Do you want to speak English like an American?You’re going to have to be more specific.
Water fountain, drinking fountain, or bubbler? (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Americans speak differently in different parts of the country. Some words, like “crayon,” “route,” and “pecan,” have different pronunciations in different regions. “Lawyer” is pronounced “loy-er” in most parts of the country except the South, which says “law-yer” (rhymes with saw-yer). Syllables are added or dropped as you move from state to state; some parts of the country say “mayonnaise” with three syllables (ma-yo-nnaise) and some say it with two (may-nnaise). Other words are used differently depending on where you are; the best example is the plural pronoun “you.” People in the South famously say “y’all,” while the North says “you guys,” the dividing line says simply “you,” and the states of Florida and Kentucky have their own ways of doing things. And, to top it off, regions differ about what to call common objects, like a carbonated drink (soda, pop, coke, or tonic), a circular intersection (traffic circle, roundabout, or rotary), and a water dispenser (drinking fountain, water fountain, or, in select areas, bubbler). Now you can see all these differences illustrated on U.S. maps, a project of Joshua Katz and the Department of Statistics at North Carolina State University. If you want to fake an authentic American accent, these maps are your study guide. Click here to see all the maps. Or,see the data in poster form.
If that wasn’t complex enough for you, there is also amap of North American English dialects, based on pronunciation patterns, created by Rick Aschmann. It includes Canada as well as the United States, and shows many different English dialects and explains how they are related to each other. Not only is this map extremely detailed, it’s interactive: you can click on states or provinces to hear audio or see video for real-life examples illustrating different dialects. Want to know the difference between a Boston accent and a New York accent? Want to know how Alaskans talk differently from Canadians? This map will tell you.
This commercial illustrates the differences in American accents by poking fun at New England accents– the premise is that actors in Los Angeles butcher the New England or Boston accent because “you can’t fake” it. The announcer is the one with a supposedly authentic accent.
You know thatcinco de mayo is not Mexican Independance Day,* right? And you know that, in Mexico, cinco de mayo is not really a big deal?
If you didn’t know that, here’s a refresher. Cinco de mayo commemorates a military victory against the French in a war that Mexico ultimately lost. It is celebrated in the state of Puebla with a parade and a state fair. Outside of Puebla, the holiday is not terribly exciting: no parades, no fireworks, and (contrary to popular belief), not an excuse to drink or eat tacos. Cinco de mayo in the US, however, is often interpreted by those who don’t know better (or don’t care) as an excuse to indulge in tequila. This handy infografic breaks it down for you: A US Citizen’s Guide to Cinco de Mayo,“a big deal for people who like to get drunk and make racist jokes on Twitter.”
*FYI, Mexican Independence Day is celebrated in September. If you’re confused about that, too, here’s a quick guide toMexican Independence Day explained.
In the spirit of cinco de mayo and cultural exchange, here are five funny pictures that capture the spirit of epic US cinco de mayo fails.
Calendar fail. From cheezburger.com
From someecards.com
From cheezburger.com
Let’s be honest. From someecards.com
When you can’t beat em, join em. From buzzfeed.com
Fue un año de triunfos y tragedias. El clima estaba malo, y la política peor. Pero 2012 tuvo sus momentos chistosos- ¿quién puede olvidar del video más visto del mundo?
Un poco de gramática Para hablar del año pasado, en español usamos dos tensos. Repasa las reglas de gramática delpretérito y el imperfectoantes de practicar con esta actividad de conversación.
Conversación: ¿Qué pasó en el 2012? Con un compañero, habla de los eventos del 2012. Mira la lista de eventos en las noticias internacionales en el 2012. ¿Qué recuerdas de cada situación?
Lance Armstrong en el Tour de France en 2010 (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Disastre del crucero Costa Concordia en Italia
Protestas en contra del Stop Online Piracy Act
Elecciones presidenciales en China, Yemen, Rusia, México, Estados Unidos de América, y Venezuela
Pruebas de cohetes de larga distancia en Corea del Sur
Problemas económicos en todo el mundo, y preocupaciones del futuro de la Unión Europea
Japon apaga reactores nucleares
El tránsito de Venus ocurre
Atletas de todo el mundo compiten en los Juegos Olímpicos en Londres, Inglaterra
Tiroteos en masa en el cine, en un templo, y en escuelas en Estados Unidos
Violencia en el Medio Este
Guerra Civil en Syria
Disastres climáticos en todo el mundo (inundaciones, sismos, y tormentas)
Lance Armstrong pierde sus medallas del Tour de Francia
Asesinato del embajador estadounidense en Libya
La Union Europea gana el Premio Nobel de la Paz
¿Qué evento te impresionó mucho? ¿Cual fue el mas importante para ti?
What do turkeys, travel, family, (American) football games, giant balloons, indigenous rights, cooking, shopping, school vacations, traditional costumes and thankfulness have in common?
They are all ideas associated with the American tradition of Thanksgiving, celebrated on the third Thursday in November every year. November is a great time for English classes around the world to learn about this American holiday and pick up some new vocabulary as well. Here are resources to learn about Thanksgiving and plan your own celebration.
1. Learn the history of Thanksgiving. The first Thanksgiving was celebrated in 1621 in what is now Massachusetts, United States. It was a harvest celebration attended by English colonists and Wampanoag indigenous people. Back then, it wasn’t called “Thanksgiving” and it probably was not celebrated in November! To learn more about what really happened on Thanksgiving, visit this Interactive Plimoth Plantation Exhibit and become a historian.
4. Be thankful. Thanksgiving is a time to think about the good things in our lives and express gratitude for them. Click here to read about an interactive art project called the Look for the Good Project.
Kermit the Frog (Photo credit: MikeMonello)
5. Create your own Thanksgiving Parade float. Every year on Thanksgiving Day there is a big parade in New York City, New York. There are celebrities and musical performances, but the parade is most famous for its giant balloons. They are usually characters from television, comic books, and movies. You can watch a video of the parade here. Then, follow these instructions to make your own balloon floats. Your balloon float won’t be as large as the ones in the parade… or will it?
6. Watch American football. The Thanksgiving Day football game is a tradition at the high school, university, and professional level. Not sure how to play football? This Goofy cartoon will teach you.
7. Go shopping. The day after Thanksgiving in the United States is called “Black Friday,” and it is traditionally a day for people to start shopping for Christmas gifts. Stores have big sales and people go shopping very, very early in the morning to get the best deals. Practice numbers and prices exploring this Black Friday shopping website. Who can find the best deal on a TV? On clothing? On video games?
Hand Turkey by Kara (Photo credit: Rory Finneren)
8. Do some arts and crafts. In the United States, most schoolchildren have a small vacation, starting with a half day of school on the day before Thanksgiving and continuing for four days. It is traditional for families to travel to visit one another and be together for Thanksgiving Dinner. If you still have school this week, here are some arts and crafts you can do with your class.
Send some e-cards here and here.
Do a variety of educational crafts here.
People in the United States don’t dress up in folkloric costumes as much as many other countries do, but schoolchildren often still wear costumes to represent the colonists and Wompanoag. You can watch a video about how to make a colonist costume here.
And, no Thanksgiving arts and crafts session would be complete without our favorite craft: make a Thanksgiving hand turkey here.
9. Watch a Thanksgiving video. Now that you know about American Thanksgiving traditions, sing along with this Thanksgiving song by Nicole Westbrook. How many Thanksgiving traditions do you see represented in the video? What do you see in the video that doesn’t make sense? What traditions is the video missing? Check your answers in the comments.
I’m wide awake, and I should take A step and say thank you, thank you, For the things you’ve done, and what you did Oh yeah, ooh yeah. December was Christmas, January was New Year’s. April was Easter, and the Fourth of July, but now it’s Thanksgiving. Oh oh oh, it’s Thanksgiving. We we we, we’re gonna have a good time. Oh oh oh, it’s Thanksgiving. We we we are gonna have a good time. With the turkey (hey!) And mashed potatoes (hey!) We we we are gonna have a good time. We need the turkey (hey!) And mashed potatoes (hey!)
Does this happen at your house on Thanksgiving?
It’s Thanksgiving, It’s Thanksgiving. You know school is out, I can’t wait, I can shout thank you, thank you, thank you. No matter what you do, no matter what you say, This is my favorite day. December was Christmas, January was New Year’s. April was Easter, and the Fourth of July, but now it’s Thanksgiving. Yo, it’s Thanksgiving-givin’ and I’m tryin’ to be forgivin’. Nothing is forbidden, you know we gotta have it. I gotta give thanks to you, and you, and you. Can’t be hateful, gotta be grateful; gotta be grateful, can’t be hateful. Mashed potatoes on my, on my table, I got ribs smelling’ up my neighbors’ cribs. Havin’ good times, we be laughin’ ’til we cry. It’s Thanks, Thanks, Thanksgiving, come on It’s Thanks, Thanks, Thanksgiving, give ‘em thanks, y’all. Oh oh oh, it’s Thanksgiving. We we we, we’re gonna have a good time. Oh oh oh, it’s Thanksgiving. We we we, are gonna have a good time. With the turkey (hey!) And mashed potatoes (hey!) We we we, are gonna have a good time. With the turkey (hey!) And mashed potatoes (hey!) It’s Thanksgiving, it’s Thanksgiving.
Conversation Questions:
Do you celebrate Thanksgiving in your country? Do you have another similar holiday? Which Thanksgiving tradition is your favorite?
I am your father! Amsterdam, De Dam, Darth Vader (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Happy Father’s Day! Today is the day we celebrate the institution of fatherhood in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and many other countries. Father’s Day is celebrated on the third Sunday in June in the United States. Although other countries celebrate on different days, Father’s Day is celebrated annually in every region of the world.
Practice your English skills with this Father’s Day conversation game. You need at least two people to play, and you can use it to practice questions and answers, adjectives, and the present tense. This is a good game for beginning English language learners but it can be as complicated as you want and anyone at any level can play it.
1. Warm up. The players introduce themselves and describe their fathers in one word. My name is Frank and my father is friendly. My name is Elizabeth and my father is energetic. My name is Paulo and my father is aggressive.
2. Vocabulary generator: famous fathers. As a group, make a list of famous fathers. They can be from television, movies, books, pop culture, history, politics, sports, or more, but they must be famous and they must be fathers. They can be famous for being somebody’s father (like Darth Vader), part of a famous family (like Fred Flinstone) or a famous person who happens to be a mother (like actor Will Smith). You can even list the fathers of people in the room, as long as all of the players know who they are.
3. Guessing game. With a partner, think of a famous father and describe him in three sentences to your partner. Then your partner can ask as many questions as they need in order to guess that person’s identity. The groups who guess in the fewest number of questions win.
For example: Ashley:He has a famous family. He lives in England. He has red hair. Hugh: How many children does he have? Ashley: He has two sons and one daughter-in-law. Hugh: Are his children famous too? Ashley: Yes. Hugh: Is he famous because of his children? Ashley: No. He is famous because of his mother. Hugh: Is his work famous also? Ashley: Not really. His mother has a very famous job. When his mother dies, he will have that job, and then he will be more famous. Hugh: Is he Prince Charles, the son of Queen Elizabeth II of England? Ashley: Yes!
5. Global feedback. All of the partners share their conversations with the whole group. Who guessed with the fewest number of questions? Which famous fathers were easy to identify? Which ones were difficult?
Conversation objectives: Build fluency through conversation, ask and answer questions. Ideal group size: At least two players. Ideal group level: Beginning English, but can be modified for any level.
Like this game? Check out our March Conversation Marathon for more activities like it. For more general conversation topics, click here. For more conversation games, click here.
Happy Mother’s Day! Today is the day we celebrate the institution of motherhood in the United States, Canada, Australia and many other countries. Mother’s Day is celebrated on the second Sunday in May in the United States. Although other countries celebrate on different days, Mother’s Day is celebrated annually in every region of the world.
Mother’s Day By the Numbers:How many mothers are there in the United States? Try to match the numbers from this table with the descriptions. The answers are at the end of this post.
How much do you know about mothers in the United States? Match the number with the description, and check your answers below.
Marge Simpson is a famous TV mother. Photo by PopCultureGeek.com via Flickr.
Besides a card or gift for Mom, a lot of families celebrate Mother’s Day with travel: to see Mom, to see Grandma, to see a new baby, or to just go somewhere so that Mom doesn’t have to cook. Entertain yourself on your trip and practice your English skills with this Mother’s Day conversation game. You need at least two people to play, and you can use it to practice questions and answers, adjectives, and the present tense. This is a good game for beginning English language learners but it can be as complicated as you want and anyone at any level can play it.
1. Warm up. The players introduce themselves and describe their mothers in one word. My name is José and my mother is friendly. My name is Elise and my mother is energetic. My name is Peter and my mother is aggressive.
2. Vocabulary generator: famous mothers. As a group, make a list of famous mothers. They can be from television, movies, books, pop culture, history, politics, sports, or more, but they must be famous and they must be mothers. They can be famous for being somebody’s mother (like Mary, mother of Jesus), part of a famous family (like Marge Simpson) or a famous person who happens to be a mother (like Cleopatra). You can even list the mothers of people in the room, as long as all of the players know who they are.
3. Guessing game. With a partner, think of a famous mother and describe her in three sentences to your partner. Then your partner can ask as many questions as they need in order to guess that person’s identity. The groups who guess in the fewest number of questions win.
For example:
George:She is not alive now. She was very religious. She was very poor.
Mother Teresa (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
Sara: Did she speak English? George: I’m not sure. She was born in a country where they do not speak English, but she lived in India, where they do speak English. Sara: Is she Ghandi’s mother? George: No. Sara: Is she famous because of her child? George: No. She is famous because of her work. Sara: Did she have many children? George: No. Actually, she did not have any real children. Only spiritual children. Sara: Is she Mother Teresa of Calcutta? George: Yes!
5. Global feedback. All of the partners share their conversations with the whole group. Who guessed with the fewest number of questions? Which famous mothers were easy to identify? Which ones were difficult?
Answers to Mother’s Day By the Numbers:
1B, 2C, 3A, 4E, 5D, 6F
Conversation objectives: Build fluency through conversation, ask and answer questions. Ideal group size: At least two players. Ideal group level: Beginning English, but can be modified for any level.
Like this game? Check out our March Conversation Marathon for more activities like it. For more general conversation topics, click here. For more conversation games, click here.
Es el Día de Acción de Gracias, también conocido como el Día del Pavo. En los Estados Unidos hoy se celebra por todas las cosas que agradecemos. Es un día para reunirse con la familia, para ayudar a las personas que nos necesitan, para recordar la historia de la colonización de norteamerica, y para comer comida tradicional.
Aquí hay unas ideas para celebrar en español:
Escribir una lista de agradecimiento. En español tenemos un verbo para mostrar gratitud:agradecer. Empieza con la frase “yo agradezco” y haz una lista de las cosas buenas en tu vida.
Una actividad tradiconal para niños.. y para todos. Imagen por Tanya Dawn via Flickr
Construye un pavo de mano. Tal vez la actividad mas tradicional para niños en esta temporada,construir un pavo con papel de colores, tijeras, y la mano es muy facil. Pon la mano encima de una hoja de papel y trázala. Produce la forma de un pavo: el dedo gordo es el cuello y la cabeza, los otros dedos son plumas, y la palma es el cuerpo. Solo falta alas, pies, y un pico. Corta el papel con tijeras y dibújalo de colores. En las plumas, escribe tu lista de agradecimiento. Luego muestra tu creacion a los amigos y la familia.
Aprende la historia del encuentro entre los indígenas y los colonos en norteamerica. La fiesta tiene sus raíces en un evento realque ocurrió en 1621 en Plymouth, Massachusetts, Estados Unidos. Los colonos ingleses tuvieron una fiesta de tres días para dar gracias a Dios por una cosecha buena. El cuento popular dice que los indígenasWampanoagcompartieron comida con los colonos aunque normalmente no se llevaron tan bien. Por eso el Día de Accion de Gracias se trata del concepto de compartir lo que tenemos con las personas que lo necesitan más. Pero no todos celebran en este día.
Juega trivia de pavo. Piensa en preguntas relacionadas con la fiesta y con los pavos, y juega trivia. ¿Cómo se llama un pavo en México? Si los pavos ingleses dicen gobblegobblegobble, ¿qué dicen los pavos en español?*
Juega lotería de pavo. Construye tablas de lotería con vocabulario del Día de Accion de Gracias.
Vocabulario de Thanksgiving: agradecer gratitud pavo guajolote gluglugluglu indígena colono migrante relleno de pavo arándano calabaza pureé de papa torta de manzana ejote
Preguntas de conversación:
¿Se celebra el Día de Accion de Gracias en tu país?
*Los pavos mexicanos se llaman guajolotey dicen gluglugluglu.
¿Qué opinas?