Onomatopoeia is a word, or group of words, that imitates the sound it is describing. We can recognize these in English – the car horn “honks”, the gun goes “bang”, and the mouse “squeaks”. However, in British English a car “hoots” and in French a gun goes “pan”. People are often surprised when they realize that these are somewhat arbitrary interpretations of the sounds we hear, and they differ among languages and cultures. Simply consider the fact that there are many sounds for a dog’s “bark” in English, including “bark”, “woof”, “ruff”, “bow wow”, and “arf!” In English, we use these pronunciations simply because we’ve learned them from other English speakers.

The Japanese language uses onomatopoeia perhaps more than any other language. Japanese contains hundreds of onomatopoeic words, usually coming in the form of a two-syllable word said twice, such as “gorogoro” (cat purring). Words that imitate sounds are called Giongo. There are also many words, called Gitaigo, that describe various emotional and psychological states. They are often attached to the verb suru (to do) to become verbs, for example, “wakuwaku suru” (to be excited) and “iraira suru” (to be irritated or impatient). Other words become adverbs, such as “geragera warau” (to laugh loudly) and “perapera hanasu” (to speak fluently/quickly).

Here is a quick chart of some noises and their interpretations in different languages.

English US = United States, UK = United Kingdom

Chinese C = Cantonese, M = Mandarin

The city skyine can be seen as you go down the river on a boat, with a few tall buildings scattered around the skyline. The tallest building in Guayaquil (the white one alone in the picture) is 43 floors high.

Because there are not many tall buildings, antennas are put on the hills that are nearby. Buildings are built right on the edge of the water, making use of all the land they can! 

 McDougal Littell’s Classzone.com allows you to use free online resources for their foreign language textbooks. These resources include an online workbook, flash card quizzes, composition practice, interactive maps and cultural webquests. These resources, except for the online version of the book, can be used without purchasing the textbook.

 BBC has recently come out with brand-new language resource websites for children ages 4-11. These interactive websites are offered in Spanish, French, and Mandarin Chinese so far. Each website features sounds, numbers, vocabulary, games, videos, and photos to help children start learning a language at an early age.   www.bbc.co.uk/schools/primarylanguages/
  About.com contains large amounts of information on many major languages. Each language’s website contains informational articles about that language, including lessons, learning tools, and cultural facts.
 Iphone and Ipod apps are a good way to practice a language on the go. There are many options out there, some free and some not.
321Speak provides high-quality language lessons with pictures and voices of native speakers. They offer Spanish, English and Chinese. Prices vary. http://321speak.com/
24/7 Tutor offers Spanish, French, Italian, German, and Russian language apps. Each language except Russian has both a free app and a $7.99 app with more features, including quizzes, native speaker audio, games and flash cards. http://www.247tutor.com/
BYKI offers a language app for $7.99 that helps you learn thousands of words or phrases for dozens of languages.  http://www.byki.com/iphone/iphone.html
Internet Polyglot provides vocabulary-building through games for $1.99.
 http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/internet-polyglot/id396269404?mt=8#
Achoo! is a 99-cent, humorous app that can be used when you encounter someone sneezing while traveling in a foreign country. The app will give you an appropriate response to the sneeze (such as “bless you”) in up to 48 languages.  
 Fasten Seatbelts 2 is a campaign to expose people to the cultural customs of other countries. They have dozens of short, entertaining videos that provide ways to avoid mistakes or misunderstandings abroad. You can also get these in the form of Iphone apps.  http://fastenseatbelts.eu/en/35/0/About-this-project 
   
 Don’t Gross out the World is a fun, quick multiple choice quiz on dining customs in other countries. http://www.fekids.com/img/kln/flash/DontGrossOutTheWorld.swf
 
 Upohar is a catering service that offers authentic ethnic cuisines prepared by native cooks. These cooks are resettled refugees from various countries who now live in Lancaster city. You can try their dishes as part of a small dinner at home or in a catering event for up to 50 people. For more information or to audition them, go to www.UpoharEthnicCuisines.com.

First Satuday Latino Series at Rosa Rosa

Live performance by Edwin Lebron, local Salsa Recording Artist.

Cover charge $10, free parking

Here are our Top 5 Picks for this holiday season!

1. Eat out at one of the many cultural restaurants that are owned and operated by families from other cultures. We have authentic Columbian, Peruvian, Ethiopian, Mexican, Dominican and Puerto Rican restaurants within minutes of our homes. You can have a freshly cooked, delicious meal in a friendly atmosphere for a very affordable price. Be brave and try something new!

2. Attend a cultural workshop offered by teachers and translators of YLC. Celebrate the Vietnamese New Year, play an Ethiopian children’s game, enjoy a meal from the Philippines, or find out more about southern France. You and your family can learn more about the different cultures right here in our own neighborhoods. YLC is offering a variety of  90 minute cultural workshops for all ages.

3. Register for a language class this winter. If you have always wanted to learn a new language or brush up on one you previously learned, now is the time. Tomorrow never comes, so you need to do it today! Learning another language opens up new doors, in business, travel and personal lives. Treat a family member to this unique, fun and educational experience. We have classes for all ages and levels! A language class is the perfect gift for children who do not need more toys and for those adults who are lifelong learners. Register by December 1st to get a $15 discount.  

4. Attend a cultural activity hosted by a church or organization. There are many opportunities for cultural experiences and YLC posts many of these activities on our Blog. There is a Holiday Spanish Dance being held at the Marriott to benefit the Latino Scholarship Fund. The Jewish Community Center has a special Hanukkah celebration that welcomes everyone. There are German and  Italian clubs that provide cultural activities. Kids & Cultures is a non-profit organization that offers activities in local libraries and assemblies for schools. The Red Rose Foundation hosts Turkish Teas regularly. And our very own Taeko Bronner, Japanese teacher, hosts an international dinner weekly. Try a new activity soon!

5. Host an exchange student for a weekend or month. Your family can become a short term respite family for foreign exchange students. Many times the Host families need to go away for personal business or family emergencies and can not take their student along. Families are needed to host these students for a short stay. It is a small commitment with a big payoff. Your family will develop friendships that can last a lifetime and learning about their country and lifestyle will impact your lives in more ways than you realize.

Take some time this holiday season to learn about traditions and celebrations different than your own. You might discover a new way to celebrate!

Activities for ALL Ages – Sign up for one or sign up for all of them!

 International – Fun with Cultures               November 29^th, 6:30 pm or December 13^th, 6:30pm         

 Cultures are fascinating to nearly anyone, and sometimes a bit frustrating when different from our own.  Whether it’s a New Yorker being too direct in Lancaster or an Asian not direct enough, we don’t even realize some aspects of our culture until we come across other ways of looking at things.  In this workshop, we’ll explore cultures of the world through stories, looking at ways cultures differ, and seeing other viewpoints visually.  We’ll also talk about how to help cultural adjustment, yet keep one’s grounding in vital areas without offending others.  Your tour guides will be Scott Bronner, teacher of English as a Second Language at HACC-Lancaster and for 12 years in Japan, and Taeko Bronner, his wife who teaches Japanese through Your Language Connection.  They host a weekly Friday International Gathering that gives plenty of interaction with cultures of the world.  This workshop will be adjusted to the age and experience of those who participate. ($10/adults, $5/children)

 Philippines – Taste the Unexpected!                                                            December 6^th, 6:00 pm

 Learn more about the foods and mealtime culture, while enjoying a complete meal prepared especially for you by chef Gayda, a native of the Philippines. She specializes in Asian cuisine, (Thai, Chinese, Filipino, Indian and Japanese), healthy cooking (organic, use of wholegrain ingredients, etc., vegetarian cooking, across all cuisines), and baking. ($15/adults, $10/Youth, $5/children under

France – The Secrets We Don’t Know!                                          December 8^th, 3:00 pm & 6:30pm

 Discover French Christmas customs and particularly Christmas in Provence, the French Riviera.  Food specialties, crafts and traditions from the south of France will no longer be a secret!  Please join Florence, one of YLC’s French teachers and a native of France, for a fun and unique Culture workshop. ($10/adults, $5/children)

Vietnam – The Dance of the Dragon                                                          December 8^th & 9^th, 6:00 pm

 Come experience and learn with your children the unique and beautiful culture of Vietnam. Learn how children celebrate the New Year. Come taste the different foods that Vietnamese children get to eat during New Year’s week. Laugh and have fun with your children while they try on the dragon costume and learn the dragon dance. 

Ethiopia – The Culture Exposed!                                                                December 29^th, 10:00 am

Learn more about Ethiopia’s history, clothing, food, drinks, crafts, music and games. Ethiopian culture has so much more to offer than what you see on TV. Sample Engera (a soft bread), celebrate Timket (a major holiday), make a craft, play a game and find out what you should wear to a wedding. Almaz has a special way of sharing what so many people do not know about Ethiopia. ($10/adults, $5/children)

Sign up for these workshops TODAY! Contact Michelle Salinas at michelle@yourlanguageconnection.com or 717-371-9144

Would you be interested in others? If so, what countries?

You will spend one evening visiting the nine cultural restaurants in Lancaster. The participating restaurants include the Coffee Shop Colombian Bakery, Expressly Local (serving Gursha Organic Ethiopian food), Island Caribbean Restaurant, La Costena Peruvian Restaurant, La Dolce Vita Italian Courthouse Bakery, Rachel’s Cafe & Creperie, Sakura Asian Fusion & Sushi Bar, Rice & Beans, and Spyro Gyros. At each restaurant, you will have the chance to taste a bit of what the world has to offer.

If you’re interested, reserve your tickets now through kids and cultures or visit their website: http://www.kidsandcultures.org/