Loaner Words - or do you already speak some Spanish?

This is the first post that will count toward the cultural project for Summer I; the previous two were an intro to the blog and games to learn some geography.

When we start chapter one, I go into a little of the culture that is included in the book. Spanish is a Romance language, which means it developed in a natural manner, over time, from vulgar Latin. English has many words that come from Latin, but this language was never spoken widely in England. Other romance languages are Portuguese, Italian, Romanian, French, and Catalan (spoken in some parts of Spain). Romance languages differ from one another because of the substrate languages - or those that were already spoken in the region - and also due to influence after the Romans. An enormous influence in Spanish is Arabic because the Moors from Northern Africa were in Spain for 8 centuries. Most of the words that start with the letters "al" in Spanish come from Arabic: al means the. Alfombra is carpet, aldea is village, almohada is pillow...and so on.

Languages are still evolving today, and there are many loaner words from English in Spanish: computadora, tecnologia, etc.

My question to you is...do you know any loaner words from Spanish that are used in English? Do not list more than 2 - and do not list anything anyone else has answered. Tell us what the words are, how they are used, what they mean, are they commonly used - and anything else you would like to add.

Geografía de Latinoamérica

If you have ever heard of a country and not known where it is, this post is for you. Personally, I still miss Carmen Sandiego and her travels all over the world running from Chief and the gumshoes! Anyone remember the TV show?

I have found a few games online that focus on finding countries and capitals in Latin America. This first one is good because it gives you a number of levels to choose from. Feeling brave? Try Level 3, where you need to drag the country where it belongs. A good hint is to follow the contour of the shore line. That will really help except for Bolivia and Paraguay; the first is landlocked, and the second has ocean acces via rivers. Of course you can also start at Level 1 and work your way up. There are quizzes on rivers and capitals too.

http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/South_America_Geography.htm

The following web page gives you the name of the country and you need to click on it. For Central and South America, go to:

http://www.ilike2learn.com/ilike2learn/Samerica.html

South America only is at:

http://www.lizardpoint.com/fun/geoquiz/samericaquiz.html

and for the Caribbean:

http://www.ilike2learn.com/ilike2learn/Caribbean.html

or here:

http://www.lizardpoint.com/fun/geoquiz/centralamquiz.html


This last one has games that include capitals of the countries:

http://www.funbrain.com/where/index.html

Tengo Ganas de Aprender!

Welcome to the summer session of the blog, Tengo Ganas de Aprender. Tener ganas de aprender means to want, to have a desire, to learn. Most of our learning comes from outside the classroom - for the basic reason of time - and we are never given a pencil and paper test. We learn what we need for work or to keep up a hobby. We may speak Spanish with co-workers or fall in love with a painting or song, and later find out the artist is Spanish-speaking. We may be politics buffs, and wonder what is going in in Latin America, from the left-leaning governments that are there to the 3 female presidents who now hold office (in Chile, Argentina, and Costa Rica). We may want to plan a quick trip to Cancun, or a study abroad summer in Santiago de Compostela, Spain. For whatever reason you visit, I hope you find something you enjoy.

Although this is set up for students in the Spanish Department at Suffolk County Community College, it is an open blog so anyone can comment. If you are a student, a professor, or simply interested in the language and culture, you may find helpful information. The main focus in on Latin America, but comments on Spain are also welcome.

The entries will cover many aspects of culture that will round out classroom knowledge in Spanish. There will be entries on art, politics, music, and geography to start, but the list will grow over time. Please feel free to suggest topics, web pages or entries that catch your fancy and I will see what I can do.

Last Thoughts on Immigration

A few posts ago I promised that I would expand on my thoughts on immigration. I do want to start with the basic premise that all countries do have a right to control immigration, to decide who gets to stay and who does not - whether I agree personally with this is irrelevant. It is a right that countries have.

The two main problems I have with the law in Arizona are the basic xenophobia that is apparent in it and the pretty big possibility of human rights violations. Xenophobia - the fear and hatred of foreigners - closes us off to so many cultural perspectives, and allows us to consider the person who is not like us as somehow less than human, and thus it becomes OK to harm, humiliate, or dismiss them. As noted before, this law allows cops (and others) to stop anyone they suspect is illegal and this will be done based on appearance for the most part. What this means is anyone who looks specifically Mexican can be stopped, even if they are citizens. Arizona was part of Mexico before it became part of the US - some people who look Mexican may have been here for many generations. Also, if a kid looks older then he or she is, they could be deported if they do not have ID...and how many 14 year-olds carry ID? Once we open the floodgates to this type of discrimination, it could become legal against other groups too (Blacks? Italians? Women? Catholics? Jews?...).

Then again, perhaps the focus (in the general debate) on individuals is misguided. I see a number of concerns that are not being addressed. The first is NAFTA, which has harmed individuals in both the US and Mexico, favoring businesses. In the US, many jobs have been lost as businesses search for cheaper labor; in Mexico, US-subsidized food, especially corn, has pushed many small farmers to the brink of starvation. Mexicans migrate to cities, especially on the US/Mexico border, where there are factory jobs - but many of the factories hire mostly young women. This has put additional stress on marriages, since men (in Mexico like in the US) have traditionally provided for their families. Although the number of female immigrants has gone up, there are still many more men than women coming over to the US without documentation - many times because they want to provide. People, regardless of where they are from, do what they must to survive. This is what we see in the US right now too, when people are worried about economics they react.

The second is the issue of the drug wars, which is pushing many to flee the violence. We need to do something on the demand side, as well as the supply side. If violence goes down, more people will stay where they are. I have always thought that so much more could be done to slow down drugs. Some believe that legalizing drugs so they are regulated and taxes are paid may be a good idea...in fact some argue that marijuana has less adverse effects on society than alcohol (and apparently there was a racial basis years ago that led to one being legal and not the other).

And one last comment. Some argue that people who are not documented do not pay taxes. Anyone in this country pays taxes, even American citizens who are paid in cash (like many mom-and-pop pizza joints, landscaping, and construction jobs - not all, but many). Property taxes and sales taxes are paid regardless. Unfortunately, many non-citizens who do not have working papers (from many countries) may use someone else's social security number, pay taxes - and never get a refund or see any social security or medicare benefits. It took me about 9 months to clear my taxes on year because of a situation like this. Giving people worker's id numbers may help with this, but I do not think it is a full solution. And yes, non-Citizens who join the armed forced are fast-tracked for citizenship.

So my question - and challenge - to you is:

How can we balance the debate on illegal immigration, human rights, fairness, public opinion and what seems to me to be sheer hatred? What can we do that works for the largest number of people? What solutions (partial or complete) can we come up with? You are the generation that will rule the world in a few years, so let's think about solutions!

Costa Rica President Sworn in

Costa Rica swore in a new president today, Laura Chinchilla Miranda. The first surname, Chinchilla, would be her father's surname, while the second, Miranda, is her mother's - the legal use in most if not all Spanish-speaking countries. Here is a link to the article: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/37041417/ns/world_news-americas/

I decided to look for all women presidents or equivalents in Spanish speaking countries and I came up with this list:
Isabel Peron (Maria Estela Martinez de Peron) Argentina, July 74 to March 76
Lydia Gueiler Tejada, Bolivia, Nov 79 - July 80
Violeta Barrios de Chamorro, Nicaragua April 90 to January 97
Rosalia Arteaga Serrano, Ecuador, Feb 9-11, 1997
Mireya Elisa Moscoso de Arias, Panama, Sept 99 to Sept 04
Michelle Bachelet Jeria, Chile, March 06 to March 10
Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, Argentina, since Dec 07

That would make Laura Chinchilla the 8th woman president in Latin America. I think the contrast between the image many have of Latin American countries as places where machismo rules (you can go look up machismo at Dictionary.com, among other sites) and the reality is interesting. It becomes even more so when we realize that despite this stereotype of Latin American gender roles as much more rigid than those in the US, we still have not had a women president...and you may recall, when Hillary Clinton ran in the primaries, a guy yelled at her to go home and iron! As you continue your academic careers, remember that reality is always more complex then any simplified notion we read.

Some people have told me that a woman president would be great, as she would be more caring and nurturing than men presidents; she would work to end wars and expand schools. Somehow I really doubt that, as women who work their way up to positions with that much responsibility will have "cut their teeth" so to say, the same way the guys did...or they would not be as powerful as they are.

So for this post:
1.- Go find the definition of machismo, and tell me what it is - in your own words!
2.- Why do you think that Latin America has had 8 female presidents (some ran the country with other titles) but the US, which prides itself on progressive roles for women, has not?

And...go find the countries on a map!

Cinco de Mayo and Arizona

This is a double duty post. First of all, a belated happy Cinco de Mayo, which has evolved from a minor political holiday in Mexico to a much bigger celebration in the US. In 1862, France had invaded Mexico, and on May 5th, the much smaller Mexican Army defeated the French in the city of Puebla, a little bit south of Mexico City. In Mexico, it is celebrated in Puebla for the most part. In other parts of the country, there may be a small ceremony in schools, but that is about it. In the US, it has become a celebration of Mexican culture, and I suspect, an informal and unofficial start to the summer season instead of the more traditional Memorial Day. Or is it just an excuse for advertisers to sell more (yes, that was cynical, I know)? Do you celebrate? How?

The second part of this post has to do with the topic of immigration, a pretty big topic right now. Most of us had heard of Marcelo Lucero, even before we went to he screening of "Taught to Hate". In Arizona, a law was passed recently that allows police and other law enforcement agencies to demand proof of legal residency/citizenship in cases where they have any suspicion someone is in the US illegally. There have been a ton of protests, nothing that this law will probably be applied in a very discriminatory way: suspicion will be based on skin color and not on behavior. A California representative went as far as saying it will not be racial discrimination, as you can tell illegal immigrants by their clothing (if you are saying "huh?" to yourself, trust me, you are not alone). While I feel like I have a lot to say in this law, I want to put it out there for your discussion before giving any of my input. Do you think it is a good way to control immigration? Why? If not, give a better solution. Should immigration be controlled?

Taught to Hate

This post will be a quick one. What did you think of the film that was screened today? If you liked it, why? If not, also tell why? How could it have been made better? Don't just tell me that you liked it or not...but explain. I thought it was nice to have the filmmaker and one of the actresses on campus for questions.

Here is a link to the web page for the film: http://www.taughttohate.com/

And here is the trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j6YP7Q8Q2EI