February 2003 Online Newsletter...sent every other month
Tips and information about learning Spanish and the people who speak it. Personal attention is what has made Language Link grow, and we value your contributions.? Please send an email to the address above to remove if you do not want to receive our news. If you or a friend would like to be added to our online or mail list, email us at info@langlink.com. If you have problems with this format, please let us know.
What's in this edition
Online Lesson, Cocina Cooking, Culture Clips, Language Link's Latest, OJO (special deals), Rhythm & Book Blurbs, Been There, Loved That (reports from participants), Likeable Links
Online Lesson
Some finer points of the language, but one which are sometimes overlooked -
Have you ever seen phrases such as padre e hijo, español e inglés? Did you think that was a typo, that really what should have been written or said was "y", as the meaning is "and"? There's a really good reason for this, and it's a quite practical one. When you have a word which starts with the I sound or Y sound (in Spanish), or you have a word with the silent H before an I sound, if you use "y" to say "and" before such a word, it slides into the sound of the second word and is indistinguishable. For that reason the substitute "e" is correct. In other words, if you want to say padre Y hijo, you must correctly say padre e hijo. Another common combination is the term for research and development, commonly said in English as R & D. In Spanish the phrase has the development word coming first (who knows why!), and the term is desarrollo e investigación.  Another variation of this role is to substitute "u" when meaning "or" when the word coming after it starts with the sound of O (and also applies with the silent H). A common phrase utilizing this concept is "siete u ocho".You might be tempted to use it in saying "one or the other", but you avoid it in this case by saying correctly "el uno o el otro".
Another similar area deals with nouns which are actually feminine, but sometimes use the masculine word for "the" in front of them. It's the same idea. If a word starts with a stressed "a" (silent H applies also), if you said "la" in front of it, the sounds slide together. So to avoid this, the masculine "el" is substituted.? The noun still stays feminine, however, and adjectives will be feminine, as well as the plural form, because in that case, the added "s" solves the problem. Examples:The word agua is a feminine word. However, you say el agua, el agua clara, el agua purificada, las aguas. Some common words which follow this pattern are:
el alma - soul, el águila - eagle, el ala - wing, el alba - dawn ("at dawn" would be said "al alba"), el aula - classroom
Cocina Cooking
Mexican Fried Ice Cream - a fun treat, and children love it!
8 servings
Ingredients - 1/2 gal. quality vanilla ice cream, 4 tsp. cinnamon, 3 cups cornflakes, coarsely crushed, vegetable oil, honey, sweetened whipped cream or Cool Whip.
Shape ice cream into 8 balls. Sprinkle each ball with cinnamon and roll in crushed corn flakes. Place on cookie sheet and freeze until very hard. Chill serving bowls. Heat enough oil in deep skillet to cover ice cream balls. Heat well, then fry each ball one at a time for 3-5 seconds only. Serve immediately after frying, topped with honey, whipped cream, and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
Culture Clips
Old World Versus New World
Can you imagine pasta without tomatoes? Like those mashed potatoes with a steak? Still remember your Thanksgiving turkey? Even if you're on a diet to shed holiday pounds, do you still crave chocolate? All those things didn't exist in Europe or the Old World until the conquest of Latin America. Tomatoes and chocolate are even directly evolved from the Náhuatl language spoken by the Aztecs - tomatl and chocolatl. Turkeys were only found in the New World, and even today in Mexico go by the indigenous name of guajolote, while the word pavo is used in other Spanish speaking countries. The potato originated in Peru, and there are many varieties existing there - all kinds of shapes, sizes and even colors. It's interesting to wonder about things such as the Potato Famine of Ireland. Would that have played out differently if the conquistadors of Peru hadn't brought those back to Europe?
And what crossed into the New World? It should be acknowledged that some people are offended even by the terms of New World, as they figure that they were indeed not new, having had thousands of years of civilized cultures before the arrival of the Europeans. The invaders did bring things to this exchange also. The horse was unknown in Latin America, although there are speculations that they were here in prehistoric times. This splendid beast was a major factor in conquering the indigenous forces, as they found a man astride a horse to be a terrifying sight and found it hard to believe that it was not one complete beast. On a softer note, roses were first introduced by the Spaniards, as well as cattle, sheep and swine. So if you enjoy beef enchiladas with cheese, realize that the version you prefer was not put together until after the Conquest.
Wheat was another imported crop, so all the early tortillas were made from corn. There were habits exchanged also. The indigenous groups of Mexico, for instance, were accustomed to daily bathing, and this was in complete opposition to the European custom of the times. Of course, the Spanish language was superimposed on the cultures, also. However, many indigenous words still creep into Spanish of the individual countries. Many of these are words for items of food. Since they didn't exist in Spanish, there was no word for them, and an adaptation of the local word evolved.
A mind that is stretched to a new idea never returns to its original dimension. -     Oliver Wendell Holmes
Language Link's Latest
Our two new programs in Barcelona and San Sebastian, Spain, have already attracted students, and they're loving it! See all details now at www.langlink.com.
OJO (Special Deals)
FREE TRIPS!? Be sure to have a look at our newly remodeled website, because we will be offering random drawings for two exciting study trips. You'll do the airfare on your own, but you can win 2 weeks of study in intensive classes at CLIC in Seville including a completely equipped apartment. The second trip includes? four weeks of free tuition at Intercultura of Costa Rica (you only pay for family stay).? These have a value of $725 to $835 and there are absolutely no strings attached! It's our way of thanking you for looking at our remodeled site. All you have to do is click on the contest button. This will lead you to an inquiry form, and you simply have to enter a comment on the website, and we will even accept a one word comment. Even if you are already on our mail list, please send in the completed inquiry in order to be eligible. We will notify the winners by May 1.
Rhythm & Book Blurbs
We have recommended Ruben Blades in a previous issue, but this Panamanian singer-songwriter has a new fusion album out. "Mundo" is a seamless mix of salsa, Celtic music, flamenco and African pop music. It is considered one of the best albums of the year for Latin recordings.
The two best books for reading about the Conquest of Latin America are The Conquest of the Incas by John Hemming and one about Mexico, Conquest by Hugh Thomas. Both are historically accurate, very comprehensive, but are still a fascinating read.?Lengthy books in which you will get caught up, they're a good fireplace read for the winter months.
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...
SLI of Cuernavaca, Mexico "Cuernavaca itself is a wonderful city and I loved it. Called the City of Eternal Spring, the weather is wonderful year round.The school facilities are excellent and it is extremely well run. SLI is a happy place and going there was a real joy. Teachers are excellent. The families are upscale and very accustomed to housing students, and it is likely you will leave for home with new friends for life. All in all it was a terrific experience and I plan to do it again next year." Charles Stark (responding to an inquiry from a potential student), Marketing Consultant, California
Intercultura of Heredia, Costa Rica "Rating=Fabulous. I cannot tell you what a wonderful time I had in Heredia. The family I stayed with were the greatest and I truly have lifelong friends there. I felt like I was there for two months (note from LL - she was there for one week!) with all that I did and all the folks that I met. I can't stop talking about Costa Rica and will definitely keep up with my Spanish. Thank you again for a trip well planned." Elaine Berkowitz, Dentist, Pennsylvania
PLFM of Antigua, Guatemala "Rating=Superior. Beautiful, inspiring setting with organized, well trained and caring teachers. The one on one instruction really maximizes success. My teacher's skilled, easy conversation and careful instruction made it easy for me to feel comfortable and learn. He and his family became my friends. I very much appreciate that part of the experience. My homestay felt like home away from home.? My hostess for my stay in Antigua too became my friend. She made every effort to make me feel at home and to assist me with my Spanish instruction. I enjoyed learning from her about life in Guatemala.  Also, your preliminary materials were great." Jane Powell, Retired Educator, South Carolina
Don Quijote of Cusco, Peru? "The best time of my life!!!!!!! Professors were very friendly and helpful. There was a good variety and each teacher brought something special to the classroom.? They are very sincere people who are there to help you learn as much as you can and get the most out of the experience. My family was very caring and open and I really enjoyed living with them. The information you provided was very informative, and it is always good to experience new things and to have to discover them for yourself." James Urlacher, Student, North Dakota
CLIC of Seville, Spain "Superior language program. I found CLIC's directors accessible, flexible and remarkable in their ability to place students in the appropriate language level on day one. I spent two weeks in Seville with CLIC last March. I had only a week this December, but was able to make satisfying progress in spite of the brevity of my stay." Linda Rexford, MD, Rhode Island
Likeable Links
An atlas and general information on the world:
www.infoplease.com/atlas/
This site has an entire book, History of the Conquest of Peru by William Prescott:
www.worldwideschool.org/library/books/hst/southamerican/HistoryoftheConquestofPeru/toc.html
And this one includes History of the Conquest of Mexico by the same author:
www.4literature.net/William_Hickling_Prescott/History_of_the_Conquest_of_Mexico/
Another site on the conquest of Peru:
http://staff.esuhsd.org/~balochie/studentprojects/conqperu/
And one on the conquest of Mexico:
http://thedagger.com/archive/conquest/conquest1.html
We hope you enjoyed our news. Please visit us at the NEW www.langlink.com. Or if you like a real voice, call us at 800.552.2051. We're on Central Standard Time with office hours 9:00 to 5:00.
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

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