Cybercentre English Magazine

The Cybercentre
English Magazine

Edition 3, May 2012

A little Madness in the Spring
Is wholesome even for the King.
Emily Dickinson (1830–1886)

The first day of May, which is called ‘May Day’ in England, is celebrated with traditional May Day festivities, which include dancing around the Maypole and various outdoor games. It symbolizes the end of winter and the coming of the spring, the time when flowers and crops begin to grow, which is generally a very happy time.

Despite all these cheerful celebrations, the month of May has always been considered unlucky by country folk, especially for getting married, which is why the English have a special proverb for this month: ‘Marry in May, and you’ll rue the day.’
This type of superstition, so typical of the English, is discussed in an article in this third edition of The Cybercentre English Magazine, along with a short news item on a new discovery concerning Charles Dickens, a few puns, and much more.

Enjoy reading!

Dickens’ characters

If there is one author who is famous for creating larger-than-life, unforgettable characters, it is Charles Dickens (1812 – 1870). His David Copperfield, his Bill Sykes (from: ‘Oliver Twist’) and his Marley and Scrooge (from ‘A Christmas Carol’) are among the best-known characters in world literature.
We all know the stories, but it is the characters that stay with us most, because of the way Dickens described them and made them come to life in our imagination. Not only did he describe their often awkward outward appearances, but also a lot of peculiar character traits and habits, that at times made them seem grotesque in the reader’s eyes. Could anyone ever really be as miserly as Scrooge?

Dickens’ imagination must have known no boundaries in order to enable him to write stories and novels the way he did, yet it has recently been discovered that the characters were not all fictitious. In fact, The Guardian recently reported that the writer had real people as sources for his imagination, and that new research has pinpointed them.

If you are interested in reading the rest of the magazine, please get a free subscription to The Cybercentre English Magazine. The full version of this edition will be sent to your mailbox, and the next editions will follow automatically, absolutely free of charge!

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© 2012 Cybercentre for English Language Learning

The Cybercentre
English Magazine

Edition 2, April 2012

April is already well underway, so it is high time for the second edition of The Cybercentre English Magazine to appear. In this edition you will find an article on Scotland with a link to a marvellous documentary, some proverbs to remember, Easter vocabulary, and an interesting reading tip. So as soon as you have stopped hunting for Easter eggs, which the Easter Bunny undoubtedly left all over the place, you’ll have plenty to read on Easter Sunday.

Enjoy reading!

Scotland

Scotland is a part of Great Britain with a rich, but bloody history, and a distinct culture. The Highland dress, made of a material called tartan, is known all over the world and so are the superb malt whiskey, the traditional music and the vivid tales of Scottish folklore, of which the legend of ‘the monster of Loch Ness’ is probably best-known.
Contrary to what most people believe, Scotland does not consist of simply the upper third part of the great isle. In addition to the mainland, Scotland constitutes over 790 islands, including the Northern Isles and the Hebrides. Some of these islands are quite small, and distant from the rest, so that the islanders can retain their own ways and their own culture.
The mainland itself can be divided into two parts: the Lowlands in the southern part of Scotland, and the Highlands in the North. The capital city of Scotland, Edinburgh, with its imposing castle, and typically Scottish ghost tours is to be found in the so-called Lowlands. A drive starting in the Lowlands, through the Grampian Mountains and leading into the Highlands, is a treat you will never forget.

The vastness and bleakness of the bare mountainsides, which separate the two parts of the country, make you realize even more how beautiful the green pastures and the small villages in the Highlands on the other side are. Great lochs (‘loch' is the Scottish word for ‘lake’) alternate with wild and empty hills, and on some of the lochs there are farms which can only be reached by boat.
Agriculture is hard and poor in Scotland. Much of the land is too high for easy cultivation; most of the hillsides are covered with heather and bracken or undrained bog, swept by wind and rain. The physical conditions have always made agriculture difficult and in the industrial age geographical remoteness from the main English centres and from Europe has been a handicap. Although they are a hard-working people, the Scottish have generally been some way behind the English in material conditions.
As a result, young people have started to emigrate, first to the towns, but later also abroad. A number of Scotsmen have gone to England to seek their fortunes, but many others have gone farther from home. It has been estimated that there are now over 20 million people of Scottish origin living in America, Australia, Canada and other parts of the world, leaving some Highland areas almost deserted.

If you are interested in reading the rest of the magazine, please get a free subscription to the Cybercentre English Magazine. The full version of this edition will be sent to your mailbox, and the next editions will follow automatically, absolutely free of charge!

Did you enjoy reading the Cybercentre English Magazine? Please recommend it to others by clicking on the ‘Like-button’ at the bottom of the homepage.

© 2012 Cybercentre for English Language Learning

The Cybercentre
English Magazine

Edition 1, March 2012

The Cybercentre for English Language Learning proudly presents this first edition of its very own magazine. This monthly magazine will replace the old newsletters and as you can see for yourself, it is far more interesting and informative than the newsletters were.

The magazine aims to inform on all sorts of matters concerning the English language itself, how to study the English language, and anything interesting having to do with the language or the countries where it is spoken. It is not only meant for Cybercentre students, but for anyone who takes an interest in the language, the history, the culture and/or the people of the English speaking world. Subscription to the magazine is absolutely free, even if you’re not a Cybercentre student!

This first edition of the magazine includes: an article on the English speaking world with a link to a wonderful documentary that you can watch in full, an article highlighting Dartmoor National Park in Devon, England, a few interesting proverbs to expand your knowledge of the English language, and some vocabulary to remember.

The English Speaking World

I’m sure that you are aware of the fact that English is spoken in England and America. But if you were asked in how many countries people actually have English as their first or native language, what would your answer be? 4? ... 5? Then you’re sadly mistaken!

English is spoken as a native or first language in the U.S.A., Canada, Britain, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa and a number of smaller territories. Apart from that, English has some sort of special administrative status in more than 70 countries. Around 375 million people speak English as their first or native language. The number of people learning English as a second language is believed to have grown to 750 million worldwide. And you are probably one of them!

As the number of people speaking the language keeps growing, so does the number of people wanting to learn how to speak it, if only in order to be able to keep up with the rest. But why? Why English?
This is a question that has bothered linguistic scientists for quite some time now, and they do not always share the same views on this matter. Some seem to seriously believe that the reason for the growth of the language is that English is a relatively simple language to learn. ?? Simple!

Others believe that the growth of the language is related to the domination and power of the people who speak it. They think that it started with colonialism, which allowed the English language to be spread around the world, from the 16th century onwards.
After that, the 17th and 18th centuries saw the Industrial Revolution, in which a lot of communication took place in English. The influence of the United States grew steadily in the 19th century, spreading the use of the language even further. In fact, Professor Doctor David Crystal, a leading expert on this matter, believes that it is influence and power that makes people want to learn the English language. He believes that in the 20th century English became pre-eminent in several domains: ‘politics, economics, the press, advertising, broadcasting, motion pictures, popular music, international travel and safety, education, and communications.

Given this spread of functionality, it is not surprising that so many countries have found it useful to adopt English as a medium of communication’ (from: David Crystal: ‘English worldwide’).

Source: http://www.davidcrystal.com/DC_articles/English3.pdf

Until 1 April 2012 the Cybercentre courses General English I and Cambridge First Certificate in English
will be on special offer. Anyone starting these courses during this period will get a reduction of € 10,00 per month
for as long as the course takes. This means that your reduction may amount to € 70,00 in total.

The Adventure of English

If you are interested in the history of the English language, from the early beginnings up to the present, the following link might be just the thing for you. It leads you to an excellent documentary called ‘The Adventure of English’. Please be warned that watching this documentary might accidentally boost your listening skills in English.

This is the link: http://topdocumentaryfilms.com/adventure-of-english/

Proverbs

A proverb is a short saying, commonly used, expressing a well-known truth or common fact ascertained by experience or observation. In other words: they are short expressions of popular wisdom. It is sometimes suggested that the more proverbs in a language you know, the better you master that language, but it is doubtful whether this is true. Here are a few that might come in handy to know:

Actions speak louder than words.
What people actually do is more important than what they say or promise.

A miss is as good as a mile.
If you fail, even by the smallest margin, it is still a failure.

Don’t count your chickens before they are hatched.
Don’t assume that you will get the things that you want, until you have them.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
When you are visiting a different country or culture, you should try to follow their ways and customs.

And of course, it’s always good to try and expand your vocabulary...

But do try not to lose any sleep over it:

Dartmoor National Park

Of all the places that I have visited in the U.K., Dartmoor is one of my personal favourites. Dartmoor is quite a large area in Devon, covering about 954 square kilometres in the south-west of England, which mainly consists of moorland. It has national park status, so it is a protected area. .....

If you are interested in reading the rest of the magazine, please get a free subscription to the Cybercentre English Magazine. The full version of this edition will be sent to your mailbox, and the next editions will follow automatically, absolutely free of charge!

Next month’s edition of the Cybercentre English Magazine will feature an interesting book review, some more proverbs, and lots more.

If you enjoyed reading the Cybercentre English Magazine, please let others know by clicking on the ‘Like-button’ at the bottom of the homepage.

© 2012 Cybercentre for English Language Learning