Thứ Hai, 21 tháng 11, 2016
Let's learn English- Lesson 36
19:16
Let's learn English là một trong những giáo trình tiếng Anh căn bản giọng Mỹ rất hay của đài tiếng nói Hoa Kỳ (VOA) dành cho người mới bắt đầu học tiếng Anh.
Toàn bộ khóa học kéo dài 52 tuần tương ứng với 52 bài học kèm theo Video-Clip rất trực quan dễ học, dễ nhớ.
Đây là giáo trình rất thích hợp cho các bạn không có thời gian đến lớp, các bạn mất căn bản tiếng Anh có thể tự học ở nhà một cách hiệu quả và hữu ích. E&J CAFÉ xin chia sẻ giáo trình này cùng bạn học gần xa.
Trân trọng.
(EJ-CAFE.COM)
Thứ Bảy, 19 tháng 11, 2016
Barack Obama Remarks on First Meeting with President-Elect Donald Trump
04:57
President Obama: Well, I just had the opportunity to have an excellent conversation with President-elect Trump. It was wide-ranging. We talked about some of the organizational issues in setting up the White House.
We talked about foreign policy. We talked about domestic policy. And as I said last night, my number-one priority in the coming two months is to try to facilitate a transition that ensures our President-elect is successful.
And I have been very encouraged by the, I think, interest in President -- President-elect Trump's wanting to work with my team around many of the issues that this great country faces. And I believe that it is important for all of us, regardless of party and regardless of political preferences, to now come together, work together, to deal with the many challenges that we face.
And in the meantime, Michelle has had a chance to greet the incoming First Lady. And we had an excellent conversation with her as well, and we want to make sure that they feel welcome as they prepare to make this transition.
And most of all, I want to emphasize to you, Mr. President-elect, that we now are going to want to do everything we can to help you succeed -- because if you succeed, then the country succeeds.
Please, Mr. Trump.
President-Elect Trump: Well, thank you very much, President Obama. This was a meeting that was going to last for maybe 10 or 15 minutes, and we were just going to get to know each other. We had never met each other. I have great respect. The meeting lasted for almost an hour and a half. And it could have -- as far as I'm concerned, it could -- could have gone on for a lot longer.
We really -- We discussed a lot of different situations, some wonderful and some difficulties. I very much look forward to dealing with the President in the future, including counsel. He's -- He explained some of the difficulties, some of the -- the high-flying assets and some of the -- some of the really great things that have been achieved.
So, Mr. President, it was a great honor being with you, and I look forward to being with you many, many more times in the future.
President Obama: Sure. All right.
President-Elect Trump: Thank you, sir.
(Source: Americanrhetoric.com)
Thứ Tư, 16 tháng 11, 2016
American vs. British English
07:38
MUSIC: "Help!"/Beatles. AA: I'm Avi Arditti with Rosanne Skirble. This week on Wordmaster we talk about a few of the differences between American English and British English. RS: It's a question we often get. After all, some differences can lead to embarrassment, others to plain old confusion.
Listening online or download MP3
Listening online or download MP3
AA: For instance, Americans put babies to sleep in a "crib." The British call the same kind of bed a "cot."
RS: In America a cot is a flimsy, fold-up bed made of canvas.
AA: Oh, you mean what the British call a "camp bed."
RS: In Britain, "public school" is what Americans would call "private school," where you pay to have your children go. Now let's say you have "to go" -- or you're looking for the toilet. Here, it's not polite to ask where "the toilet" is. Say "bathroom" or "restroom" when speaking to an American.
AA: Joining us now from New York is the author of a handy little book called "Speak American: A Survival Guide to the Language and Culture of the U-S-A." Dileri Borunda Johnston lived in England, so she knows what it's like from both sides.
JOHNSTON: "A lot of the grammar is slightly different, so you would have things in British English that perhaps you wouldn't want an American child to learn because it might sound slightly incorrect. Like you wouldn't say 'I haven't got any more.' You would rather an American kid would learn to say 'I don't have any more.'"
AA: Let's say a speaker of British English steps off a plane in the States. Just to catch a bus or train into town from the airport requires a different vocabulary.
JOHNSTON: "In England you would catch a 'coach' whereas here you take the 'bus,' or if you're taking the public transportation you would take the 'subway in America rather than the 'tube' or the 'underground' as you would in England."
AA: Also, what the British call "lorries" we Americans call "trucks."
RS: Now let's say the weather is cold and wet, and our traveler didn't pack the right clothes. Dileri Johnston pointed out some British terms that might confuse an American clerk.
JOHNSTON: "Like, for example, 'jumper,' which in England is the most common thing to call a sweater."
RS: "Here it's a dress."
JOHNSTON: "And a jumper here is a dress, yes."
AA: "And then here we have 'boots' and 'galoshes' and there..."
JOHNSTON: "They have 'wellies,' yes."
RS: "They have what?"
JOHNSTON: "Wellies."
AA: "Here we talk about 'boots,' but, again, a 'boot' is in British English the trunk of a car. Here it's a heavy shoe that you wear when you're going through puddles."
JOHNSTON: "You use the word 'boot' in British English as well; you know, for regular boots or cowboy boots or riding boots or anything like that. But just the rubber boots are called 'wellies.'"
RS: And the differences don't stop there!
JOHNSTON: "'Pants' is the very big sort of trouble spot, because 'pants' here are quite -- you know, the common thing to call the things you put on your -- the long things you put on your legs, whereas 'pants' in England is always referring to underwear."
RS: "So here that would be 'underpants.'"
JOHNSTON: "Underpants, or underwear or boxers or whatever."
RS: "So if you say, 'do you have a pair of pants to wear to the party,' that would be pretty inappropriate to say in England unless you were forewarned."
JOHNSTON: "And over there they say 'trousers,' which is not a word that is completely unknown in American English, but it's not the most common one."
RS: Along these lines, it seemed to us that a lot of the terms used in British English are older forms of the words used by Americans -- for instance, it might sound odd for an American to say "spectacles" instead of "glasses."
JOHNSTON: "That's often the case. You know, you have 'spectacles,' you have 'trousers.' They tend to be sort of things that might be more common in regional varieties of American English. You know, like in England, it's quite common to say 'reckon,' which in American English is quite unusual, or you might here it in the South perhaps or in more old-fashioned contexts."
AA: "Like, 'I reckon I'll go in when the sun gets too hot.'"
JOHNSTON: "Yeah, and people in England say it sort of quite seriously, without meaning it to be funny or ironic or anything like that."
RS: Same with some other terms that might strike Americans as funny.
JOHNSTON: "You know, if you go shopping, for example, you don't really want to take a 'trolley' which is what Americans ride around in on the street, like say in San Francisco. Here you would rather use a 'shopping cart' when you go to do your groceries."
AA: And, it's not just words that set American and British speakers apart.
JOHNSTON: "Speakers of British English have to be very conscious of the fact that British accents are quite incomprehensible to Americans at times. I know from experience -- my husband, who's British, has a horrible time ordering water in restaurants. Nobody understands him when he asks for 'waw-tuh.' So he's tried to modify it and say 'waw-da, can I have some waw-da please.' (laughter) And he more or less gets understood nowadays."
AA: Dileri Borunda Johnston, author of "Speak American: A Survival Guide to the Language and Culture of the USA."
RS: That's Wordmaster for this week. Send your language questions to VOA Wordmaster, Washington DC two-zero-two-three-seven USA or word@voanews.com. With Avi Arditti, I'm Rosanne Skirble.
MUSIC: "American English"/Wax UK
(Source: VOA/WORDMASTER)
Thứ Hai, 14 tháng 11, 2016
Let's learn English- Lesson 35
00:10
Let's learn English là một trong những giáo trình tiếng Anh căn bản giọng Mỹ rất hay của đài tiếng nói Hoa Kỳ (VOA) dành cho người mới bắt đầu học tiếng Anh.
Toàn bộ khóa học kéo dài 52 tuần tương ứng với 52 bài học kèm theo Video-Clip rất trực quan dễ học, dễ nhớ.
Đây là giáo trình rất thích hợp cho các bạn không có thời gian đến lớp, các bạn mất căn bản tiếng Anh có thể tự học ở nhà một cách hiệu quả và hữu ích. E&J CAFÉ xin chia sẻ giáo trình này cùng bạn học gần xa.
Trân trọng.
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Thứ Năm, 10 tháng 11, 2016
Hillary Clinton’s concession speech
23:24
Thank you. Thank you all.Thank you. Thank you all have much.
Thank you. Thank you all very much. Thank you so much. A very rowdy group. Thank you, my friends. Thank you. Thank you.
Thank you so very much for being here. I love you all, too. Last night I congratulated Donald Trump and offered to work with him on behalf of our country.
I hope that he will be a successful president for all Americans. This is not the outcome we wanted or we worked so hard for, and I'm sorry we did not win this election for the values we share and the vision we hold for our country.
But I feel pride and gratitude for this wonderful campaign that we built together. This vast, diverse, creative, unruly, energized campaign. You represent the best of America, and being your candidate has been one of the greatest honors of my life.
I know how disappointed you feel, because I feel it too. And so do tens of millions of Americans who invested their hopes and dreams in this effort. This is painful, and it will be for a long time. But I want you to remember this.
Our campaign was never about one person, or even one election. It was about the country we love and building an America that is hopeful, inclusive, and big-hearted. We have seen that our nation is more deeply divided than we thought. But I still believe in America, and I always will. And if you do, then we must accept this result and then look to the future. Donald Trump is going to be our president. We owe him an open mind and the chance to lead. Our constitutional democracy enshrines the peaceful transfer of power.
We don't just respect that. We cherish it. It also enshrines the rule of law; the principle we are all equal in rights and dignity; freedom of worship and expression. We respect and cherish these values, too, and we must defend them.
[Applause]
Let me add: Our constitutional democracy demands our participation, not just every four years, but all the time. So let's do all we can to keep advancing the causes and values we all hold dear. Making our economy work for everyone, not just those at the top, protecting our country and protecting our planet.
And breaking down all the barriers that hold any American back from achieving their dreams. We spent a year and a half bringing together millions of people from every corner of our country to say with one voice that we believe that the American dream is big enough for everyone.
For people of all races, and religions, for men and women, for immigrants, for LGBT people, and people with disabilities. For everyone.
I am so grateful to stand with all of you. I want to thank Tim Kaine and Anne Holton for being our partners on this journey. [Cheers and applause]
It has been a joy get to go know them better and gives me great hope and comfort to know that Tim will remain on the front lines of our democracy representing Virginia in the Senate. [Cheers and applause]
To Barack and Michelle Obama, our country owes you an enormous debt of gratitude.
We thank you for your graceful, determined leadership that has meant so much to so many Americans and people across the world. And to Bill and Chelsea, Mark, Charlotte, Aidan, our brothers and our entire family, my love for you means more than I can ever express.
You crisscrossed this country, even 4-month-old Aidan, who traveled with his mom. I will always be grateful to the talented, dedicated men and women at our headquarters in Brooklyn and across our country.
You poured your hearts into this campaign. To some of you who are veterans, it was a campaign after you had done other campaigns. Some of you, it was your first campaign. I want each of you to know that you were the best campaign anybody could have ever expected or wanted.
And to the millions of volunteers, community leaders, activists and union organizers who knocked on doors, talked to their neighbors, posted on Facebook — even in secret private Facebook sites.
I want everybody coming out from behind that and make sure your voices are heard going forward. [Cheers and applause]
To anyone that sent contributions, even as small as $5, that kept us going, thank you. To all of us, and to the young people in particular, I hope you will hear this — I have, as Tim said, I have spent my entire life fighting for what I believe in.
I've had successes and setbacks and sometimes painful ones. Many of you are at the beginning of your professional, public, and political careers — you will have successes and setbacks too.
This loss hurts, but please never stop believing that fighting for what's right is worth it.
It is, it is worth it. [Cheers and applause]
And so we need — we need you to keep up these fights now and for the rest of your lives. And to all the women, and especially the young women, who put their faith in this campaign and in me: I want you to know that nothing has made me prouder than to be your champion.
Now, I know we have still not shattered that highest and hardest glass ceiling, but someday someone will — and hopefully sooner than we might think right now. [Cheers and applause]
And to all of the little girls who are watching this, never doubt that you are valuable and powerful and deserving of every chance and opportunity in the world to pursue and achieve your own dreams. [Cheers and applause]
Finally, finally, I am so grateful for our country and for all it has given to me.
I count my blessings every single day that I am an American, and I still believe, as deeply as I ever have, that if we stand together and work together with respect for our differences, strengthen our convictions, and love for this nation, our best days are still ahead of us.
Because, you know, I believe we are stronger together and we will go forward together. And you should never, ever regret fighting for that. You know, scripture tells us, let us not grow weary of doing good, for in good season we shall reap. My friends, let us have faith in each other, let us not grow weary and lose heart, for there are more seasons to come and there is more work to do.
I am incredibly honored and grateful to have had this chance to represent all of you in this consequential election. May God bless you and may God bless the United States of America.
(Source: YOUTUBE/VOX)
Donald Trump's victory speech in full
01:17
Thank you. Thank you very much, everyone. Sorry to keep you waiting. Complicated business, complicated. Thank you very much.
I've just received a call from Secretary Clinton. She congratulated us. It’s about us. On our victory, and I congratulated her and her family on a very, very hard-fought campaign.
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I mean, she fought very hard. Hillary has worked very long and very hard over a long period of time, and we owe her a major debt of gratitude for her service to our country.
I mean that very sincerely. Now it is time for America to bind the wounds of division, have to get together. To all Republicans and Democrats and independents across this nation, I say it is time for us to come together as one united people.
It is time. I pledge to every citizen of our land that I will be president for all of Americans, and this is so important to me. For those who have chosen not to support me in the past, of which there were a few people, I'm reaching out to you for your guidance and your help so that we can work together and unify our great country. As I've said from the beginning, ours was not a campaign but rather an incredible and great movement, made up of millions of hard-working men and women who love their country and want a better, brighter future for themselves and for their family.
It is a movement comprised of Americans from all races, religions, backgrounds, and beliefs, who want and expect our government to serve the people, and serve the people it will.
Working together, we will begin the urgent task of rebuilding our nation and renewing the American dream. I've spent my entire life in business, looking at the untapped potential in projects and in people all over the world.
That is now what I want to do for our country. Tremendous potential. I've gotten to know our country so well. Tremendous potential. It is going to be a beautiful thing. Every single American will have the opportunity to realize his or her fullest potential. The forgotten men and women of our country will be forgotten no longer.
We are going to fix our inner cities and rebuild our highways, bridges, tunnels, airports, schools, hospitals. We're going to rebuild our infrastructure, which will become, by the way, second to none, and we will put millions of our people to work as we rebuild it. We will also finally take care of our great veterans who have been so loyal, and I've gotten to know so many over this 18-month journey.
The time I've spent with them during this campaign has been among my greatest honors.
Our veterans are incredible people. We will embark upon a project of national growth and renewal. I will harness the creative talents of our people, and we will call upon the best and brightest to leverage their tremendous talent for the benefit of all. It is going to happen. We have a great economic plan. We will double our growth and have the strongest economy anywhere in the world. At the same time, we will get along with all other nations willing to get along with us. We will be. We will have great relationships. We expect to have great, great relationships. No dream is too big, no challenge is too great. Nothing we want for our future is beyond our reach.
America will no longer settle for anything less than the best. We must reclaim our country's destiny and dream big and bold and daring. We have to do that. We're going to dream of things for our country, and beautiful things and successful things once again.
I want to tell the world community that while we will always put America's interests first, we will deal fairly with everyone, with everyone.
All people and all other nations. We will seek common ground, not hostility; partnership, not conflict. And now I would like to take this moment to thank some of the people who really helped me with this, what they are calling tonight a very, very historic victory.
First, I want to thank my parents, who I know are looking down on me right now. Great people. I've learned so much from them. They were wonderful in every regard. Truly great parents. I also want to thank my sisters, Marianne and Elizabeth, who are here with us tonight. Where are they? They're here someplace. They're very shy, actually.
And my brother Robert, my great friend. Where is Robert? Where is Robert?
My brother Robert, and they should be on this stage, but that's okay. They're great.
And also my late brother Fred, great guy. Fantastic guy. Fantastic family. I was very lucky.
Great brothers, sisters, great, unbelievable parents. To Melania and Don and Ivanka and Eric and Tiffany and Barron, I love you and I thank you, and especially for putting up with all of those hours. This was tough.
This was tough. This political stuff is nasty, and it is tough. So I want to thank my family very much. Really fantastic. Thank you all. Thank you all. Lara, unbelievable job. Unbelievable. Vanessa, thank you. Thank you very much. What a great group.
You've all given me such incredible support, and I will tell you that we have a large group of people. You know, they kept saying we have a small staff. Not so small. Look at all of the people that we have. Look at all of these people.
And Kellyanne and Chris and Rudy and Steve and David. We have got tremendously talented people up here, and I want to tell you it's been very, very special.
I want to give a very special thanks to our former mayor, Rudy Giuliani. He's unbelievable. Unbelievable. He traveled with us and he went through meetings, and Rudy never changes. Where is Rudy. Where is he?
[Chanting "Rudy"]
Gov. Chris Christie, folks, was unbelievable. Thank you, Chris. The first man, first senator, first major, major politician — let me tell you, he is highly respected in Washington because he is as smart as you get. Sen. Jeff Sessions. Where is Jeff? A great man. Another great man, very tough competitor. He was not easy. He was not easy. Who is that? Is that the mayor that showed up? Is that Rudy?
Up here. Really a friend to me, but I'll tell you, I got to know him as a competitor because he was one of the folks that was negotiating to go against those Democrats, Dr. Ben Carson. Where's been? Where is Ben? By the way, Mike Huckabee is here someplace, and he is fantastic. Mike and his familiar bring Sarah, thank you very much. Gen. Mike Flynn. Where is Mike? And Gen. Kellogg. We have over 200 generals and admirals that have endorsed our campaign and there are special people.
We have 22 Congressional Medal of Honor people. A very special person who, believe me, I read reports that I wasn't getting along with him. I never had a bad second with him. He's an unbelievable star. He is — that's right, how did you possibly guess? Let me tell you about Reince. I've said Reince. I know it. I know it. Look at all of those people over there. I know it, Reince is a superstar. I said, they can't call you a superstar, Reince, unless we win it. Like Secretariat. He would not have that bust at the track at Belmont.
Reince is really a star and he is the hardest-working guy, and in a certain way I did this. Reince, come up here. Get over here, Reince.
Boy, oh, boy, oh, boy. It's about time you did this right. My god. Nah, come here. Say something.
[Reince Priebus: Ladies and gentlemen, the next president of the united States, Donald Trump! Thank you. It's been an honor. God bless. Thank God.]
Amazing guy. Our partnership with the RNC was so important to the success and what we've done, so I also have to say, I've gotten to know some incredible people.
The Secret Service people. They're tough and they're smart and they're sharp and I don't want to mess around with them, I can tell ya. And when I want to go and wave to a big group of people and they rip me down and put me back down in the seat, but they are fantastic people so I want to thank the Secret Service.
And law enforcement in New York City, they're here tonight. These are spectacular people, sometimes under appreciated unfortunately. We appreciate them. So it's been what they call an historic event, but to be really historic, we have to do a great job, and I promise you that I will not let you down. We will do a great job. We will do a great job. I look very much forward to being your president, and hopefully at the end of two years or three years or four years or maybe even eight years you will say so many of you worked so hard for us, with you. You will say that — you will say that that was something that you were — really were very proud to do and I can — thank you very much.
And I can only say that while the campaign is over, our work on this movement is now really just beginning. We're going to get to work immediately for the American people, and we're going to be doing a job that hopefully you will be so proud of your president. You will be so proud. Again, it's my honor.
It's an amazing evening. It's been an amazing two-year period, and I love this country. Thank you.
Thank you very much. Thank you to Mike Pence.
(Source: VOX/YOUTUBE)
Thứ Ba, 8 tháng 11, 2016
Greetings in the U.S
17:15
I'm Avi Arditti with Rosanne Skirble, and this week on Wordmaster: we say hello again to English teacher Lida Baker in Los Angeles to talk about greetings in America.
AA: "So now typically, if someone says 'how are you doing?' ... "
RS: "Yeah, typically when you say 'hi, how are you?' what's the typical response there?"
Listening online or download MP3
LIDA BAKER: "Well, 'fine.' And, in fact, that's something I have to teach students right at the beginning of the course, that when somebody says to you 'how are you?' they're not really asking about your health. It's just a different way of saying hello. Back in the days when people were more conscious of grammar, one of the traditional replies to the question 'how are you?' was 'I'm well.' But when's the last time you heard somebody say 'I'm well?'"
RS: "I guess the last time we heard someone answer that same question 'I'm sick'! [laughter]"
LIDA BAKER: "But you do hear people all the time saying 'I'm good.' At least here in California, that is extremely common. You know, and as a teacher, this kind of presents me with a dilemma: Do I teach students expressions that are grammatically incorrect but that everyone is using?"
RS: "Yes."
LIDA BAKER: "Well ... "
RS: "Yes with a warning."
LIDA BAKER: "Exactly! Yes, I like that -- yes with a warning, that this is what people say, but don't use it if you're in a formal situation or a situation where you're trying to make a very good impression."
AA: "Like the expression 'how do you do,' that's a little formal, right?"
LIDA BAKER: "Well, 'how do you do' is a really interesting expression. I don't know if you realize this, but on subsequent meetings, you don't use 'how do you do.' You can switch to 'how are you?' or 'hello.' But we only use 'how do you do?' the first time that we meet somebody."
RS: "So, in other words, when you're introduced to someone, you say 'how do you do?'"
LIDA BAKER: "That's right."
AA: "Now what about a greeting like 'good morning'? Good morning, Rosanne."
RS: "Hi, Avi."
LIDA BAKER: "Yeah, there are greetings I think that are time-bound. We have 'good morning,' 'good afternoon,' 'good evening' and 'good night.' But, again, there's something tricky about 'good night.'"
RS: "You say it when you're going to sleep."
LIDA BAKER: "That's right. And you also say it when you're leaving. Like at the end of the workday, people might say 'good night' to one another. But you can't say 'good night' as a greeting. On the other end of the spectrum, again out here in California, I don't know about the rest of the country, but it's very common to greet people by just saying 'hey.' Again, you wouldn't use it if you were in a job interview, if you were talking to your boss, if you were talking to maybe a religious leader. You would use something a little more elevated than that, like 'hello' or 'how are you?'"
RS: "Hey, Lida. [laughter] I want to know how you would go about teaching this."
LIDA BAKER: "Well, first of all, you want to provide students with information about the language. So on the blackboard I would make a list of greetings, and at the top of the list I would put the more formal ones, and at the bottom of the list I would put the least formal ones. And I would draw an arrow from the top of the list to the bottom of the list, to give students the visual notion that there's a range here.
"And then we would move into the practice phase of the lesson, where there's one activity that I really like to do. And I'm afraid I can't remember where I first read this, because I'd like to give credit, but it's called the 'cocktail party waltz.' It's great to have students meeting each other at the beginning of the course. And what you do is, you put the students in two circles. One circle is inside the other circle, so the students are facing one another.
"At a signal from the teacher, these people greet one another, and then they spend a couple of minutes in small talk, talking about the weather, about the event where you happen to be, about a person's background or what they like to do. Or their work -- that's always a good topic in the United States.
"You let the students talk to one another for a couple of minutes, and then the teacher gives another signal, and the people who are on the outside circle move like, you know, one person to the right. So that's one really fun activity, and what's nice about it is that it works with people at all levels."
AA: Lida Baker teaches at the American Language Center at the University of California, Los Angeles, and she's working on a reading comprehension textbook that might come out in about a year.
RS: And that's Wordmaster for this week. Our e-mail address is word@voanews.com. And our segments are online at voanews.com/wordmaster. With Avi Arditti, I'm Rosanne Skirble.
MUSIC: "Pop Song '89"/R.E.M.
RS: "Yeah, typically when you say 'hi, how are you?' what's the typical response there?"
Listening online or download MP3
LIDA BAKER: "Well, 'fine.' And, in fact, that's something I have to teach students right at the beginning of the course, that when somebody says to you 'how are you?' they're not really asking about your health. It's just a different way of saying hello. Back in the days when people were more conscious of grammar, one of the traditional replies to the question 'how are you?' was 'I'm well.' But when's the last time you heard somebody say 'I'm well?'"
RS: "I guess the last time we heard someone answer that same question 'I'm sick'! [laughter]"
LIDA BAKER: "But you do hear people all the time saying 'I'm good.' At least here in California, that is extremely common. You know, and as a teacher, this kind of presents me with a dilemma: Do I teach students expressions that are grammatically incorrect but that everyone is using?"
RS: "Yes."
LIDA BAKER: "Well ... "
RS: "Yes with a warning."
LIDA BAKER: "Exactly! Yes, I like that -- yes with a warning, that this is what people say, but don't use it if you're in a formal situation or a situation where you're trying to make a very good impression."
AA: "Like the expression 'how do you do,' that's a little formal, right?"
LIDA BAKER: "Well, 'how do you do' is a really interesting expression. I don't know if you realize this, but on subsequent meetings, you don't use 'how do you do.' You can switch to 'how are you?' or 'hello.' But we only use 'how do you do?' the first time that we meet somebody."
RS: "So, in other words, when you're introduced to someone, you say 'how do you do?'"
LIDA BAKER: "That's right."
AA: "Now what about a greeting like 'good morning'? Good morning, Rosanne."
RS: "Hi, Avi."
LIDA BAKER: "Yeah, there are greetings I think that are time-bound. We have 'good morning,' 'good afternoon,' 'good evening' and 'good night.' But, again, there's something tricky about 'good night.'"
RS: "You say it when you're going to sleep."
LIDA BAKER: "That's right. And you also say it when you're leaving. Like at the end of the workday, people might say 'good night' to one another. But you can't say 'good night' as a greeting. On the other end of the spectrum, again out here in California, I don't know about the rest of the country, but it's very common to greet people by just saying 'hey.' Again, you wouldn't use it if you were in a job interview, if you were talking to your boss, if you were talking to maybe a religious leader. You would use something a little more elevated than that, like 'hello' or 'how are you?'"
RS: "Hey, Lida. [laughter] I want to know how you would go about teaching this."
LIDA BAKER: "Well, first of all, you want to provide students with information about the language. So on the blackboard I would make a list of greetings, and at the top of the list I would put the more formal ones, and at the bottom of the list I would put the least formal ones. And I would draw an arrow from the top of the list to the bottom of the list, to give students the visual notion that there's a range here.
"And then we would move into the practice phase of the lesson, where there's one activity that I really like to do. And I'm afraid I can't remember where I first read this, because I'd like to give credit, but it's called the 'cocktail party waltz.' It's great to have students meeting each other at the beginning of the course. And what you do is, you put the students in two circles. One circle is inside the other circle, so the students are facing one another.
"At a signal from the teacher, these people greet one another, and then they spend a couple of minutes in small talk, talking about the weather, about the event where you happen to be, about a person's background or what they like to do. Or their work -- that's always a good topic in the United States.
"You let the students talk to one another for a couple of minutes, and then the teacher gives another signal, and the people who are on the outside circle move like, you know, one person to the right. So that's one really fun activity, and what's nice about it is that it works with people at all levels."
AA: Lida Baker teaches at the American Language Center at the University of California, Los Angeles, and she's working on a reading comprehension textbook that might come out in about a year.
RS: And that's Wordmaster for this week. Our e-mail address is word@voanews.com. And our segments are online at voanews.com/wordmaster. With Avi Arditti, I'm Rosanne Skirble.
MUSIC: "Pop Song '89"/R.E.M.
(Source: VOA/WORDMASTER)
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