Open World p 11 . Minority Languages. Extra Listening

You will hear a woman called Helena Drysdale being interviewed about her research for a book on minority languages. For questions 1-6, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which fits best according to what you hear.

0 Helena spent...

A a couple of years round Europe gathering information

B over two years gathering information

C two years in Northern and Eastern Europe researching for a new book

D two summers in a row in Europe doing research while on holiday


1 The main purpose of Helena's journey was to
A establish precisely where Europe's minority languages are spoken.
B investigate the effects of climate and location on language.
C calculate the exact number of minority languages in Europe.
D assess the current condition of Europe's minority languages.

2 One problem of living in the mobile home was that
A there wasn't much space.
B the children had nowhere to play.
C it became very hot.
D they all got bored with each other.

3 What does Helena say about the people she met?
A Not all of them spoke a minority language.
B Some were more willing than others to express their views.
C Intellectuals gave more biased information than other people.
D Older people had a rather unbalanced view of the situation.

4 We learn that people who were punished for speaking Provençal
A did not take their punishment seriously.
B felt they were treated unfairly.
C were made to feel embarrassed.
D regretted what they had done.

5 What point does Helena make about some local people in a tourist area?
A They are not interested in preserving their culture.
B They complain too much about tourists.
C They sell their land in order to make large profits.
D Their actions are not consistent with their opinions.

6 According to Helena, language
A enables people to express their emotions.
B is an expression of one's identity.
C is the key to integration.
D makes everyone different.



KEY

1. D

2. A

3. B

4. C

5. D

6. B

Script

(P = Presenter; H = Helena) 

P: With me today on Infospeak is 
journalist and writer, Helena 
Drysdale. Hello, Helena, and 
welcome to the programme. 

H: Thank you. Good morning. 

P: Helena, you spent the last two years 
travelling round Europe doing 
research for a forthcoming book. 
What were you trying to find out? 

H: Yes, we went in search of Europe's 
minority languages to determine 
exactly what state they're all in, 
particularly given today's climate of 
mass culture and so on. We travelled 
right up to northern Scandinavia 
and the Arctic circle, where the Sami 
reindeer herders live, and we got 
down as far as Corsica and Sardinia 
in the sunny Mediterranean. 
Then there were the mountains 
of northern Italy where Ladin is 
spoken, and we had a rather wet and 
rainy time in Brittany in the west 
of France with its Celtic Breton. 
Thirteen countries and fifteen minor 
languages in all. 

P: By 'us' and 'we', you're referring to 
your family, of course. 

H: Yes, my husband Richard, and our 
two young children, Tallulah and 
Xanthe - not forgetting the Mob, of 
course, our trusty mobile home. 

P: What was that like? Two years 
together in a mobile home can't have 
been easy. 

H: It got a little cramped at times, 
particularly when the weather kept 
us in. The kids couldn't run around, 
they'd start playing up, tempers 
would overheat, and everyone fell 
out. But apart from that, fine. 

P: Yes, I can see. And how did you go 
about gathering your information? 
What were your sources? 

H: I did some research in the library 
and on the Internet after we came 
back, but the only real way to get the 
kind of information I was looking 
for was by actually talking to people. 
We met writers, teachers and 
artists, who generally gave a more 
intellectual analysis of the situation, 
and we were able to balance that 
with the more down-to-earth, 
personalized accounts of people in 
the rural areas. That's where many of 
these languages are most frequently 
spoken and also where people, 
particularly the older generation, 
seemed less reluctant to open up and 
give us their honest opinion. 
P: And I imagine they had some very 
interesting stories to tell about the 
past. 

H: Yes, indeed. For example, we often 
heard stories of punishments that 
people received for speaking their 
own language at school. One old 
lady in the south of France told 
us how she used to have to wear a 
stone or a stick round her neck if 
she was caught speaking Provencal. 
She had to keep it on until someone 
else committed the same offence 
and then they'd have to wear it. And 
whoever had it at the end of the day 
was made to pay a fine, or sometimes 
even beaten. 

P: Hard to believe, really. 

H: Mm. She's able to laugh about it now, 
but at the time it was considered 
deeply shaming to have to wear le 
symbole, as she called it. Sometimes 
it could be a wooden shoe or a 
pottery cow, which represented the 
country bumpkin, someone to be 
despised. 

P: And were these punishments 
effective? Did they contribute to the 
decline of some of these languages? 

H: Yes, they lowered the status of a 
language. But sometimes they helped 
to keep a language going - at least in 
the short term, anyway. They caused 
resentment and made people more 
defiant towards the authorities. You 
know, it can be a bit like pruning 
a tree - if you cut it back, it grows 
much stronger. But there were and 
still are other more powerful forces 
which represent a much bigger 
threat to the survival of Europe's 
minority languages. 

P: By that you mean globalization, I 
presume. 

H: That's right. And tourism. Now 
although tourism can give a language 
status by attracting outside interest 
in it, it can also have a negative effect 
on local cultures. You know, in one 
place we visited, the natives moan 
about the influx of outsiders and how 
they buy up land at giveaway prices 
to build holiday cottages, and how 
its destroying their culture, and so 
on. But then the very same people 
are selling up their farms so they can 
run hotels or open souvenir shops. 
Understandable, perhaps, but they're 
encouraging the very thing they're 
complaining about. 

P: Are languages like Sami and 
Provencal endangered species, then? 

H: Well, I think it's true to say that if no  
positive action is taken, they'll simply 
die out. The problem is that some 
people are indifferent, and even 
hostile to their own language. They 
think it's of no use in the modern 
world, which they so desperately 
want to be part of. Fortunately, 
though, there are enough people 
around who realize that to lose your 
mother tongue is like losing a part 
of yourself. Your language makes 
you who you are. And if you spoke 
a different language, you'd be a 
different person. But people on their 
own can only do so much. It really is 
up to the European Union to legislate 
to ensure the survival of minority 
languages. 

P: And how exactly do you legislate to 
save a language? 

H: Well, I think there are several things 
you can do. Firstly, of course, the EU 
would have to bring in... 

Vocabulary

Herder: a person whose job is to take care of a group of animals such as sheep and cows in the countryside. E.g. goat herder. Reindeer herder.
Trusty: that you have had a long time and have always been able to rely on. Reliable. E.g. a trusty friend. She spent years touring Europe with her trusty old camera.
Cramped: a cramped room, etc. does not have enough space for the people in it. E.g. working in cramped conditions.
Play up/ play somebody up: to cause somebody problems or pain. E.g. The kids have been playing up all day. My shoulder is playing me up today. The kids couldn't run around, they'd start playing up, tempers would overheat, and everyone fell out.  
Temper: if somebody has a temper, they become angry very easily. E.g. a violent/short/quick, etc. temper. He must learn to control his temper. She broke the plates in a fit of temper. After an hour of waiting, tempers began to fray (= people began to get angry). 
Fall out: to have an argument with somebody so that you are no longer friendly with them.
Go about: to start working on something. Tackle. Sp. Emprender: E.g. You're not going about the job in the right way. How should I go about finding a job?
Down to earth: sensible and practical, in a way that is helpful and friendly.
Account: a written or spoken description of something that has happened. E.g. She gave the police a full account of the incident. The diaries contained detailed accounts of the writer's experiences in China.
Reluctant: hesitating before doing something because you do not want to do it or because you are not sure that it is the right thing to do. Sp. Reacio. E.g. She was reluctant to admit she was wrong.
Open up (to somebody): (British English also open out (to somebody)) to talk about what you feel and think; to become less shy and more willing to communicate. Sp. Abrirse, sincerarse. E.g. It helps to discuss your problems but I find it hard to open up. He only opened up to her very slowly.
Country bumpkin: a person from the countryside who seems stupid. Sp. Paleto.
Despise: to dislike and have no respect for somebody/something. Sp. Despreciar. E.g. She despised gossip in any form. He despised himself for being so cowardly.
Defiant: /dɪˈfaɪənt/ openly refusing to obey somebody/something, sometimes in an aggressive way. Sp. Desobediente, desafiante. E.g. a defiant teenager. The terrorists sent a defiant message to the government.
Prune: to cut off some of the branches from a tree, bush, etc. so that it will grow better and stronger. Sp. Podar. E:g. When should you prune apple trees? He pruned the longer branches off the tree. Prune something back: e.g. The hedge (Sp. seto) needs pruning back.
Cut sth back: to make a bush, etc. smaller by cutting branches off. Prune. E.g. to cut back a rose bush.
Moan: /məʊn/ to complain about something. E.g. What are you moaning on about now? They're always moaning and groaning about how much they have to do. Bella moaned that her feet were cold.
Influx: the fact of a lot of people, money or things arriving somewhere. Sp. Afluencia. E.g. a massive/sudden influx of visitors. The influx of wealth into the region.  
Buy something up: to buy all or as much as possible of something. E.g. Developers are buying up all the land on the island. They buy up land at giveaway prices.
Giveaway prices: low.  
Sell sth up: to sell your home, possessions, business, etc, usually because you are leaving the country or retiring.
Species: (sg=pl) /ˈspiːʃiːz/ a group into which animals, plants, etc. that are able to breed with each other and produce healthy young are divided, smaller than a genus and identified by a Latin name. E.g. a rare species of beetle. There are many species of dog(s). A conservation area for endangered species.
Die out: to stop existing. E.g. This species has nearly died out because its habitat is being destroyed.
Be up to somebody: to be somebody's duty or responsibility; to be for somebody to decide. E.g. It's not up to you to tell me how to do my job. Shall we eat out or stay in? It's up to you.

Open World p 11 . The Adventure of English - Birth of a Language. Extra Listening

THE ADVENTURE OF ENGLISH

BIRTH OF A LANGUAGE
Starts at minute 3, second 30.

True or false

1. In Friesland, a province in the north of the Netherlands, we can still hear a language that sounds close to the ancestor of English.

2. Words like freeze and mist sound familiar to the English ear.

3. We can recognise these words even though Frisian and English aren't languages of the same family.

4. The West-Germanic tribes who invented these words were belligerent and intrepid.

5. The English coast is 450 miles away from the island of Terschelling

6. These tribes made sail to look for a better life in the sixth century.

7. The Anglo-Saxons were the first people who invaded Britain.

8. The Romans abandoned these islands because they had bigger fish to fry.

9. In AD 491 Germanic invaders laid siege at Pevensey Castle and slaughtered the Celts who had taken refuge there. Not one of them was left alive.

10. The word “Wealas” meant foreigner and slave.

11. These Germanic tribes occupied the whole island of Great Britain in the sixth century.

12. The ending -ing means "castle"

13. The ending -ton means "inhabitants of"

14. The ending -ham means "camp"






KEY

1. T



2. T.



3. F. Both modern Frisian and modern English can be traced back to the same family



4. T warlike (aggressive and wanting to fight), adventurous people

belligerent: aggressive. Very unfriendly and wanting to argue or fight

intrepid: fearless. brave



5. F. 250 miles



6. F. In the fifth century



7. F. The Romans



8. F. The empire crumbled (collapsed. Fell into small fragments or particles; disintegrated)

have bigger/other fish to fry: to have more important or more interesting things to do

9. T
Lay siege to sth: to begin a siege of a town, building, etc.
Siege: operation in which an army tries to capture a town by surrounding it and stopping the supply of food, etc. to the people inside (cercar)



10. T



11. F. Half of mainland Britain



12. F. –ing: the people of (e.g. Reading)

-chester from Latin Castrum (military camp)

13.F.   –ton: enclosure or village (e.g. Warrington); 

 

 

14.F.  -ham: farm
It is commonly believed that the name 'Birmingham' comes from "Beorma inga ham", meaning farm of the sons (or descendants) of Beorma

Open World p 11. Fry's English Delight. Listening

Professor David Crystal says that the 1_____________ patterns of English results in a 2________________ of Englishes, a process which is getting more 3__________.
In the same way that once 4___________ there was British English and American English, then there came Australian English and South African English, and then Indian English and then 5_________ English. Now, it's 6____________ the level of other varieties which are the new Englishes of the world. The thing is that when a country 7__________ English it adapts it to 8___________ own circumstances. With a language you need to be able to talk about everything. And you also need to think of everything that 9____________ an identity - all the plants and animals that you have, the food and drink, the 10___________, the legends, the history of your culture, the politics of it, the 11____________, the music, etc. This is why each variety is different from others as English has been 12___________ by well over seventy countries in the world as an important 13___________ of their local communication. But they have developed their own local 14_________ of English.
600 years ago the language we are now 15_________________was spoken by four million people.
Nowadays, on the other hand, you need to 16________________ between first language speakers, who are about 400 million and foreign language speakers, of whom there are about five times 17____________, that is about 18___________ people, in other words, a third of the world's population. We need to point out that for 19_____________ native speaker, there are now four or five non-native speakers, therefore the 20___________________ of the language has 21___________ with interesting consequences.

KEY
1 migratory
migratory /ˈmaɪɡrətri/ /maɪˈɡreɪtəri/ connected with, or having the habit of, regular migration
migratory flights/ birds.



2 whole range



3 intense



4 upon a time



5 Caribbean 



6  down to



7 adopts



8 suit its
suit: /suːt/ to be convenient or useful for somebody. E.g. suit somebody/something Choose a computer to suit your particular needs. If we met at 2, would that suit you? If you want to go by bus, that suits me fine. He can be very helpful, but only when it suits him. It suits somebody to do something It suits me to start work at a later time.



9 makes up
make up something to combine together to form something larger. E.g. Women make up 40 per cent of the workforce. This book is made up of twelve separate short stories. 



10 myths



11 folk tales



12 taken up
take something up: to accept something that is offered or available. E.g. to take up a challenge. She took up his offer of a drink.



13 medium /ˈmiːdiəm/ (pl media /ˈmiːdiə/)



14 brand
brand: a particular type or kind of something. E.g. an unorthodox brand of humour. I don't think Bertha would appreciate your particular brand of sympathy.



15 conversing in 
converse: /kənˈvɜːs/ to have a conversation with somebody. E.g. She conversed with the Romanians in French. The two men were conversing on music and opera.



16 distinguish



17 as many



18.  two billion



19 every one



20 centre of gravity



21 shifted
shift:  to move, or move something, from one position or place to another. E.g. Lydia shifted uncomfortably in her chair. The action of the novel shifts from Paris to London.

Empower p 10. How Much English Do You know?

What percentage of the English language do you think you know?


Do you think we know more English than just the percentage of the tip of an iceberg?


How much of an iceberg is under water? What percentage?

KEY
90%

the tip of the iceberg

only a small part of a much larger problem. Only a small, often unrepresentative portion of something much larger or more complex that cannot yet be seen or understood. E.g. This figure represents only the tip of the iceberg, since as many as 90% of cases go unreported. If Congress doesn't vote to extend the debt limit, a government shutdown will be just the tip of the iceberg. The flooding is bad, but we're dealing with just the tip of the iceberg: a huge spate of environmental disasters are on the horizon because of climate change.
I would say we know just the tip of the iceberg about the English language.

Empower p 10. Languages. Speaking

A. Have a conversation as natural as possible with a partner about the topic. Use the pictures above and the questions below to help you.



1. Do you think the majority of languages around the world will eventually die out?
2. Do you think that governments should have programmes to protect minority languages, or should we accept that they will die out? Can you think of any dead languages? Do you think that their speakers would have predicted that their languages would eventually die out?
3. Do you like the way your mother tongue is changing? What do you think the future of your mother tongue is?
4. Can you think of any advantages and disadvantages of using English as a lingua franca?
5. Do you like to adopt new words and expressions?
6. What would be the advantages and disadvantages of having a global language?
7. Can you think of any instances in which people are expected to have a good command of English?
8. In what situations should you mind your language?
9. Can you tell us about the last time you faced a language barrier?
10. When was the last time you couldn't get a word in edgeways?
11. Do you prefer to listen to someone who beats about the bush or who gets to the point?
12. When was the last time you witnessed two people talking at cross purposes?

13. Have you ever had to give anybody a good talking-to?
14. Do you have any friends who always talk shop? How do you feel about it?
15. Do you find it irritating when they ask you to run everything by again?
16. Have you ever been in a situation in which you couldn't make head nor tail of what was being said?
17. When was the last time you got the wrong end of the stick?

Useful language:
1. Some languages are in a very poor state nowadays, particularly given today’s climate of mass culture and so on.
For instance, I have often heard stories of punishment that my parents received for speaking their own language at school. They are able to laugh about it now, but at the time it was considered deeply shaming. It made them feel as the country bumpkin, someone to be despised.
On the one hand these punishments were effective in the sense that they lowered the status of a language. On the other hand they also caused resentment and made people more defiant towards the authorities. You know, it can be a bit like pruning a tree- if you cut it back, it grows much stronger.
However, globalisation and tourism are much more powerful forces which represent a much bigger threat to the survival of a minority language
Although tourism can give a language status by attracting outside interest in it, it can also have a negative effect on local cultures. You know, here in Mallorca, the natives moan about the influx of outsiders and how they buy up land at giveaway prices to build holiday cottages, and how it’s destroying their culture, and so on. But then the very same people are selling up their farms so they can run hotels or open souvenir shops. Understandable, perhaps, but they’re encouraging the very thing they’re complaining about.

If no positive action is taken, some languages will simply die out. The problem is that some people are indifferent, and even hostile to their own language. They think it’s of no use in the modern world, which they so desperately want to be part of. Fortunately, though, there are enough people around who realize that to lose your mother tongue is like losing a part of yourself. Your language makes you who you are. And if you spoke a different language, maybe you would be a different person.

2. People on their own can’t do much. It is really up to the authorities to legislate to ensure the survival of minority languages.
I think there are several things you can do. Firstly, of course, the authorities would have to bring in some language experts to analyse the present situation. Secondly, these experts…

Vocabulary

lingua franca: 

 

 

/ˌlɪŋɡwə ˈfræŋkə/ a medium of communication used between people who speak different languages. E.g. English has become a lingua franca in many parts of the world.

global language: 

 

 

a language used all around the world. E.g. English has become a global language. 

command of a language: 

 

 

/kəˈmɑːnd/ ability to use a language. E.g. Applicants will be expected to have (a) good command of English. 

mind/ watch your language: 

 

 

pay attention to the words that you use (for example, in order not to appear rude). E.g. Watch your language, young man! 

language barrier: 

 

 

a breakdown in communication as a result of people not having a common language in which to communicate.  The difficulties faced when people who have no language in common attempt to communicate with each other. E.g.  Investigators faced a language barrier because the husband and wife only spoke Cantonese. The couple then went to a local French hospital, but the language barrier proved a slight problem. 

(not) get a word in edgeways  

 

 

(not) to be able to say anything because somebody else is speaking too much. E.g. When Mary starts talking, no one else can get a word in edgeways. 

beat about the bush 

 

 

(British English) (North American English beat around the bush) to talk about something for a long time without coming to the main point. E.g. Stop beating about the bush and tell me what you want.

to the point  

 

 

expressed in a simple, clear way without any extra information or feelings. Pertinent. Relevant. E.g. The letter was short and to the point. His evidence was brief and to the point.  Please get to the point of all this. Will you kindly get to the point? (get to the important part).

cross purposes: 

 

 

/ˌkrɒs ˈpɜːpəsɪz/ if two people are at cross purposes, they do not understand each other because they are talking about or aiming at different things, without realizing it. E.g. I think we're talking at cross purposes; that's not what I meant at all. I think we're/they're at cross-purposes (Sp. creo que estamos/están hablando de cosas distintas). We seem to be talking at cross-purposes (Sp. esto parece un diálogo de sordos).

 

 

talking-to: 

 

 

 a serious talk with somebody who has done something wrong. E.g. to give somebody a good talking-to. They gave Peter a talking-to about solving problems with words, not fists. The boss gave us a real talking-to at half time and we came out with more aggression for the second half.

 

 

run something by (someone) (again) 

 

 

to explain something to someone again; to say something to someone again. E.g. I didn't hear you. Please run that by me again. Please run it by so we can all hear it.

 

 

get (hold of) the wrong end of the stick 

 

 

 (British English, informal) to understand something in the wrong way. To misunderstand something. E.g. The game was probably the most sensitive treatment and realistic treatment of battle displayed in a video game at that point, so obviously, the media got the wrong end of the stick.