Feliz Navidad!

Hola Clase!!!

Les deseo a todos una Navidad llena de alegria y paz.

Please remember to do your MySpanishLab assignments and turn in your Chapter 2 quiz on Jan. 5th.

Adios!!

Chicano Literature: Assimilation at a Latino Pace

Marco Bravo, Spanish Faculty at MCC, explores the rhythms of Chicano Literature. Chicano Literature evidences assimilation into U.S. society at a moderate pace through reflections on family values, comparison with mainstream culture and the modern use of Spanglish.

Tuesday, Sept. 22 3-4 p.m.

Sarpy Center, Room 138

Omaha, NE

Annual Hispanic Heritage Business Luncheon

Peruvian Celebration

After one year of opening in the Old Market, Machu Picchu Imports is inviting everyone to come celebrate with them. Come and enjoy the exhibitions of Peruvian items, including jewelery, clothing, decorative items and much more. You can also enjoy rich snacks and visiting with other diverse nationalities.

Where/When:

August 21, 2009 (Friday)

Urban Wine Co.

1037 Jones St. (Old Market Area)

6:00- 8:00 p.m.

Class cancelled sorry!

Hi everyone!

I'm sorry to inform you but Chicano Literature for Fall of 2009 will not be available. The enrollment was too low at the time when the college was determining which classes would still be available. I'm still going to publish Spanish material on this site and encourage all of you to look for Chicano Literature during the Winter Term which begin sometime in November. I 'm very sorry for all of those who were going to sign up. Hopefully we'll see each other durning the Winter Term.

Big win for Hispanics today

The U.S. Senate has confirmed that Sonia Sotomayor will be the 111th justice and 3 woman to serve at the one of the highest post in our judicial branch. More importantly she will become the 1st Hispanic to serve in that position. She won the vote by a humble 68-31 margin. Justice John Roberts will is scheduled to administer both the judicial and constitution oaths this coming Saturday.

Big victory for Hispanics today. It's nice to see the progress and diversity we see in the streets finally begin to seep into our political systems.

Easiest Language to Learn for an English Speaker

Ever wonder if that Russian class you thought was a good a idea, turned out bad because you just weren't good at learning another language. Well here is an article to put that thought at easy.

For all of those taking Spanish classes, you're on the right track
Checka:
Speak Easy

New word: Mexhimo

A friend of mine just sent me a new word that has been added to the "Urban Dictionary", Mexhimo. 

Checka:

 Mexhimo: This appears in MacArthur Genius Award performance poet Guillermo Gomez-Pena's book The New World Border: Prophecies, poems & Loqueras for the End of the Century (City Lights Books) coined in Chicago in the 1990's to mean cold weather or "polar" Mexicans. Mexkimo settlements are found in Iowa, Minnesota, Illinois, and British Columbia and Quebec. Mexican or Chicanos who reside decades in the far north can't stand hot weather after living in the northern states of the USA and Canada.

examples: No way can I stand the San Antonio heat after 25 years as a Mexkimo en Chicago.
This cool summer is perfect Mexkimo weather, carnal.

How Kids Become Bilingual

Found this in the Press today...Checka...

WASHINGTON – The best time to learn a foreign language: Between birth and age 7. Missed that window?

New research is showing just how children's brains can become bilingual so easily, findings that scientists hope eventually could help the rest of us learn a new language a bit easier.

"We think the magic that kids apply to this learning situation, some of the principles, can be imported into learning programs for adults," says Dr. Patricia Kuhl of the University of Washington, who is part of an international team now trying to turn those lessons into more teachable technology.

Each language uses a unique set of sounds. Scientists now know babies are born with the ability to distinguish all of them, but that ability starts weakening even before they start talking, by the first birthday.

Kuhl offers an example: Japanese doesn't distinguish between the "L" and "R" sounds of English — "rake" and "lake" would sound the same. Her team proved that a 7-month-old in Tokyo and a 7-month-old in Seattle respond equally well to those different sounds. But by 11 months, the Japanese infant had lost a lot of that ability.

Time out — how do you test a baby? By tracking eye gaze. Make a fun toy appear on one side or the other whenever there's a particular sound. The baby quickly learns to look on that side whenever he or she hears a brand-new but similar sound. Noninvasive brain scans document how the brain is processing and imprinting language.

Mastering your dominant language gets in the way of learning a second, less familiar one, Kuhl's research suggests. The brain tunes out sounds that don't fit.

"You're building a brain architecture that's a perfect fit for Japanese or English or French," whatever is native, Kuhl explains — or, if you're a lucky baby, a brain with two sets of neural circuits dedicated to two languages.

It's remarkable that babies being raised bilingual — by simply speaking to them in two languages — can learn both in the time it takes most babies to learn one. On average, monolingual and bilingual babies start talking around age 1 and can say about 50 words by 18 months.

Italian researchers wondered why there wasn't a delay, and reported this month in the journal Science that being bilingual seems to make the brain more flexible.

The researchers tested 44 12-month-olds to see how they recognized three-syllable patterns — nonsense words, just to test sound learning. Sure enough, gaze-tracking showed the bilingual babies learned two kinds of patterns at the same time — like lo-ba-lo or lo-lo-ba — while the one-language babies learned only one, concluded Agnes Melinda Kovacs of Italy's International School for Advanced Studies.

While new language learning is easiest by age 7, the ability markedly declines after puberty.

"We're seeing the brain as more plastic and ready to create new circuits before than after puberty," Kuhl says. As an adult, "it's a totally different process. You won't learn it in the same way. You won't become (as good as) a native speaker."

Yet a soon-to-be-released survey from the Center for Applied Linguistics, a nonprofit organization that researches language issues, shows U.S. elementary schools cut back on foreign language instruction over the last decade. About a quarter of public elementary schools were teaching foreign languages in 1997, but just 15 percent last year, say preliminary results posted on the center's Web site.

What might help people who missed their childhood window? Baby brains need personal interaction to soak in a new language — TV or CDs alone don't work. So researchers are improving the technology that adults tend to use for language learning, to make it more social and possibly tap brain circuitry that tots would use.

Recall that Japanese "L" and "R" difficulty? Kuhl and scientists at Tokyo Denki University and the University of Minnesota helped develop a computer language program that pictures people speaking in "motherese," the slow exaggeration of sounds that parents use with babies.

Japanese college students who'd had little exposure to spoken English underwent 12 sessions listening to exaggerated "Ls" and "Rs" while watching the computerized instructor's face pronounce English words. Brain scans — a hair dryer-looking device called MEG, for magnetoencephalography — that measure millisecond-by-millisecond activity showed the students could better distinguish between those alien English sounds. And they pronounced them better, too, the team reported in the journal NeuroImage.

"It's our very first, preliminary crude attempt but the gains were phenomenal," says Kuhl.

But she'd rather see parents follow biology and expose youngsters early. If you speak a second language, speak it at home. Or find a play group or caregiver where your child can hear another language regularly.

"You'll be surprised," Kuhl says. "They do seem to pick it up like sponges."

Chicano Literature Fall 09...be there!

Make sure you sign up for the class! 

You won't regret it!

Thanks Claudio for the great artwork!

The House on Mango Street comes to life!

One of my all time favorite books: The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros is coming to life in a short one-hour play here in Omaha at the Rose Theatre. If you have not read this book, I STRONGLY urge you to get off your lazy facebooking butt and pick up this quick read, because it truly is a masterpiece. 

I have taught this book to my students at Boys Town and they were just enchanted by the themes, words and symbolisms. I felt that everyone one of my students was able to relate their own life to the experiences that Esperanza (the protagonist) saw growing up in Chicago. I also used this book this summer as part of my Chicano Literature class, and as I knew it would, it was a blockbuster hit even amongst the adults. It was such a delight to discuss all the great characteristics this crafty author interwove between each of her short stories. 

The play will be here for the month of October. I don't know if this is a traveling play, but at least do your brain a favor and go buy the book and thank me later. :-)

La Cucaracha Soñadora

Uno de mis cuentos cortos favoritos de uno de mis cuentistas favoritos, el guatemalteco, Augusto Monterroso. 

La Cucaracha Soñadora

Era un vez una Cucaracha llamada Gregorio Samsa que soñaba que era una Cucaracha llamada Franz Kafka que soñaba que era un escritor que escribía acerca de un empleado llamado Gregorio Samsa que soñaba que era una Cucaracha. 

River of Gold at Josselyn Art Musuem

My wife and I went to see the art exhibition at Josselyn Art Musuem, River of Gold and Mexican Folk Art, and we both without a doubt recommend it. 

River of Gold: 

Beneath the continuos flow of water of the Rio Grande in Panama, the local people began to find gold artifacts and ancient pottery. Puzzled as to why they would find such treasures they began to ask for help and in 1930, a Harvard archeologist, discovered the great burial grounds of what we is now known as The River of Gold. 

Under the Rio Grande they discover 3 layers of burial grounds. Each one of them with its own unique treasure. Much of what I observed was that gold plates that were used as decorative pieces to their clothing was the most found artifact.  It was very obvious in each of the burial grounds which skeleton was the chief for he was the one covered with the most gold. According to this tribes traditions when a chief died all of his servants were also killed. They believed that if they were to die at the same time as their chief, they could also help serve h

im in the afterlife. 

Mexican Folk Art:

 This is a private collection of the Wagner Family. It is a beautiful and diverse collection of everything that would fall under the label of Folk Art. My favorite exhibition was that of the "mask". Mexico and other Latin American countries have a long traditions of producing mask either for decoration or for festivals. Many of these mask either portray a mythic beast like figure or mock certain figures such as the Spanish Conquistadors. I happen to have about 3 mask in my house, one of a Spanish Conquistador, an Angel with huge cheeks and a beast like figure. I was surprised as to how many of the art pieces were from Oaxacan artist. I can't wait to find my own art pieces to bring back and add to my collection! 

Chicano Literature was a Success!!!

Yesterday was the last day of our Chicano Literature Class and I am so sad! I had such a great time teaching that class and I think what makes a teacher enjoy the art of teaching, is when he/she has brilliant students. I was blessed with a group of great students! 

The class with be offered once again this Fall on Thursday from 6-9:00 p.m. 

Please sign up and experience the beauty of Literature!

Free Concert at Latino Museum

FREE FAMILY CONCERT

Friday, July 17, 2009

5:00 p.m.
at

EL MUSEO LATINO
4701 South 25 Street
Omaha, NE  68107
 

Featuring

LA CATRINA STRING QUARTET
The quartet, based in North Carolina, is comprised of musicians from Mexico and the United States.  
They will play a free, one hour family concert of music by Latino composers.
 

Reserve your space by calling (402) 731-1137 or online at www.elmuseolatino.org

 

Start your weekend with an enjoyable hour of great Latino music!
This concert is sponsored by Greater Omaha Packing Company,
in partnership with Nebraska’s Meadowlark Music Festival and Kaneko.

Final Exam, Chicano Literature

Hola Clase! Espero que todos gozaron de las celebraciones, pero ahora es tiempo de trabajar de nuevo y alimentar nuestras mentes con mas Chicanada!

This your final exam, which will be turned in this Thursday, July 9th. There are a total of 10 questions. 5 essay question dealing with the material read/discussed/viewed in class. 

They are short essay questions, meaning that I expect at least 2/3 well written paragraphs. 

The next 5 questions will deal with your suggestions/opinions on the class itself. I ask that you are honest and give me some great feedback to better the class. You will not get points taken off or be frowned upon. I want to make this the best class possible class so that students may learn about Chicanos. These 5 question do not need to be as long as the essay questions.

Final Exam Questions:

1. In a general sense, how would you personally describe to someone what Chicano Literature is? What is the overall tone/feeling of Chicano writers?

2. In your opinion will Spanglish ever be an accepted language among academia? Where do you see the future of this "underground" language evolving?

3. In The House on Mango Street, had the protagonist been a young boy what would be some of the same conflicts he might have faced? Could this book have been written from young boy's perspective and still had the same impact on its readers?

4. The two films we saw were heavily influence by the Chicano culture. What were some of the common threads that we saw in both films that made them "Chicano"?

5. The protagonist in "Bless Me, Ultima" is in a constant struggle for self identity. This seems to have been a common theme among the literature we have read during this course. In your opinion, will the Chicano culture ever be able to find their identity? Why or why not? 

These next question are for the purpose of bettering the class and do not have to be in essay format. 

1. How much did you know about Chicano culture before this class and did this class help you get a better sense of Chicano culture through its literature? Can you give some examples?

2. Which assignment (films included) helped you the most and why?

3. Which assignment (film included) helped you the least and why?

4. If you could make one (more) recommendation to better the class, what would it be?

5. How will you apply what you learned in this class to better our small world? :-)

Nicaragua vs. Mexico

Happy 4th of July!!

In other news...

Tomorrow will be a great day in Nicaraguan Sports History. For the 1st time in Nicaraguan Football(soocer) Federation history, the national team has qualified for something. This is the first TIME Nicaragua has qualified for a major cup. 

They will play Mexico tomorrow at 6pm for the first round of the Gold Cup. It will be televised on Univision. This is a very hard opponent and I just wish our national team the best. 

On July 9th they will play Guadeloupe and on July 12 they face Panama in Phoenix. I really wish I was in AZ to watch this game, and paint my face blue and white, with bongos and whistles and just root for the underdog! 

Viva Nicaragua!!!!

$1 Tacos!!! YES!!!!

Hi Everyone who is hungry, Larry from class just informed me that every Thursday from 4pm-9pm there are $1 dollar tacos at the American G.I. Forum!

The location is on 20th and O street. 

Support our troops with home grown American food....TACOS!!!!

See you there!

Shame on Arizona

Looks like my home state isn't perfect after all. Arizona will most likely be the first state in the Union to criminalize the presence of being an illegal alien. What does this mean? Basically that local police now are being given federal power. If a police chooses to he could arrest an illegal alien on the spot for just being present, whereas usually an illegal alien didn't get caught unless he/she committed a crime and then was handed over to the Dept. of Homeland Security, beginning the process for deportation. 

What do I think? This is yuky law that has racial profiling ALL OVER IT!

Honduras in Trouble!

If you haven't already heard from the news channels, Honduras has suffered Central America's first coup in 16 years. President elect, Manuel Zelaya, was taken by soliders from his home early Sunday morning. After they apprehended him, they put him on plane to Costa Rica forcing him into exile. 

The military has taken over the presidential palace and has now placed a "new" president. This man's is named Roberto Micheletti and was president of the congress in Honduras. 

The reason for this coup: According to some, Zelaya was about to pass a referendum in which it would allow him to serve another term. According to Honduran constitution, presidents are only allow to serve one 4-year term. Zelaya's opponents feared that something similar to what Hugo Chavez has done in Venezuela was in the makings. 

The White House has made it clear that they recognize Zelaya as the president of Honduras and nobody else. 

Today in Managua, Nicaragua many Latin American leaders gather to see what were some options to reverse this coup. The option of military action by other countries was on the table. 

Stay tuned...this could get messy!

Contest for Poetry Book!

Hola Clase! I will give a copy of my poetry book: Detras del Biombo, to the first persona who can write me back con la respuesta correcta de la question!

After reading The House on Mango Street, I recommend that you read her other work. I personally am making it a promise that I will read "Caramelo" this summer. Here is my question: 

In the novel Caramelo by Sandra Cisneros, what is the name of the protagonist?

 She is also a little girl just like Esperanza in The House on Mango Street. Please give me the first and last name! Buena Suerte!

Bay Poem from Berkeley by Sandra Cisneros

Mornings I still

reach for you before

opening my eyes.

An antique habit from 

last summer when we pulled

each other into the heat of groin

and belly, slept with an arm

around the other.

The Texas sun was like that.

Like a body asleep beside you.

But when I open my eyes

to the flannel and down,

mist at the window and blue

light from the bay, I remember

where I am.

This weight

on the other side of the bed

is only books, not you. What

I said I loved more than you.

True.

Though these mornings

I wish books loved back. 

Zoot Suit Riot Info

Hola clase! Linda has provided a great link to more information on the Zoot Suit Riots of 1943 in "El Pueblo de Nuestra Señora la Reina de los Ángeles del Río de Porciúncula" (a.k.a Los Angeles). Check it out!

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/zoot/index.html

Gracias Linda!

Chicano Activist Reunion in Dallas

21 st CENTURY CHICANO ACTIVIST REUNION 
        AUGUST 21-23, 2009 
       DALLAS, TEJAZTLAN 

        COME ONE! COME ALL!

        CHICANO ACTIVIST AND THOSE WHO SUPPORTED THE CHICANO MOVEMENTFROM AROUND THE WORLD WILL GATHER THIS SUMMER TO CELEBRATE THE IMPACT OF THE CHICANO MOVEMENT. 

        OUR PURPOSE IN MEETING HAS SEVERAL PURPOSES: 

        * TO CELEBRATE NEARLY HALF A CENTURY LATER MANY OF THE PARTICIPANTS OF THE CHICANO STRUGGLES AND EVENTS SINCE THE 1960s 
        * TO REVISIT, RETELL, RELIVE EVENTS AND EPISODES OF YEARS PAST 
        TO LISTEN AND LEARN FROM EXPERTS, ONCE PARTICIPANTS, THEIR ANALYSES OF SIGNIFICANT MILESTONES OF THE CHICANO MOVEMENT 
        * TO EAT, DRINK, LAUGH, DANCE, AND BE HAPPY WITH EACH OTHER 
        * TO MEET AND GREET THOSE INTERESTED IN CARRYING FORTH THE CHICANO/MEXICANO STRUGGLE FOR EQUALITY AND JUSTICE 
        * TO PASS THE TORCH OF STRUGGLE FOR CONTINUED GROUP ASCENDENCY 
        * TO EXCHANGE INFORMATION ABOUT OUR PRESENT LIVES 
        * TO REMEMBER, REFLECT, AND EULOGIZE THOSE DEPARTED FROM OUR RANKS 
        * TO VIEW DOCUMENTARIES AND FILMS ABOUT THE CHICANO MOVEMENT 
        * TO SOCIALIZE AND REJOICE ABOUT OUR CIVIL RIGHTS STRUGGLE 

WE INVITE YOU TO ATTEND. THE LAST TIME WE GATHERED WAS IN SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, DECEMBER 1989.  IF YOU CANNOT ATTEND PASS ON OUR WEB PAGE AND THIS LETTER TO OTHERS. IF YOU CANNOT ATTEND SEND US A VIDEO/DVD CLIP WITH NARRATIVE ABOUT YOUR ROLE IN THE CHICANO MOVEMENT SO WE CAN HEAR, SEE, LISTEN AND LEARN ABOUT YOUR EFFORTS. 

                                                POR LA CAUSA 


                                          JOSE ANGEL GUTIERREZ 
                                       FOUNDER, LA RAZA UNIDA PARTY 

Will "John" by the new "Juan"?

What's in a name? These immigrants seem to think that it's all in the name...

Thanks Joyce for the link! Check it out...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/31356213#31356213

Widows being deported

"60 minutes" just did a special this Sunday which I thought was really interesting. The U.S. government is deporting foreigners that were married to U.S. citizens. As a foreigner, if you are married to a U.S. citizen you are granted citizenship. According to these cases though, because they are not longer "married" (meaning that because of death, you are no longer legally married) they are considered "illegal aliens" and could face deportation. The unique case is that all of these unfortunate people lost their spouse's while the process of attaining their citizenship  was in process.  

 Tell me your thoughts...is this fair?

The Wondrous writing of Junot Diaz

A week before the Chicano Literature class started, I picked up a book called: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. I couldn't put it down until it was completely finished. What a great novel with a unique "neo-narrative" (a term I just made up) that will surely become the newest trend in young Latino writers. 

  Diaz, does a great job of taking us on a crash course history lesson of the Dominican Republic and making sure his readers never yawn from boredom. This is straight up, in your face, just great writing. I completely recommend this novel to anyone looking for something out of the normal and still reaping the benefits of learning a few facts on Dominican history and culture! Read it!

p.s. If you still need some convincing, it probably helps that Junot Diaz won the  Pulitzer Prize for this book in 2008.   

Un breve descanso

Hola a todos!
Tenemos un descanso hasta el 9 de julio cuando comienzo a dar la clase de Literatura Chicana. Creo que va ser una clase bien divertida y interesante tambien. Hasta entonces, voy a descansar un poco y prepararme para la clase. Nos vemos en un par de semanas! Chau!

SPAN 2120 Extra Credito

Passive Voice and Reflexive Construction:

1. La novela "Don Quijote" fue escrita por Cervantes.
2. La cuenta fue pagada por mi padre.
3. Esos collares tan lindos son hechos por los indios.
4. La ciudad fue destruida por los soldados.
5. La ventana fue abierta por Pedro.
6. Los ninos fueron acompanados por sus padres.
7. Marta fue invitada a bailar por muchos.
8. La comida fue servida por mi madre.
9. Las novelas de Charles Dickens son leidas por todos.
10. Los acueductos fueron construidos por los romanos.

1. Se trabjo mucho.
2. Se venden libros aqui.
3. Que se puede hacer?
4. Se compra pan en la panaderia.
5. Se dice que era un buen rey.
6. Se come bien en ese restaurante.
7. Se invito a Juan a la fiesta.
8. Se reparan carros aqui.
9. Se oyo un ruido muy fuerte.
10. No se debe hacer eso.

SPAN 2110 Extra Credit Examen 4

Alberto 13
Bonita 12
Ernesto 10

Ernesto Cardenal

Hola Clase!!
I've been looking through some of my old books and I came across one of my favorite collection of poetry. Epigramas by Ernesto Cardenal. He is one of my favorite poets and probably the most important living poet in Latin America today. He is from Nicaragua and was at one point a very contraversial figure, as he was(is) a priest and a revolutionary leader during the Sandinista Revolution. He was a leader in the Liberation Theology movement which itself was very contraversial. He is still alive and well in Nicaragua, about five years ago, he won a very prestigous award that celebrated the 100th birthday of the Great Pablo Neruda (1904-1973), an award for the best poet in Latin America.
I had the honor of meeting him once in Nicaragua. I bugged and bugged him, but I finally just waited outside his office to have him sign my book and take a picture with him. I hang that picture above my office still today. Enjoy one of his classic poems:

Al perderte yo a ti tú y yo hemos perdido:
Yo porque tú eras lo que yo más amaba
Y tú porque yo era el que te amaba más.
Pero de nosotros dos tú pierdes más que yo:
Porque yo podré amar a otras como te amaba a ti
Pero a ti no te amarán como te amaba yo.

Cinco de Mayo

FELIZ CINCO DE MAYO!!!

SPAN 2120 Extra Credit Capitulo 8

Present Perfect Subjuntive:

1. haya dicho
2. hayas decidido
3. hayan podido
4. haya aprendido
5. se haya ido
6. se hayan llevado
7. haya preferido
8. haya llovido
9. hayas venido
10. haya hecho
11. hayan puesto
12. haya estado
13. hayamos visto
14. hayais conocido
15. haya habido

1. Tengo miedo de que no haya visto mi carta.
2. Esperan que hayamos vuelto con nuestro papa.
3. Es posible que no hayan hecho lo que pedimos.
4. Les sorprende que no se haya puesto los zapatos.
5. Se alegran que no haya habido mucha confusion
6. Dudas que hayamos estado en la America Sur.
7. Importa que no se lo haya dicho.
8. Dudo que hayan podido comprar una casa.
9. Siente que no haya hecho la maleta.
10. Esperamos que haya nevado en las montanas.

Swine Flu Fashion

The lastest fashion in Mexico City. Fashion will never take the back seat, even in times of chaos.

Como Agua Para Chocolate

The other day I came across a very famous book by Laura Esquivel Como agua para Chocolate (also a movie now). It is a wonderful story of love, magic and food. Three of the best things in life. I was curious to see how the title came about and to see if there was any history behind it. Here is what I found out.

The phrase comes from a very old Mexican saying, which bascially means when "a person is very mad". Many people in Mexico enjoy drinking chocolate. The phrase "like water for chocolate" comes rom the way this it is prepared. A pot of water is set on the stove and when it reaches the boiling point, pieces of chocolate are dropped in. Thus the Mexican expression is somewhat similar to English saying that someone has "reached the boiling point." As the story line of Como agua para chocolate revolves around both cooking and a family feud, the use of this saying as the title seems particularly appropiate.

Adivinanza

La primera persona que me escribe un email con la repuesta correcta gana mi libro: Detras del Biombo!!

Buena Suerte!

Oro no es
Plata no es
Abre la puerta
y sabras que es.

Que es?

hint: no es un metal :-)

Ojala

Since both classes are review the subjunctive, I thought it would be nice if I gave you a little history on a very common word associated with the subjunctive: ojala...

Modern speakers of Spanish use ojalá! The same way that English speakers say if only it were so or let's hope. The original phrase came from Arabic and means "May it be Allah's will that…" Like nearly all of the many words that Spanish acquired from Arabic, it entered the language as a result of the Muslim invasion that occurred in the year 711. For eight hundred years, the Iberian Peninsula was divided into Muslim and Christian enclaves, but they were not totally cut off from each other. Thus many Spanish (and English) words were originally Arabic words - espcially words used in science, math, medicine, agriculture and architecture. For example, both algodon and cotton come from the Arabic al qutn, and álgebra and algebra from al jabra. This even trickled down to when naming places, Guadalajara means "river of the rocks", the root guad means river in Arabic.

Practica con Por y Para

1. Camine __por_ esta calle.
2. Este regalo es _para___ mi?
3. Cuanto pagaste _por__ por tus zapatos?
4. La fiesta va ser _por__ 5 horas.
5. Hoy voy a trabajar __por__ mi hermano que esta enfermo.
6. Necesito saber ___para__ el proximo domingo.
7. Es mas rapido ir __por__ avion a Japon.
8. __Para__ donde van de vacaciones?
9. Quieres caminar __por__ el parque?
10. __Para___ ser tan joven, es muy maduro.
I'll post answers later!

SPAN 2120 Extra Credit Capitulo #7

Future Tense:

1. escribiré
2. será
3. hablarán
4. aprenderá
5. pedirás
6. sera
7. practicarán
8. estará
9. llegaréis
10. cerrará
11. necesitaremos
12. serán
13. daré
14. estarán
15. bailarás
16. dirigiré
17. irán
18. recibirá
19. estará
20. preparemos

1. Escribiremos los ejercicios en el cuaderno.
2. Llegarán el martes.
3. Mi papá comprará un carro.
4. Iréis mañana a España.
5. Qué hora será?

Sabias que....

-España recibe al año más turistas que todas las personas que viven en ese país.

- Hay un solo lugar en Centro América donde se puede ver los dos océanos -el Atlántico y el Pacífico- a la vez. Desde el volcán Irazú, a unos 11,200 pies de altura, en Costa Rica.

- Para sacar una licencia de manejar en Venezuela, hay que tomar un examen psicológico.

SPAN 2110 Extra Credito Examen #2

1. es
2. está
3. son
4. está
5. son
6. eres
7. soy
8. están, son
9. es
10. está
11. somos
12. está
13. son
14. soy
15. estás
16. son
17. está
18. es
19. estamos
20. está

International Fair MCC

Metropolitan Community College presents:

The 20th Annual 

International Fair

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

10 am to 7:30 pm

South Campus Connector Building Commons

El Babalao

If you speak to Cuban-Americans about a bit of bad luck you're having, they might suggest, "tienes que ir al Babalao." You don't really have to see someone named Babalao; it's an old expression that dates back to the colonial times, when African slaves worked on Spanish sugar plantations in Cuba. A Babalao was an African priest, and people who had bad luck could go to the Babalao for a ritual that would free them of the evil spirits that caused the bad luck.

April 2nd

Hola Clase!!
Sorry about the confusion today. I was not aware that Metro CC had an in-serve day. Our syllabus (the one I was given by the Spanish Dept.) had us scheduled for class today. Most of us still came to class and took the test and gave great presentations. Because of this misunderstanding, there will be no Composition #3, everyone will receive credit for it. I will discuss modifications to the syllabus next Thursday April 9th. If you did not attend class on April 2nd, please be prepared to take Examen #2 next week. Gracias and I am so sorry for the confusion. Nos vemos el proximo jueves!!

SPAN 2120 Extra Puntos Capitulo 6

Hola clase! Aquí están las respuestas de los mandatos informales para los puntos extra del examen de Capitulo 6.
1. pon
2. pide
3. lava
4. piensa
5. habla
6. haz
7. mira
8. ve
9. compra
10. di
11. pongas
12. pidas
13. laves
14. pienses
15. hables
16. hagas
17. mires
18. vayas
19. compres
20. digas

Sabías que...

- El mes de los aztecas tenía veinte días.

- Aproximadamente nueve millones de personas en el mundo celebran su cumpleaños el mismo día que tú.

- Una de cada cuatro personas no sabe su signo astrológico.

- Hay teinta y un millones, quinientos cincuenta y siete mil seiscientos segundos en un año.

- Hay aproximadamente dos mil setecientos temblores cada día.

SPAN 2110 Puntos Extra, Examen #1

Hola clase!! I want to apologize about what I said in class Thursday...I DID give you the correct sheet for extra credit points. These are stem-changing verbs in the PRESENT tense, not in the Preterit like I thought they were. My apologies if some of you started to do it in the Preterit tense. Here are the answers for the sheet:

1. piensa
2. pido
3. quieres
4. sirve
5. almuerza
6. pueden
7. comenzamos
8. recuerdan
9.pienso
10. vuelven
11. cierran
12. quiero
13. pedis (vosotros, we don't study this)
14. comienzan
15. almorzamos
16. sirve
17. podemos
18. almuerzo
19. volveis (vosotros)
20. pensamos
21. pides
22. recuerda
23. comienza
24. piensan
25. pedis (vosotros)
26. vuelve
27. comienza
28. queremos
29. puede
30. almuerzan

1. Quiero almorzar aqui. 2. Piensan Uds. volver temprano? 3. No pueden comenzar el trabajo hoy. 4. Volvemos a la ciudad manana. 5. Por que no pides mas vino?

Nicaraguan's using the "Ch"

Today in class we talked a little about Nicaraguan history and I thought it would be fun to post some of the "dialect/slang" words that us Nicas use. For some reason we have a lot of words that are unique to our culture that start with "ch". I might assume that is comes from the phonetics of our ancestors native language, nahuatl. Here are some examples of words that we use mainly only in Nicaragua that start with "ch":

Chavalo(a): little boy or girl
Chinelas: sandals
Chunche: another way of saying "that thing"
Chochada: another way of saying "that thing" (situation)
Chele: non-offensive to calling someone light skinned
Chocho: wow!
Chancho: a pig (both literally and figuratively)
Chapas: earrings

Why the stem-change?

One of the more difficult aspects when learning how to conjugate verbs is knowing which verbs are irregular. Many of these irregular verbs are this way because they fall into the category of what we call: stem-changing verbs. This basically means that not only is the ending of the verb going to change (according to the subject pronoun), but also the stem (main part of the verb) is also going to change.

Why do we have to do this? The main purpose is to conserve the phonetics of the word or provide a diphthong in the word. Another reason might be to avoid, spelling another word. Take for instance the verb jugar. If you follow the rules of conjugation for the present-tense, this verb should conjugate in the yo form to: jugo. The problem with this is that jugo means "juice". The correct stem change for what I just explained would be: juego.

The are also verbs in which we change not so much the front part of the stem, but the ending. Once again this done to preserve the phonetics of the word. Take for example Buscar in the preterit. If we follow the rule of the preterit, and conjugate it to the yo form we get: buscé. The problem with this is that the "ce" together make a smooth sound and the "c" looses its hard sound. That is why we must conjugate it to: busqué

This is very tricky part to Spanish and you just have to remember which verbs change stems in the different tenses. Be careful though, just because a verb changes stem in one tense, it doesn't mean that it will change in all the other tenses. :-)

Gringo

The word Gringo can be a positive or negative term, depending on the context. The word gringo is used to refer to any sort of immigrant or foreigner, especially someone from the United States. Popular myth traces the word to the Mexican-American War (1846-1848) or how the Mexican text books would have it as, La invasion Norteamericana. When the Army invaded Mexico, one of the songs the soldiers often sang began: "Green Grow the Rushes-O" and the first two words were supposed to have become the term for the soldiers.
Some scholars actually say that the term gringo actually evolved from the Spanish word griego (greek), which was sometimes used to mean "foreign and unintelligible speech." This was extended to mean "foreigner" or speaker of gringo.

The position of Adjectives

As a Spanish student you have probably always heard your Spanish instructor say that the adjective must always go after the noun, the opposite of what it would be in English. For example: The red car = El carro rojo. This correct, but don't get too comfortable always putting adjectives as the end of nouns.

The example that I showed above was an example of a descriptive adjective and those will always follow the noun. They must also always agree in gender and in form, like all nouns. Yet there are times when the adjective will go before noun. Here are some examples:

-Adjectives that express a quality or fact that is pretty much generally know about the modified noun, will be placed in front of this noun.
La bella ciudad de Paris
El maravilloso volcan de Nicaragua

-Possessive, demonstrative, indefinite adjectives as well as cardinal numbers will be placed before the noun.
Mis dos perros
Este reloj es de mi abuelo
Voy al octavo piso

- When you use the adjective mejor and peor, they will also be placed in front of the noun.
Es mi mejor amigo
Es el peor restaurante de la ciudad

-At times adjectives will be purposely put in front of the noun to give it emphasis in a poetic fashion.
Esta lindo el mar.
La hermosa mujer.

There are also a few adjectives that can change meaning depending if you put them in front of the noun or after, I'll list the most common:

grande
un hombre grande (big)
un gran hombre (great)

pobre
el señor pobre (poor, not rich)
el pobre señor (poor, unfortunate)

único
el hombre único (unique)
el único hombre (only)

viejo
un amigo viejo (old, elderly)
un viejo amigo (long-time)

mismo
la mujer misma (herself)
la misma mujer (same)

Lana

Just like in English, there are many words that can mean: money. Spanish is no different and it can vary from country to county on what the street word for money is. Lana is one of the most common street words for money in the Spanish language. Literally it means wool, but most people will understand it to mean money as well, especially if you are using it in the proper context. The slang use of lana for dinero dates from the colonial period, between the 16th and early 19th century. At that time Spain controlled all of Mexico and Central America, and most of South America. Sheep did not exist in the Americas before the Spaniards brought them, but conditions here were ideal for raising sheep. Given the great deman for wool in Europe, people who had lots of sheep also had lots of money. The wool industry is no longer as important, but the association of lana to mean money is still very common today. Here are some examples of how you can use this slang word:

-Necesito mas lana para comprar el video
-Ese hombre debe tener mucha lana, mira su carro.
-Se me olvido la lana en la casa!

The personal "a"

The personal "a" is a very tricky grammar concept to teach, for the simple fact that in English there is no equivalent. It is used in Spanish before a direct object noun that refers to a specific person or persons. When the direct object is a definite person or persons, an "a" goes before the noun. ( Remember, the direct object receives the action. You can find out the direct object by saying the subject and verb and then asking the question what? or whom?)

You can also use the personal "a" when the direct object is quien(es) or is a indefinite expression such as alguien or nadie.

If you choose to personify an object such as an animal or anything else, then you have to use the personal "a" once again. Example: Voy a llevar a mi perro.

You must also leave out the personal "a" after the verb tener when it means to possess.

This grammatical concept, is a tricky one, but Spanish speakers use it all the time and if you don't use it correctly or don't use it all, it could make you sound funny. I'll list a few more examples on when the personal "a" is used:

-Necesito ver a mi esposo.
-Visito a Pedro y a Maria.
-Yo tengo un perro.
-A quien esperas?
-Puedes llamar a mi hijo.

El Cuate

The word Cuate is used mainly amongst Mexican’s. It is a slang word that means: a good friend or buddy. Although the word is very common, it is actually a word that was derived from Nahuatl, the language of the Aztecs.

The Aztecs were Mexico’s most powerful Native group. One of their great gods was, Quetzalcoatl, who was represented as a feathered serpent. But coatl, the Nahuatl word for serpent, has also come to mean twin, for Quetzalcoatl was the twin brother of another god, Xolotl. The form and meaning of coatl eventually evolved into cuate, meaning a very close friend.

Here is an example on how it can be used:
Conoces a Roberto?
-Claro que sí, es mi cuate.

Grammatical Terms

Here are a few general grammatical terms that are frequently used for teaching Spanish.

Adjective: Describes a noun. In Spanish, the adjective has to agree in gender and in form to the noun.

Noun: A person, place, thing or thought. In Spanish, nouns are either masculine or feminine.

Article: The article generally goes before the noun. A definite article translates to: “the”. The indefinite article translates to: “a” or “some”. Articles must agree in gender and in form to the noun it modifies.

Verb: Basically a word that describes an action.

Verb-ending: Every verb in Spanish will end in either –ar, -er or –ir. These are also the verb endings, and are usually replaced when the verb is conjugated.

Stem of a verb: It is the main part of the verb or what is left after taking off the verb ending.

Stem-Change: Refers to the action of having the stem of the verb change when it is conjugated to a certain tense.

Preposition: Is a word that connects words and, according to the thought expressed in the sentence, serves to indicate the relationship between the words.

Gender: In Spanish every noun has a gender, either masculine or feminine. This is very important, because all adjectives have to agree with the noun's gender.

Singular/Plural: Singular means when you are indicating just one object. Plural, when you are indicating two or more objects.

Conjugation: The modification of a verb, according to what tense or mood you desire it to be.

Adverbs: A word that modifies a verb, an adjective, or another adverb.

Compositions

I just want to remind everyone that every other week, you will have to turn in a composition. Each composition will have a different theme to write about. Please make sure that the compositions are typed and 1 page long. No more, no less. Once you turn in the composition, you have recieved 1/2 the points. After I hand back the corrections to your composition, you will then make the corrections and hand them back (with the original) to me for the remaining 1/2 points. It's a rather long process, but this insures that everyone is learning from their mistakes. I hope this clarifies any confusion. If you are not able to bring the composition to class, make SURE that you email me a copy at once. Gracias!

Hola Clase!

Aqui esta el primer Blog! Espero que esto trabaje!