Friday, 23 August 2013
Reading Project: Learning Foreign Languages
The importance of learning foreign languages in today's world
In today’s era, multilingualism has become more than just ‘important’. Knowing a foreign language other than your native language has evolved to be extremely beneficial. Whether viewed from the financial or social aspect, being able to communicate in a foreign language helps to make ‘real’ connection with people and provides a better understanding of your language.
Why should you learn a foreign language? Learning a foreign language open up employment opportunities. For businesses, it is essential to develop and sustain a strong footing in the global economy. It is better achievable if they can understand the psychology and the language of their foreign clients. Most companies therefore, look for candidates with foreign language skills. If you are already working, knowing a foreign language may lead to special recognitions or promotions. As an employer, it will help encourage staff performance, improve customer services, and increase revenue for your company.
Apart from the financial gains learning a foreign dialect can offer a unique experience to travellers. People, who love to explore different parts of the world, know about diverse cultures, places, and lifestyle, knowing the local language can offer a life changing experience. You can easily find the places, ask for directions, and even order food. Speaking a language gives you a better understanding of the country’s culture. You can interact with people more freely providing a greater scope of meeting new people, making new friends, more fun, and enjoyment.
Another reason why you should learn a foreign language is that the knowledge of a foreign language enhances your cognitive and analytical abilities. Learning a foreign language is tough and involves a lot of mental exercise. On the individual level, it improves personality and increases your sense of self worth. The need of language faculties has increased due to the growing interest in students to learn foreign languages. People associated with social services need to work with diverse groups from several countries. Ability to speak in a foreign language enables them to communicate and serve people better.
The next important decision is to choose from the number of foreign languages – French, Spanish, German, or Italian- to be learnt. Whether you learn a language for a specific reason or out of interest, learning a foreign language will lead to long-term success. It will open up new avenues before you. The more language you know, the better you can express yourself.
Tuesday, 14 May 2013
What is an Urban Legend?
Urban legends are a type of folklore, defined as the handed-down beliefs, stories, songs and customs of ordinary people ("the folk"). One way to differentiate urban legends from other narrative forms (e.g., popular fiction, TV dramas, or news stories) is to compare where they come from and how they're propagated.
Unlike fiction or drama, which are usually produced by individual authors, urban legends tend to emerge spontaneously and are rarely traceable to a single source. Again unlike fiction or drama, urban legends are spread primarily via interpersonal communication, from individual to individual, and only in atypical cases via mass media or other institutional means. And lastly, urban legends change over time due to repetition and embellishment, hence no two versions are ever exactly alike; there can be as many variants as there are tellers of the tale.
Monday, 1 April 2013
Tuesday, 26 March 2013
EASTER BUNNY ORIGIN
In the Easter bunny origin legend, he is the one that brings decorated eggs and candies to the children's home the night before Easter. He would hide them somewhere in the house or garden for the kids to find them in the morning. But the bunny as a symbol of Easter is traced a long time ago, even before Christ was born:
The Egyptians are believed to be the first ones to recognize the rabbit as a symbol of fertility (for being a prolific animal) and life, later on this belief spread to Greece and Rome.
Also among the Celtics during the celebration of the Festival of Eoster (Goddess of Spring) used the rabbit as her symbol.
The Easter Bunny origin its found on Germany, first found on literature of the 1500's under the name of "Oschter Haws", a rabbit that deposit eggs, among other candies on children's shoes. Also Germany was the one that introduce the chocolate bunny on the 1800's.
The Easter Bunny was first introduce to America thanks to the Germans that arrived in the Pennsylvania Dutch during the 1800's. Every year on Easter kids would wait for Oschter Haws' visit to lay eggs on their homes.
As time passed by and the amount of eggs and candies grew, and they could not fit on the shoes anymore, the kids started to build nests for the Easter Bunny eggs, and after some years, the nest were substituted by baskets.
But not in all the countries that celebrate Easter have the bunny as symbol, Australia considers bunnies and rabbits a pest and instead of a bunny, a Bilby is the one that lay the eggs on Easter for the children.
Taken from: http://www.read-legends-and-myths.com/easter-bunny-origin.html
Tuesday, 12 February 2013
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