#Most of the items on the list were pronounced the same way as their English counterparts

[eddis-not-eeddis]

I had a major blond moment the other day. My coworker and I were talking about what we were going to do after we got off shift and I handed him my shopping list. He looked down at it and went “what the heck is this?” and it took me a moment to clock that the list I’d handed him was written in Korean, and your average American can’t read Hangul.

[muthaz-rapapa]

Let’s talk TroPreCure! (^∀^ 🌺)

i’m so stupidly proud of this dumb pun “tropurikyua~”, hahahahaha

Last post of the year and wow is there are lot to be excited for!

I even had to make a list for the stuff I want to talk about and I’m sure I already forgot one or two things but we’ll get to them as we continue to float~ along the wave to February 28th, mmkay? :)

Now for what has peaked my interest so far. And yes, we have to talk about the following first:

1) HealPre the shortest Precure season??

Unless they plan for double features in February (which I doubt but you never know), HealPre is likely going to reach only 45 episodes long instead of the usual 48~50 before TroPre I’m using this shortening of the title for now so if there’s a better alternative, tell me and I’ll switch out begins its broadcast.

Understandable because the producers probably want to get back to their normal scheduling as soon as possible (toy sales, y’know) and I suspect pushing the start of the new season back by a month is the most they’re willing to compromise.

As for me, I’m quite happy about this since HealPre’s lost its hold on my attention a while ago so the sooner TroPre gets here, the better. Though the downside might be a scrambled climax and a rushed, underwhelming ending for HealPre (I dunno if it’s January’s titles that feel a bit messy or if the hiatus is still throwing me off) but whatever. We’ll refresh ourselves with the new blood Cures so it’s all good.

2) Tropical movie announced for Autumn 2021, no All Stars??

(source)

First saw this mentioned on Youtube somewhere but it’s all over the fandom forums by now. I mean, HealPre’s movie is set for March, the usual time slot for All Stars release. If Toei intended for there to be an All Stars in 2021, there’s no way they would announce the seasonal movie before it so speculations of them skipping it this year are probably true.

To squeeze it somewhere between March and October-ish would force them to readjust their budgets as well and I don’t think even Toei wants to go through that extra hassle after all the trouble the pandemic’s caused for everyone already. It’s just easier to resume All Stars in 2022.

That, and I think Laura being a major character in TroPre despite not having a Cure title (yet) would make for an awkward situation when the three latest teams gather so perhaps that’s also one of the reasons. But I’ll get back to Laura in a bit.

3) Cure Summer is a RAINBOW Cure

So god help me if I see anyone calling her a Pink Cure.

Yes, she’s the lead Cure for this season. NO, she is not a Pink Cure.

Look, even the official website has a rainbow overlay for her profile pic and text font while everyone else’s respective theme colors are a solid hue:

Therefore, RAINBOW.

In promotional material and merchandising, they’re probably going to advertise her primarily with pink bah and at worst, she might occasionally be labeled as a White Cure with multiple subcolors (her outfit is not pink-dominant) but definitely NOT. PINK.

...also, this goes without saying but f***yea, we finally got a lead Cure practically and unabashedly wearing the LGBTQ flag and you cannot tell me otherwise, Toei!

Own up to it! Declare Manatsu/Cure Summer as the Precure queer icon!

I’m not gonna stop yellin’ until you do! 😠

4) Laura = obvious midseason Cure is obvious

First of all, Laura is a babe. I already love her the best and she’s not even Precure yet. <3

Anyways, the set-up is pretty much in the description. Important main character who’s not a mascot, stated to have a self-confident personality and just speaks her mind (oooh, I like~ :D), magical/foreign being from another world looking for Precure to save her home, possesses her own special item(s), has aspirations to become the next Queen (so she’s a princess-candidate or something to that effect, I suppose).

We’ve seen various combinations of these traits in past midseason (and a few starter) Cures so nobody should be surprised when we all guessed that one of the Cures would be a real live mermaid.

The only question is why not just make Laura a Cure from the get-go if she’s introduced to us at the beginning (like Hime or Lala) and having a team of five with no unnecessary extra add-ons later on (like Smile).

Well, there’s a simple answer for that: formula.

Toei is afraid that if they don’t spit out some new animation sequence at the halfway and third quarter points of the show, the kids will lose interest and abandon the series altogether. Which means failed toy sales. Oh nooo... [/sarcasm]

...Yea. 

And this way they can also have Laura available in the Cure lineup for the next All Stars in 2022 instead of making her sit the fight out if we were going to have one in 2021. I’m convinced that’s gotta be one of the reasons. *shrug*

But ok, whatever. Her debut is gonna be later, that’s all. She’s a delayed Cure.  Midseason Cure, same difference.

Moving along to the more important stuff now like what’s her Cure name gonna be, y/y?

Well, knowing Toei, a translation of the term “mermaid” into another language is the most predictable route even though we already have a Cure Mermaid. Not like that ever stopped them from repeating words before (ex. Cure Happy vs Cure Felice). Though if they do go down that road, I hope they opt for the Spanish/Italian “sirena” and not the French “sirène” because the latter sounds too close to how Cure Selene is pronounced in Japanese. And, putting it nicely, we all know Japanese pronunciation of foreign words is as off kilter as can be.

Hell, even the the Portuguese “sereia” sounds aesthetic as hell so it’d be nice if they can just remember there are other languages that exist out there besides Japanese, English and French when making the final decision at the writing table! *stomps foot* >:/

Alternatively, “nereid” or “naiad” are good choices too but they remind me too much of Greek myths and Laura’s from the Grand Ocean which covers more than just a couple of seas (Greece is surrounded by three, btw) so...

I dunno. But whatever it’s gonna be, she’s definitely got a strong association with water and her powers will probably be based on that.

As for theme color, since there’s noticeably no blue or green Cure in the starter lineup, it’s likely she will take up that spot when she debuts around ep 20.

Pink is also open since Cure Summer, again, is technically not a Pink Cure and Laura’s hair and tail fin are hot and light pink respectively but looking at Laura’s design and concept, does anyone seriously believe that?

Her upper torso consists of aquamarine while the body of her tail is definitely some shade of cyan, implying they’re aiming for somewhere around the middle of green and blue on the lighter spectrum.

And yea, I’m aware that green and blue are considered exchangeable in some perspectives with how close some of their shades are to each other but officially, I think Laura’s gonna be grouped with the Green Cures.

Cuz of the hair. If Laura’s gonna keep it the same or a similar shade after transforming, that is. The Blues have always had cool-colored hair so putting Laura in with them might disrupt that harmony whereas if you put her with the few Greens there are (including Parfait), she’d fit right in.

I mean, we’ll see but that makes the most sense, doesn’t it?

On another note, I just want to say that I love how they added frills to her arms instead of letting her elbows go bare naked. It definitely makes her look more like a genuine mermaid than if she didn’t have them (remember, half fish doesn’t mean half the body :P).

5) Magical Items

Frankly, I’m tired of seeing the transformation device being a compact again even though one of the main motifs is make-up this season. But at least, as far as Precure compacts goes, the Tropical one is my favorite cuz of how cute and delightfully colorful its toy version looks! So I guess I’m okay with it.

The Heart Rouge Rod, though? ...I dunno. I think it would’ve been fine without that...straw (?) jutting out at the top. It looks weird, doesn’t it look weird? :S

As for the collectible clip-ons, I can live without those for the rest of my life. Yeesh.

Laura’s items, the Aqua Pot and the Ocean Prism Mirror.

Again with the portable, travel-size housing. *sigh* 😩

Alright, I can let this year slide cuz Laura (I’m so soft for her, omg) probably won’t be getting legs for 20 weeks so she’s got to move about on land somehow. But unless they’re really thinking about turning this idea of carrying your apartment around in your bag/pocket/purse into a reality (cuz that would be effin’ awesome), please be more creative with your toys.

On the other hand, I’m much more interested in the Ocean Prism Mirror but from what Kusyami (the Precure merchandise reviews I follow on Youtube) said in his latest vid, this is the ED dance item so don’t know if it’ll actually have an relevance to the story or not. But I did hear him mention it having something to do with the Queen as well and since Laura wishes to become Queen, maybe it’ll be important after all? Maybe it’s her transformation device?

That’d be super cool. Let’s continue the trend of the midseason Cure having a different transformation item than the starters. Honestly, we should alternate every other year or two but we’ve gone three seasons with all of them using the same henshin gimmicks up till HealPre and I just want a break from that.

6) Fin sleeves??

These look so impractical for combat so maybe it’s exclusive to group attacks.

And/or a sort of precursor to the super forms?

*GASP* Does that mean they all eventually turn into mermaids? 🤩

7) Yui finally became Precure!! 😭

lol, it’s all crack from this point on so don’t take it too seriously but man, after Yuni’s deceptive braids, I thought I wasn’t gonna see anything that reminded me of Yui for a while and lo behold, Sango.

kehehehehehe xD;

Though Yui might be closer to Minori in terms of personal interests (fairytales and storybooks).

8) Akira, the actual Onee-chan version

I didn’t think this when I first saw her but once I read “Onee-san” in her profile, there’s no saving you now. Sorry, Asuka. 😅

Also, damn, do her sandals make her feet look big! Compare them to the heels she wears as Flamingo. Are they even the same?! lololol

9) ...this sounds awfully familiar...

Translation:

Tokimeku Tokonatsu! [Exciting/Thrilling Everlasting Summer!] Cure Summer! Kirameku Hoseki! [Sparkling Jewel!] Cure Coral!  Hirameku Fuurutsu! [Flashing Fruit!] Cure Papaya!

Japanese reiteration:

Mallow/Mao: Pink no tokimeki! Lillie: Blue no kirameki! Lana/Suiren: Yellow no kagayaki!

….........

@Toei 

Care to explain yourselves, punks?! 

୧(ʘ ∀ ʘ ╬)

[omoi-no-hoka]

Hi, what does it mean "on-yomi" and "kun-yomi"? I'm a bit confused :(

Oh man, this is such a good question! Thank you for asking it!! Today, let’s talk about the basics of kanji. 

(Let me just preface this by saying that I have done absolutely zero formal study of Chinese, so I’m not going to talk much about kanji usage in China and countries other than Japan.)

Origins of Kanji

漢字 kanji, or Chinese characters, are a form of writing that the Japanese imported from China in the 5th Century AD. But before we get to talking about Japan, let’s very briefly cover their history in China.

Chinese characters are the oldest continuously used writing system in the world, first used in China in the late second millennium BC. At the time, most words in Old Chinese were monosyllabic, and one character denoted one word. Nowadays, as language, society, and culture has become more complex, many words are multi-syllabic and require multiple characters. 

How Kanji Are Formed

Anyone who has taken it upon themselves to learn some kanji has probably seen something like the above image showing kanji’s roots as a drawing. Characters that depict the item or idea they represent like these kanji are called pictograms and ideograms respectively.

However, even when the Chinese writing system was still in its infancy, pictograms and ideograms accounted for only a small percent of the characters. The majority of Chinese characters were created using the Rebus Principle. The rebus principle is a linguistic term for the use of existing symbols, such as pictograms, purely for their sounds regardless of their meaning, to represent new words.

An English example of the rebus principle would be writing “I can see you” as “Eye can sea ewe.” Regardless of the meaning of “eye,” “sea,” and “ewe,” their pronunciation is the same as “I,” “see,” and “you.”

Many Chinese characters are phono-semantic compounds. Phono means “sound” or “pronunciation” and semantic means “meaning.” So in other words, the character reveals a hint not only the pronunciation but also its meaning. Let’s take a look at a couple examples taken from Japanese, since I don’t speak a word of Chinese. 

長 long, chou

This 長 will become the phonological aspect for the following kanji.

帳 notebook, account book, chou

The 巾 on the left means “cloth” or “scroll,” which is what records would have been written on or bound in when this kanji was invented.

張 lengthen, stretch, chou

The 弓 on the left means “bow” (as in the weapon), and you can imagine stretching the bowstring to fire.

Figuring out these phonological aspects and their patterns is what really helped accelerate my Japanese reading abilities. I’m kinda a weirdo about picking up patterns like this, and I basically internalized them by reading. A. LOT. 

Another super important aspect of kanji is the radicals.

Radicals are Radical, Yo

Radicals, or 部首 bushu, are the building blocks of kanji. They provide meaning and pronunciation to the characters.

For example, the kanji 部 is composed of 3 radicals:

立

口

⻏

And there’s only 214 radicals to memorize!

Ahahahahaha why did I choose this language to study

It’s actually not that bad, though. Many of the radicals in this list are the same radical just in a different place within the kanji. And some of the radicals themselves are kanji, like the 長, 弓, and 巾 radicals from up above. Also, some of them are pretty seldom used. So don’t panic. Deep breaths. We’re gonna get through this.

I think I’d like to make a separate post about radicals and their meanings, or maybe make an individual segment on each radical in the future, so I’m not going to talk a ton about them in this post. For now, just know that they play an important role in helping you distinguish kanji from one another. 

Pronouncing the Kanji: On-yomi or Kun-yomi

Oh boy, now we get to what is arguably one of the most difficult aspects of the Japanese language (both for foreigners and native speakers alike). 

1 kanji, 11 different ways to pronounce it. And it’s one of the most commonly used kanji in Japanese. 

I should’ve just studied Spanish

To be fair, I picked a very extreme example of a kanji with a ton of readings. For the most part, kanji tend to have just two readings, the on-yomi and kun-yomi.

音読み On-yomi (lit. “sound reading”)

★　On-yomi is the modern descendant of the Japanese approximation of the base Chinese pronunciation of the character at the time it was introduced.

★　Often, due to the vast differences in Chinese and Japanese phonology and the dynamic nature of language, the Modern Chinese reading and Japanese on-yomi of the same character do not match, though you may be able to see a similarity in them. 

★　Because on-yomi represent the Chinese reading, it is standard to write the on-yomi in katakana.

訓読み Kun-yomi (lit. “meaning reading")

★　Kun-yomi is based on the pronunciation of a native Japanese word, or 大和言葉 yamato kotoba, that closely approximated the meaning of the Chinese character when it was introduced.

★　Some kanji do not have a kun-yomi.

★　Because kun-yomi represent the native Japanese reading, it is standard to write the kun-yomi in hiragana.

Let’s take a look at a compound kanji word and examine its possible readings.

今日, today

The most common reading for this word is kyou, which is the kun-yomi.

However, it can also be read as kon’nichi, which is the on-yomi. 

Probably 9 times out of 10 it will be read as kyou, but kon’nichi is more formal and you do see it on occasion. Also, konnichiwa is technically written as 今日は, even though this greeting is written in hiragana 99.99% of the time. 

Sow how can you tell when a word should be on-yomi or kun-yomi?

1. Look for okurigana!

Okurigana are kana suffixes following kanji stems. They serve two purposes: to inflect adjectives and verbs, and to force a particular kanji to have a specific meaning and be read a certain way.

For example, in the word 読みます yomimasu (read, polite, present tense), the みます (mimasu) is okurigana providing the inflection of the verb. 

Basically, if you see okurigana, the reading will almost always be kun-yomi. 

2. Surnames are almost always kun-yomi.

This makes sense, because kun-yomi is the native Japanese reading and these are the last names of Japanese people haha. 

3. If a word is made of 2 kanji, generally both kanji will be on- or kun-yomi.

受付 uketsuke, reception

this is the kun-yomi for both kanji.

物語 monogatari, tale

this is the kun-yomi for both kanji.

電話 denwa, telephone

this is the on-yomi for both kanji.

漢字 kanji, Kanji lol

This is the on-yomi for both kanji.

Of course, there are exceptions to all of the above guidelines I’ve given you. That’s what makes learning Japanese hell.

Fun. 

I meant to say fun.

[blackevermore]

🌻 Random Headcanons pt 2🌻

[ Ivan x Mel ]

x Mel makes its her job to correctly pronounce people’s names how they are pronounced in their language. Alfred thinks she’s doing too much and she tells him that he is jealous he has a basic old english white man name. Ivan finds it alluring and does his best to say her name how it’s pronounced in Greek. She tells him there is no need but really she enjoys it. This also starts Mel correcting others when they say Ivan’s human name in public. 

x Mel only addresses the countries by their human names unless they get under her skin then she calls them by their whole name. I mean official government name, Republic (United ) and all. She might even get fancy and say it in their language so they will know she’s serious. 

x With the assistants being around the countries interact a lot more than they normally do. A lot more hanging out outside of work, stronger friendships, Canada had the biggest impact with everyone in the meeting knowing who he was because his assistant is very much a hot head and will cuss you out if you call him anything other than Canada.

x Ivan didn’t have an assistant for a while but eventually he got one and it was a rather strict slightly older than the rest male. Alfred made a joke that Putin sent a minime and Mel had to shut him up before anyone else heard him. Luckily the strictness slowly faded away and Mel found out Ivan’s assistant was actually a old soul dork who was a dancer on the side. 

x Mel and Ivan play matchmaker with other nations and sometimes their assistants. This is how Mel found out that half the world has already slept with each other. She really can’t look at England the same. This is how Ivan found out he has two admirers that are Germany and France’s assistants. Since Ivan and Me’s relationship is still private she finds it cute the others fond over Ivan. She even joins in on letting them talk about him as if they have a chance. She keeps her victory to herself.

x Mel found out Ivan can sing his fucking heart out (literally), but he keeps it to himself so she has to catch him around his house when she comes over. This is rather difficult since she doesn’t know the lay out of his big ass house very well and he moves around a lot when he is busy. He can even throat sing as well, he learned from China and Mongolia when he was a child. At first it scared the shit out of Mel. 

x Mel has stumbled upon Ivan’s wide collection of pipe that he keeps in his normally locked artillery. When she asked him about it he looked pale and admitted that during wars with other countries when his people destroyed towns he would collect them as trophy.  When Mel looked closer on the sides Ivan had carved in the sides the name of the county and towns. When Mel asked him about the pipe he used to carry in his trench coat. He told her it was actually a pipe from his old capital/home. 

x Ivan was the one to teach Mel how to shoot different types of guns. She told him it wasn’t necessary but he kinda tricked her into learning with a bribe. Now she knows how to aim and fire machine guns. What was the bribe you may be asking? Ivan keeps his april fools dress and other dress like costumes and told her he would model them for her. Mel couldn’t resist after she overheard how cute Ivan looked from Francis. 

x Some of the countries have some supernatural element besides being immortal. Ivan falls into the list despite not being fully aware he can do it. He is aware that he can teleport and be summoned, he can see and very rarely control Gentral Winter, but he isn’t aware that he has full control over his scarf like extra hands. He isn’t fully aware that he can control anything winter related outside of the season. Many times Mel has woken up to Ivan’s body being completely frozen and the bedroom being iced over. She’s had to wake him so she wouldn’t die.

x With that being said Mel is kinda terrified of spending some winters with Ivan because he does this thing were he shuts down completely and “freezes to death” and can be sleep for days before waking up fully energized. When this happens tho his whole house turns into a tundra and no matter how many times Mel turns up the heat its still cold. She’s had to call Tolys to come help her either make it through Ivan’s snow hibernations or take her somewhere else to stay. 

x Ivan always feels bad when he wakes up to find a note and blanket draped over him. When Mel finally asked why that happens it was a very touchy topic and she understood if he didn’t want to talk about it. He admitted months later while they were in the countryside enjoying the summer that he has actually died and been reborn twice, everytime he died he did so outside in the snow from freezing to death. Both times he was reborn he had woken up in sunflower fields because it was the warmest part of his country. But when he is home his powers try to replicate the harsh winters inside which causes him to freeze for a few days then wake back up.

x Ivan doesn’t want Mel’s pity from his time growing up and his time as a country. He just wishes for her to listen to him when he speaks even if she doesn’t understand it all. Ivan has a lot of baggage he carries and he is aware of his outstandish behaviors and interactions. He is better than what he was but he still has his moments were he relapse back into his dark days. But he never takes it out on Mel or anyone around him, he always locks himself away until he feel able to come out. Those are the days Mel feels that Ivan is most human  and she stays by his side.

x Ivan loves spontaneous vacations and he offers them to Mel every chance he gets. But Mel being Alfred’s assistant and a public affairs member has to work long hours. Ivan takes pity on humans for having to work so hard but he understand it (I mean this IS Russia we are talking about...) But when she turns in her vacation days she is quick to pack her bags to go to somewhere random. Yao has welcomed them many times his his home.

x Yao was the first person Ivan told about his relationship. Although Yao scold him about how dangerous and stupid falling in love with a human was he still supports him. To Yao Ivan is still a child looking for someone to love him more than anything. Yao wont take that away but he will pay attention to Ivan in future dates when the time comes when Mel is no longer with him.

x Ivan has taken Mel snow drifting and nearly gave the girl a heart attack. Matthew has offered to join them and she has never seen two grown as men nearly flip a car so easily from having fun. Alfred likes the rush when he is driving but he panics when anyone else takes the wheels. IVan and Matthew purposefully shove Alfred in the back with Mel. 

x Mel really loves museums and Ivan makes it his duty to take her his when she comes over. They have a lot of dates at the museums and  Opera Houses. Ivan finally gets to express his love for the arts unlike before when Mel is around. He admits he’s favorite culture besides is own is Francis’s and it’s noticeable. 

x Ivan keeps many historical items in his house that even historians know nothing about. He thought it was the only way to keep them safe and away from the public so they wouldn’t be stolen. Though he admits some of the items he took because he liked them. Ivan told Mel that even though he didn’t like Nicholas II (more like he really didn’t like the fact he was in charge) he was very fond of his wife and children. They used to call him uncle Ivan. Ivan owns a few dresses and crowns that belonged to the girls. He even owns a crown and a gown from his favorite queen, Catherine The Great. He has allowed Mel to wear the crowns before and has even commissioned a republica of a few of the dresses for Mel. Though she prefers to wear Ivan’s traditional clothing when she can. But playing royalty is a wonder touch.

x ^^^ Ivan has even joined her in dressing up and they’ve done countless Beauty and the Beast like dances in Ivan’s living room.

x Ivan doesn’t like the movie Anastasia but he will admit the song Once Upon a December is a really good song. Mel had caught him singing it a few times. 

x Ivan can grow body hair, Mel really wanted to see him with a fancy bread and mustache he used to wear back in time. Ivan has a lot of portraits of himself scattered across his country that other humans are unaware are all the same person. She noticed a rather famous painting of Ivan hanging in his international museum during one of their dates and it was one of him with a full beard. So in the time he was growing a beard everyone at the meetings were confused. Until one day He showed up with an icon russian beard and Author nearly choked on his tea thinking he saw a ghost of a czar. Francis loved it. Alfred was high key jealous because he could never grow good facial hair. 

x Ivan is the Justice Dance master, he doesn’t care how silly he looks he wins everytime. Nation sleep overs are fucking wide. 

[learnspanishinbarcelona-blog]

Popular Mistakes in Learning The spanish language

spanish school barcelona

Precisely what brings you for you to this article? You may well be a aspiring Spanish trainer, or maybe just an intelligent man or woman seeking to look for typical mistakes in mastering Spanish prior to ever learning it, correct? I think you aren't typically the latter. So here it really is Spanish is a really challenging terminology to analysis and to master if you are an English native loudspeaker, plus its not that peculiar to generate common mistakes within Romance language. Why? English as well as Spanish language revolves in extremely different models and approaches to read and also chat each language. Which on your own can determine the result associated with how you read along with speak the language. Let's take a get started.

spanish school barcelona

Pronunciation:

Typically the most important take into account mastering a language possibly your own personal Spanish or understanding how to converse like a Native Usa, pronunciation is the essential to master just about any words. As most modern dialect derived from Latin, the majority of phrases are just as well as almost the same. But! That will doesn't mean they can be noticable exactly the same.

Speaking spanish "R" and the English language "R"

Pronouncing the "R" in The spanish language is technique wrong in case you are studying Uk pronunciation. Romance language "R" is actually one of the frequent faults in learning Spanish language. The Speaking spanish "R" will be pronounced appropriately by setting your language behind your personal front your teeth to help make that vibrating "R" seem. It's quite the contrary while using English "R", anyone want your own tongue apart from your teeth to stop making that vibrating appear you make while pronouncing, just different right? This particular is one of several common flaws in learning The spanish language, you actually need to practice phalic shaped your current tongue behind your own personal teeth the very best help a person a lot in pronunciation of the Spanish "R".

Setting an Adjective just before some sort of noun:

This is usually one of the popular mistakes in Spanish finding out is really a widespread and a silly oversight made usually by simply brand-new Spanish students, neglect the British rules of making a new sentence, We are learning to speak spanish here! Common mistakes on this are listed below.

Throughout The english language we say "hot water" In Spanish really precisely the opposite! You claim "agua caliente" For because if you read "hot water" literally would likely receive you in trouble in addition to audio funny!

Another a single is, "Wash in sizzling Water" gowns in English language, if you want to help admit in Spanish an individual don't declare it "Lavar con impetuoso agua". Often the correct way to state it truly is. "Lavar con zumo caliente"

You see precisely how English as well as Spanish proceed the other way about? Don't mess this upwards and perhaps you can move up the "Beginner" method a little bit.

Appropriate using Words:

The many mindless activity when studying a new vocabulary is definitely to expect the similar this means of that selected word for any English term. You don't make your personal Spanish audience have a good laugh with your speech all moment do you? Try buying the Spanish thesaurus so in order to educate you in all these generally mistaken Spanish thoughts. But for make it a lesser amount of tedious for yourself, here's any list of commonly wrongly diagnosed used words. This will be one of the common errors in Romance language learning. Intended for this words are widely-used improperly by Spanish scholars close to the world.

Mejor -- Most frequently mistaken for often the English phrase Major which often is exactly silly. This specific word means "better" inside Spanish. Alegre : A person might think this is actually the Spanish expression with regard to Alligator! You my good friend will be wrong. This concept indicates "cheerful" Cerrar- Typically wrong word for Transporter, sure this would end your own carrier if you employed it in the speech. The actual word means "close" throughout Spanish. Nubes- Wow! Probably you think now this kind of is usually where the slang "Noobies" originated right? Inappropriate! This term means "clouds" in Spanish language Universidad rapid Pretty much clear regarding other people, you might feel this word implies Whole world right? It signifies "college" this dear audience. Tallar instructions Sounds similar to "teller" or "tailor" proper? Wrong! This phrase suggests, "carve" in Speaking spanish.

Not necessarily a long list regarding frequently mistaken Spanish terms, nevertheless this could support you a bit.

Exercise:

Last and not the actual least, the most significant think with learning a new terminology. This may be effectively obvious during this period for anyone guys learning to talk a new language. Training is paramount in learning some sort of new language both the idea could be Spanish or even Uk or even a thing like Latin. Practice is beneficial since they all say the item. Yes indeed. Just try and remember that the pronunciation to the Spanish "R" is definitely very completely different from the British "R" a lot more different. A single thing too, the right employ of words. You want to process on in which too, as you may use your current Spanish one day and also speak to a The spanish language group, once again you actually don't want to always be ridiculed at do a person? And of course! The ultimate way to practice Spanish is to be able to find a Romance language pal of yours, a lot better in case he or she is actually a native Spanish language presenter for you guys will surely have lots and lots involving fun instances learning Speaking spanish together. Speaking looking at your own personal mirror might help, but it really would be pointless when you were being speaking for you to yourself right? An individual probably would not know if you're conversing correctly or pronouncing this correctly right? This will be the most critical thing connected with all. PRACTICE!

[lessonsbuenosaires-blog]

Spanish Lessons Buenos Aires

Spanish Courses in Buenos Aires

Quick Spanish - How for you to Discover Spanish The Uncomplicated Way Is becoming fluent in spanish actually easy? It depends about how looking for at the item and how you determine to get to your goal of finding out the Spanish language. When you think that you actually will have to pay a lot of hours memorizing Spanish syntax and vocabulary rules, study long lists of Speaking spanish words and fear currently being laughed at by some others as you twist your own is usually a into unfamiliar postures wanting to pronounce Spanish thoughts, learning to speak spanish can be pretty difficult for you. You need to change this way regarding pondering. Think about precisely how learning Spanish will probably enhance your life and the way you can benefit from this. If you encouraged brand-new opportunities. If you are usually interested and like to help learn completely new things as well as learn about diverse Asian people, food, new music and also cultures, learning Spanish may be easy and even exciting.

Spanish Courses in Buenos Aires

Me not a ancient Spanish presenter. In truth, in high school most I knew how in order to say throughout Spanish has been "tacos" along with "tortillas". Nonetheless, I was capable of educate myself how to study, write and speak The spanish language well enough to sooner or later come to be an English-Spanish interpreter and also help others with their search for become Romance language Speaking. Just how did We do it? Under a person will find some guidelines that allowed me to and with out a doubt will support you also to help to make learning Spanish easy.

2. Watch Spanish TV Exhibits

An excellent strategy to guide you get used to be able to reading the Spanish terminology is watching Spanish language TELEVISION SET programs. Watch Speaking spanish media channels, documentaries in addition to background programs to learn the proper Spanish pronunciation of typically the most frequent Spanish phrases. Watch The spanish language soap plays, comedies and flicks to understand more about Spanish lifestyle, comments, slang and various other idiomatic movement.

How is actually it possible to discover Romance language from TV exhibits and plans without being familiar with the language? The idea is for you to just get started enjoying as well as listening even when you understand 0% involving what you're experiencing.

Several days and weeks go by where you feel that you aren't making virtually any progress yet believe myself, the brain will be "learning" even though you may realize that and not having much conscious hard work with your part. This is usually a number of the "easy" in studying Spanish nonetheless it takes time period.

This is where quite a few people grow to be discouraged following a while. They are unable to "perceive" any advancement within their capacity to understand Spanish language and the human brain would like to revert back to help often the "familiar". It will take some self-control in the actual beginning to listen in order to a foreign words intended for long periods of time frame without comprehension anything due to the fact it feels like staying lost somewhere on the particular tracks of a odd big metropolis during dash hour. Folks just desire to go back residence to a spot they will already know and adore and that feels "safe" in their eyes: Their own indigène language. Hang up in presently there, you will reach pregnancy of becoming Spanish Communicating should you persevere. Don't offer up!

1. Listen to be able to Spanish Music

One more beneficial tip in learning more the Spanish language is definitely to listen to Speaking spanish music. Using music to master Spanish phrases and finally turn into fluent in The spanish language is effective because the words of tunes are typically repeated over and above again. This specific repetition inside itself is a solid way to reinforce typically the learning connected with Spanish words, or other things for that will matter, and the continuing associated with Spanish sentences for you to the song of songs is a lot more powerful. Merely think about those business jingles you can continue to remember and all individuals audio nursery rhymes an individual figured out as a youngster... How could you ever before forget them?

If simply by chance some Spanish thoughts or phrases were certainly not very clear to you often the last time your current read the song, merely enjoy the CD or perhaps AUDIO all over again and also once more.

* Read Romance language Journals

You might inquire, "How am i able to read Spanish language words or some kind of literature throughout Spanish easily don't realize Spanish yet? inches Typically the answer is: It's much easier you might think. Often the Spanish language differs from the others coming from English in that the actual letters in Spanish terms are always pronounced the particular same way whenever you observe them, so all you need to carry out is learn a couple of basic rules of page pronunciation and you will end up being able to "read" practically anything in Spanish although you can't understand the total that means of all typically the words and content but.

This will help anyone tremendously because you may be able to training along with improve your Speaking spanish accent because you read out there loud while finding out how to turn out to be familiar with Spanish words and phrases on the internet. You will furthermore recognize and be in a position to articulate words in addition to sentences you happen to be hearing as well as learning while you watch people Spanish TELLY programs and also listen to The spanish language audio which I talked concerning in a earlier article.

An individual will see that several words are used a new lot more than different words, and others scarcely in any way. It will come to be like a huge jigsaw puzzle and over time often the pieces will little by little commence fitting together.

4. Bring an English / Romance language Dictionary

Having an The english language and Spanish Dictionary using you enables you to look upwards unfamiliar words swiftly. Words and phrases you look up can be utilized immediately or they could be jotted down to get later review. Get the small one to tote around with you and any large one particular for your own personal office or place of work.

End up being curious and look right up many of the new and exciting words you actually hear and see inside the dictionary.

Another thing I actually did after i was understanding Spanish is, My spouse and i taken a traveling notebook computer having me that I would certainly use to jot down phrases in Spanish I got strange with. I also had written lower phrases and thoughts with English that My partner and i wanted to get the Spanish language equivalent for. This can be far more of a help to help you when you become considerably more and more advanced in mastering and speaking Spanish.

3. Use Learning Guides

Carry out all those "learning Speaking spanish books", Spanish videos along with The spanish language audio CD's, Videos in addition to MP3's really job to make becoming fluent in spanish less complicated? I always tell folks, that they're like all of the different sorts of workout machines and gadgets available today. Some are far better than other individuals but many of them will do the job for a person if an individual can stay motivated adequate to keep using these.

These were only a couple of hints on how you can certainly make your target regarding learning Spanish easy. Get going today and take your personal very first step towards learning Romance language the easy way.

[nashvilletonihon]

Let’s Talk About Culture Shock

Ok. I know what you’re thinking... “Rachel! It’s so good to have you back! I’ve missed you!” I know friend, I know. I say “life happens” a lot which is just as much of an excuse to make myself feel better for not updating as often as I should as it is legitimate reason for my lack of posts. (Especially because the last post I wrote I promised to write more...HA HA! Whoops!!)

That being said, remember when I first arrived in Japan and all of my posts were doom and gloom get me the f*ck outta here? Yeah, me too. Well, that was child’s play compared to the week I had. For the first time since I moved I experience very real and very genuine culture shock.

Now, you might be asking yourself what the difference between the culture shock I experienced a few months ago was and the culture shock I experienced this week is. I’m sooooo glad you asked.

Upon moving to a foreign country, the first several months are obviously very difficult. Especially if that country does not speak your native language. EVERYTHING is new and exciting and terrifying. You spend all of your time figuring out which markets to buy groceries at (and if you’re like me it’s three different ones), where to get your hair cut, how much time it takes to get to certain places, where the best restaurants are, if you should try new food based on the packaging photos alone...basically you’re just trying to survive. It’s a challenge but not necessarily a negative thing. Perhaps a slight inconvenience at most.

Fast forward to now. I’ve been here for 7 months and my life has fallen into a routine. I know when to wake up and how much time it will take me to get to each school, I know how much it costs to fill up my gas tank and where I can buy specialty foreign items like tortilla chips and popcorn. Things have gotten a bit more simple but by no means easy. Life is still a challenge but I don’t lose my mind every time I have to go to the grocery store now.

That was until this week...  

It all started Monday morning when I woke up not really feeling like myself. I  tend to dread the beginning of the school week because it means that I have to go to my base school (which I don’t exactly enjoy) and pretend to work for 8 hours instead of actually being in the classroom like I am at my visit school on Tuesday’s and Thursday’s. This Monday was no different. I decided to begin the day by asking my supervisor (who 100% does NOT want to be my supervisor) to contact the Board of Education to let them know I have been excused from attending a last minute seminar as my friends are in the country. After I very calmly and simply explained this information, he proceeded to print out a schedule for said seminar, hand it to me with a curt ‘’there you go’’ and proceeded to go about his business. Mouth agape I’m shocked I didn’t blurt out ‘’you didn’t understand a word I just said did you??’’ even though I was screaming it in my head. Shocked beyond comprehension I turned to my computer and with an amazing amount of grace, decided to give him the benefit of the doubt. The rest of day went the same as every Monday usually goes. I’m used to being underutilized at my base school and while desk warming isn’t exactly what I would like to do, I normally don’t mind because it means I get to study Japanese, work on lessons for my visit school, surf the internet, etc...I keep my head down and try to blend into the desk chair. However, after I left school on this particular Monday I found myself hung up on the feeling of being mistreated and ignored. I tried to shake it but was unsuccessful as I took it with me to my visit school the next day.

Tuesday was まま ma ma (so-so). I had a few classes, one of which I taught solo, and I worked on decorations for my English Board. Although nothing monumental happened, I didn’t have my usual 元気 genki (energetic) attitude as I tried my best to hype the students up for the activities while also keeping them from tearing the school down. The day, as a whole, was pretty uneventful, kendo and karate practice included. (Even if I was a little less enthusiastic for them than I normally am.) I went to sleep that night with a heavy feeling in my chest and a nonchalant, indifferent attitude in my mind I now know is the beginning of an anxiety filled depression spiral. (Wheeeeee....)

I arrived at my base school on Wednesday morning buzzing with anxious energy feeling like I’m not even in my own body but instead floating just outside of it. I decided to try and put that energy to good use by updating the English Board which still had Christmas decorations on it. (January was filled with good intentions y’all...) I’m freaking elbows deep in switching everything out with pieces of tape on all my fingers when one of my JTE’s comes up to me and timidly says ‘‘Will you be joining the class today?’‘ In her defense I am technically supposed to attend her class. In my defense, I am literally used as a human tape recorder, spitting out a few vocabulary words and watching the students lose their mind when I pronounce Worcestershire sauce. My time would have been better spent changing the English Board...but I went to class and quietly stood by the stove instead.

Once class was finished, I knocked out the English Board and went to study at my desk. It is at this point that another JTE asks me if I had ‘’done my homework’’. Eyes glazing over I blankly stared back at him asked ‘’what homework?’’ ‘’The list of books you are supposed to write down for me to help improve my English.’’ he says. At this point I begin to very vaguely remember the conversation we had in regards to this topic. I believe I mentioned that I would make said list whenever I had the time...but I digress. I quickly assured him I would make the list and leave it for him under his computer for his perusal tomorrow when I am at my visit school. That fire put out I begin to work on studying kanji when I become acutely aware of how hard my supervisor is typing. He’s putting in grades and every time he smashes the ENTER button it sounds like he’s trying to push it through the entire keyboard. I do my best to ignore it when he finished and moves on to grading exams. As he circles each right answer I swear he’s doing his best to leave a circle shaped engraving on the desktop. It’s incredibly (and unnecessarily) aggressive. When lunch arrived I swear he slurped his miso soup louder and more annoying than usual. Granted, I’ve noticed all of these things before but today they were amplified. Every sound, every action made me grit my teeth in frustration. By the middle of the day I was crawling out of my skin anxious. I was in the throes of major cultural shock meltdown. It was at this moment that I remembered I should probably e-mail my Prefectural Supervisor to follow up on whether or not the supervisor at my base school had indeed contacted the BOE like I asked him to. Lo and behold as I was finishing my e-mail, one from my PA pops up in my inbox. I open it to discover that she’s letting me know that said base school supervisor has NOT contacted them regarding my excused absence from the seminar. Balling my hands into fists I try not to slam them on the desk in the worst fit of work rage I’ve had in a long time.  

Instead, I begin messaging Jacob stream of consciousness thoughts:   

“I want to go home. Home home. Back to America home. I want my mom. I want to sleep in my own bed. I want to drive my own car. I want to drive on the right side of the road in my own car. I want to see people who look like me. I want to see people who don’t look like me but who aren’t Japanese. I want BBQ. I want a disgusting fast food burger. I want AMERICAN food. I never want to eat another Japanese meal again. I never want to see rice or sushi or freaking noodles EVER again. I don’t want to hear Japanese. I don’t want to speak Japanese. I want to hear English. I want to speak English. I want to go to the grocery store and know where and what everything is because I can READ it. I want to go to the movie theatre and see a movie. IN. ENGLISH. I’m tired. I’m over it. I’m done. I can’t do this anymore. I can’t do this anymore. I can’t do this anymore.”  

The entire time I’m going through this I’m doing my best not to lose my cool while sitting at my desk in the teacher’s room. It’s becoming increasingly more and more difficult. The teacher’s room is LOUD. Everyone is talking and laughing, calling to one another from across the room. To stop from screaming I bite the inside of my cheek so hard I draw blood. I’ve been messaging Jacob throughout the day and he’s aware of my current mental state. He’s doing the best he can while also working but I need air. I need quiet. I need to be alone. I grab my coat and race out the door.

I make the short walk to the コンビニ konbini (convenience store) across from my school where I buy a soda and some chocolate. I walk along the street toward the beach taking long swigs from my drink and angry munching my candy. I want nothing more than to be anywhere but here. I deep lungfuls of the crisp winter air. It’s chilly but the sun is out and the sky is clear. I lucked out weather wise. I do my best to clear my head and when I feel like I’ve been gone long enough to arouse suspicion, I head back to school. (Spoiler alert: No one noticed I was gone.) I’m not sure how but I manage to make it through the next 3 1/2 hours until it’s time for me to go home. I have to stop myself from sprinting out the door. As I walk to my car my friend, and fellow AET Natasha, messages to let me know that my request to attend Ichiba Elementary School on March 6th for their mini English Day has been denied because “I have classes”. (I will later find out that it’s Entrance Exams day and I more than likely don’t have to be at school period, much less in classes.) I get in my car and slam the door.

Jacob calls me on my way home as he walks to his bus stop. I sob like a baby. It’s the first time I’ve cried since October and it feels...good. I think I’d been bottling it up inside for a while now and having a gut wrenching, body shaking sob was soul cleansing. It wasn’t so much that I was sad, I was just so incredibly angry and frustrated that the only thing I could do was cry. I raged. I cussed. I shook my fists...and Jacob listened. Because he knew. The thing about culture shock is that it never truly goes away. It’s constantly there. But some days you’re better at ignoring it than you are others. And some days, heck, some weeks it all comes crashing down on you at once. Culture shock comes in waves. There are still days I want to pack up and go home. I miss my family and friends dearly. I miss the comforts of home and the things I’m used to. That being said, I’m beginning to create new comforts, make new memories. Mainly in part because of this guy:

A quick photo while celebrating 節分 setsubun (Spring/Bean Throwing Festival) at 吉田神社 Yoshida Shrine. SO. MUCH. GOOD. FESTIVAL. FOOD.

For those of you who creep my Instagram, you’ll have seen his handsome face a time or two before by now. For those of you who don’t, here he is. That mustachioed gentleman has pretty much been with me since Day 1. I met Jacob at the Kyoto Orientation Conference I attended 5 days after arriving in Japan. We became fast friends and as our friendship developed, so did deeper feelings. (He had them a lot earlier on than I did...for obvious reasons.) It wasn’t until our birthday (yes, we share the same birthday) that I realized “Oh sh*t. I think I’m in love with this guy.” Fast forward to four weeks later when I went down to visit him over the winter holiday and that little thought I had on our birthday had grown and solidified into a very concrete and very real feeling. I was head over heels 100% smitten. So before this post becomes another “doom and gloom” entry, I want you to know that not everything here in Japan has been bad. Not everything here in Japan has been terrible. Not everything here in Japan has been awful. (Contrary to the vast majority of my previous posts, I know.) Japan introduced me to the love of my life and showed me that a future here is possible...more than possible...a definite. 

Yes, culture shock is sneaky and culture shock is rude. It creeps up on you when you least expect it and turns the things you enjoyed into the things you resent. However, with the right mindset, the right friends and the right support system you can kick culture shock in the teeth and go about your regularly scheduled program. I’m fortunate enough to have the best kind of support system in the man I love who listens (to me rant), helps (me calm down) and advises (me not to take violent action) as need be. Seriously though, call me the luckiest gal in the world. 

I have so many more things to share concerning Jacob, our relationship and our future plans, but that is going to require a post all on its own. In the meantime, enjoy this photo of us being cute (and me with different bangs) while you wait.

Probably my favorite photo of us to date, here we are on 比叡山 Mt. Hiei after exploring 延暦寺 Enryakuji Temple with  琵琶湖 Lake Biwa and 滋賀県 Shiga Prefecture in the background. 

Japan be tryin’ real hard to knock a sistah down, but I’m holding strong and always moving forward. Now, hand in hand with the one I love.

じゃあまた (See you!)

- レイチェル (Rachel)

[vocalfriespod]

Transcript 10: Down in the Holler

MEGAN: Welcome to the Vocal Fries Podcast, the podcast about linguistic discrimination.

CARRIE: I’m Carrie Gillon

MEGAN: And I’m Megan Figueroa. We have one housekeeping item: another email. It’s our third email. We’re just gonna keep counting. That’s how exciting that is. And it’s from the Ivory Coast. “Hello Carrie and Megan, I was listening to your Freaky Friday episode today and you gave a shout out to the Ivory Coast. So I figured I’d say “hi” and introduce myself as your listener in the Ivory Coast.” Wait. We have more than one, right?

CARRIE: Unless she’s downloading 50 copies of each episode or something, yeah, no, she’s not the only one.

MEGAN: To each their own. If that’s what she’s doing. Back to the email. “You probably looked at your stats and thought ‘huh, that’s weird’.”

CARRIE: Yeah, I did! That’s why I said it!

MEGAN: Yeah. That’s what Carrie did. Ok. “Anyways, I’ve listened to all but your most recent episode now, and I really enjoy them. I found out about you through Lingthusiasm.” Thank you, Lingthusiasm!

CARRIE: Thank you!

MEGAN: “And I’m really glad you have a show about this topic since it’s once I’m passionate about too. Although I usually come at it from a different angle. I’m an English teacher and teacher trainer and linguicism - the term I usually use for linguistic discrimination, although I usually have to include a gloss, since it’s unfortunately not in common use yet - is one of the areas I’m passionate about. Especially how it intersects with race and gender. Within TESOL, Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages, there are a lot of linguistic discrimination issues that come up, both in the discrimination that English learners face, but also in hiring practices that favor native speakers over non-native English speaking teachers. If you’re looking for new areas to cover for future episodes, the linguicism faced by language learners and language teachers and the role that native speakerism plays in perpetuating standard language ideology seems very much connected to the type of things you talk about on the show. Earlier this year, I actually wrote an article about this. If you’re interested, it’s online here.” And we’ll link to it. “Anyways, I thought I’d say “hi” and let you know I appreciate what you’re doing and enjoying listening from here in the Ivory Coast.” Thank you very much, Riah!

CARRIE: I like how she adds the pronunciation for us.

MEGAN: Yes, like rye bread, I love it.

CARRIE: I love it too. Thank you so much for that.

MEGAN: Yeah, I have to do that with my dog. My dog’s name is Rilo [rye-lo]. But it’s spelled like “real-o”.

CARRIE: Yeah. It could be pronounced either way.

MEGAN: Especially if you’re a Spanish speaker, right? Cuz there’s no ‘I’ sound in Spanish.

CARRIE: Or basically any other European language.

MEGAN: True.

CARRIE: English is the odd one out.

MEGAN: Always.

CARRIE: I also want to point out that Riah’s suggestion was also given to me by one of my former students, Edward. So this is clearly a topic that needs to be discussed. And it’s not just about native vs. non-native, it’s also about which varieties are acceptable and which are not. So you could be, say, an English speaker from India and that would not be the kind of dialect that schools would want probably.

MEGAN: Right.

CARRIE: So: yeah! I do think we should talk about it. It’s on the list!

MEGAN: Isn’t the British accent favorable?

CARRIE: English, North American.

MEGAN: Oh it is?

CARRIE: It depends on the school, depends on location, but there definitely - a lot of schools want American or Canadian teachers over some other varieties.

MEGAN: Well this is definitely something we should talk about, since _I_ have a lot of questions about it. I’m sure other people do too! Cuz I think from Twitter, from what I can tell, we do have a lot of TESOL English teacher-type listeners.

CARRIE: Yeah.

MEGAN: Very exciting. Alright!

CARRIE: And today we’re gonna talk about Appalachian /æpəlɑʧn̩/ or Appalachian /æpəleɪʧn̩/ English and we’re gonna ask our guest how it’s actually pronounced.

MEGAN: Yes. He’s from Appalaycha-lahcha.

CARRIE: This kind of reminds me also of Copenhaygen-hahgen /koʊpn̩heɪgn̩hɑgn̩/ [CG: Copenhagen]. Apparently, everybody pronounces it incorrectly. The way that they mock us for pronouncing it incorrectly is saying Copenhaygen-hahgen /koʊpn̩heɪgn̩hɑgn̩/.

MEGAN: Ohhhh. That’s fun. It’s also like - thinking about Arizona - if you say Prescott /pɹɛskət/ vs. Press-cott /pɹɛskɑt/.

CARRIE: Yes.

MEGAN: If someone says Press-cott /pɹɛskɑt/, you’re like, “oh, where are you from? It’s not Arizona.”

CARRIE: Speaking of that, there was an episode of Crazy Ex-Girlfriend where there was supposed to be a character from Prescott, and he pronounced it like Press-cott /pɹɛskɑt/!

MEGAN: No.

CARRIE: And I was like, “nope! Nope.”

MEGAN: See. Ya gotta get an Arizonan in the room. That’s what that means.

CARRIE: Yeah. Or even just ask.

MEGAN: Yeah!

CARRIE: If it’s just one word, one name, you don’t have to have someone in the room.

MEGAN: That’s true.

CARRIE: But maybe you should make sure that you really know how to pronounce the place names. Cuz place names are the most variable, I would say.

MEGAN: Yes. Don’t think that the easy obvious spelling is actually how you pronounce it. Cuz Prescott is like pretty obvio- it looks like “Scott”. I got you. Alright. I’m going to introduce our guest. Dr. Paul Reed is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Communicative Disorders at the University of Alabama. He researches phonetics and sociophonetics, sociolinguistics, speech perception and language processing and other aspects of Southern and Appalachian /æpəlɑʧn̩/ or Appalachian /æpəleɪʧn̩/ Englishes. We want to ask you, Paul, how do you say that?

PAUL: For us, it’s always Appalachian /æpəlɑʧn̩/.

MEGAN: It’s always Appalachian /æpəlɑʧn̩/.

PAUL: Yeah. Now granted, if you go a little further north, if you go past West Virginia, then you may get some /leʃn̩/ and stuff like that, but it’s a bit of those that - so, growing up, the reason it’s always /lɑʧn̩/ for us - so, during the war on poverty, the Appalachian Volunteers, the AVs, they came into our region and they wanted to help. And so this was usually college students, but they also came with a bit of a “we know how to fix you”. And so a lot of them had /leʃə/. So growing up, it was always a marker of an outsider, usually with a particular view of our region that said /leʃə/. So it’s kinda one of those shibboleths for certain areas of the region, especially in southern Appalachia, where it’s a little bit more - it’s more rural and the poverty was more widespread. It didn’t get so much of the effects of the war on poverty until much later.

MEGAN: Ok so.  Appa-lachia /æpəlɑʧə/.

PAUL: Yes.

MEGAN: Ok.

PAUL: We won’t kick you out or anything.

MEGAN: No, I mean I know. I’m sure it’s - I just do not want to signal that I think any less of anyone. But we’re so grateful for you to be talking with us today.

CARRIE: Yeah, thank you.

MEGAN: Thank you for being here.

PAUL: I’m thrilled to be here, thank you so much.

MEGAN: First off, I can put the two together and figure out what it is, but tell us what sociophonetics is.

PAUL: Sure. Sociophonetics is a branch of sociolinguistics. Sociolinguistics is looking at the intersection of language and social groupings, or language and society. Sociophonetics takes that and it brings it down to a phonetic level. It looks at how different groups of people, people with different identities, people from different areas, how they phonetically manipulate their production. Something as finely grained as how do your vowels change, the slight differences in consonant articulations, and things like that. It’s sort of this same kind of idea, but it’s done in a phonetic level. The only thing that makes it a little harder is - so, sometimes we want to exercise as much control over the stimuli or the recording as someone in a phonetics lab. But we also want the most natural speech possible. You try to use as much control as possible, in a way to - but at the same time, trying to get as natural. You try to move someone to the quietest room in their house, preferably with lots of curtains and carpets, and get away from things like fridges and air conditioners and stuff like that. And you might come up, and you hope for the best. I did have one recording - it’s funny, it’s a 94-year-old participant and she was great. But she was on an oxygen machine. We talked for a long time, but certain things I couldn’t do with her recording because - obviously I can’t ask her to turn that off. But I was able to use the qualitative stuff. It was one of those where I was like, “aw! So close!”

MEGAN: Isn’t it that the problem - well, I mean, not a problem - just like something to overcome a bit for all sociolinguists? The natural vs. are they - what is it called? speaker - when you’re there with them?

PAUL: Observer effect.

MEGAN: Yes. Yes, that.

PAUL: Yeah. That’s sort of an issue for everyone, but if someone - you could just unobtrusively set a recorder down, and people can forget about it. If you’ve miked them up and even if you - some people even put a mic connected to with the little over the ear thing, it’s harder to get them to forget about that, because they’re literally connected to. Although, the one thing - so, in my work, I was able to go back home. I was sitting across from people that knew me, that knew my parents, knew my grandparents. There was a bit of time where people just sort of forgot. Because they were sitting with someone they knew. They were sitting with Little Paul Reed, which, if you guys have ever seen me, that’s kinda a funny misnomer, cuz I’m about 6’8”. So it’s sort of - it’s kinda funny. Cuz everyone from my hometown calls me that, because my dad is Paul too, and he was Big Paul and I’m Little Paul. Even though I haven’t really been little for 20 years.

MEGAN: I’m guessing he’s shorter than you, too, at this point.

PAUL: Yes. He was about 6’4”.

MEGAN: Ok!

PAUL: So he was big, he just didn’t wind up as big as his son did.

CARRIE: You’re like Little John.

PAUL: Exactly. Exactly, yes.

MEGAN: So then would you say then that you speak Appalachian English?

PAUL: Yes. Yeah, I would say that I’m definitely a native speaker.

MEGAN: Ok.

CARRIE: One of the questions I have is: what are the boundaries for Appalachia vs. the rest of the South? And connected to that also is how is the language different from this region vs. the rest?

PAUL: That’s a great question. It’s always one of those that - so there’s the official designation of Appalachia, which is set forth by the Appalachia Regional Commission, a division of the federal government. There’s 410 counties over 13 states, stretching literally from about Jackson, Mississippi all the way up into western New York. People hear that and they’re like, “that’s huge!” But of course when most people think Appalachia, they don’t think all the way from Mississippi to New York. They think usually about - and we call it the core region. The whole state of West Virginia, southwest Virginia, eastern Kentucky, east Tennessee, western North Carolina, and a little bit, a smidge of the other states connecting. Northeast Alabama, north Georgia, maybe a little cut of South Carolina. That’s the core region and where people - that’s where the features are, there are more of them, that’s sort of the core region where people inside and outside the region would say, “that’s definitely Appalachia”. And as far as what differentiates it from the rest of the South, it’s really, honestly, most times, a quantitative rather than qualitative difference. Things like the Southern Vowel Shift, where you have the monophthongization of /i/. So in words like “price”, “pry” and “prize”, you’ll have monophthongization in all of those contexts at a much higher rate than in other areas. In large parts of the South, you’ll only get it in prevoiced and open syllables, so “prize”, “pry”. But in Appalachia, you’ll also get it in prevoiceless conditions, so “price”. And you’ll have it approaching categorical. There’s a lot of individual variation, which is what my work looked at. So that’s one of the features. But also, you have a few grammatical structures that occur more often or in more contexts. Things like double modals. That’s combinations like “might could” and “might should” “may can”.

MEGAN: Love that.

PAUL: You have those all over. “Might could” is pretty widespread. You get that from almost to Arizona all the way to-

MEGAN: I have it yeah.

PAUL: Yeah, all the way to the East Coast. But in Appalachia you have more of them in more conditions. I personally have “might could” “might can” “may can” “may could” “might should” “may should” “will can” “used to could” “used to would” “should oughta” “oughta should” “might should oughta”. And then I can also make questions. Things where - and this is where some of the work I’ve done starts to tease apart the difference between the core area and the periphery. When you make a question, usually you’ll take the second modal and move it. It’ll be like, “mmmm… should you might do this?” That’s the sort of typical way. Some people are just like, “no. That’s terrible. What are you doing, you’ve just butchered the language.” That’s sort of one of the things - being able to - all of the different combinations in a lot of different contexts. In more of them. And able to do things like form questions. Or where you put the negation, cuz you can say “might not should” or “might should not”. “Might couldn’t.” So how much contraction you allow and where you allow the negation to appear is sort of one of the features that starts to distinguish the region. Along with, of course, a lot of lexical items. This is where it gets fun. Because it’s a region with a lot creativity. People do a lot of things that aren’t necessarily completely unusual, but it’s very creative. I remember growing up, people would say things like, “man, he’s he workingest man I ever saw.” And you’ve basically added a superlative to “working”, which is interesting. And of course people can immediately parse what you mean. But it’s not necessarily something you’re gonna produce. And some other lexical items, there’s all sorts of terms for things. I was teaching this a couple of weeks ago to my students. Most of them are from the South, cuz we’re at the University of Alabama. Lot of people are from the South. One of my students is from northeast Alabama. In Appalachia. She said, “Dr. Reed, do you know all the words for ‘moonshine’?” I know some of them. So we started comparing the words we have for “moonshine”. So of course you’ve got “shine”, “moonshine”. This is my personal favorite: “Oh Be Joyful”.

CARRIE: That is great. I’ve never heard that before.

PAUL: So people will say, “you got any Oh Be Joyful?” That’s another one. One other - and this one I didn’t even realize until I was in graduate school. That not everyone uses this. It’s called the “alternative one”. It’s very common to say something like, “yeah, you know, we should probably do that Monday or Tuesday one.” In the sense of “one or the other”, but you put both options and then “one” after it and the interlocutor would understand “oh, you’re giving me a choice here.” But not everybody does that. I remember saying that to a friend of mine and got this blank look of “I don’t think I know what you mean.” There are some features that are not necessarily unique but they’re quantitatively different. There are some that are probably on the border of being qualitatively different, but it’s kinda hard to say because the borders are definitely sort of fuzzy. And the closer you get to the core, that core area that I was talking about, people will have more of them and in more contexts.

MEGAN: So then would you say that non-linguists, or people just listening to a Southern American English speaker and then an Appalachian English speaker, would they be able to tell the difference? Or you have to be more of a trained ear.

PAUL: You can tell the difference, but what you often get is somebody’ll say, “you sound REALLY Southern.” Or “you sound REALLY country.” Or for whatever reason people will also think you’re from Texas. So you get, “are you from Texas?” No. We Tennesseans, we saved Texas. The only reason that they’re - we saved them. When I lived in Texas, I made sure I brought that up as much as possible. Which was probably a faux pas, but it’s alright.

MEGAN: Ok. So their dialect is gonna be different from yours.

PAUL: There’s some - in east Texas, cuz there were a lot of people from the mid-South that went to Texas. East Texas, in and around Houston and a little further north, there were a lot of Tennesseans and eastern Kentuckians and those that went. So there are some similarities. It’s not completely off the wall, but it’s definitely something that’s shifted and morphed, cuz we’re talking about the 1830s and 1840s. There’s been a lot of change. But people will say things like, “you sound REALLY Southern.” That’s usually what you get. It’s not necessarily that they don’t recognize - they recognize there’s a difference, but they don’t really know what that difference is. Sometimes within the South, you may get the “country”. Somebody sounds really country. And that’s what you get a lot. Because in the South as a whole, there’s a big urban/rural divide. A lot of the cities have really grown in the last 50 years. The distinction between urban/rural has grown. You get a lot of that, “you sound really country, are you from the sticks?” or “Are you from the boonies?” That kind of stuff. There’s some notion that it’s not necessarily associated with urban areas. Very rarely does somebody say, “are you from Appalachia?” Usually you’ll get “are you country?” In a lot of people’s minds, it’s kind of the same thing.

CARRIE: Also, mountain folk, right?

PAUL: Yes. You’ll get some mountain folk, but that’s usually from people very close to the region that live and they’ve been able to see that distinction. Even though, for example, where I went to college in Knoxville, Tennessee is considered part of Appalachia, very close by, people would know that “oh you’re from the mountains.” Knoxville’s in the valley, and within Appalachia, the valley and mountain or valley and ridge distinction is pretty salient. As Appalachia was settled, people settled in the valleys first. That was where there was better land, and you had people of a certain means, you could get some land in the bottom land along the rivers and valleys. If you came a little bit later, or if you didn’t have as many resources, you had to get higher and higher, cuz the land was cheaper. And so there’s a distinction. Even to this day, there’s a little bit between the valley and the ridge. My wife is from they valley and she’s not - we grew up maybe 50-60 miles apart. Not very far. But there are certain things that I say that she doesn’t say. Certain idioms and sayings, and sometimes the way that we say things is a little distinct. Which is kinda funny, cuz again, we’re both from east Tennessee, we’re not from that far apart. But there’s definitely some distinctions.

CARRIE: Cool!

PAUL: I mean like anywhere, anywhere has distinctions. But in people’s minds, people are like, “oh, you’re both from east Tennessee, you’re both gonna sound the same.” No, not really.

MEGAN: Do you think people are picking up on the phonology, the lexical items, what is it that they’re picking up on when they say “are you from the boonies?” What is it that they’re picking up on?

PAUL: I think, the times it’s happened to me, it’s usually been a combination. When I’ve said something with my phonology, but it’s a saying or a grammatical structure that they’re not familiar with. Another time when I was in college, one of my teammates, he was - I played basketball - so he needed a ride to the airport. And I said, “sure man, I don’t care at all to take you.” He’s like, “ok, I’ll go with somebody else.” I’m like, “why would you do that? I just told you I’d take you.” “No you didn’t, you said you don’t care to take me.” And I said, “exactly. I don’t care at all. I’d love to take you.” He just gave me this blank look, that doesn’t compute, man. It was one of those - we had sort of a misunderstanding. I thought, with my intonation and facial expression, that he knew that I was gonna take him. Things like that. That’s when he was like, “you country people.” Which was a joke. My teammates would call me the mountain man, or Paul Bunyan. That’s sort of part of that, is it’s literally a joke. But there was something like that. I think a combination of the phonology and something that took a minute, there was a little bit of a miscommunication.

CARRIE: Yeah, I would have interpreted it the same way he did.

MEGAN: Yeah, me too.

PAUL: So if someone is from Appalachia, potentially other parts of the South, “I don’t care to” is not always negative. Especially with a “I don’t care to take you at all!”

CARRIE: That’s interesting. One of the things - one of the reasons we wanted to talk to you is because - whatshisname - JD Vance was back in the news.

PAUL: Yes.

CARRIE: Do you have any feelings towards his work?

PAUL: I have lots of feelings about JD Vance. Some of them will probably need to be edited slightly. No, I'm just kidding.

CARRIE: You can swear if you want. We swear on this.

MEGAN: We have an explicit rating.

PAUL: JD Vance is, he’s full of what makes the grass grow green in lots of ways. Because the main thing is is that if his autobiography were his own story, the story of a child from a broken home that got access to education, had some people that mentored him, and made good. He was able to attend some fine colleges and he did well for himself. If that were his book, then it would be great. But the fact that first and foremost, a 30 year old is writing an autobiography - and not an autobiography. He’s writing an elegy for an entire region. And a region, he didn’t grow up in. He’s from Ohio. He grew up in Ohio. He spent summers and he spent time back in Kentucky, but he did not grow up in the region. And trying to put his experiences, and the experiences of his mother, with all of her demons and all of her issues, as somehow indicative of an entire region - even if you’re looking at just the core region, you’re talking about 6 states. Millions of people. And basically saying, “hey, this is what they’re all like. They’re all fighting, and they’re all violent, and they’re all drug addicts.” That part is infuriating. Because that is the same trope that’s been going on for 150 years. In the period after the civil war, there was this kind of literature called Local Color. It was journalists from urban areas, like Baltimore and DC and other places, and they wanted to write about interesting places around the country. And because Appalachia wasn’t that far away, they would go, and they would seek out the people who were the most different. And so of course, it’s looking at people who were impoverished, people that were barely scraping by. They would write stories about them. And those stories would be very the same thing, how some people make good, some people are able to escape. But it’s the culture of poverty, it’s the culture of deprivation, it’s the culture of this. And that’s painting this brush. And even though people just up the holler from them are completely different, their reality is completely different, they paint everyone with the same brush. Some of these stories sold like wildfire. Because they were in Harper’s, they were in the Atlantic, and other things, so these magazines that we still have to this day, but they sold. It’s literally the exact same trope of it wasn’t drugs, it wasn’t opioids back then, but it was the moonshiners, and the impoverishment. Because they were Scotch-Irish, they liked to fight, cuz they were all clannish. And it’s stuff of just like - this is like a zombie trope. We just need to slay it and let it die. But it just won’t. That’s my biggest issue. Again, his story is incredible. What he faced and the way he was able to overcome it was very inspiring. But when you try to say that the way that you grew up is the way that everyone grows up and the demons that your parents, and his mother faced, are the same demons that everyone faces, that’s where it gets annoying. And then also the fact that he footnoted his own autobiography. You don’t footnote an autobiography. You’re not pointing out research when it’s about your own life. That’s the thing that’s irritating. And then the fact that he’s somehow become the voice of the region. And there are scholars that have been working in the region and are from the region that have been writing for 50 years, people like Dwight Billings at Kentucky, and people like Anita Puckett at Virginia Tech, Mimi Pickering at Appalshop. There’s just so many people that have written and told a story and a nuanced story and a complicated and complex story. But that doesn’t sell as much. And it’s - no one likes to hear “hey, it’s so difficult because you’ve got extractive industries, you’ve got poverty, you’ve got rampant capitalism.” And then you’ve got other things that - frankly the fact that JD Vance has become our voice just pisses most of us off. In a way that is - so I’m a member of the Appalachian Studies Association and I think he’s been invited at least twice now and has yet to appear. I don’t know if it’s just that he - if it’s one of those - he just can’t fit it into his busy schedule. Strangely enough he’s still able to be on other networks and stuff. But anyway. JD Vance is - he’s not - he’s irritating.

MEGAN: These tropes that he’s reinforcing, it wasn’t just - they were persisting before him. If feels just kinda like - he’s bringing it into a national spotlight even more. Is that true?

PAUL: Yeah.

MEGEAN: Ok.

CARRIE: And it’s keeping it - it’s still perpetuating now. Everyone goes and interviews all these Trump supporters from the particular region and it’s all the same kind of - or at least intersecting tropes. It just keeps happening.

PAUL: Yes.

MEGAN: Right.

PAUL: And again, people in certain parts of Appalachia, their lives haven’t changed in 50 years. They’re worse off than their grandparents were. Or on par. Because of stagnant wages and with the decline of coal and the decline of timbering and things like that, certain industries are dying. And it IS sad. But at the same time, that’s not everybody. Some of the stories and the way that they’re written are so patronizing. That’s the thing that’s irritating. It’s like, “oh, we’re gonna go find some of the towns in West Virginia that have been decimated.” Because once the coalmines closed, people had to leave. If they didn’t have a way to make any more income. So they did leave. So some of these towns are hurting, and hurting badly. But, that’s not everybody. You don't see anyone rolling into Knoxville or to Chattanooga or to Asheville or to Lexington or other places that are thriving - Greenville, South Carolina, which is technically part - those cities are doing very well. And not just the cities, their suburbs, and you don’t get the stories from there of the successes that are going on. Or the thriving small towns that are making a difference. That’s the story that’s not told. And that part is sad and frustrating, because the region has been exploited for 300 years, particularly the last 150 years, and so much of its wealth and its beauty have left because of absentee ownership and other things that - it was almost - some writers have described it as an internal colony. Because so many of the resources were taken away and the riches produced weren’t reinvested back in the region. And there’s lots of reasons for that. The natural resources were taken but the people were not - they didn’t reap the benefits of that.

MEGAN: So do you think that that’s the biggest stereotype or misconception about people from the region is the impoverished kind of trope that’s -

PAUL: I think so. Normally - there’s kinda two big tropes. They’re sort of flip sides of each other, but you’ve got the degenerate hillbilly, poor, no shoes, no teeth. Shiftless, lazy. All of those. Then you also, on the flip side, sometimes when you say “Appalachia” people think tradition, it’s almost a positive thing, like “ooh, it’s pretty, traditional values” in some ways. So you get - sometimes there is some positive thing. They are obviously outweighed by the negative, but you can get this yin and this yang or this Janus idea of two sides. But if you were ever to google search “Appalachia”, and look at the images, for every 10 hillbillies there’s one “ooh, look how pretty”. Or you get these obviously all of the caricatures and stereotypes. So I think that that’s - the impoverished and the hillbilly, kinda go hand in hand. You do get some positive things, and those are - even in Vance’s book, he talked about the family togetherness and the independence. Some of those, even though as is portrayed in his book are negative, you can pull positive things from that. I guess I should - my small caveat, it’s not all negative in his book. Just mostly.

CARRIE: One of the words that you used in that discussion was “holler” which I definitely associate with Appalachia.

PAUL: Yes! Yes! I think it can be called a “hollow”, but if you say “hollow”, no one knows what you’re talking about. So it’s a “holler”. And it’s a - I don’t exactly know the strict definition of what a “holler” is. I can point some out to you but I don’t know.

CARRIE: I always interpret them as small valleys. But maybe I’m wrong.

PAUL: It’s a small, long valley that - usually there’s one way in but there’s land that’s arable and useable and people can live close or far. And usually as you’re going in, you’re going up too. So if you’re deep in a holler, you’re probably moving up the ridge.

CARRIE: Oh! That’s interesting.

MEGAN: It’s good that that was cleared up because I heard it and I was like “I don’t know what’s happening!”

CARRIE: The first time I ever heard the word was in - not Longmire. What’s that tv show about the federal agent. From Kentucky? Right? Tennessee?

PAUL: Justified?

CARRIE: Justified! The first time I ever heard that word, I think, was Justified. And I had to look it up.

PAUL: Yup. Now Justified is actually decent. I will say that’s a show that I can watch and reasonably enjoy. Obviously some of the bad guys are so over the top and it’s almost like, really? But for the most part it’s a reasonable display of the region. It’s obviously not perfect, but it’s pretty good. As far as-

MEGAN: What about the dialect?

PAUL: It’s decent. They did get a lot of extras from the region itself and so a lot of those are fairly good. Obviously, some of the stars aren’t necessarily from the region, so theirs is - most of the time, any time you get an actor and try to teach them, certain things’ll be really good. And then other things will be “meh”. It’s oftentimes like - the Southern accent just as a whole is hard, just because there’s a lot of nuance there. A really good version is Jude Law in Cold Mountain. A really terrible version is Jake Gyllenhaal in October Sky. I almost had to stop watching the movie. I’m like, “this is terrible.” Oh man. It was - he was giving it a decent try, but it’s like man. As linguists, we gotta do some more work. We gotta some work. Cuz it was not good. Not good at all.

CARRIE: What do you think people are judging when they judge you or other Appalachian speakers for their dialect?

PAUL: I think it’s two things. Obviously, first and foremost, you’re - we’re all raised in this culture, we’re all presented with these stereotypes, we’re presented with these ideas - because not everyone has experience with the region. And so just like most human things, we try to categorize. Based on what we’ve been told. If you are inundated with this idea of hillbilly and poor and backwards and Trump country to the nth degree, with a little sprinkling of very pretty and traditional and things like that. Which, some of those are even reinforced. I think that’s what we do, the same way that those of us who grew up in the region that may not have had any experience with New York or Boston or the Midwest, what do you have to default to, what have we absorbed from our culture. Some of that is positive about certain areas and some of it is also negative. Sadly for Appalachia, a lot of it is negative. We’re inundated with a lot of negativity, sprinkled with some positivity. But that’s what we default to cuz that’s the only thing we have. And of course we like black and white answers. We like good or not so good. But when something is complex and nuanced and there’s lots of gray and not just black and white that’s what people - so for example, people hear me sometimes, and they hear that I’m a PhD and I wear my shoes and I have my teeth, there’s some cognitive dissonance there, like, “what happened? Wait a minute, you’re not a blatant racist, or misogynist, or things like that. What do we do with that? And you’re not poor.” Not that I’m rich, but “you’re not dirt poor, living on a dirt floor.” It’s weird. I was on an athletic visit to New York City, and I was there and one of the guys was like, “hey man, so you’re from Tennessee!” And it was like, “yeah.” And he looked at me and said, “do you guys have phones there?”

CARRIE: HA!

PAUL: And I just kinda look at him and I said, “nope! We got two cans and a big long string.” But it was - granted, this is a guy that grew up in - I think he may have been from the Bronx - he had no notion. So the only thing that he had was the caricatures. And so he asked somebody literally in the year 2000 if they had phones. Which is obviously an absurd question. But it’s indicative of what did he - I was the first person from Tennessee that he knew that he had met. So what is he gonna do? He’s gonna default to what he’s been presented. And sadly that picture from a lot of pop culture and the cultural milieu is negative, and so that’s what he did. And of course back then I didn’t have any notion of how to answer this so I also proceeded to insult him about New York and thoity-thoid street and things like that. Again that was my first trip to New York so I had to default to my stereotypes too. That’s not my proudest moment, but that's just being transparent.

CARRIE: Well sometimes when you’re put in these situations, you just don't know how to respond.

PAUL: Exactly.

CARRIE: I wouldn’t have known.

PAUL: I was 17 so I really didn’t have a lot of world experience in how to navigate something like that. Although I will say I do have one funny story about a guy, a good friend of mine. He’s probably the smartest guy I know. He’s an agricultural engineer and he’s basically figured out ways for us to feed to the whole world, this is what he does. We were at this McDonald’s, we were on a trip and we were coming back from Saint Louis. I don’t really remember where we were. But we weren’t very close to home. My friend has a pretty pronounced Appalachian accent. He just lets it fly cuz that’s who he is and that’s who he wants to be. He ordered his food. And this guy behind him starts laughing. Then my friend turns around and says, “can I help you?” And the guy said, “what rock did you crawl out from under?”

CARRIE: Oh my god.

PAUL: And my buddy - he’s so funny, he’s so quick with this - I don’t know how - but he’s like, “let me ask you something. Do you know what an algorithm is?” And the guy’s like, “uh, no.” He said, “can you tell me what a derivative is?” And he’s like, “no.” He said, “I didn’t think so.” He said, “just cuz my mouth move slow, doesn’t mean my mind does. But apparently yours does.” And then he walked off. And it was kinda like - that was-

CARRIE: Wow.

PAUL: Terrible and amazing at the same time. Both really insulted and then I’m like, “dude, that’s like the best comeback I’ve ever heard and how did you think of that?” And he just walks with his tray and sits down. He’s like, “*sigh* we get all kinds.” And it was funny cuz he was not really upset after that, and I was like, “wow.” But what did that guy - what was his stereotype. It was, if you hear someone talking like that, they’re from so far country, so deep in the country that they live under a rock. That’s what he defaulted to. It was a really just eye opening - it’s kinda like - I wanted to be his yes man but I didn’t really know what to say so I’m like, “YEAH.”

CARRIE: TAKE THAT.

PAUL: That’s my friend!

CARRIE: Yeah. One of the things that I hear a lot is that people from the South and Appalachia, they talk lazy.

PAUL: Oh yes.

CARRIE: Can you explain why it’s not lazy.

PAUL: So it’s not lazy because no native speaker speaks lazily. It’s just sort of like that’s - it’s funny because what it is is typically Southern vowels - there’s this thing called the Southern drawl and what happens is some vowels get lengthened and they change a little bit over the articulation. So you get something like, “fri-end” /fɹeɛnd/. So what happens, is where most places would be “friend” /fɹɛnd/, that middle vowel stays roughly the same as you say it. But in the South it’ll change over time. Even though the speaking rate isn’t any different, you get the perception of more or longer because it’s changing over time. So when people get that, they’re like, “oh they talk slower.” And you get the rationale, because it’s hot. Because it’s humid. No one wants to move fast. But at the same time, when something is done slower you think, “why are they doing it slower?” They’re just not as fast or they have ability but they’re choosing not to. Typically, usually, stems from that. There’ve been some studies that look at speaking rate at various places and everyone speaks roughly, on the average, roughly the same speed. There are obviously fast speakers in the South and there are slow speakers in the South, same as there are fast speakers in the Midwest and there are slow speakers in the Midwest. Because of that perception, particularly the vowels, that usually - and then also the same thing, the canonical, the caricature, the monophthonization of “I”. That also gives you the percept of being longer, even though it’s the same amount of time, it gives you the percept of being longer for the opposite reason: you’re expecting it to change and it doesn’t. So you’re like, “oh, that person just isn’t raising their tongue because they are choosing not to because they’re lazy or it’s hot or humid or something.” I think that’s probably where it stems from.

CARRIE: Thank you. I agree. It’s just good to have a phonetician actually explain it, rather than me.

PAUL: You can always say, “you know, everyone speaks roughly the same rate. There are faster and slower people. But on the average, everyone’s roughly the same.” Cuz we’re still understandable, no one’s lazy. It’s not like it takes that much effort to move your tongue. We just have a different system.

CARRIE: Yeah. Thank you. Alright do we have any other questions, Megan?

MEGAN: I don’t think so. Do you have any last words or anything that you would really wish our listeners - which, I mean, we have listeners on the Ivory Coast, so.

PAUL: Yeah!

MEGAN: Anything you would want them to know about the region or about the dialect?

PAUL: Sure. It’s a region that is - it’s very complex. It’s one of those that are - there are some of the greatest people. There are some traditions that are still maintained. There’s a lot of complexity. It’s a region that’s very beautiful. I am completely biased in that assessment, but I’m ok with that. It’s beautiful, the people are some of the finest people you could meet. The language is - it’s creative, it’s playful. It’s a way that people have connections to their roots. Because of the idioms, some of the stories. The Jack Tales. The creativity of the language evokes an earlier time. Even though it’s a completely modern instantiation of the language, it does have some evocative features of an earlier time. But it is - it’s awesome. It’s glorious. Please come. See it. Meet people, shake their hands, hear their stories. Make your own opinion. Don’t listen to everyone in the media. Make your own opinion.

CARRIE: Can I ask you what a Jack story is?

PAUL: Oh so a Jack Tale. Like Jack and the Beanstalk.

CARRIE: Oh.

PAUL: Where it’s about Jack and normally Jack is little scamp. He gets into mischief and finds his way - usually through his own intuition, finds his way out. That’s the most famous version of Jack and the Beanstalk. But there are all of these Jack Tales that everyone hears growing up. Every holler and pocket and region has their own variations on the Jack Tales. That’s one of the other stereotypes, is that Appalachians are storytellers. Which, that one is pretty true. I know lots of people and they can tell some really good stories. I guess we’ll accept that one. It’s tales about Jack. He usually gets in some kind of trouble and figures his way out. There’s mixes of magic and fantasy and stuff. But some of them are also very down to earth. He’s supposed to go do something and decides not to and how is he gonna make it up to his parents. Some things like that. Some thing that can be magic beans that grow up to this giant thing in the sky to he went to the swimming hole rather than doing his chores, something like that.

CARRIE: That’s cool. Ok, thank you so much!

PAUL: Thank you all very much. This was great.

MEGAN: Thank you so so much.

CARRIE: Yeah, this was really great.

MEGAN: It was. I learned everything. Cuz again I had lived in Arizona my entire life. So I have not been to Appalachia.

PAUL: Well you are more than welcome to-

MEGAN: I look forward to it.

PAUL: We can send you an Appalachian card, so that way you’re accepted as one of our own.

MEGAN: Yes! Well I say Appalachia /æpəlɑʧə/.

PAUL: Yes. You are in. You’re in.

MEGAN: Yes.

CARRIE: I have been to Nashville, at least.

PAUL: There you go. Nice. Nice.

CARRIE: It was really nice!

PAUL: Go get some hot chicken.

CARRIE: I didn’t eat any hot chicken. I did buy some hot chicken spice though, so I can make it on my non-chicken food.

PAUL: Oh there you go. There you go.

MEGAN: We always end our show with our tagline, which is: Don’t be an asshole! Because that is the message - if you haven’t heard it.

CARRIE: Yeah. Do not be an asshole!

PAUL: Right!

MEGAN: Thank you so much.

PAUL: Thanks guys.

CARRIE: Thanks again.

PAUL: You’re welcome, thank you.

MEGAN: Bye

CARRIE: K, bye!

MUSIC: O' be joyful Is that what you're brewing Does your daddy know that's what you're doing His little girl's got a reputation out for ruin She was givin' them the country away

Machete in the tree stub, hound dog on the chain Wooden-legged woman playin' a banjo in the rain. Can't recall the tune but the song's always the same "Jesus give me strength"

But babe, it's alright I'm gonna wrap you up tonight, Carry you out right on time

CARRIE: The Vocal Fries Podcast is produced by Chris Ayers for Halftone Audio. Theme music by Nick Granum. You can find us on Tumblr, Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @vocalfriespod. You can email us at vocalfriespod@gmail.com.

[pomrania]

Mandarin journal, week 1

(week 0) (week 2)

((For context: this semester I’m taking a course in subsequent language acquisition, and I’m also taking an introductory course on the Mandarin language. I’m recording my experience in the latter, for the benefit of the former.))

Apparently each new subject requires a blood sacrifice, to function successfully. This one took the form of a nosebleed I had while freaking out during the introductory part of the class. (Not as bad as it seems. I've gotten chronic nosebleeds since I was a little kid, and they can be triggered by crying. Which I was, but in a bolt hole I'd previously located for precisely that purpose, a place to hide when everything gets overwhelming. Besides, there was nothing important happening at that point, just the standard "no plagiarism" stuff you get at the beginning of every course.)

First, bookkeeping. It was put to a vote, and the class decided to have stuff from 5-8, with one break, as opposed to 5-9, with three breaks. This means I'm less likely to be sleepy-tired, but more likely to be boredom-tired. I don't know how that'll go for me, but there's nothing I can do to change it so I'll deal.

On the subject of books, I need to buy the textbooks. I don't do that before the first lecture, because sometimes they aren't needed, but they will be for this course. I'll be buying them tomorrow, because I'm not going to the uni today.

Now, the prof. She's a China native, who started learning English at like 13 or 15. She has a noticeable accent, but I can still understand everything she says (in English). That bit is important: if you can't easily understand someone, it's hard to learn from them. She got her degree in Business, and also studied in Paris for some time. She's had the experience of learning new languages and new cultures (France and Canada).

Due to her own experiences, she explicitly made it her goal to teach us about Chinese culture as well. This is not particularly of interest to me, seeing as how I hate to travel and have no intention of leaving Canada in the future, but it may be useful when dealing with immigrants or visitors from China.

One thing I especially liked about her, is that she said we would never speak perfect Mandarin -- everyone in the class is at least university-aged, and thus past whenever the critical period for language acquisition might be -- but that's okay. She doesn't speak perfect English, but she can function enough in anglophone Canadian society.

(It's now been most of the day since I started writing this, because I was busy and then I was tired and then I forgot.)

Apparently we ARE going to be doing Chinese characters -- I think they're called hanzi? -- in this course, I'd thought that was only the next course. But like, I've a bit of a background in Japanese, so that's not really threatening to me.

When she was introducing the various sounds, she played a recording from the text a few times, and had us repeat that sound after the recorded bit; then after that, she'd go through the written sounds herself, and have us say that sound all together. I did not find that as helpful as it could have been, although I understand why she did it that way. When everyone else is saying something, I can't hear what sound I myself am making, and if it's accurate; it takes less time than having everyone do it individually, and doesn't put people on the spot, but still.

Speaking of sounds, I can't distinguish like half of the non-English fricatives, I can only reproduce them by accident, and the vowel which pinyin represents by E, that sounds more like L than a vowel when pronounced by itself. I'll need to look up the IPA and phonetic properties for a bunch of these sounds, so I have a way of mentally tagging them; because once I can tag something, I can remember more of it.

We were given some “classroom expressions” to learn. Again, this took the form of her playing the recording from the text, where a guy says the English and then the Mandarin, and having us repeat the Mandarin after the recording. This was... of varying success. Short phrases, like two or maybe three syllables, I could repeat quite well. Anything longer than that, I struggled with, because that’s a REAL test of your super-short-term memory: remembering not just a string of meaningless-to-you syllables, but ones where you don’t even have the SOUNDS in your own language. And like, it just went on in a list. I think it would have been more helpful to repeat something a bit before going on to the next item; like, instead of A-B-C-D, have it be A-A-B-B-C-C-D-D. That’d give me more opportunity to “feel” the phrase, before moving on to something else that’d overwhelm me.

After we did that a few times, and I was getting frustrated because dammit my memory is not optimized for holding that much meaningless-to-me stuff in it at a time, she put up a slide with both the Chinese characters and the pinyin, and also the English equivalent. That was INCREDIBLY helpful to me. I’m attuned to the written word, and when I can look at something, I don’t have to memorize it. Although I think it was better doing the audio-only for a bit before that, because it forced me to pay attention to what it ACTUALLY sounded like, instead of what I think that letter combination SHOULD sound like.

I don’t know how well I actually pronounced them. She said I did good, but she said that to everyone who volunteered to say the phrases from the slides. And I know from previous language courses, that if you’re 95% good with pronunciation, you’ll get the same amount of correction as someone who’s only 35% good. (Example from German, which I did well in: the prof would correct me if I put the stress on the wrong syllable, but she spent the same amount of time correcting this one guy who couldn’t reliably tell the difference between “ie” and “ei” after three years taking the language.) Again, I know why a prof would do this, but it’s still frustrating to not have reliable feedback. There’s “good job” as in “it’s good that you’re willing to speak in class and make mistakes, that’s a mindset that will let you improve” and then there’s “good job” as in “you were mostly correct in what you did”; both are important, both are useful, both would occur in this same context, and I have no idea which is which.

One thing I do know, is that I spoke those phrases with confidence and without hesitation. Listen: I’ve read so much sci-fi and fantasy, MOST of my books include “novel words” that I wouldn’t have come across before, like almost every character name. If words are short enough that I can easily parse their syllable structure, and they have sufficient vowels in them, I blather off a whole page full of words I have no idea what if anything they might mean. I... don’t know if this is actually a useful skill when it comes to learning a language.

Currently, I don’t feel worried about this course. It’ll be tough going to memorize words and phrases, that bit is always annoying for me, but I can do this. My biggest worry is that I’ll forget to work on this stuff on days when I don’t have the class, so I’ll have not learned stuff by the time the next class comes around; but that isn’t specific to Mandarin, or even to languages courses, rather it’s a problem I commonly have for anything.

[aqualoading948]

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Aug 30 2017

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[homesdirect365uk]

Ottoman, Hassock, Footstool, or Pouf?

When it comes to getting your home looking great, there's nothing like accessories to add flair and style. But finding the right piece to fit your design and budget can be a challenge. Take your living room, for example. Everything is in place; you're happy with the main furniture, the drapes, curtains, or blinds. The paintwork or wallpaper looks stunning. The flooring is perfect, whether rug, carpet, wood, or tile. But it feels like there's something lacking. An open space in the central area that could do with something to fill it. So, what should you buy that will complete the look?

Something that won't detract from the design you've cultivated. Something practical, yet stylish. Perhaps you have a coffee table already, but there's a sense that the space around it doesn't flow as well as it should. It may be that you are looking for more comfort, perhaps a footrest of some kind. And here's where you might need some assistance. Do you go for a footstool, an ottoman, a pouf, or a hassock? Are all these one and the same? Maybe to some people. So let's try to bring some clarity to the issue.

Highgrove Storage Ottoman

Round Deep Buttoned Fabric Pouffe

Grey Buffalo hassock Pouffe

A rose by any other name...

'What's in a name?' as they say. Wouldn't it be great if we all called things by the same name? Well, it might be simpler, but maybe a little dull. But that doesn't help when it comes to making choices when buying things - like furniture. Consider your couch. Or your sofa. Or your chaise longe. Maybe you call it a settee, or even a settle? These are basically the same thing, but sometimes with subtle differences. It all comes down to things like locality, upbringing, and even culture.

When choosing an accessory on which to place your feet whilst sitting in your favorite seat, the name can be important. You might look for a footstool, but is that what you really wanted? What about an ottoman? How many people would consider a hassock or a pouf? And do you know the difference?

To some, this might not be an issue. But to the sensible, discerning buyer who really cares, and wants their home to look the best it can, this does matter.

If you're one of those people, then this guide is for you.

The Liberty Collection Set Of Two Blanket Boxes / Ottomans

The Ottoman

A rather grand-sounding name for what is essentially a storage box. Taking its name from the mighty empire that ruled vast areas of Europe, Asia, and North Africa for about 600 years, this was originally a wooden platform covered with large, soft cushions. They had no arms or back and formed the main seating area within the home - very different from the idea of seating in the west. Its exotic appearance appealed to the 'civilized' westerners who came across it, taking the idea back home with them. As the trend spread westward, the design evolved to suit more European tastes.

This type of seating was often found in clubs, museums, and other public spaces, often set around poles or pillars. Some examples had a central arm that divided the seat in half or a recess in which plants could be set. Over the course of the 19th-century people began to experiment with the shape, introducing circular or octagonal ottomans. As with most fashions and trends, they became a 'must-have' for anyone who was anyone. This is nicely illustrated by the fact that the very first mention of an ottoman in the English language was written by none other than the 3rd American president, Thomas Jefferson.

This furniture accessory was often set in the bedroom, where it served as a handy place to store linen as well as creating a 'lounge' space. Unhelpfully, because these tended to be larger items of furniture used for storage, the name then came to describe plain wooden chests - especially in the British Isles.

These days, however, an ottoman is generally regarded as a small, rectangular, fully-upholstered stool with a hinged lid. They are hollow, allowing for storage, but usually strong enough to be sat on. Most are covered completely and are over-stuffed, and they can come with or without legs.

Large Square Velvet Ottoman

Should I buy an ottoman?

If you want something rigid, practical, and that is completely upholstered, then this could be what you are looking for. The range is immense, and quality (as with most things) differs greatly. But there are many hundreds of beautiful examples to choose from. They can be on the heavy side but are basically portable - but take care when it is full! Some furniture suites include a matching ottoman. but sometimes a deliberate difference in fabric adds a touch of sophistication.

While it can be used as a footstool, it is better used as extra seating. Some people place a tray on top so that it doubles as a coffee table. While this is handy, you'd need to be certain that it is secure enough not to cause a hazard.

Obviously, the more it is used, the more likely it will wear out over time. Re-upholstery can be on the expensive side - even more so if you need it to match your other fabrics.

If you select one that has feet or legs, take care when positioning it within your home. If set within a 'high-traffic' area, there is a good chance that someone will stub a toe on that solid wood. And if it has already been filled it will be heavier, adding to the pain of the encounter.

Blue Buffalo Hassock Pouffe

The Hassock

To the more religious-minded, the word hassock may invoke memories of kneeling to pray in church. Those little rectangular cushions, often decorated with biblical emblems and scriptures have saved many a pious knee from pain.

But the term, like so many other words in the English language, has suffered changes in its meaning over the centuries. Originally, in the 10th century, it referred to a clump of grass, usually in marshy ground. How it then evolved to refer to a stool or kneeling-cushion is anyone's guess, but that is precisely what happened.

An alternative word - tuffet - was also used, and very occasionally still is, mostly in the United Kingdom. This is the word that appears in the nursery rhyme 'Little Miss Muffet', describing the seating arrangements of the unfortunate arachnophobe. The fact that she was seated gives a clue to the original meaning of both terms. Illustrations for the nursery rhyme depict her either sat on a low, grassy hump, or on a small stool.

So, is a hassock (or tuffet) the same as an ottoman? And in today's world are they seats or footstools?

In general, a hassock (as a piece of furniture) tends to be smaller than an ottoman. Though both tend to be upholstered, the main difference between the two is that a hassock does not have storage. They are always upholstered and can come with or without legs.

Light Brown Hassock Pouffe

Do I want a hassock?

If you don't need the extra storage, then perhaps a hassock is the way to go. It will be easier to move around, as it will be smaller and not stuffed with magazines, books, and suchlike. Depending on how firm the surface of the cushion is (not too firm, as it won't be very comfortable!) you may even use it as a handy side-table for remotes, glasses, and all the paraphernalia that makes your life easier.

Aside from the lack of storage, another potential downside may be the smaller size, as well as the fact that hassocks rarely come as part of a suite. You will need to select your hassock very carefully to find one that will complement your furniture and not clash with the existing patterns.

Also, some models tend to be less sturdy and not quite as comfortable as an ottoman.

Round Diamonte Silver Pouffe

The Pouf

To add to the fun, this can also be spelled, pouffe. Both words come from the French bouffer, which means 'to puff'. This described anything from hairstyles to clothes, to a large, cushion-like footstool. You can easily see how it came by its name, as these cushions tend to be

Once again, the word pouf is sometimes used to describe an ottoman. But the two are completely different, in spite of the best efforts of furniture to confuse the issue by mixing the names. There are even listings for ottoman poufs. But this is surely a ruse to capture more online custom rather than a helpful description.

A pouf (or pouffe, occasionally pronounced pooh-fay to add flair) is not for storage. Although it can have a solid base or feet, it is generally a square or cylindrical cushion, used as a footstool or a seat. In more recent years these were replaced by bean-bags, which tend to be on the larger and softer side, whereas the pouf mostly served as a footrest.

Round Pink Fabric Pouffe

Round Navy Fabric Pouffe

Is a pouf right for my home?

These are probably the most portable of the three, as well as the cheaper option. They can be as simple or as stylish as you wish but bear in mind that they have a more casual look than either an ottoman or a hassock. Also, you are unlikely to find one that will match your furniture exactly. Being lightweight, they can be moved around without any trouble, but they are not really suitable as a side table.

A good, solid ottoman or hassock can conceivably provide extra seating when you are entertaining. A pouf, however, will probably not be firm or comfortable enough for sitting on for any length of time.

Conclusion

We have seen that an ottoman, a hassock, and a pouf can all be described as footstools. However, each of them is distinctly different from the other.

While the ottoman offers a classy look that's practical and comfortable, it will probably be the more expensive of the three. Its heaviness (especially when full) may go against it in terms of portability, but it does offer a sturdy alternative if an extra seat is required. There is a chance you could get one to match your existing suite of furniture, or you can use your clever interior design skills to find one that compliments it.

The hassock doesn't have the storage capabilities but is generally lighter and therefore easier to move. You would be lucky to find one upholstered in the same pattern as your suite, but this doesn't mean that you won't be able to source one that will blend in. In fact, some talented interior designers use a mix of patterns as a theme in itself. It can be used for sitting on, although, being generally smaller than an ottoman, it might be better suited for kids.

Finally, the pouf - the cheapest and most portable of the three. You'd be more likely to find these in a home that offers a more casual atmosphere, though this doesn't mean they can't look good. They make a comfortable footstool but they may tend to sag over time. This makes them unsuitable for extra seating as they don't offer the support that an ottoman or hassock does, even though they don't have a back or arms.

We have the world of the Internet to thank for much of the confusion regarding the names, not helped by the fact that names and meanings often change over the years. Search online for an ottoman, and you'll most likely find results that read 'ottoman pouf floor cushion bean bag', and so on.

This is designed purely to ensure that you find that page, using a range of terms that might offer a match.

But now you know the difference between an ottoman, hassock, and pouf. And armed with this knowledge you can make an informed decision, to add the finishing touches to the look and feel of your home. So, whether it's just for casual comfort, a handy place to store things, or classic style with a practical side, you can choose with confidence.

If you would like to check out our full range of Pouffes, Footstools, Stools & Ottomans etc then check out the links below...

French Stools https://www.homesdirect365.co.uk/french-furniture-c487/bedroom-c562/stools-c1847

French Footstools & Pouffes https://www.homesdirect365.co.uk/french-furniture-c487/seating-c1211/footstools-pouffe-c2041

Mirrored Stools https://www.homesdirect365.co.uk/mirrored-furniture-c3022/stools-c3049

Modern Stools https://www.homesdirect365.co.uk/contemporary-modern-furniture-c2050/bedroom-furniture-c2051/stools-c2071

Teak & Driftwood Stools https://www.homesdirect365.co.uk/contemporary-modern-furniture-c2050/driftwood-teak-furniture-c2804/stools-c2810

Industrial Chairs & Stools https://www.homesdirect365.co.uk/contemporary-modern-furniture-c2050/industrial-c2117/chairs-stools-c3074

Modern Blanket Boxes & Ottomans https://www.homesdirect365.co.uk/contemporary-modern-furniture-c2050/bedroom-furniture-c2051/blanket-boxes-ottomans-c2067

Ottoman, Hassock, Footstool, or Pouf? is courtesy of Homes Direct 365 French Furniture

[marymosley]

Stay Calm and Pasty On: How A Small Virginia Shop Is Keeping The Lifeline Of Cornish Pasties Flowing

Below is my column in BBC.com on The Pure Pasty, a lifeline for many of us who love the Cornish pasty and English items like Digestives. When this column ran, I heard from many readers in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan noting that they also have a tradition of pasties. I have personal knowledge of those Michigan pasties from my youth. They were in fact the first pasties that I ever tasted. I would regularly go backpacking at Isle Royale in the Upper Peninsula and I would stop in Hancock for pasties on the way to the island. I believe the establishment was called Jean Kays. The embracing of pasties in the Upper Peninsula was no accident. In Cornwall, pasties were developed by miners as an easy way to bring lunch meats into the mines. The notes from folks in Michigan brought back a flood of crusty but still warm memories.

Here is the column (thank you Mike Burgess for some of the pictures):

The famous Greek physician Hippocrates once said “let food be thy medicine.” In a pandemic, that means comfort foods that transcend feelings of isolation and desolation.

For Anglophiles living near Washington, DC, there is an island of normalcy amidst the uncertainty of life under lockdown. A refuge where one can indulge in such quintessentially English delights as Cadbury’s eggs, McVities digestive biscuits and, of course, the eponymous pasty.

Most Americans are unfamiliar with that Cornish delight. Indeed, you have to be careful to pronounce your love for “PAST-eez” rather than “PAY-stees” or your neighbours will think that you frequent strip joints.

But the flaky handheld meat pie is a staple of British cuisine, earning mentions in Shakespeare. The version we eat today was popularised in the 19th Century in Cornwall, in the southwest of England, amongst labourers who appreciated the portability of this filling lunchtime treat.

So how did the Pure Pasty shop make its way to Vienna, Virginia?

Founder Mike Burgess, 58, says he suffered something like a midlife crisis when he quit his job in IT in his 40s. But while most middle-aged men buy a sports car or take up surfing, Burgess took every dime he had and decided to open a pasty shop across the sea.

Born in Nantwich, Chester, Burgess had heard from his mates that they could not find a pasty in the States to save their soul. Seeing a demand without a supply, he set out to learn how to make the perfect pasty with the same focus as someone venturing on a spiritual journey.

Rather than going to an ashram, Burgess went to Cornwall to learn the essence of the pasty. He continued to work on his technique, even using a local pub in Kent as a laboratory for his culinary creations.

He moved to the United States in 2009 and a year later opened his own shop, with the help of another ex-pat, Nicola Willis-Jones. From Yorkshire, Willis-Jones had once cooked for the Queen as a member of the Air Force but had relocated to the US and was longing for English cuisine.

Shortly before he opened, she rang him and offered her services. She was hired on the spot and he credits her for helping him developing the recipes and for perfecting the crust.

Since then, ex-pats and displaced Brits have flocked to the little shop in Vienna to get their fix of pasties and other English groceries, from British back bacon to Balson’s bangers to Branston’s pickles.

But Burgess would not truly earn the title of “perfect pasty” until he returned to Cornwall to compete in the World Pasty Championship – the Olympics of pasties. In 2018, he shocked the pasty world by winning the top prize – the first for an American pasty shop.

His win, in the open savoury category for his barbeque chicken pasty, caused an uproar over his unconventional use of the ingredient pineapple.

Many denounced the notion as wholly non-traditional, if not heretical. Making matters worse, a local shop had jokingly entered a pastry in the shape of a pineapple. In the ensuring hoopla over the “Hawaiian Pasty,” people assumed that the pineapple pastry was his winning pasty. He received tongue-in-check messages of possible riots and even a threat by one pasty aficionado to secede from Cornwall.

Pineapples aside, Burgess won again in 2019 again in the open savoury category. In 2020, it grabbed the silver medal with a near perfect score of 97 out of 100 points.

These days, Burgess worries about his family and friends back in England. He wants his fellow Brits to hold firm and to know that they will come through this together on both sides of the ocean.

In the meantime, he is committed to keeping the pasties flowing as his way to remaining unbowed to this virus.

With the chronic shortage of toilet paper and sanitisers due to panic buying, Burgess will not allow hoarding of pasties. He limits purchases to just eight per customer for curbside pickup.

Locked in a home with one’s children for a couple months, a supply of pasties is essential. Indeed, it should be listed under the Defense Production Act for pandemic necessities.

After all, pasties have long been featured in history’s most trying times. When Falstaff seeks to comfort weary travellers in The Merry Wives of Windsor, what does he offer with the ale “to drink down all unkindness”? Venison pasties, of course.

In our own unkind times, pasties serve the same Falstaffian function for all wanting a taste of normalcy.

As an American who fell in love with pasties and digestives when visiting England, The Pure Pasty converted my family faster than Beckham could bend it.

Returning with our precious load, the kids eagerly grabbed their favourite pasties from Leslie’s Moroccan Lamb to Madie’s Chicken Masala to Aidan’s Chicken Cordon Bleu to Jack’s Traditional Beef. We sat in reverential silence; each alone with his or her pasty panacea.

After all, there are some things that simply transcend words.

As Parolles stated in Shakespeare’s All’s Well That Ends Well, “if ye pinch me like a pasty, I can say no more”.

Jonathan Turley is a legal analyst for the BBC and the Shapiro Professor of Public Interest Law at George Washington University

P.S.: Here are some of the photos of the staff and shop of The Pure Pasty from Mike Burgess.

Stay Calm and Pasty On: How A Small Virginia Shop Is Keeping The Lifeline Of Cornish Pasties Flowing published first on https://immigrationlawyerto.tumblr.com/

[nexusradiodance]

Felix Jaehn: Don’t Worry, Be Happy.

Felix Jaehn Interview.

Ever since he charted at number one in more than fifty-five countries with his remix of OMI’s Cheerleader, the platinum-selling DJ and music producer Felix Jaehn whose real name is Felix Kurt Jähn has captured the attention of the international Electronic Dance Music community.

Jaehn, who started his DJ career at only age sixteen and has now accrued more than 2 billion streams (and counting), has made him one of the most sought-after DJs in 2019. His last single So Close, a collaboration with the Swedish duo NOTD, songstress Georgia Ku and Los Angeles-based trio Captain Cuts continues to simmer at mainstream Top-40 pop radio.

The German producer was recently in the BPM Supreme-Nexus Lounge Miami during Miami Music Week to promote his latest single with Alok and The Vamps called All the Lies. And he was very impressed with Nexus Radio host Adam Turner’s pronunciation of his last-name.

Adam Turner: This is Adam Turner here in the Nexus Lounge in Miami on Miami Beach and I’m joined by Felix Jaehn, how are you?

Felix Jaehn: Hey Man, what’s up? Thanks for having me.

Adam Turner: Did I pronounce your surname right?

Felix Jaehn: You did, I’m quite impressed. Like, there aren’t that many people who get it right [laughs].

Adam Turner: Is it German?

Felix Jaehn: It is German. We have the […], “a” with two dots on top of it. You don’t have that in the English language. That’s why a lot of people get confused.

Adam Turner: Where in Germany you from?

Felix Jaehn: I’m from Hamburg originally and now I live even further north by the sea in like a really small village, literally 80 people live there.

Adam Turner: So, how is your Miami (going)?

View this post on Instagram

I whisper it slow #AllTheLies

A post shared by FELIX JAEHN (@felixjaehn) on Mar 26, 2019 at 8:38am PDT

Felix Jaehn: It’s great. I love it. It’s actually the first time I’m in the warmth this year. I’ve been in Europe most of the time this year and it’s been freezing, so I’m enjoying the sun. I’m enjoying wearing shorts and I’ve actually been to the beach as well. The first day we got here, I woke up jet lagged at 6:00 AM and I called my photographer. I was like, ‘sorry to wake you up, but let’s go to the beach, watch the sunrise, take some epic shots and go for a swim.’ It was beautiful.

Adam Turner: Amazing. I mean, you’re not going to get that much of a chance to do that in Germany, so why not do it while you’re in Miami. How long are you here for? Are you here all week?

Felix Jaehn: I’m leaving on Friday, so tomorrow.

New Music.

Adam Turner: Are you going to play anywhere?

Felix Jaehn: I did an appearance together with Alok who’s also going to be here in a bit. We have a single out together, it’s called All The Lies, so that’s why I came basically, to promote that record.

Adam Turner: Fantastic. Let’s jump straight in. I’ve got five questions for you. So, what are the five essential things that you carry in your DJ bag?

View this post on Instagram

Back in my studio! First writing camp of the year starts today

#excitedface

A post shared by FELIX JAEHN (@felixjaehn) on Jan 13, 2019 at 1:30am PST

Felix Jaehn: USB sticks, headphones, ear-savers (ear plugs), […] a generation of MacBook that I need a USBC to USB adapter [laughs]. It’s always in there.

Adam Turner: It sounds like a big bag [laughs].

Felix Jaehn: That’s just four (items on the list) though, isn’t it?

Adam Turner: Sorry. Yeah, you’re right. One more.

Felix Jaehn: ..and then (pause), that’s it. That’s all I need (pause) really [laughs]. I just need four things.

Adam Turner: What is your favorite Emoji?

Felix Jaehn: My favorite Emoji at the moment is the rocket. Because that’s like my vibe, let’s go to the top!

Adam Turner: I like it!

Felix Jaehn: Let’s skyrocket! Let’s go to the top!

Don’t Worry, Be Happy.

Jaehn, who came out publicly as bi-sexual to a German newspaper recently, shared a few words to live by “Don’t worry, be happy.”

View this post on Instagram

Back then I spent weeks looking for the right music for my birthday party with thirty friends. I knew exactly what time I wanted to play each song. I thought about how to build the vibe so my friends would hopefully dance. Today I still do the same. For thirty thousand sometimes! This pic just made me remember how far I've come. It's over nine years ago… but I still have the same passion!

A post shared by FELIX JAEHN (@felixjaehn) on Dec 19, 2018 at 5:41am PST

Adam Turner: If you had a time machine, Felix, where would you go? Which decade would you go back to?

Felix Jaehn: I think I wouldn’t go back.

Adam Turner: You’re going to go in the rocket forward?

Felix Jaehn: No, I was going to say I wouldn’t go back very far. I think I would go back to my childhood actually.

Adam Turner: When was that?

Felix Jaehn: I would go back like 15 years ago now, when I was like nine years old and just tell this little kid that everything’s gonna be okay, and don’t worry, and just be happy.

View this post on Instagram

I had a chat with @attitudemag!

'Before releasing and touring his debut studio album, I, Felix finally took a break from his hectic schedule and decided the time had come to come out publicly as bisexual. Inspired by contempories like Troye Sivan and Olly Alexander, he did so in February this year, telling a German newspaper he was ready to find "the person I want to share my life with, man or woman.“ Nine months on from that announcement, Attitude's Will Stroude caught up with Felix […] to find out how his life has changed for him since, and how the search for Miss or Mister Right is going…'

A post shared by FELIX JAEHN (@felixjaehn) on Nov 4, 2018 at 2:43am PST

Adam Turner: Who do you stalk the most on Instagram?

Felix Jaehn: I don’t know. Who do I stalk? I don’t really stalk people. Like, there must be someone (thinking that) I ‘stalk’ right? Like, nobody believes me [laughs]. I must say, I don’t stalk [laughs].

Adam Turner: You know, when you hand over your phone to someone like ‘oh! Look at this on Instagram’ and they look at the who like the top follower is…

Felix Jaehn: Let me see who’s on top right now. It’s usually the artist that I collaborate with at the moment because I want to stay up to date with what they’re doing. I don’t use Instagram privately a lot because…..yeah, it’s NOTD at the moment, we have a song out together, it’s called So Close. There you go! [laughs]

Adam Turner: Oh! By the way, that’s an amazing record! I’m a big fan of it, it’s really good. I heard it on the radio in L.A. just last week.

Felix Jaehn: Sick! I heard it on the Uber here last night and I was really happy. Like, I asked the Uber driver ‘Do you like this song?’ I went all in.

Adam Turner: Last one (question) on the Take 5. What career path do you think you would have gone down if you didn’t do music?

Felix Jaehn: I would have gone down a business career path, but I think I would’ve realized quite soon that it’s not the right thing for me to do because I would have done it just because that’s what my parents do.

And if music [does not] work out anymore at some point, which I don’t believe (so) because I’m doing great, and I have so much music coming up, and I don’t want to stop. But I would like to become a youth care worker at some point, and just work with kids and hopefully inspire them and share my values and all of that.

2017, Sorry, 2019 And Beyond.

Adam Turner: That’s fantastic! That’s Take 5, now tell me, what is 2017 (look like)? You’ve got a track out of the moment…

Felix Jaehn: 2017? Is that your time-machine vibes still going on [laughs].

Adam Turner: I don’t know why I did that, what is ….

Felix Jaehn: Why would you like to go back to 2017? What happened that year that you love it so, so much? [laughs]

Adam Turner: That year was quite good for me. I was happy with that (year)…. 2019, what’s going on for you this year?

Felix Jaehn: It’s a lot of music basically. Like last year… everybody always says line [laughs].

Adam Turner: Yeah, they do.

View this post on Instagram

Back in my studio! First writing camp of the year starts today

#excitedface

A post shared by FELIX JAEHN (@felixjaehn) on Jan 13, 2019 at 1:30am PST

Felix Jaehn: But last year [I was] songwriting so, so much. I’ve been to L.A. for two weeks, London two weeks, Stockholm two weeks. I do songwriting camps at my little village in Germany and I invite songwriters to come over.

And, what’s new for me? I’m also co-writing all the songs and I’m involved with (lyrically). Even though I’m a DJ-producer, I try to make the songs as personal as possible. So, my next single is going to be about self-love for example. All those things that [were] going on in my head growing up […] I try to bring them into my songs and share the vibes.

He’ll Be Back.

Adam Turner: Fantastic, that sounds great. Are you going on the road? Are you deejaying? [Where] are you playing?

Felix Jaehn: Yeah, I’m playing a lot. I’m actually going to Dubai next week, then it’s Tokyo, Bali coming up. A lot of European shows, then there’s actually some U.S. shows confirmed already as well: San Francisco, Las Vegas. And in September, we just blocked off the entire month to do a U.S. Tour. I’m going to be here all September and I’m going to try to go everywhere!

Adam Turner: Fantastic! It sounds like you’ve got a crazy 2019.

Felix Jaehn: Yeah, it’s going to be big.

Adam Turner: Yeah, it sounds great! Felix, thank you so much for joining us in the Nexus Lounge, have a great Miami, and I will come and ….are you spinning this week?

Felix Jaehn: No, I don’t have another show coming up here.

Adam Turner: Did you play already?

Felix Jaehn: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Adam Turner: Damn! I missed it.

Felix Jaehn: But we’ll be back!

The interview.

from Dance Music – Nexus Radio http://bit.ly/2L4SjcR

[spirits-and-scales]

The Source of Fear (sneak peak -Chapter 29, pt. 1)

-322 years ago, October 1691-

           The sky was gray, and the air cold with snow in the dead of winter. Every tree was bare save for the firs and pines and the scent of chimney fire seemed to bite the landscape more than frost. Within county limits the townsfolk were still hauling in shipments of lumber and other goods for the following work day. However, two and a half miles within the woods outside the county line was a small property consisting of a two-story log house, a closed barn, and a narrow tool shed. A pile of firewood was stacked against the porch and the ax was wedged in a stump a short distance away. The dark and rustic color of the assorted buildings allowed them to blend in well with their surroundings as the clearing remained fairly quiet.

           A wagon sat on the pathway between the house and the barn, the horse already put away in the stables while two of four boys finished bringing in the last of the supplies from town. The youngest raced up the steps with a bag of flour while the oldest did his best avoid being bumped into. If the box of jars he carried got broken there would be no telling how much trouble they would both get into.

           He quickly ordered his little brother to settle down just as the front door swung open and they were met by the second youngest who had some kind of serious expression on his face. “Ma says she an’ Trendall need more help with makin’ the blankets an’ things while Pa gets supper ready,” he stated as he took the flour and started toward the kitchen. “Says next month’s trade has to be early.”

           That elicited a surprised and equally confused look from the oldest boy. “Early again?” But there was no response from his brother who hurried to the kitchen to continue lending their father a hand. Then almost immediately their youngest sibling ran into the main room shouting an excited greeting and eagerness to help their mother Arilda who replied sweetly with a grateful smile in her tone before calling out.

           “Slayton, meine lieber, when you have put those away please come.” Her natively German accent carried warmly through the hall as he closed the door behind him, and all on its own seemed to bite back the cold air that just blew inside. In fact, her energy was always warm and bright. That’s what kept this house feeling like home despite its distance from the conveniences and social relations of the village.

           “Yes, mother,” he answered, taking the box of jars to the pantry beyond the kitchen walkway. He overheard his father Calder giving instructions for the stew he started preparing not long ago in simple German while their mother worked. His accent wasn’t perfect, but his pronunciation was flawless. ‘Und nächstes das Rindfleisch,’ he said. A short pause later and after the muffled sound of a splash in the boiling pot of water indicating the meat was added, he listed two more things. ‘Dann die Karotten, und die Äpfel.’ Another series of splashes. But next there was an abrupt rise in his voice. ‘Nein, Osmond! Noch keine Würze,’ he corrected, keeping the boy from getting ahead of himself and adding seasoning too early.

           “Sorry, Pa,” Osmond said sounding barely dejected.

Calder roughly tapped the counter with the wooden spoon. “Ah-ah,” he scolded, but not too gruffly. “You are forgiven but say again. In German this time.”

           A bit of disgruntled struggle came from trying to pronounce the correct words but Osmond managed to say them correctly. “Entschuldigung, Vater...” he said obediently. With an approving nod from Calder they both continued with their task.

           Perhaps it seemed odd that they were having a German-speaking lesson in the middle of cooking, but Slayton remembered similar lessons all these years growing up. Their parents had agreed long ago it was only proper the four boys learn it. Seeing as their mother was the granddaughter of a German settler she often spoke her native language around the house. Calder -as much as he loved and respected her- encouraged it, as well as expected their sons to do the same until they could speak fluently when necessary or desired.

           Of course, Slayton’s ability to speak German was much more advanced than Osmond’s, and so was Trendall’s. The only one of the four who wasn’t being taught much of the other language yet was Spencer, the youngest. He was only eight and was plenty busy with his basic studies in school. Like Osmond he probably wouldn’t start learning more of the family language until he was ten. Or nine years old at the earliest.

           When he returned to the main room Slayton took note of Trendall working one loom while their mother worked on the other. She was currently teaching Spencer how to weave the blanket threads as he sat in her lap, and he was learning fairly quickly. Although, while she attempted to hide it there was a slight edge to her tone that gave away how tired she was from so many sleepless nights to keep up with the trade agreement. That being said he figured it wouldn’t be wise to crowd and add to her exhaustion, so he went to lend Trendall a hand instead, and as he did so Slayton repeated the question he had on his mind- save for wording it differently. “Why does the trade have to be early again?” he asked cautiously. “Aren’t they also trading with the townsfolk?”

           “Ja, very often,” Arilda answered. “But many of our friends are getting sick as well as others. Between tribes they say the white men are to blame.”

           Slayton’s gray eyes narrowed for a moment then widened in disturbed realization as he looked back at his mother. “You mean…the trades are being poisoned deliberately?”

           She simply nodded with a grave look in her eyes, though before she could say anything else Trendall spoke up beside him without taking his eyes off the loom. As quick and expertly as he worked there was an audible rhythm from the creaking of the wooden frame to the subtle noise of the thread itself. It was clear he didn’t necessarily need help at all. “Ma and I heard from one of the messengers who came by today that the clothing and blankets among other things have been laced with disease. The only ones not getting sick are whoever uses items from our house. Everything else has to be burned.” His voice lowered, and he wore a sour expression. “The tribe we know plans to cease trading with the townsfolk altogether because they’re so untrustworthy. Not that it will save anyone who is sick from dying this winter…” he added.

         A wave of silence swept through the house when Arilda froze. “Trendall, sei leiser…” she warned slowly in a hushed tone. “Auch in diesem Wald weiß man nie, wer zuhört...“

        The rhythm of Trendall’s blanket weaving came to a slow stop. For a long moment all that could be heard was the subtle bubbling from the stew pot in the kitchen and the slight wind from the storm rolling in. In the meantime Slayton thought over her warning and implied meaning.

        She wasn’t wrong. Their father had caught people sneaking around the woods on their property before, and it wasn’t uncommon during most of the year. Perhaps it was due to the fact their mother’s family was from a foreign country, and to most those who grew up in the Thirteen Colonies -or any English settlement for that matter- that was somehow suspicious and disturbing. Especially when they didn’t always go to church gatherings due to constantly having to work to make a living. Not to mention their family in particular did have something of an unusual secret, kept only amongst the two oldest boys and adults. Hidden somewhere in the house was Arilda’s grimoire, a book passed down through her family for generations until it inevitably rested in her hands. She only went to it for emergencies of course. Healing the sick or wounded when natural mixes of medicine or herbs failed. It was genuinely good and helpful, but not one of the townsfolk would see it that way. To them anything remotely akin to magic, good or bad, was ‘satanic’ and therefore against the law. It was ridiculous honestly but it was impossible to change the thinking of people so set in their ways they refuse all else.

         Of course, even though he had never been allowed to open the book himself Slayton was sure it could do things other than healing. But nonetheless. On top of that already being a huge risk, the Indians cutting ties would give the villagers all the more reason to be nosey and apprehensive. So he agreed they couldn’t afford to have such word get out and spread in gossip. Even in this forest…you never know who is listening, he repeated to himself. Be quieter…

        Based by the look of Trendall’s face he seemed to be thinking the same thing and resigned his bitterness. “Sorry, mother…” was all he said, then waited for her nod of forgiveness before slowly going back to work.

As if his own sense of bitterness cued him in, Osmond appeared in the walkway with his hands on his hips and a frustrated scowl. “How come HE gets to say it normal?” he objected before Calder stepped up behind him. And he immediately tried to sink into his own shoulders as he expected to be in trouble.

         The tall and bulky man’s shadow loomed over him like a warning of its own, and while his flat expression was unamused his tone was an attempt to stay his temper with understanding that the instance did seem a bit unfair. “Your brother knows his German lessons. You do not and have only just started recently,” he scolded lowly before giving his son a hard knock on the top of the head with the wooden spoon’s edge. Only enough to get his point across and give off an audible pop rather than actually hurt. “Do not be disrespectful.”

         Osmond only flinched slightly, groaning with annoyed defeat as he held his head with both hands. He didn’t like admitting when he was wrong but he could still accept it at least. “It is alright, mein lieber,” Arilda reassured him with a chuckle and a smile. “You will learn just as much soon enough.” Feeling his wife had things under control, Calder returned to the kitchen after telling all his sons to help their mother and behave.

        At least the tension had settled. Although with Slayton…something still didn’t sit quite right.

        For now he mentally shrugged. Maybe it was just something in the air. Hopefully…

[high-liters-and-tea-blog]

Language Learning Tip!!

GREETINGS ALL! (I’m rly sorry my posts are always whole novels but like I say as much as I can to make sure you get the idea.) Idk if I’m the best person to be giving out language tips but like this is just something I personally have been doing and I found it actually helps a lot.

1. Find songs in that language or take your favourite songs and translate them to that language. I, personally, started small with like nursery rhymes and things like that because the vocabulary and syntax is at a beginner level, then I moved on until I got to my favourite songs. II’m now at a level of french where I can listen to fast, harder, heavier music (like rap/trap/real underground stuff) and I can understand and catch a lot of the idomatic expressions and play on words etc

2. Similar to the first, find movies, tv shows, or other short videos with your target language. This especially helped me for sign language since the whole thing is basically watching, body language and facial expressions make up a good chunk of it. For spoken languages, this really helps with pronounciation, common expressions, idioms, and all those other things that you dont get from just studying/reading. French is all about tone, if you don’t sound nasal and slightly exaggerated you can potentially change the meaning of the sentence and with Hausa intonation is a major key. Plus with the various dialects, it’s good to be exposed to different pronounciations of the same word. If you can I’d definitely suggest something like a talk show (think oprah or Dr. Phil, not Ellen) because there’s not so much scripting and it’s a lot more natural (?)

3. (This tip is something I’ve jsut started doing as my Hausa vocabulary is starteing to grow) Incorporate the target language into your everyday life! I’ve gone around my room labelling everyday items (phone, eggs, clock etc) and if I need to use them I repeat the word and try and construct a basic sentence. ALSO RLY HELPFUL EXAMPLE but I’ve started doing my BuJo spreads in Hausa as well. This has greatly improved some of the more common calendar-related vocabulary like days of the week, numbers, time, and that sort of thing. I still write down quotes and tasks and things in english but hopefully that will change soon

4. LISTEN, LISTEN, LISTEN, LISTEN AND LISTEN. If you can find native speakers actually speaking pls befriend them and do the most to listen to them. Listening is so important because you will again get to learn so much that books and vocab lists can’t teach you (Refer to the first two points!!). If you can do some sort of exchange program, for the first little while, just sit and blend in, listen, and observe, only speak when you are spoken to!! If that’s not an option then for sure the internet is a great place, you should be able to find a radioshow or something like that to listen to. Find something that is fairly natural so you pick up on the way people actually speak (I hope youunderstaand what I mean). This was a huge issue with me for french because the french you learn in school is like incredibly formal, only a conversation between the Queen and your great-great-grandmother would sound like that, literally the interview I had was so informal I was confused. I’m fortunate enough that my parents (obviously) speak Hausa to eachother at home still and I rly take advantage of this.

5. The last (for now) and possibly one of the most important tips I have today is DON’T WORRY ABOUT GRAMMAR AND WRITING AND ALL THAT RUBBISH, speaking and pronounciation is far more important than understanding written things. The spelling and things might confuse you and impair your speaking or pronounciation. Think of learning to speak as a baby, your parents didnt sit you down with a notebook or dictionary and write things out then have you try and read them back, they spoke to you and the writing came YEARS later! (That’s why I believe lanuages are taught so backwards in school). A lot of people learning French for the firs time pronounce things the way they would in English, forgetting that there are a lot more soft consonnants and silent letters. When I as learning spanish I got stuck in the french mode and kept things silent that should have been pronounced. When I was learning Portuguese I got stuck in Spanish mode and even tho things are spelled similarly or the same, they are said completely differently. Don’t even get me started on Russsian, I’m taking my precious time to learn how to read/write that! With Hausa I made sure to learn from these mistakes. Plus, I already knew a lot of words so when I finally saw how they were written I was a bit surprsed but I had a better understanding of pronounciation so it was easier to learn new words.

Side note; If anoyone has any apps/websites to recomend for languages that aren’t as popular to learn (such as Hausa) PLS LEAVE THEM BELOW OR SEND A MESSAGE!!!!!

***Language-Related Backstory****** ***Don’t feel obliged to read but here are my (somewhat) qualifications***

So my first language WAS NOT English and I went to french schools for the majority of my life so I’ve kinda always hated and struggled with English in school and just in life. At home we spoke exclusively in Hausa, It wasn’t until I started school (age 4-6) that I we started speaking english at home (my mom sent me to school with a list of common words in Hausa so that my teachers could communicate with me, but thats a whole other story)

From preschool to second grade (age 4-7) I actually went to french immersion schools, so in the morning we did our lessons in english and in the afternoon we repeated them in french, or we learned the concepts in english but execution and any key vocab was all in french. From third to 5th grade I went to a French school, as in native french- speakers only, I was rly lost and so were my parents (literally ALL communication was in french). So by this time we only spoke English at home and I lost all my Hausa. From then on I went to english schools and just took a lot of french classes, even in uni.

But after 15 years of constantly taking french in schoool and my teachers saying im fluent and never getting less than 96% in all things french, I applied for a bilingual job position and COULD NOT communicate fluently in french with the interviewer. It was then that I realized that I had just been taking the same grammar course for 15 years and obviously what you learn in school is not representative of what you apply in real life but with languages its REALLY much so.

SO, I’m now continuing my french studies on my own, I’ve been trying to teach myelf Sign Language for years but I get frustrated a lot easier, I’m (quite sporadically, I’ll admit) self- teaching myself Russian and Portuguese, and I’m (re-)teaching myself Hausa. Ideally, I’d love to speak at least 5 Languages fluently before I die

[kronieknits]

How The Spaces Students Are Living In Affect Their Well-Being And How Textiles Can Improve These Environments (pt2)

Creating Cosy Comfortable Living Spaces

Students may not get much choice in how their accommodation looks or what furniture is in their rooms when they move in, but that doesn’t mean they can’t dress it up and give their own personal, cosy touch. My first-year accommodation had concrete cinder block walls, harsh lighting and a single small window. However, this didn’t stop me from trying to make the room as cosy and inviting as I could. There are many simple, easy and cheap ways students should be able to do this. Hygge (pronounced hoo-ga) is one of these ways.

The art of creating a warm, welcoming, cosy space can seem to elude many people. Whether this is due to time restraints, costs or motivation, many people’s living spaces can and will remain bare and cold. The Danes, on the other hand, are people who prioritise the atmosphere within their homes and bedrooms and dedicate time and energy to creating cosy spaces. Hygge, is the term used by the Danes to describe their attitude toward how life should be lived, and is a large factor as to why Denmark is ranked as one of the happiest countries on earth despite it being cold and dark for most of the year.

If you have ever wondered why the Danish seem to be obsessed with interior design, it is because they see the home as the Hygge headquarters, their homes are the centre of their social lives, always inviting friends and family round to experience Hygge together. Hygge originates from the Norwegian word meaning “well-being” and roughly translates to ‘cosiness’ in English, but it is much more than simply feeling cosy. Hygge is being curled up by a fire with cosy socks on and drinking mulled wine, its sitting in a café reading your favourite book and sipping coffee, its being together with friends and family around the dinner table all enjoying a cooked meal together. Hygge is more than a feeling, it is an experience of content and togetherness which can last a few fleeting moments or an entire evening. To the Danes, Hygge is a way of life.

Meik Wiking, the founder of The Happiness Research Institution, in his book ‘The little book of Hygge; the Danish way to live well’ wrote ‘Hygge is about giving your responsible, stressed, achiever adult self a break. Relax. Just for a little while. It is about experiencing happiness in simple pleasures and knowing that everything is going to be okay.’ (Wiking, 2017)This mind set is how young adults, if not everybody, should treat life. How can people expect to stay high functioning, successful and happy with their busy day to day lives without putting effort into treating themselves and enjoying the little things? Life isn’t meant to be so strict and demanding, all the deadlines and assessments need to be balanced with restoration periods for the body and mind else breaking down may be inevitable. Appreciating the little things can be made a lot easier if we surround ourselves with things that can be appreciated in our living spaces. Appreciating the little things and experiencing happiness through simple pleasures could be achieved as simply as making a cup of tea and lavishing the few solitary moments you found yourself with, or it could be much more deservingly indulgent with hot chocolates and throws and pillows and candles and incense.

A hyggelig interior is as much about how things feel as how things look. We perceive the world through our 5 senses; sight, touch, smell, hearing and taste. These senses integrate to help us create perceptions and memories and can trigger emotions which, as we go through life, allow us to build a library of experiences. These experiences are what inform future decisions as to what we do and don’t like, so why not surround ourselves with what we know we like? Think about how the materials you are sitting on and touching feel, are they soft, fluffy, bouncy, warm, is there lots of mixes of textures, do you like them? Textures are so important as they can be a way of creating the sensation of being hugged, and who doesn’t love being hugged? Everyone loves being hugged or touched as this action releases the hormone called oxytocin, the hormone of love.

Oxytocin is an important hormone when it comes to our well-being as it has physical, emotional and psychological effects on the body, including influencing social behaviour, personality traits and reducing stress and anxiety. This hormone is also a neurotransmitter that is involved in motherhood, child birth and sexual behaviour. Research published by Psychopharmacology suggests that oxytocin has been found to improve self- perception in social situations and increases likeable personality traits such as trust, openness, empathy and altruism (Psychopharmocology , 2012). Other researchers reported that people in the early stages of a romantic relationship had higher levels of oxytocin in their bodies for at least the first 6 month, this was compared to single, unattached people (MacGill, 2017). There is so much evidence showing that this hormone changes our mood for the better so it would make sense to surround ourselves with soft, cosy, comfortable materials that improve the production of oxytocin. These material things then become a form of self-care which naturally promote well-being and enhance the aesthetics of a room all at the same time.

Despite cosy material things being important for self-care, they can be underappreciated items that every bedroom benefits from but don’t always contain. Students tend to not want to spend money on things they don’t feel they need, but cosy throws, pillows and rugs can completely change the atmosphere and comfort of a room. These necessities can be purchased cheaply from charity shops or online, or can even be made by hand with simple instructions and materials. Making these items by hand may possibly make them even more hyggelig as they then hold sentimental value and the experience of crafting them can be therapeutic. This is one of the best things about Hygge, it can be cheap, sometimes even free, there is nothing extravagant or luxurious about a chunky knitted jumper or a pair of ugly woollen socks. An intrinsic feature of Hygge is that it is humble, slow, and easy, it is choosing simple over posh. This is so true in Danish culture that bragging about your wealth and flashing expensive material things is considered poor taste and frowned upon because it breaks the sense of Hygge. Helen Russel, author of ‘The Year of Living Danishly: Uncovering the Secrets of the World’s HappiestCountry’, wrote in an article for the Independent, ‘The best explanation of Hygge I’ve encountered during three years in the land of Nord is: “the absence of anything annoying or emotionally overwhelming; taking pleasure from the presence of gentle, soothing things.”’ (Russell, 2015)

The Hygge Manifesto

In The Little Book of Hygge, Meik Wiking has created the Hygge Manifesto, a sort of checklist for achieving Hygge in your own home. The manifesto is as follows;

1.     Atmosphere

2.     Presence

3.     Pleasure

4.     Equality

5.     Gratitude

6.     Harmony

7.     Comfort

8.     Truce

9.     Togetherness

10.  Shelter

If these attributes can be achieved then Hygge should supposedly be easy to create. Here I have created a fun and informal list of suggestion, recommendations and inspirations for students and young people to look through, hopefully helping them gain some ideas as to how Hygge can improve their living spaces -

Atmosphere

·     Turn down the lights. Things like side lights, fairy lights and candles can create a soothing and warm atmosphere within a room, instead of the harshness of a single main light source.

·     Although the Danes may prefer non-scented candles, I would recommend fragranced candles and incense as to fill the room with your favourite aromas.

·     Music is also one of the fastest ways to create an atmosphere in pretty much any situation. Put on your favourite tunes in the background of whatever you are doing and I guarantee it will lift your spirits. (especially if you’re cleaning or doing dishes) I’d recommend investing in a speaker if you are able to as you will notice and appreciate the sound quality.

Presence

·      Think about all the times you have wasted 30 minutes or so scrolling through Facebook or Instagram gawking at other people’s lives. Why not put down the phone and spend that same time thinking about yourself. Try listening to music, reading a chapter of a book or maybe drawing or writing about something that has happened that day.

·      If you are with others, such as friends or family, then try leaving your phone in another room and giving all attention to the conversation.

·      You may cringe when hearing this, but it is truly about living in the moment, even if that moment only lasts a few minutes. Those moments may be the only time of peace you get during that day so why not savour it? Afterwards you will be able to think about how good those few moments were and will start naturally enjoying the moment more often.

Pleasure

·      Don’t be afraid to give yourself what you enjoy, you deserve it.

·      Shamefully indulge – cakes, chocolate, coffee, crisps, all these things can help sweeten the workload.

·      Cooking yourself a big meal can be the height of pleasure, especially if you have dessert too. Don’t worry if you feel you’re not a good cook or you don’t have time every night, even if you make a big dinner once or twice a week can be enough and can become something to look forward to.

Comfort

§ Take a break, even if it is just for half an hour.

§ Find what makes you relaxed and surround yourself with it. My personal favourites are big fluffy slippers, thick heavy blankets, and multiple layers of comfy clothing.

§ Throws, rugs and large wall hangings give the cold, bland surfaces of your room an extra lift of texture, colour and comfort and can be found relatively cheaply in charity shops, emporiums and re-use centres.

Harmony

·     It’s not a competition! If you’re hanging with friends or family then try to remember to not brag about achievements or material things too much, this breaks the sense of Hygge. Try to start conversations about things that inspire you. This could be movies, books, nature, music, things you want to do or places you want to go.

·     Sharing the air time during conversation is also very important. Listen to your friends and allow them to voice their opinions, and hopefully they should do the same for you.

·     Trying to build a sense of togetherness can be fun. “Do you remember that time we…” is one of those gateways of conversation that allows us to reminisce about old times, strengthens relationships and makes way for future plans.

Gratitude

·     Allow yourself to be grateful for things, grateful that the sun is shining, grateful if your flatmate makes you a cup of tea, grateful for whenever you get to have a long lie in in the morning.

·     It is easy to get annoyed and frustrated, especially once you get tired and stressed out by the day, being grateful for the little things can really help shine some light and speckle the day with positivity.

Personalisation  

·     Posters, wall hangings, keep sakes, nik-naks and plants are essentials for making a room really feel like your own.

·     Sentimental items are especially good as decorations too, things like postcards, letters, movie or concert tickets, leaflets from events and drawings can all help personalise your room.

·     For me, and I am sure many others out there, plants are a necessity within their living spaces. Plants clean the air in your room and have been proven to reduces levels of stress and anxiety and improves levels of productivity (Chignell, 2018). It is easy to get attached to plants as you get to watch them grow and change over the months thanks to them needing watered and cared for. Plants can also surprise you occasionally with new leaves or stems beginning to grow and pops of colour from flowering plants.

Crafts

·     Handmade crafts can be a very therapeutic experience which allow you to focus your brain on something other than your phone for a little while.

·     Try out crafts such as knitting, weaving, crochet, sewing, drawing, painting, collage, sketch booking.

·     Making physical objects can be so much fun and gives you something sentimental to be proud of to have made. If you really enjoy it then there is even the possibility of selling some of these objects you have crafted.

Everyone needs to take the time to take care of themselves, mentally and physically. These suggestions are just a few small ideas that can really add up to feeling less stressed, more content and ready to take on and deal with the pressures of life and university. So, next time you’ve had a long tiring day and go to watch TV or scroll through Instagram like you usually do, why not try listening to music, reading a book, playing board games with friends or making some food. These things can seem like arduous tasks when tired but are almost always worth it, and will allow you to forget about the stresses you were obsessing over earlier that day, even if just for a moment.

Music

Music can make any situation better, such as getting ready in the morning, cleaning the flat, doing dishes, showering, hanging out with friends, doing course work or relaxing. Imagine a party without music, a movie without music or a sports event without music, it’s just not the same, is it? A life without melody of any kind would be dull, boring and unimaginable.

Music is essential for almost all aspects of life. It is much more important than what people may realise, it is arguably one of the most intrinsically human things created. The Netflix original series ‘Explained’ has a very interesting episode explaining how and why music is so important to the human species. Music is uniquely human; no other living thing can comprehend music quite like we can. There has been extensive experimental evidence documenting that people have a deep connection between music and emotions (Feiles, 2018). Music of any kind, from Classical to Grime, can help anyone get into the right frame of mind and has even been shown to make people treat each other better. The things music can do for your mood is wonderful, if you want to feel happy then play some happy songs and allow the chipper beats to brighten your mood. The most important reason we listen to music is for pleasure (DNEWS, 2011), we create and admire music because we enjoy it so greatly so why not play it as often as possible?

Exploring the music world can be a very fun and interesting experience, especially if you are beginning to get sick of your current playlists. There are thousands and thousands of songs, albums and artists on Spotify, YouTube, SoundCloud or Apple Music, so why not delve in for an hour and see what you can find. Listen to your friend’s public playlists and add songs you like to your own playlists. The discover weekly and suggested songs features on Spotify are key tools for broadening your music library and keeping things interesting. Personally, I always keep a very open mind when listening to new songs or artists. I find it is very important to not be put off by music just because it isn’t in the charts or because it’s not what your friends are listening to. If you like a song then save it, listen to and find more like it. Don’t be afraid to branch out your music tastes, always be on the hunt for more music, the discovery of a new song you like can really help keep life interesting. Let your music library grow and evolve with yourself and it will help you get through pretty much any situation.

Còsagach (Cos-se-coh)

Còsagach is the Scottish equivalent lifestyle trend set to rival the Danish Hygge. Còsagach is an old Gaelic word for the feeling of being snug, sheltered or cosy. The Visit Scotland tourist board is encouraging businesses to create escapes that ooze a sense of warmth, cosiness, tranquillity and most importantly Còsagach that allow visitors to unwind. To a Scottish person, Còsagach is most likely second nature even if they never realise it.

Còsagach is all about taking shelter from the cold and harsh weather - which we get in abundance in Scotland - in warm, cosy log cabins, bothies or more importantly, pubs. Visit Scotland says Scotland’s “tranquil seascapes, vast open valleys and many warm and welcoming pubs make it the ideal place to boost wellbeing and contentment.” (Frost, 2017)There is something about going to the pub with a couple mates that really allows us to unwind and forget the stress of the day. Whether you drink alcohol or not, even just being in that cosy environment laughing away with friends or family is relieving, especially if the rain is lashing down against the windows outside and there is a roaring fire crackling away inside. It doesn’t matter if you’re catching up with mates, celebrating, having some pub food or just simply treating yourselves to a pint after a long day, the pub is somewhere everyone can unwind. Why not invite mates to meet at the pub every now and then, and if not everyone wants to go to a pub, then cafes, parks, even your universities Student Union are all places that can harbour a catch up with your friends. And if you do go to the pub, then the ring of the bell after last orders is always a time to notice the fondness you have felt all evening, and wonder on home full of content, or maybe run home if it is still pouring with rain.

First Hand Hygge-fying

As an experiment to see how effective the look and feel of a room can really be on well-being, I helped a friend hygge-fy their bedroom, turning it from a bit of a mess to a very welcoming, cosy space.

The bedroom mainly just needed a clean and tidy, but we added a few things and moved the furniture around a small amount to help make it feel more comfortable and inviting. We added loads of different textures to the room with extra blankets, throws and pillows to the bed and chairs. We also hung paintings, posters and prints we bought for pennies at an art fair, although there was still plenty more space on the walls for more personal touches, and I suggested he find items he liked to fill these spaces with. We also bought some ornaments from charity shops and some plants from a plant sale the university was holding at the student union which really helped the room become a much more nurturing environment. We also made sure to have music playing from the big speakers while doing this which turned it into quite a fun experience when usually tidying your room is an arduous and draining task.

Once we finished re-arranging his room, my friend told me, “I feel much more comfortable in my bedroom already and find it a much nicer environment to come home to after a long day at university. It genuinely feels warmer and cosier which I love as I find I can de-stress easier.” I was glad to hear this reaction as it is shows exactly how much of an affect Hygge can have on a person and their well-being and is how I hope everyone should feel in their living spaces. This transformation was very easy and cheap to do so I am hoping this, along with the list of recommendations above, prompts more people to think about how their bedrooms can become cosier, safe spaces.