Oye .... yes.. that's what a Punjabi would say to draw somebody's attention . But then it's what a spaniard would also say. Now, i am not telling you that Spanish is related to Punjabi or that if you speak Punjabi you already speak spanish . This is just a sweet linguistic coincidence.
Listening is a great source of knowledge. We often don't realise the importance of letting others speak. We are always in a hurry to give our opinions. Listen carefully; it not only makes us more patient but also more knowlegeable.
In case of a new language its all the more important to listen carefully. As toddlers, our parents used to repeat to us every single word of our mother tongue umpteen number of times. They longed to hear us utter a new word everday. Today we are so fluent in our own language thanks to that repetitiveness. So is language learning listening to the same word again and again ?
Yes , it is ..... but associating that word with some idea or thing is equally important. We can't imagine having learned what we call a "pen" without having seen it first. Lets leave this subject of visual association for the next post and only discuss the listening skill this time.
Learning Spanish is no different. Its like a toddler learning his own language. Unfortunately we lack the time and patience to learn the "toddler way". Coming to think about it ,thats the most appropriate way to learn any language i.e. through visual association, by using all our sensory powers at the same time ...
In a normal class, we either concentrate on reading or speaking or listening at a time. Not that it is totally useless to do so but we have better ways to speed up our learning process and learn effectively.
The main problem in language learning for any beginner is not being able to differentiate or identify the words in a sentence. For e.g. If someone says a sentence like "Tengo que hacer la comida ahora" (I have to make the food now) , a beginner would hear it as "Tengoquecerlacomidaora" Firstly, we are not even able to identify the words used.
We learn to do that by knowing that such words exist in the spanish language. In other words increasing our vocabulary helps us to overcome this problem. Now we hear the sentence as Tengo................ que..................... hacer................. la................. comida .....................ahora" . So , we identify the words but the gap in comprehension is so large that we understand the words individually . We know we heard Tengo , hacer, la comida, ahora but not the sentence as a whole. So we take a lot more time to derive the meaning of this sentence.
This is exactly what has to be overcome by effective listening . We should be able to identify words and then link them as fast as possible to comprehend the meaning of the entire sentence. and this takes a lot of practice ..... so listening carefully keeping these two points in mind will definately help to understand a native spanish speaker much faster than one could imagine.....
So dont just listen to the language you are learning. LISTEN!!! Use your ears but don't forget to use them effectively.
Sunday, 10 June 2007
Talk now!!!
Speaking conveys what we wish to say effectively. Gestures add to the beauty of communication. Every language has different meanings for different gestures. Studying these gestures is also an important part of language learning. But before we discuss that we must make an effort to talk. Not just talk but understand what we say.
Read !!!
Reading is an activity only some of us enjoy. Reading opens the doors to a new world . Its a world of our own imaginations. When studying a foreign language it is very important to be able to read the language correctly. Although reading apparently involves only being able to pronounce well , its equally important to be able to read like a native speaker. We need to understand what we read to make the reading effective. It makes no sense to just read well without comprehension. Spanish , for instance, has a very simple pronunciation technique. You just pronounce every alphabet the way it is. Every alphabet has a single sound . Following a few rules can make you quite an expert in spanish pronunciation. Reading aloud accelerates the process .
What many students don't realise is that this is not the end of learning to read. We must learn to read with proper stress to make the language sound sweet to ears, to make the language sound native. Spanish has accents marks on certain words. The syllables which have accent marks need to be stressed. Similarly we must know the rules for stressing syllables when there are no accent marks to guide us. In short we must understand the rhythm and the sound structure of the language.
Spanish ,particularly, is a melodious language. Learning spanish will definately add sugar to your life.
What many students don't realise is that this is not the end of learning to read. We must learn to read with proper stress to make the language sound sweet to ears, to make the language sound native. Spanish has accents marks on certain words. The syllables which have accent marks need to be stressed. Similarly we must know the rules for stressing syllables when there are no accent marks to guide us. In short we must understand the rhythm and the sound structure of the language.
Spanish ,particularly, is a melodious language. Learning spanish will definately add sugar to your life.
Discover Spain ....
If you wish to go shopping in Spain , it will help you to know that majority of the shops and supermarkets are open every day of the week except on Sundays. The normal timing is from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the night. Nevertheless some big departmental stores have a continuous timing from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and are also open sometimes on Sundays.
One can go to the bank from Monday to Friday between 8.30 a.m. to 2 p.m. A very few banks are also open in the evening. From October to May they are open on Saturdays also but close an hour earlier: at 1 p.m.
If you need to visit any official centre you have to go between 9 a.m to 2 p.m. . They are closed on weekends.
One can go to the bank from Monday to Friday between 8.30 a.m. to 2 p.m. A very few banks are also open in the evening. From October to May they are open on Saturdays also but close an hour earlier: at 1 p.m.
If you need to visit any official centre you have to go between 9 a.m to 2 p.m. . They are closed on weekends.
La Tomatina
La Tomatina is a food fight festival held on a Wednesday towards the end of August in the town of Buñol in the Valencia in Spain. Thousands of participants come from all over the world to fight in a harmless battle where more than one hundred metric tons of over-ripe tomatoes are thrown in the streets.
The festival features music , parades , dancing and fireworks.. On the night before the tomato fight, participants of the festival compete in a paella cooking contest.( Paella is a typical Spanish dish)
Approximately 30,000 tourists come to the tomato fight, multiplying by several times Buñol's normal population of 9,000. There is limited accommodation for people who come to La Tomatina, and thus many participants stay in Valencia and travel by bus or train to Buñol, about 38 km outside the city. In preparation for the dirty mess that will follow, shopkeepers use huge plastic covers on their storefronts in order to protect them .
The tomatoes come from Extremadura , where they are less expensive. The signal for the beginning of the fight is firing of water cannons. Once it begins, the battle is generally every man for himself. Those who partake in this event are strongly encouraged to wear protective safety goggles and gloves. In addition, they must squish the tomatoes before throwing for safety precautions. Another rule is that no one is allowed to bring into this fight anything that may provoke someone into a more serious brawl, such as a glass bottle. Although it is forbidden to tear someone else's clothing, the crowd tend to ignore this and invariably will rip the shirt of any clothed person, man or woman. After exactly one hour, the fighting ends when the water cannons are fired once more to signal the end. At this point no more tomatoes can be thrown. The cleaning process involves the use of fire trucks to spray down the streets, with water provided from a Roman acueduct. The authorities seem more concerned with cleaning the town than the visitors so some people find water at the Buñol River to wash themselves, although some kind residents will hose passers-by down.
The festival is in honor of the town's patron saints, Luis Bertrán and the Mother of God of the Defenseless, a title of the Virgin Mary.
The festival is held the fourth, or last, Wednesday of August.
Machu Picchu
Machu Picchu (Old Peak) is a pre-colombian Inca city located at 2,430 m (7,970 ft) altitude on a mountain ridge above the Urubamba Valley in Peru, about 70 km northwest of Cusco Forgotten for centuries by the outside world, although not by locals, it was brought back to international attention by archaelogist Hiran Bingham in 1911, who made the first scientific confirmation of the site and wrote a best-selling work about it. Machu Picchu is probably the most familiar symbol of the Inca Enpire. It is often referred to as "The Lost City of the Incas". The site was designated as a World Heritage Site in 1983 when it was described as "an absolute masterpiece of architecture and a unique testimony to the Inca civilization".
Spanish Food
Meals
A normal day's breakfast- or desayuno- typically consists merely of a cup of coffee, although it's also commonplace to accompany your steaming café con leche with a croissant or other pastry. The Spanish "traditional" breakfast consists of the vastly popular churros, served sprinkled with sugar or dunked in hot chocolate.
Spaniards eat their lunch, or comida, between 2:00 and 4:00 in the afternoon. Serving as the day's main meal, it is traditionally quite a bit larger than the dinner meal, or cena. A typical lunch will have several courses. The first course is the lighter part of the meal, usually consisting of a salad or soup, while the second course is normally your typical fish or meat dish. A dessert can be a simple piece of fruit, a typical Spanish flan, or a sweet pastry or cake.
While there are many people who eat full meals, the Spanish dinner (cena) is traditionally much smaller than the mid-day comida. It often consists of something lighter like a salad, a sandwich, or a selection of tapas. Spaniards eat late for this final meal of the day- even more so on weekends and during the summer- sitting down to eat anytime from 9:00 until 11:00 in the evening.
Tapas
A tradition begun long ago in the southern city of Seville, Spaniards have since perfected the art of snacking. Going out for tapas consists of travelling from bar to bar and sharing plates of the bars' specialties with a small group of friends.
Sobremesa
The name says it all. The word sobremesa literally means "over the table" and refers to the art of conversation after a meal. Instead of taking the last bite and leaving, Spaniards often stay at the table conversing, savoring each other's company, and perhaps sharing a drink. If good conversation ensues, be prepared to stay for hours!
Siesta
No, it's not a myth. Yes, the infamous siesta really does exist. It began long ago as after eating the large mid-day meal farmworkers needed to rest and digest before going back out to work the fields. While this daily break doesn't necessarily include a nap, businesses and stores do shut down for about two hours and many people return home to eat with their families.
Wine
Whether out at a restaurant or in the home with the family, it is very typical to drink wine along with a meal. So common, in fact, that restaurants offering a menú almost always include wine in the advertised price.
Coffee
Coffee is quite the Spanish phenomenon. Many Spaniards drink several cups of their favorite caffeinated beverage in the course of a single day. Coffee also traditionally follows a Spanish meal and is served after the dessert. You can have a café con leche (coffee with milk), a café solo (coffee without milk), or a café cortado (coffee with some milk).
A normal day's breakfast- or desayuno- typically consists merely of a cup of coffee, although it's also commonplace to accompany your steaming café con leche with a croissant or other pastry. The Spanish "traditional" breakfast consists of the vastly popular churros, served sprinkled with sugar or dunked in hot chocolate.
Spaniards eat their lunch, or comida, between 2:00 and 4:00 in the afternoon. Serving as the day's main meal, it is traditionally quite a bit larger than the dinner meal, or cena. A typical lunch will have several courses. The first course is the lighter part of the meal, usually consisting of a salad or soup, while the second course is normally your typical fish or meat dish. A dessert can be a simple piece of fruit, a typical Spanish flan, or a sweet pastry or cake.
While there are many people who eat full meals, the Spanish dinner (cena) is traditionally much smaller than the mid-day comida. It often consists of something lighter like a salad, a sandwich, or a selection of tapas. Spaniards eat late for this final meal of the day- even more so on weekends and during the summer- sitting down to eat anytime from 9:00 until 11:00 in the evening.
Tapas
A tradition begun long ago in the southern city of Seville, Spaniards have since perfected the art of snacking. Going out for tapas consists of travelling from bar to bar and sharing plates of the bars' specialties with a small group of friends.
Sobremesa
The name says it all. The word sobremesa literally means "over the table" and refers to the art of conversation after a meal. Instead of taking the last bite and leaving, Spaniards often stay at the table conversing, savoring each other's company, and perhaps sharing a drink. If good conversation ensues, be prepared to stay for hours!
Siesta
No, it's not a myth. Yes, the infamous siesta really does exist. It began long ago as after eating the large mid-day meal farmworkers needed to rest and digest before going back out to work the fields. While this daily break doesn't necessarily include a nap, businesses and stores do shut down for about two hours and many people return home to eat with their families.
Wine
Whether out at a restaurant or in the home with the family, it is very typical to drink wine along with a meal. So common, in fact, that restaurants offering a menú almost always include wine in the advertised price.
Coffee
Coffee is quite the Spanish phenomenon. Many Spaniards drink several cups of their favorite caffeinated beverage in the course of a single day. Coffee also traditionally follows a Spanish meal and is served after the dessert. You can have a café con leche (coffee with milk), a café solo (coffee without milk), or a café cortado (coffee with some milk).
Flamenco
Flamenco is a genuine Spanish art, and to be more exact an genuine Southern Spanish art. It exists in three forms: Cante, the song, Baile, the dance, and Guitarra, guitar playing.
Gypsies are very often named as its fathers, and at least it can be taken for certain that they played an important part in its creation. But also the popular songs and dances of Andalucia have influenced early Flamenco considerably.
Certainly there were other influences, too, as it will not surprise in a country that has been dominated by most diverse cultures and civilizations during its different historical epochs. There were the legendary Tartessos, and seven centuries of Muslim occupation hardly could have passed without leaving traces. All that, directly or indirectly, influenced Flamenco.
The first time Flamenco is reported on in literature is in the "Cartas Marruecas" of Cadalso, in 1774. Its cradle most probably was where, between 1765 and 1860, the first Flamenco-schools were created: Cádiz, Jerez de la Frontera and Triana (Seville).
In this epoch Flamenco dance started to have its firm position in the ballrooms. Early Flamenco seems to have been purely vocal, accompanied only by rhythmical clapping of hands, toque de palmas. It was left to dedicated composers, as Julián Arcas, to introduce guitar playing.
During its Golden Age (1869-1910) Flamenco was developed in the epoch's numerous music cafés (cafés cantantes) to its definitive form. Also the more serious forms expressing deep feelings (cante jondo) dates from then.
Flamenco dance arrived to its climax, being the major attraction for the public of those cafés cantantes. Guitar players featuring the dancers increasingly gained a reputation.
The time from 1910 to 1955 Flamenco singing is marked by the ópera flamenca, with an easier kind of music such as fandangos and cantes de ida y vuelta. The latter clearly showed South American influences.
From 1915 on Flamenco shows were organized and performed all over the world. Anyhow, not everybody was enchanted with that development and intellectuals such as Falla organized 1922 in Granada a contest to promote "authentical" cante jondo.
1955 started a sort of Flamenco Renaissance, the great performer Antonio Mairena being its key figure. Outstanding dancers and soloists soon made their way out of the small tablaos, successors to the early cafés cantantes, to the great theaters and concert houses. It was now that guitar players acquired a great protagonism, and their playing arrived to masterity.
Actual Flamenco frequently shows influences of other kinds of music, as Jazz, Salsa, Bossa Nova, etc.
Also Flamenco dance has changed, specially female dancers try to rather showcase their temperament than artistry. The Flamenco guitar that formerly was just featuring the dancers arrived to be a soloistical art form, great virtuoso Paco de Lucia being the pioneer of that development.
Gypsies are very often named as its fathers, and at least it can be taken for certain that they played an important part in its creation. But also the popular songs and dances of Andalucia have influenced early Flamenco considerably.
Certainly there were other influences, too, as it will not surprise in a country that has been dominated by most diverse cultures and civilizations during its different historical epochs. There were the legendary Tartessos, and seven centuries of Muslim occupation hardly could have passed without leaving traces. All that, directly or indirectly, influenced Flamenco.
The first time Flamenco is reported on in literature is in the "Cartas Marruecas" of Cadalso, in 1774. Its cradle most probably was where, between 1765 and 1860, the first Flamenco-schools were created: Cádiz, Jerez de la Frontera and Triana (Seville).
In this epoch Flamenco dance started to have its firm position in the ballrooms. Early Flamenco seems to have been purely vocal, accompanied only by rhythmical clapping of hands, toque de palmas. It was left to dedicated composers, as Julián Arcas, to introduce guitar playing.
During its Golden Age (1869-1910) Flamenco was developed in the epoch's numerous music cafés (cafés cantantes) to its definitive form. Also the more serious forms expressing deep feelings (cante jondo) dates from then.
Flamenco dance arrived to its climax, being the major attraction for the public of those cafés cantantes. Guitar players featuring the dancers increasingly gained a reputation.
The time from 1910 to 1955 Flamenco singing is marked by the ópera flamenca, with an easier kind of music such as fandangos and cantes de ida y vuelta. The latter clearly showed South American influences.
From 1915 on Flamenco shows were organized and performed all over the world. Anyhow, not everybody was enchanted with that development and intellectuals such as Falla organized 1922 in Granada a contest to promote "authentical" cante jondo.
1955 started a sort of Flamenco Renaissance, the great performer Antonio Mairena being its key figure. Outstanding dancers and soloists soon made their way out of the small tablaos, successors to the early cafés cantantes, to the great theaters and concert houses. It was now that guitar players acquired a great protagonism, and their playing arrived to masterity.
Actual Flamenco frequently shows influences of other kinds of music, as Jazz, Salsa, Bossa Nova, etc.
Also Flamenco dance has changed, specially female dancers try to rather showcase their temperament than artistry. The Flamenco guitar that formerly was just featuring the dancers arrived to be a soloistical art form, great virtuoso Paco de Lucia being the pioneer of that development.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)