Register

For my post about register, I am going to quote a scene from Shakespeare's "Midsummer Night's Dream", taken from the "No Fear Shakespeare" website. On this wonderful website we can find many digitalised versions of Shakespeare's works, along with a "translation" into relatively simple modern English.

Of course, English speakers at Shakespeare's time used different vocabulary and sentence structures, which makes his works difficult to understand. Many of the words he uses can still be found in contemporary English, although we would not use them in an informal letter or phone call. They belong to a high register, which is used in formal letters and sometimes formal conversations.

The upper paragraph of the following dialogue is Shakespeare's original work, the other one is "No Fear Shakepeare's" translation. The words makred in bold in the origingal paragraphs can still be used today, but would be considered rather formal. The bold words in the translated paragraphs are less formal options for the words Shakespeare used.

BOTTOM

Masters, you ought to consider with yourselves. To bring in—God shield us!—a lion among ladies is a most dreadful thing. For there is not a more fearful wildfowl than your lion living. And we ought to look to ’t. 

Sirs, you ought to think to yourself, bringing in—God forbid!—a lion amongst ladies is really terrible. There’s no scarier wild bird than the living lion, and we should remember that.

SNOUT

Therefore another prologue must tell he is not a lion. 

So we need another prologue to tell everyone he’s not a real lion.

BOTTOM

Nay, you must name his name, and half his face must be seen through the lion’s neck. And he himself must speak through, saying thus—or to the same defect—“Ladies,” or “Fair ladies,” “I would wish you” or “I would request you” or “I would entreat you” “not to fear, not to tremble, my life for yours. If you think I come hither as a lion, it were pity of my life. No, I am no such thing. I am a man as other men are.” And there indeed let him name his name, and tell them plainly he is Snug the joiner. 

No, we can just announce the actor’s name, and let his face show through the lion costume, and have him say something himself. He should say the following, or something else to the same effect —“Ladies,” or “Lovely ladies,” “I would like to ask you” [...] or “I would like to beg you” “not to be afraid, and not to tremble with fear. I value your lives as highly as my own. If you thought I was a real lion, I would be risking my life. But no, I am not at all a lion. I am a man, just like other men.” And then he should say his name, and tell them plainly that he’s Snug the carpenter.

QUINCE

Well, it shall be so. But there is two hard things: that is, to bring the moonlight into a chamber. For, you know, Pyramus and Thisbe meet by moonlight. 

All right, that’s what we’ll do then. But there are two things we still have to figure out. How are we going to bring moonlight into a room? Because, you know, Pyramus and Thisbe meet by moonlight.

(Crowther, John, ed. “No Fear A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” SparkNotes LLC. 2005.)

This was only a short example, but maybe you want to have a look at more of Shakespeare's work and find differences in register between the original and the modern translation?

The Story of Ireland

Another corrected piece of homework:

The most fascinating aspect of Irish culture that I learned about by watching the Story of Ireland was the tension between Northern and Southern Ireland that culminated in the Easter Rising. Basically, it was a concept called Home Rule that triggered the debate whether Ireland should be part of the British monarchy or a state on its own. Most Northern Irishmen were in favour of the union, while the Southerners were not. The latter eventually plotted a strike against the British rule in Ireland by taking over the General Post Office in Dublin and declaring the Republic of Ireland. This incident, now better known as the Easter Rising, was certainly not the end of tensions between North and South, but it marks an important milestone on the way to the Republic of Ireland as we know it today. Even though it took me quite a long time and many additional sources to understand all the information given in the documentary, I found it to be intriguing work because I am interested in recent history.

In the original version, I had written too much about the way the information was presented in the documentary. I also had made some silly logical mistakes. In the future, I should proofread my texts more carefully and make sure that every sentence corresponds to the topic sentence.

PC1 writing task

Apparently I have forgotten to publish the correction of my writing task from PC1...

Studying at the Department of Translation can be very challenging. Many of us are now far away from our family and most of our friends for the first time. In addition to the self-consciousness this causes, like many others I was not prepared for the vast differences between school and university. The mass of information I was given in every course overwhelmed me at first. When I finally thought I had found a way of dealing with all the information – and studying it – we got back out first piece of homework. The bad marks we were given seemed devastating and I realised that I needed to work even harder. With PC1 coming closer, I decided to study English for an hour every day. This did not seem difficult to manage until I became aware of the fact that I must not lose track of the other subjects. I now try to revise less recent subjects and learn the new ones after every course, not only in English, but in all my courses. It is a challenge which requires a great deal of commitment and self-motivation, but one I am more than willing to take on.

We are one?

America is a land of immigration. Over time, there have been different theories how all the different cultures and identities would relate to each other.

"Where do you come from?" "What's the difference, I'm here now."

(from the 1986 movie And the Pursuit of Happiness)

The earliest and most famous theory is the Theory of Assimilation, better known as "Melting Pot". The idea behind the Melting Pot was that, once the migrants had arrived in America, they would deny their ethnic difference and forget their cultural practices. The result would be a homogeneous American society.

One big problem with the Melting Pot theory was that it is a theory created to explain only identity changes of immigrants. Native Americans, however, are technically speaking not immigrants. They were seen as too different to be easily assimilated. In order to teach them the American way of live, the reservation policy was introduced. Native Americans children were taken away from their parents and educated in boarding schools. They were not allowed to use their native language and they were taught Western values such as ownership and punctuality.

In the 1960s, a  new theory was established - the Mosaic or Salad Bowl Theory. In a salad, the single ingredients keep their form, but together they form something completely new and delicious. Similarly, a mosaic cosists of single pieces that together form something new and beautiful. Unlike the Melting Pot, where everything is mixed into a homogeneous pulp, the Salad Bowl Theory does not deny ethnic differences. Even though this is a progress, the Salad Bowl Theory has its issues. Pieces of a mosaic are "closed" objects, they never change their form. Even though a mosaic piece, in other words a culture, touches another piece, another culture, it would never interact or be changed by the contact, according to this theory.

The most recent theory is the Theory of Hybridity, a theory from postcolonial critic Homi Bhabha. Hybridity allows difference, but pulls towards sameness and fusion. According to this theory, the relation with another culture, another identity, always changes something in ourselves.

Couchsurfing

You are an adventurous traveler looking for a cheap accomodation? Hotels are too fancy, but hostels are too crowded for you?

There is a whole community  of like-minded who take part in a concept called couchsurfing. Basically, you offer strangers who are looking for accomodation a place to stay for the night - usually a convertible couch. The couchsurfing website works like a social media site, where you can create your profile and add details about yourself, the place you live in, and the people you would like to host. You can meet other couchsufers in your area to talk about your experiences, offer your couch to travelers or look for a place to sleep while you are travelling.

I have never tried couchsurfing myself because even though it states that it is safe, it seems too dangerous when you are a woman travelling alone.

There are a number of alternatives to couchsurfing:

Air B&B, for example, can be a cheap alternative to hotels. Again, someone offers you a place to sleep (sometimes their whole apartment!), but you pay to stay with them exactly as if you were staying in a hotel. It seems a lot more trustworthy than couchsurfing, but the difference is that it is not free.

An unorthodox alternative is HelpX. HelpX is an online listing of host organic farms, non-organic farms, farmstays, homestays, ranches, lodges, B&Bs, backpackers hostels and even sailing boats. In the typical arrangement, the helper works in these places for an average of 4 hours per day and receives free accommodation and meals for their efforts. It seems to be a great way to gain practical experience and get to know new cultures.

If you're going to San Francisco...

...plan wisely, especially if you're a student who has to plan an imaginary ten-day trip with a budget of €2000, which equals $2740.

I decided to plan a trip to San Fransisco because it is a rather small city (at least compared to others in the USA), but it is supposed to have a lively multicultural atmosphere about it. We are supposed to plan the trip in our Easter holdiays, so I am going to depart on 14 April and return on 24 April.

Unfortunately, flights from Austria to San Francisco are not exactly cheap. After doing some research, I found a rather good deal for a flight from Vienna to the San Francisco International Airport. Departure is at 10.25am in Vienna. The first flight is a direct flight to Washington and arrives at its destination at 2.20pm. After a two hour layover there will be a flight to San Francisco from 4.30pm - 7.24pm. The flight (including the return flight on 24 April) costs exactly $1000 - bye, bye, half of my budget.

As a person who likes to camp, I don't need the luxury and fanciness of a hotel. Instead, I decided to spend my nights in one of the HI-San Francisco Hostels. The downtown hostel on 321 Masion Street sounded best to me because it is central and close to public transport stations. Ten nights in a single room with breakfast and my own bathroom will cost me $601. If you don't mind sharing a dorm room or at least your bathroom with strangers, the stay will be even cheaper.

After arriving at the San Francisco International Airport, you simply have to take the train from there into the direction of Pittsburg Bay point. In approximately half an hour you will reach a station called Powell St. The HI downtown hostel is only three blocks away from there. The train ticket costs $9, which makes $18 in total because I will need to go the same way back to the airport on 24 April.

I don't have a fixed plan for what to do and see on which day because if you are travelling alone you can be spontaneous. There are, however, certain tourist attractions and sites I intend to visit.

The most famous sight is definitely the Golden Gate bridge. You can easily get there by bus from basically anywhere in San Francisco (just find the nearest station from this website). I will probably buy a "Muni Pass", in other words a ticket for public transport, for the length of my stay. Weekly passes cost $15, single rides cost $1.50. Back to the Golden Gate Bridge: Pedestrians have daily free access to the East Sidewalk. The East Sidewalk faces San Francisco, not the see, so you won't have a pacific view - but hey, you can say you've been on the Golden Gate Bridge! When weather cooperates, I am also going to spend an afternoon in the Golden Gate Park. There are sometimes free events such as weekly concerts and Shakespeare in the Park. On Wednesday and Friday there are free lawn bowling lessons.

Another place to see is the Alcatraz island, where there used to be a state prison. Ferries to Alcatraz depart every half an hour at Pier 33, which means you can stay on the island as long as you want. The cheapest tour I found is a combination of a one hour cruise in the San Francisco Bay and the ferry to Alcatraz. If you order online, it will cost $60.

I am also planning to spend time at San Francisco's most well-known wharf, the Fisherman's Wharf. There are many different attractions such as kayaking and a bungee trampoline, but why waste the money? I think I would just buy some freshly cooked seafood, stroll around the wharf and hope to see some sea lions. At the wharf, there is also the Aquarium of the Bay where you can explore San Francisco's maritime world. The entrance fee is $21, though.

Since I am interested in art and science, I am planning to visit some museums. Unfortunately, the Museum of Modern Art is closed at the moment due to expansion, but their website recommends exhibitions all over San Francisco. It is probably best to see if there is anything interesting just a day or two before my departure to San Francisco.

There is another museum that sounds very interesting, called the Exploratorium. There are a number of galleries devoted to different subjects and there are interactive exhibitions. Normal daytime tickets cost $25, but if you want to make a bargain visit it on a Thursday night. Thursday nights (6-10pm) are adult-only nights, so admission is only to those who are 18 or older, but the ticket costs only $15.

While you are in San Francisco, don't forget the Cable Cars! If you have the weekly Muni Pass, a Cable Car ride only costs $1 extra, otherwise it costs $5.

I now have about $1000 of my budget left, but unless you plan to live on fast food for ten days, a great deal of it will be spent on restaurant bills or the occasional souvenir shopping.

If you are economical, don't worry, there are many great things to do and see for free! I found some more art galleries (Ratio 3, Luggage Store Gallery, 49 Geary) which are all for free. If you like literature or simply want to discover secret places of San Francisco, take part in a Public Library city guides walking tour. Local volunteers lead five daily one- to two-hour walking tours by neighborhood and theme – ranging from Chinatown alleys to Alfred Hitchcock film sites. It’s volunteer-based, with dozens of options, and completely free, though donations are accepted.You can find more information on www.sfcityguides.org. A few days before departure I am also going to have another look at this website. There is a list of many free or cheap things to do in San Francisco in the next few days, for example a $1 movie day at a local cinema.

Santa Claus is coming to town

Every year millions of children (and adults, too) are waiting impatiently for the arrival of  a short, fat guy in a red suit that brings them presents: Santa Claus. Where did the original Santa Claus come from and why did he devote his apparently immortal life to bringing children presents on Christmas?

Usually, a saint called St Nicholas is acknowledged as the original Santa Claus. We know little about this man for certain. He probably lived in Myra, in the south-west of modern Turkey, in the fourth century. St Nicholas, who was a bishop in his home town of Myra, is likely to have died on 6 December. This day was celebrated as his feast day in the medieval church, and still is his feast day in some countries today. 

One of the earliest legends about St Nicholas tells how he heard of a man who could not afford the dowries for his three daughters. The man therefore intended to make his daughters work in a brothel. St Nicholas saved them from their fate by throwing three bags of gold through their window at night.

This tale is often seen as the root of St Nicholas as a gift giver. He also appears to have taken on some of the qualities that originally belonged to pagan gods such as Poseidon or Wodan.

Throughout the Middle Ages, the legend of St Nicholas spread enormously. In addition to being the patron of sailors and unmarried women, he also became the patron of children. The most significant change, however, was brought about by the introduction of the Dutch Sinterklaas. Sinterklaas clearly derives from St Nicholas and his feast-day on 6 December, but he differs from earlier portraits of the Christian saint. Sinterklaas, for example, has got a flying white horse. This may derive from the fusion of St Nicholas with pagan gods (Wodan did possess a flying horse).

It seems likely that St Nicholas became an American tradition in a period following the Revolutionary War, when Americans became interested in Dutch customs. However, it was probably Clement Moore who fixed the image of Santa Claus so firmly in the American mind. He wrote a poem called "A Visit from St Nicholas" in 1822. Moore added some elements from German and Norse legends to the Dutch Sinterklaas. In his poem, St Nicholas is a tiny man with a sleigh drawn by eight miniature reindeer. He stops at every house and comes down the chimney to fill stockings with gifts. The poem was published anonymously and became very popular under the name "The Night before Christmas".

As time went by, more and more details were added to the legend of St Nicholas. Thomas Nast, a cartoonist, did a series of drawings of St Nicholas. His version of Santa lives at the North Pole, has a workshop for building toys and a large book filled with the names of all the naughty and nice children. In the 19th century Santa was often shown wearing outfits of different colours including purple, green and blue. The Coca-Cola company is often said to have made popular the image of Santa dressed in the colours red and white because those are the company's colours. However, the other colours had already faded out by the beginning of the 20th century and most of the time Santa was associated with the colours red and white.