Language Link Online

Spanish Language Immersion Programs in Latin America and Spain
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Full details of all programs on our website

September 2001 Online Newsletter...sent every other month
Tips and information about learning Spanish and the people who speak it. If you have any comments to share, please send them. Personal attention is what has made Language Link grow, and we appreciate your contributions. If you do not want to receive our news, please send your remove request to info@langlink.com. If you or a friend would like to be added to our online or printed mail (newsletters twice a year), please email us. If you have trouble with the format of this newsletter, please let us know and we will send you a text only version.
What's in this edition
On Line Lesson, Cocina Cooking
Culture Clips, Language Link's Latest
OJO (special deals), Rhythm & Book Blurbs
Been There, Loved That (reports from participants), Likeable Links
On Line Lesson
In this lesson we'll give you some hints on variations of pronunciations in Spanish. In many parts of Spain, the letter "z", a "c" before an "i" or "e", is pronounced with a "th" sound. In Latin America, cinco is pronounced seen ko. In Spain it would sound more like theen ko. Plaza (Latin American - plah saa, would sound like plah thaa in Spain. In Argentina the double LL has a shushing sound. In the rest of Latin America, of course, it sounds like Y. A major street in Buenos Aires is called la calle Lavalle. This would sound sort of like la cashe lavashe. In Cuban Spanish the final "s" and "d" are often swallowed. That way - Cómo está usted? can sound like - Cómo e'tá uté? These all require some adjustment in your listening skills, but knowing what's missing or different can help you fill in the blanks.

Diversity of vocabulary often occurs in the different countries, also. In Mexico some words have originated from the original nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs. The word for twin (and slang word for buddy) is cuate, from the nahuatl word cuatl. In other countries you will hear the standard word gemelo. Food, in particular, is influenced by the original indigenous languages. Avocado - in Mexico - aguacate. In Peru - palta. In Peru the word madre is used as a term of respect by some indigenous groups in addressing a woman. In Mexican slang it must be used with extreme caution, as even the word itself with unspoken, but implied words following, can be very insulting. The best way to learn all these subtleties of the language is to listen carefully to what is around you. Eavesdropping is not a skill to be shunned by language learners!

Another wrinkle of diversity of language is adding diminutives or making things bigger. Everyone's familiar with adding "ito" to make things small. (Although in Costa Rica, they add "ico", as in momentico.) You can make things bigger, however, by adding ón. If it's a feminine word, it goes to a masculine form. For instance, el sombrero can go larger to el sombrerón. La silla - the chair. Make it go either way - la sillita (littler) or even bigger - el sillón (a bigger chair such as an armchair).

Cocina Cooking
A rather spectacular appetizer...Crab-Stuffed Jalapeño Fritters - makes 12
Sometimes in Mexico you will see crab on a menu as jaiva, sometimes spelled jaiba. The other word for it is cangrejo.
12 fresh large jalapeño chili peppers, 4 oz. drained crabmeat, 1/3 C. minced red onion, 1/4 C. minced
green bell pepper, 1/4 C. mayonnaise, 1/2 C. all purpose flour, 3/4 C. Mexican beer, corn oil for deep frying. Additional flour.
Starting below stem, cut chilies lengthwise in half, leaving stems attached. Seed. Place in medium heavy saucepan. Cover with cold water and bring to simmer. Drain. Dry chilies.
Combine crab, onion, bell pepper and mayo. Season with salt and pepper. Fill chili cavities with crab mixture. Press chili halves together to compress filling. Can be prepared 4 hours ahead. Cover and
chill.
Place 1/2 C. flour in bowl. Gradually whisk in beer. Let batter stand 30 minutes.
Heat oil in heavy deep pot to 375 degrees. Whisk batter to smooth. Dredge chilies in additional flour. Holding stem end, dip into batter to coat completely. Deepfry in batches until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Use slotted spoon to transfer to paper towels and drain. Serve with salsa, or a mixture of avocados, salsa and a little mayonnaise.

Culture Clips
In this issue we're taking a look at diversity. First of all - the people. Spain is a wonderful melded mixture of cultures - Goths (Germanic), Romans, Celts, Arabs - they all managed to find this wonderful country and have left their mark. You will see great variety in the faces there, everything from blue eyed blondes to dark eyes and complexions. In Latin America you have a mixture of the European and the indigenous - known as mestizos, but there are many variations in between. The moustache was originally seen as a mark of some European blood, as pure blooded indigenous men have very little if any facial hair. You may see Mexicans of many generations who appear very European, as their families have never intermarried with the original population. Once again, redheads with freckles or blondes with blue eyes. Some of the pure indigenous people can look exactly as the faces you see carved on ancient temple walls.

Geographic diversity is highly prevalent in Latin America. The country of Ecuador, for example, has volcanos, extensive mountain ranges of high altitudes, a beautiful sea coast, as well as the jungle region which is part of the Amazon River basin. Our program in Ecuador gives you the opportunity to explore all these diverse areas. Go to www.langlink.com and click on Ecuador. It's still amazing to find that there are people who think that it's always hot "south of the border". Many of the mountainous regions have a climate called "eternal spring", often said about Cuernavaca, Mexico, or Antigua, Guatemala, as they are located at about 5,000 feet in the mountains. It's a delightful climate to escape to from a hot and humid July in the U.S.! Cusco is at a staggeringly high altitude of 11,000 feet, and temperatures at night can often drop to freezing. Think altitude, not latitude. But then there's Cancun in January, with daytime temperatures in the 80's. Climate is often determined by the rainy seasons. However, in none of the rainy periods does it stay gloomy all day. More often, a quick and very hard shower comes down suddenly, followed by blue skies. It is seldom to have a day's excursion ruined by rain. You just learn quickly to keep an umbrella or raincoat tucked in your gear.
Language Link’s Latest
Fall is such a good time to study. All our programs have full availability, as this is usually their slower times. Europeans tend to travel more in the fall, so the student mix is always interesting. We no longer have a wait list in Antigua, although it was painful to have to turn some of you down on those summer dates. This popular program has its own website at www.plfm-antigua.org.
We're in the process now of receiving new prices for 2002. Some are staying basically the same, while others will increase slightly.
Kay will be making a trip in October to visit schools in Argentina and Chile. Several possibilities look very good there, and it is highly likely that we will be adding those to the website later in the fall.
Ecuador has a new location for its beach program Pacífico. It is in an unspoiled area called Crucita, a small beach town located at 30 k. from Portoviejo, the capital of the Manabi province. They say the parasailing is fantastic.

"Travelers are always discoverers...." - Anne Morrow Lindbergh

OJO! (a commonly used symbol in Latin America for Keep an Eye Out!)
In Spain there are real bargains, as prices will be LOWER next year, due to the strength of the US dollar, as Spain moves into adoption of the euro currency. New prices on our Spain programs should be posted soon under that country's name or picture on www.langlink.com.

Rhythm & Books Blurbs
María Dolores Pradera is a well known singer in all of Latin America. One of her recent albums As de Corazones has the lyrics in the CD liner (we always like that for language learning). Our favorite on this album is Seville Tiene Un Color Especial....will make you want to pack your bags for Spain! Another album which has lyrics written in Spanish is Caminemos. A sultry voice, clearly heard words...you'll like her sound, and she has many CDs available.
Many of our students who study in Guatemala also get to the major archaeological site of Tikal. It's an easy overnight trip reached by air. If you have been there or are planning to go, we recommend The Lords of Tikal, Rulers of an Ancient Maya City by Peter Harrison, the first paperback edition published in 2000.
Been There, Loved That
Our students are so helpful to us in sending in evaluations of the schools they visit. We'd like to share these with you...
Academia de Español Quito "One on one teaching was most helpful, beneficial, and an ideal method for Spanish education. We learned much, because our professors were superbly qualified, gifted, and able to effectively communicate their knowledge and experiences. We now have a greater appreciation of Ecuador and its people, history, culture, aspirations, economy, sights, food, and fruits. Please convey our warmest thanks, and best wishes always, to all who made our 4 weeks stay both educational and enjoyable. We will most heartily recommend the Academia to our many friends in the USA. Thanks also to Language Link's Kay & Marcy for their many logistical assistances." Dr. Maryann Beebe and Dr. Shamir Ally, Marketing Manager and International Consulting & Financial Services, Pennsylvania
CLIC of Seville, Spain "The teachers and all staff were always friendly, patient and helpful. This has been the most positive experience that I have had studying abroad." Linda Shadley, Teacher, Massachusetts
Becari of Oaxaca, Mexico "I had excellent service with Language Link. My trip was organized at the last minute and Marcy at your office was superb and most helpful. She was fast, courteous and gave me prompt feedback. I was very pleased with Becari. The teachers were very competent and pleasant, the class size was small which permits a lot of personal interaction and much flexibility to accommodate the needs of each student. The atmosphere of the school was excellent, they were always ready to answer any request and be helpful in any way. I would recommend the school anytime. I met other people who went to other schools and were not so pleased." Andrée Lachance, Teacher, Canada

Likeable Links
We found some websites about Ecuador that you might find useful or interesting.
The following contain basic information about Ecuador from the embassy in DC. Lots about culture, art, politics, history, geography, etc...
www.ecuador.org
www.go2ecuador.com
ecuaworld.com
www.ecuadorexplorer.com

We hope you enjoyed our news. Please visit us at www.langlink.com.
Or if you like us live, call us at 800.552.2051. We're on Central Standard Time.
Kay G. Rafool, Executive Director/Marcy Slane, Assistant Director
Language Link, P.O.B. 3006, Peoria, Illinois 61612 USA
Fax 309.692.2926 Worldwide telephone 309.692.2961 Toll free 800.552.2051 info@langlink.com
¡Hasta luego!

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