.
That is part of the problem, you
see. Spoken English is not simply an indicator of origin - it is also an
indicator of social class. And even the lady at the very top of the food
chain - ODQ (Our Dear Queen) is not immune from linguistic
influences.
In a fascinating piece of research
published in "Nature" Doctor Harrington of MqQuarie University in Sydney
has been examining recordings of the Queen's Christmas message over the
last forty years. And the changes are astounding. In the fifties, the
Queen pronounced " pat" "mat" and "hat" as "pet" "met" and "het" - now she
flattens the vowel and moves it further forward in the mouth. "Hid" "head"
and "had" - once almost indistinguishable, are now given
their separate values. She does the "tew" thing as well. The man who looked
after the palace grounds, once known as "the grindsman" has got his proper
title at last, and one's "hice" has become a house again
.
My theory is that this is all part
of the humanisation of the monarchy. Post-Diana, scared stiff that the
sweaty night-cap mob will soon be hammering at the gates, they have
worked hard at sounding like everyone else. Or - more likely - its just a
linguistic virus that's floating in the air. It will infect everyone -
until the next one comes along and we all start sounding like Liverpudlians
again.
A Happy Christmas tew you
all.
-----------------------------------------
Bernardo
Humberto Banega (h)
buck@mail.pccp.com.ar | English Teaching/Learning, see http://bernieh.com.ar
7.-
ELE : ESPAÑOL COMO LENGUA EXTRANJERA
A dear
SHARER , Ana Maria Rossi de Bergel, amrbergel@sinectis.com.ar
forwards a message from
the President of Centum to us. Here is an excerpt of that message :
"Entre los
muchos proyectos que hemos encarado (en el año 2000) hemos suscripto un
convenio con la UCA para el desarrollo del área de Español como Lengua
Extranjera... este
convenio nos compromete como Instituto y como formadores en la realización de un
Curso de Formación para Profesores ELE, catalogado dentro de la Universidad como
curso de extensión universitaria, orientado a profesores de castellano y/o
traductores con al menos alguna experiencia en el área... Este curso de
extensión comenzará aproximadamente en marzo-abril, para terminar en
julio-agosto del 2001. Las vacantes
que se ofrecen son muy limitadas, por lo que procederemos a realizar una
lista de pre-inscripción y compromiso.
Pablo Alejo
Carrasco
Presidente
CENTUM
Servicios de Idiomas"
For
additional information, please contact Prof. Carrasco
to 011-4328-2384/5 or
011-4328-5150
or mail to centum@velocom.com.ar
8.- ATTENTION DEFICIT DISORDER (ADD)
Lately
we have become more concerned about the ADD _ Attention Deficit
Disorder_ and the widespread treatment of
such pathology with ritalin,
as cases of children and
adolescents suffering from this disorder seem to multiply in our
classrooms.
The following is a selection links to
websites that discuss some of the issues and impacts of
using ritalin for Attention Deficit
Disorder:
Is Ritalin Raising Kids to Be Drug Addicts?<http://www.eagleforum.org/column/2000/june00/00-06-21.html>
Students, College and the Impacting
Forces: Some Studies About Influences on Students
Academic Performance.
The Hazards of Treating
"Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder" with Methylphenidate
(Ritalin). The Journal of College Student
Psychotherapy, Vol. 10(2) 1995, pp.
55-72
The Ritalin revolution.
Parents and
professionals are taking a second look at the drug, hailed in the '80s for
controlling 'too active' children.
Ritalin
http://www.walnet.org/llf/drugs/ritalin.html#start
A Diagnosis
Excess? A
Lawsuit Alleges Attention Deficit Disorder Is
Over-Diagnosed.
<http://www.abcnews.go.com/sections/living/
DailyNews/ritalin_lawsuit0808.html>
Lawmakers hear stories of Ritalin
overuse. Reported problems include children
selling it, educators stealing it from
schools
<http://www.jsonline.com/alive/family/may00/ritalin17051600.asp>
Legal Battle Over Ritalin Heats
Up
High-Profile Lawyers Allege a
Conspiracy Against Children
<http://my.webmd.com/condition_center_content/add/article/1728.61352>
Ritalin's Redemption. Since 1990,
prescriptions for methylphenidate,
known as Ritalin, have increased
more than 60 percent, according to the Drug
Enforcement Agency.
Large National Study Says Drug
Works
<http://more.abcnews.go.com/sections/living/InYourHead/allinyourhead_16.html>
Is Ritalin Right For
Kids?
<http://www.healthatoz.com/atoz/HealthUpdate/Alert03282000.asp>
Ritalin: How Does it Work? New Research From Duke
shows a connection between Ritalin, Serotonin and
ADHD
<http://add.miningco.com/health/add/library/weekly/aa011999.htm>
Ritalin Web
Sites
<http://www.excite.com/health/disabilities/learning_disabilities/add_and_adhd
/medications/ritalin/>
This list was compliled
by David Dillard of Temple University and
published in
Diversity University Collaboratory
Mailing List (DUC)
As David Dillard says in his
posting to DUC : " None of the above is meant to constitute my
providing medical, legal or pychological advice or counseling
"
We make his words ours and hope
this list of links might arouse the interest of our SHARERS to get more
information on what seems to be a typical disease of
our times.
9.- NEWS
FROM UNIVERSIDAD DEL LITORAL
Our dear friend and SHARER Ana Jordán wrote to
us at the end of December:
Dear Omar and Marina,
How are you surviving the heat in
the last strech of the year? Hope
you are
both well. I would like to ask you to include this information about the
"UNL
Licenciatura" in the next Share. Thanks a lot.
Hope you have a good holiday!! We all deserve one, don't we? Wish you
both
and the
kids a lovely Xmas and a wonderful new year!
Love,
Anne
Dear
Colleagues,
In
1998, the Universidad Nacional del Litoral decided to start the
Programa
de
Carreras a Término in response to the increasing demand of
non-university
tertiary graduates to upgrade their
degrees.The
UNL launched the Ciclos de Licenciatura, a programme which obtained final approval
through Resolution No 330/99 of the
Ministry of Culture and
Education.
The
course of studies is organised into three four-month modules and
a
dissertation on the basis of
11 seminars
with fortnightly meetings.
The
success of the first edition has gone well beyond the initial expectations. In the
taught modality, there are two groups of 90 students who are on their way to obtaining
their 'licenciatura' degrees. One of these groups has completed the 11
seminars and is now working on their final tesina.
There
are another 105 students who have enrolled in the distance learning
scheme. And now, through an agreement
signed with "Prebítero Sáenz" College of Education, UNL is offering its
"Ciclo de Licenciatura en Inglés"
taught modality in Lomas de Zamora, group 2.
The course
is open to Teachers and Translators.
If you
are interested, please contact:
Dr. Martín
Ignacio Izaguirre - Technical
Coordinator
e-mail: izaguirr@fafodoc.unl.edu.ar
Phone:(0342) 4575105 ext. 121 &
227
Fax: (0342)-4575200
Prof.
Anne Jordan - Academic
Committee UNL / ISP "Pbro.
Sáenz"
e-mail:
aljordan@infovia.com.ar
Phone (011) 4292-8941 / 4244 - 3396
Post: Sáenz 740 (1832) Lomas de Zamora, Pcia. de Bs.
As.
10.- I DON´T WANT TO SLEEP
TONIGHT
Our dear SHARER Maria
Minghetti from Pila, Provincia de Buenos Aires has sent us this beautiful poem
by Deborah
Norville
Storyteller
I don't want to sleep
tonight
I don't want to sleep
tonight
There's a monster in my
room
He waits until the lights go
out
And fills the room with
gloom.
In my dreams I see him
hide,
In the bunk above my
bed.
I wish that he would go
away
And play somewhere else
instead
He sneaks down the
ladder
And crawls in bed with
me.
He tickles behind my
ears
And pinches me on my
knee.
When I squeeze my eyes real
tight
To make these monster
disappear
They only seem to
multiply,
There are fifty now, I
fear!
The visitors are so
scary
That I try to run
away
But that monster, he holds me down
And in the bed
stay.
My Daddy says my
dreams
Are just movies in my
head
But this movie's not for me at
all,
I want happy dreams
instead.
...................................
On those quiet
days
When I've sat and read my
books,
I go to sleep in quiet
peace
No monster dirty
looks!
There are other evenings,
too,
When I've painted model
cars,
Those monster must have struck a
truce
For all I saw were
stars
The moon was my
companion
There was no sense of
dread
And when I drifted off to
sleep,
I saw candy canes
instead.
When I don't play my video
games
Or watch the TV
set
I know my dreams will be so
sweet
I makes me wish for sleep, you
bet.
For when I close my eyes those
nights
I find that I will
see
A world of chocolate
rivers
With fields of candy
trees.
Or a place with friendly
ponies
All corralled and ready to
ride,
Or a bike with cool
accessories,
Or those skates I've never
tried.
Thank you, Mariqui for
your contribution ... and the momories it brought!!
11.-
CONGRESS IN MEXICO
Our
Mexican colleague, Lic. Javier O. Fuentes Ordoñez, Jefe del Dpto de Idiomas
de la Universidad Cristobal Colón de Mexico sent us information about the
XV
Foro de Especialistas
Universitarios en Lenguas Extranjeras (FEULE) that will be held in the city
of Veracruz from 22nd to 24th March 2001.
The
theme of this 15th FEULE will be "Globalización y su impacto en la
Enseñanza de Lenguas Extranjeras" and Congress will include the following areas:
Foreign Languages, Aboriginal
Languages,Teacher Education,Translation and
Applied
Linguistics
For more information, please contact Lic. Javier Fuentes
Ordoñez javierf@aix.ver.ucc.mx .
As Javier says in his message " Esperamos sinceramente
contar con tu participación que sin duda contribuirá a que las experiencias que
se generen en este espacio sean de gran utilidad y contribuyan a la mejora de
las habilidades y el
enriquecimiento de los conocimientos como docente de idiomas o áreas afines de
todos los ahí presentes. Esperamos poder conocerte personalmente
para darte la más cordial bienvenida a la Ciudad y Puerto de Veracruz en donde
estamos seguros disfrutarás de la hospitalidad Jarocha".
12.- PROVERBS FOR THE NEW
MILLENNIUM
A
dear SHARER from Mendoza, Fabián Peluempo swordfish@hotmail.com sends us this list
of newly coined proverbs :
C:\ is the root of all
directories.
A journey of a thousand sites
begins with a single
click.
You can't teach a new mouse old
clicks.
What boots up must come
down.
Anywhere you hang your @ is
home.
Too many clicks spoil the
browse.
Don't byte off more than you can
view.
The geek shall inherit the
earth.
Fax are stranger than
fiction.
Virtual reality is its own
reward.
A user and his leisure time are
easily parted.
Oh, what a tangled website we weave
when first we practise.
Give a man a fish and you feed him
for a day; teach him to use The Net and he
won't bother you for
weeks.
Thank you for your contribution, Fabián.
13.- COURSES IN URUGUAY
Our dear SHARER, Martin Inthamoussú, teacher
at Instituto Cultural Anglo- Uruguayo and
freelance trainer at different institutions in Montevideo offers
workshops to study different aspects of the
methodology in the teaching of English as a foreign language to adults
(16+).
He usually runs these workshops and courses at private
schools and language institutes. Each course is divided into ten modules (
one per month).
As an example, we include some details of Module 1 " How to
be a hit with your students" . A workshop designed for teachers or
practicing teachers of English who want to apply songs and music videos in their
lessons.
It will touch on many aspects of teaching listening skills
though music. It will include: Tuning in activities, Pronunciation Work, TPR
Activities, Vocabulary, Grammar, Word Building, Creative Writing and Picture
based activities