Month: March 2021

Audio Upload 15: “The Flatmates Reloaded, Episode 144: A call from China”

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Audio 1:

Fernanda S: Helen

Sofía G: Helen’s Mum

Audio 2:

Fernanda S: Helen’s Mum

Sofía G: Helen

Helen’s mum: So how are you my dear?

 
Helen:
Pretty good mum.
Mum:
That’s nice to hear. I know it’s been difficult getting over that boy Michal. But I’ve noticed that you seem a bit more cheerful these days. You’re working harder at uni. And you’ve got that nice boy John to help you too.
Helen:
Yeah, I suppose that’s true. So what’s new with you?
Mum: Well your grandma phoned me the other day. She really wants you to go over to Beijing and visit her soon.
Helen: Oh I’d love to see laolao.
Mum: But the flight to China is expensive. I’m not sure if we can afford it just now. I need to talk it over with your father.
Helen: Please mum! Please!
Mum: Aaah honey, I really can’t pay the whole flight. It is too much money.
Helen: Wait mum, I have an idea. I have some savings, so I can pay 50% of the ticket flight.
Mum: Are you sure that is going to be enough?
Helen: Yeah, and if I need more money, I can start doing some private lessons.
Mum: Oh, Helen, that is a wonderful idea. I can help you pay the other 50%.
Helen: Really mum! Thank you!
Mum: Of course, darling. When do you plan on going?
Helen: Uff, I hadn’t thought about it.
Mum: You should start planning the trip in advanced.
Helen: Yes mum, I’ll start doing it. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Ferdinand de Saussure Biography

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Who was Ferdinand de Saussure?

Ferdinand de Saussure was born in Geneva, Switzerland on November 26th, 1857 and died in Vufflens-le-Château, Switzerland on February 22nd, 1913. He is acknowledged as the founder of modern linguistics and semiology, and as having laid the groundwork for structuralism and post-structuralism.

When he was 15 years old, he had learnt 5 language Geek, French, English, Latin, and German. He was clever with languages, because of the environment in his family were scientists and very technical speeches and maybe that last one is the reason of why Saussure analyzed and thought about the Linguistic world.

He began his studies (natural sciences) at the University of Geneva, but in 1876 he convinced and decided to go to the University of Leipzig to study Linguistics. In 1879 when he was 21 years old and still a student, he published the book: “Mémoire sur le système primitif des voyelles dans les langues indo-européennes”. In that book he explained how the PIE ablaut system worked. In 1880 he was awarded his doctorate. Then he moved to Paris, France in 1880. He was lecturer in Gothic and Old High German at the École Pratique des Hautes Études and he was responsible for the publications of the Société’s in which a number of his own papers appeared. In 1891 he returned to Geneva. In 1901 he became a professor of Indo-European linguistics and Sanskrit and in 1907 he started to teach a course of general linguistics at the University of Geneva.

In 1913 he died. Thanks to the students Charles Bally and Albert Sechehaye, that published his work of “General linguistics”, he became famous.

Ferdinand de Saussure

Bibliography:

Ferdinand de Saussure. Retrieved 13 March 2021, from https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ferdinand-de-Saussure

Ferdinand de Saussure. (2014). Retrieved 13 March 2021, from https://languagelinguisticcodeandspeech.weebly.com/biographies/ferdinand-desaussure

Ferdinand de Saussure. (2019). Retrieved 13 March 2021, from https://www.oxfordbibliographies.com/view/document/obo-9780199772810/obo-9780199772810-0003.xml

 

“My goals, challenges and expectations for language 3”

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Before I star writing “My goals, challenges, and expectations for language 3”, I want to say that I am very happy of this new year, even though this semester is going to be online. I am happy since I am going to be with my classmates, friends, and my teachers (thanks to them I proved my English a lot). I know someday I will meet my teacher and classmates, and I can say that day will Awesome. It will be one of the best days of my life.

Now I am going to write about “My goals, challenges, and expectation for this semester.” For this part I had to read what I had written in “My Language 2 Self-Assessment”, therefore I can know if I will still have the same “goals, challenges, and expectations” or not for this new semester. After reading it again, I realized that I have one new goal and two new challenges. The new “goal” is to “Keep my weaknesses and my strengths in balance”. The two new challenges are “Not being nervous on a Speaking test” and “Not being afraid of asking something or make a mistake”. And my expectation is the same as the last semester, “Finish the semester with good marks and new knowledge”, except for “Not being nervous on a Speaking test”, (remember that is one of my new challenges, and I will explain it later). Here you can see the list that I made. (I made it in Canva).

As I wrote before “my goal” is: “Keep my weaknesses and my strengths in balance”. This means that I must work hard, put a lot of effort keep the balance balanced this semester. My weaknesses are (Reading & Writing). My strengths are (Listening, Speaking, Phonetics and Use of English).

My challenges are: “Not being nervous on a Speaking test” and “Not being afraid of asking something or make a mistake”. Maybe you are asking “Why not being nervous on a speaking test is one of her challenges if speaking is one of her strengths?”. The answer is simple. Speaking is one of my strengths but is not when we talk about a Speaking test. Last year I always got nervous when I had to take a Speaking test, and maybe is because that I do not want to make a mistake or disappointing my teacher, and that is also my challenge plus not being afraid of asking something in class. I think if I want to complete these two challenges, I have to be myself and think whenever is a test think that is just an activity.

My expectation as I wrote a few paragraphs before, is “Finish the semester with good marks and new knowledge.” As every year I love studying, learning new things. For me is very important because it will help me in my future, to be a good English teacher. Also, I can teach this new knowledge to my future students, so that is the reason of why is very important to me.

To finish my “My goals, challenges, and expectations for language 3”, I want to write this quote that I love. Is from Walt Disney but appeared in the movie “Meet the Robinsons”. It is very meaningful because it teaches you that no matter what hard the paths in our life can be, we have to keep moving forward, because new paths will be come, and it is our new opportunity.