Tamil Language And Culture The Tamil language For those who haven’t heard of this language before, it is a language spoken primarily in India, and it is also the official language of many countries, such as Sri Lanka and Singapore. In 2004, the Tamil language was declared a classical language of India. Tamil is seen as a “divine” language by its speakers. Ancient writings say that the development of the Tamil language was in no way influenced by people. Since then, the writing system and spoken Tamil have changed significantly over time. Tamil food In ancient times, people used to serve drinks in silver tumblers, making their guests feel honored since they were being offered drinks in cups made of precious metal. In fact, the silver metal was germicidal and helped to prevent any bacterial infections that could be carried by other guests. Traditionally, Tamil food is served on banana leaves and eaten using the right hand only. The left hand was primarily used for personal hygiene, and to use it for eating or handing something to someone else, would have been considered an insult. Tamils enjoy hot and spicy foods, and their ancestors advised to start meals with spicy food and end it with sweets. Rice is a main staple in the Tamil diet, and they were one of the first people to incorporate it into their meals. It is quite probable that our word “rice” has its origins in the Tamil word “Arisi”. Due to mainly to religious reasons, many Tamils are vegetarians and enjoy different types of fruit, the most consumed being mangos, jackfruits and bananas...
Iceland – The Land of Ice and Fire Dear reader, Have you ever been to Iceland? If not, you should definitely check out this amazing country! It is about a 5 hour flight from Toronto (you can get cheap tickets at Icelandair, who also provide all-inclusive trips. 😉 ). But first of all, what can you do in Iceland and what is the culture like? What to do in Iceland? If you think there is nothing to do in Iceland, you are wrong! The beautiful landscapes invite you to go on incredible hikes, and a lot of festivals are held in Iceland, where people celebrate together. It doesn’t matter if you visit during the summer – or wintertime; there are plenty of things to do. If you decide to spend the summer in Iceland, you will definitely have plenty of daylight hours, up to 22 hours in June! It is a magical time of year, and taking a stroll in the midnight sun will show you Iceland in a different light. During the autumn and winter months, Iceland is famous for the Aurora Borealis – also known as the northern lights. Even though the sun shines for maybe 4 hours or less, which may seem depressing, the darkness allows you to view those beautiful lights, which appear out of the blue and disappear just as quickly. Icelandic landscape Iceland is called “The Land of Ice and Fire” since it is home, not only to the largest glacier in Europe, but also to the world’s most active volcanoes. Due to this volcanic activity under the earth’ surface, there are also...
Dear language friend,translation This June will see one of the world’s biggest sporting events take place in France, as teams from 24 nations come together to compete in the UEFA Euro 2016, to determine Europe’s top soccer nation. France will not only be host to 24 different teams, but also to soccer fans from all over Europe. They will come to cheer for their teams in the stadiums, celebrate together in pubs, and share a wonderful experience with locals and other fans from across the continent. Languages of the UEFA As one of the biggest sports organizations in the world, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) has a staff of over 500 people from over 30 different countries, working in the administration, as coaches, media specialists – and of course, as translators. The UEFA has three official languages: French, English, and German. However, the UEFA represents national soccer associations from 55 countries, where not only Romance and Germanic languages are spoken, but also Slavic languages (Russian, Polish, Czech, etc.), and Baltic languages (Latvian, Lithuanian). Even Hebrew is part of the UEFA, as the Israel Football Association joined in the 1990’s. Besides larger language communities like, German, English, French, and Russian, the UEFA also has members from smaller language communities, such as, Albanian and Estonian, to name a few. At this year’s tournament, countries with relatively small language families, like Iceland, Hungary, and Slovakia will compete. For those smaller members and competitors, translation plays a vital role in their participation within the organization. It also allows them to express their interests. If it wasn’t for translators and interpreters their...
This past weekend, Vancouverites were given the opportunity to enjoy the large variety of cultures at the European Festival in Burnaby. Unfortunately, it was raining cats and dogs on Saturday, but Sunday made up for it with sunny, warm weather. It was perfect for a Sunday stroll at the European Festival! Representatives of the European countries Located in beautiful Central Park, you could find participants from all over Europe: Armenia, Greece, Russia, Austria, Hungary, Serbia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Iceland, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Latvia, Slovenia, Croatia, Lithuania, Spain, Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Montenegro, Switzerland, Finland, Norway, Turkey, France, Portugal, Ukraine, Germany, Romania and the United Kingdom. The festival took place at Swangard Stadium in Burnaby. Tents representing different European countries were set up all along the track. This was perfect since you could walk around without missing a country! European customs and traditions Traditional garments and beautiful jewelry were not the only things that you could find at the European Festival. Volunteers described their cultures, explained the traditions and customs they practice. They also explained what kind of meals they eat. (If you want to know more about the food, just scroll down, it was delicious!). There were German books up for grabs and delicious Swiss chocolate. You could write down well wishes for the Queen’s 90th birthday, and paint your own Easter eggs in the traditional Ukrainian method using beeswax and dye. A lot of fun for the whole family at the European Festival The festival wasn’t only a great chance for adults to explore the diverse cultures of Europe, it also served as a huge playground for children! There...
Dictionaries and the Development of the English language Did you know that the word “nice” originally meant “stupid”? Or that “decimate” used to mean “to kill one in every 10”? The development of the English language keeps evolving , and we don’t even realize it. Anne Curzan, professor of English at the University of Michigan, studies how the English language works and how it has changed over time. In her TED Talk, she explains how various words have developed and what makes a word “real”. People usually think a word is real when it appears in the dictionary. However, most slang words don’t, even though they fill important gaps in the English language. Curzan notes that dictionaries are not timeless since words and languages change all the time. For example, if you wanted to write a business letter, would you use a dictionary from 1910? Probably not. You would use a recent dictionary. And why? Because we usually don’t use the terms any more that have been used 100 years ago, since language is constantly developing. Languages back then Curzan gives interesting examples during her speech. In 1875, Dean Henry Alford said that “desirability” is a terrible word. In 1760, Benjamin Franklin complained about the word “colonize”. However, today, these words appear in every dictionary and no one doubts their validity. Many words develop from other languages as well. In Germany for example, people use a lot of English loan words and sometimes mix both the German and English language to create new ones. These words may sound English, but English native speaker wouldn’t understand them. “Handy” is the...
Mother’s Day in Vancouver Dear readers, This Sunday, May 8, 2016, sons and daughters all over the world will celebrate Mother’s Day. On this special day, they concentrate on the wellbeing of their mothers. (Actually, this should be done every day, not just once a year…) Anyway, if you are in need of some ideas on how to spend Mother’s Day in Vancouver, here are some suggestions for you! Brunch Brunch is always a good idea. It’s about food and, let’s be honest, everyone loves food! You can either prepare something at home (your mother will be so proud– lots of kisses will follow), or treat your mother to brunch at a fancy restaurant. You can enjoy a nice breakfast at The Teahouse, (Stanley Park) on Mother’s Day in Vancouver and spend the rest of the day walking through the park. Spa Day A mother’s life can be very stressful. Mothers work, prepare meals for their loved ones, do the housework, and look after their children. And no matter how old their kids are, even if they don’t live at home anymore, mothers still worry about them. Mother’s Day is the best opportunity to give back to your mother for all her hard work! And a good way to do this would be to spend Mother’s Day in Vancouver relaxing at one of Vancouver’s best spas. VanDusen Gardens If your mom loves the outdoors, you should definitely go for a walk through the VanDusen Botanical Garden, where there will be live music, a photo booth, and pop-up café in celebration of Mother’s Day in Vancouver. (The weather is supposed...
