Letter from the editor Since becoming editor-in-chief of the Polyglot last September, I have come to realise that there are only two things necessary to produce a successful magazine: a brilliant predecessor and an equally brilliant team. Fortunately for me, I had both. Therefore, a huge amount of praise and credit must be given firstly to Hector Stinton - the founding editor - who laid down the essential foundations of the magazine, and secondly to my team, who individually pitched in interesting ideas and articles and collaboratively helped produce, what I think is, an exceptional issue. The first two issues of the Polyglot focused largely on the ideas of linguistics, culture and the history of Europe. And whilst this issue is similar to the last two in the respect that it too focuses on linguistics and culture, it is different in that it puts far greater emphasis on contemporary European affairs; rather than history. My intention for this change in direction was to give readers a greater insight and knowledge - often from a different perspective - into current affairs which affect them and the world around them hugely. Therefore, this issue contains articles, ranging from FC Bayern’s response to the Syrian refugee crisis, to the French legislation banning size zero models, and perhaps most topical and pertinent to us today: the terrorist attacks in France.
- James Fotherby, Editor in Chief
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Contents France FEELING FOR FRANCE ZERO RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANNOREXIA FRANCE FACT FILE SAMBA
4 12 13 14
Germany FC BAYERN LEADS THE WAY GERMANY FACT FILE PHOENIX
6 7 31
Spain GET OUT OF HERE GERARD PIQUÉ: EL FUTBOLISTA MÁS ODIADO MUJERES AL BORDE DE UN ATAQUE DE NERVIOS HOLA, ¿QUÉ TAL? SPAIN FACT FILE
8 24 14 16 17
International TXT L@NGU@G3 NIMBIA NUMBERS CHINESE SCRIPTS TEN WORD STORIES
5 10 11 18
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the polyglot
Feeling for France
Laura Navas and Temana Lai Mink share their emotions in the aftermath of the Paris attacks
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was in London with my friend, a French assistant as well, when I heard the news. At first, I thought it was just “another” shooting, the ones we are now sadly and tragically used to, but then, I kept receiving texts from my friends and family, telling me how bad the situation was getting. I was terrified, and really shocked when, minute by minute, the number of deaths increased. We spent hours on the Internet, checking the news, texting our relatives and acquaintances in Paris to see if they were safe, watching videos taken in the Stade
de France, seeing people from everywhere showing their support and sympathy to our beautiful and wounded country. We were deeply outraged and we’ve realized how bad the situation is now. It is really weird because after the Charlie Hebdo attacks, we knew we were more vulnerable than we thought, but with everything going on in France (the refugee crisis, the beginning of the run-up to the elections…), we felt like it was already far behind us, as if it had been a huge nightmare, and that now everything was going to be fine. We felt like we were again untouchable, unwavering, strong enough to counter any kind of external attacks, but the reality came as sharp as a slap right in the face and everything collapsed.
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I don’t know how to express my feelings. Now I just feel “naked”, insecure, ridiculously plain and vulnerable. Since Friday 13th, I keep scrolling on the Internet, always expecting the worst. It’s hard to be far from home in this situation, I would like to be with my family because I really feel like anything could happen now. I know the best way to react is to keep moving on, to keep being open-minded, united and tolerant, and enjoying life and all it can offer to us, but I can’t ignore what just happened in my country, my motherland, my home. I am feeling powerless because the situation is getting out of hand and it is frightening not to know what could possibly happen in the next few days, weeks, or months.
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Txt l@ngu@g3 N
Alasdair Czaplewski explains how texting is the new 21st century language
o one can doubt that the use of slang, abbreviations and text-speak has exploded over the last decade, and not just in the English language. Around the world, new words are popping up all over the place to describe modern ideas, or shorten old ones into as few as two or three letters. In this article, I venture into the farthest corners of the Internet, trawling through .de and .fr domains, in search of the underground world of informal conversation - to compile a list of the best, weirdest, and hardest-to-type slang words I can find. Slang and abbreviation has been ever-present throughout history, recorded on Roman inscriptions or scrawled on stone tablets. In 2011, the word ‘lol’, described by the Oxford English Dictionary as “an Internet initialism”, was added to their list of English vocabulary. While in many languages the English abbreviation for ‘laugh out loud’ is the main slang word used, owing to its widespread use online, the French equivalent, ‘mdr’, ‘mort de rire’, also exists. The translation: ‘dying of laughter’; perhaps not so funny, given that nine people throughout history actually have. Another good French acronym is ‘G1id2kdo’. As random as this might look, when pronouncing every individual letter and number, it turns into ‘J’ai une idée de cadeau’ (‘I have an idea for a present’). Many other examples of the French text language are based on phonetics (the sounds of numbers or signs), such as @2m1 = à demain (see you tomorrow). This is highly economical in a language like French, where one sound can be composed of many different letter combinations: o can be written o, os (bone), eau (water), au (in the), haut (high), and their plural equivalents. Spanish is similarly creative: ‘100pre’ = siempre (always), ‘b7s’ = besitos (kisses), ‘mxo’ = mucho (a
lot) are just a few examples. An interesting feature is the x in Spanish text language which can replace ‘por’, as that’s the mathematical symbol for ‘’by’ in English. Therefore, xq can be used to mean ‘por qué’ (why) and ‘porque’ (because), while ‘xfa’ is por favor (please). Got it? Because that’s not all: x also replaces the sound ‘ch’, as in the footballer Xavi. Therefore you might come across a Spanish conversation like this: hla, tq mxo. Hola, te quiero mucho. (Hi, I like you lots.) yo tb, x100pre. Yo también, por siempre. (Me too, for always.)
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mxos b7s. Muchos besitos. (Many kisses.) grax, xau. Gracias, chao. (Thanks, bye.) Other languages are more fond of acronyms in the text language, such as German. For example: lG = liebe Grüße (heartfelt regards), gN8 = gute Nacht (good night), ild = ich liebe dich (I love you), hdgdl = hab dich ganz doll lieb (I like you alot). Note the capitalisation of nouns, which even in text language Germans won’t disregard! So that was a brief snapshot of the world of slang in other languages. TTYL, M9.
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FC BAYERN Leading the Way James Gordon explores how the world of football has responded to the recent refugee crisis
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n 2015 so far, it is estimated that 522,000 refugees have arrived on the shores of Europe - almost double the 280,000 that came in all of 2014. The majority are fleeing from the war zones of Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, or the extreme poverty of sub-Saharan Africa, often seeking asylum in France, Germany, or the UK. Out of the target countries, Germany is by far the most accepting of refugees, with Angela Merkel promising to take in up to 800,000 asylum seekers over the coming year. Bar a few small-scale protests by neo-
nazi and anti-islamists, the German Volk have generally been very welcoming towards immigrants. This extends to the world of sport FC Bayern is one of the many clubs that has followed and supported the influx of immigrants. Fans of Bayern Munich, a club based in Bavaria, near the Austrian and Czech borders, have offered their support to refugees over the past year by unfurling massive banners in the Allianz Arena (Bayern’s stadium), reading ‘Refugees Welcome’. In September, the club itself
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donated the substantial sum of €1 million (£730,000) to help refugees arriving in the city, and also revealed plans to set up training camps for young arriving refugees, where they will provide food, German lessons and football equipment. Furthermore, refugee children were invited to appear as Bayern mascots in their match against Augsburg, with the players entering “holding the hand of a German child and a refugee’s child”, signifying unity between the two groups - they were given a hero’s welcome as they entered
the polyglot A pull quote about football clubs and the refugee crisis, which would pull readers to the article, it needs to be fairly long though
the Allianz pitch. Club CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge explained that “Bayern sees it as a social responsibility to help the refugees”. However, it is not only Bayern which has directly supported refugees: fans of almost all Bundesliga clubs can be seen holding up “Refugees Welcome” or “Welcome to Germany” banners, while many clubs have invited a number of refugees to watch games from the stands. Borussia Dortmund, for example, invited 220 refugees to watch their Europa league game against Odd, while Mainz gave out to 200 free tickets to their Bundesliga game against Hannover. Outside of Germany, clubs such as Real Madrid, Celtic and Porto have been donating to the cause most notably, Roma pledged to give €575,000 (£420,000) to charities helping those affected by the refugee crisis. The refugees have already started to repay their generous hosts, as one Syrian refugee, Mohammed Jaddou, seeks to reach the Bundesliga - the talented 17 year-old is the former captain of the Syrian under-17 national team, with a number of clubs fighting for his signature. Aside from the odd success story, for many German football fans, the refugees’ gratitude is enough to repay their hospitality.
German Fact File • Die Marke “Fanta” wurde in Deutschland als Ersatz für Coca Cola geboren, da die Zutaten für Coca Cola Sirup im zweiten Weltkrieg nicht nach Deutschland importiert werden konnten. The brand “Fanta” originated in Germany as a substitute for Coca Cola, because the ingredients for Coca-Cola syrup couldn’t be imported into Nazi Germany during WWII. • Die deutsche Sprache war einmal die Lingua Franca in Zentral-, Ost- und Nordeuropa und ist immer noch die Sprache mit den meisten Muttersprachlern in Europa. The German language was once the lingua franca of central, eastern and northern Europe, and remains the language with the most native speakers in Europe. • Es gibt eine Barbie-Puppe nach dem Modell der deutschen Bundeskanzlerin Angela Merkel. There is a Barbie doll modelled on Germany’s current Chancellor Angela Merkel. • Die schmalste Straße der Welt ist in Reutlingen. Sie heißt Spreuerhofstraße und ist an ihrem schmalsten Punkt 31 cm (ein Fuß) breit. The world’s narrowest street is in Reutlingen. It is called Spreuerhofstraße and is 31 cm (one foot) wide at its narrowest point. • Es gibt ein Museum in Berlin, das der Currywurst gewidmet ist. There is a museum in Berlin decidated to the “currywurst” (a popular take on an old favourite involving pieces of pork sausage covered in a spicy ketchup sauce). • In Deutschland gibt es mehr kulturelle Aktivitäten und Sehenswürdigkeiten als in jedem anderen Land – es gibt 6.200 Museen, 820 Theater, 130 Berufsorchester und 8.800 Bibliotheken. Germany has more cultural activities and places than any other country – it has 6,200 museums, 820 theatres, 130 professional orchestras and 8,800 libraries. • “Schadenfreude” beschreibt dieses Gefühl der Freude und Zufriedenheit, das man manchmal beim Unglück anderer verspürt. “Schadenfreude” is a German word for that feeling of joy and slight satisfaction you sometimes get from the misfortune of others.
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the polyglot
Get Out of Here!
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James Fotherby outlines the football fans’ rights to boo their players
he Bernabeu is no longer exclusively known as the home of the best players in the world; it is now also known as the home of the most unsupportive fans in the world. For the Madridistas are guilty for booing their players, as they have jeered and whistled at the likes of the legendary Alfredo Di Stéfano, Zinedine Zidane, Cristiano Ronaldo and, most recently, Gareth Bale. Real Madrid fans boo their plays regardless of the result, they boo players when they score goals, they boo players even when they single-handedly win matches. For example, when Real suffered a 4-0 defeat against their rivals Barça in November this year, the music speakers in the Bernabeu had to be turned up to maximum volume to try and blot out the sound of the booing. However, it would be unfair to suggest the Madridistas are the only football fans guilty of booing their players: booing and jeering is present in almost every league across the world, and we are simply left asking, why? Perhaps, the fans boo their players because they expect more from them, as they are usually accustomed to a higher standard, or perhaps they boo to show their discontent, in the hope of triggering a change. But regardless of the motive, the overwhelming presence of booing in football raises the question: has sport changed? Another question raised from witnessing countless games end in negative and spiteful chants is: do fans have the right to boo? They buy the tickets and the merchandise, spend their weekends in the stadiums watching the games, and they are clearly affected by their club’s performance. So why shouldn’t the fans boo? In my opinion, there is no place for booing in football, and any other sport for that matter. It appears that I am of the out-dated view that the core values of any sport are mutual respect and support. Without these key principles, sport is no longer a game filled with passion, enjoyment and a general love for the game, but rather a financial transaction between fan and club whereupon winning becomes all important. Vindictive booing not only ruins the reputation of football, but it undermines sport and its true nature, as a whole. If booing isn’t clamped down on, the mentalities of the fans will not change - booing will only become a more common occurrence in matches, and the original meaning behind the sport might be lost altogether.
Another pull quote about a football article to fill the leftover space
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the polyglot
Gerard Piqué: El Futbolista más Odiado James Fotherby shall hopefully tell me what srapline I should use
G
erard Piqué es posiblemente el mejor futbalista defensor español, pero es odiado por casi todos los aficionados españoles. Aunque a los aficionados de Barcelona le encanta, el odio de sus adversarios está claro durante cada derby y partido nacional. Siempre hay mucho abucheo cuando Piqué recibe el balón. ¿Por qué? En corto, su actitud y pasión por Barcelona le hace aparecer como un pendejo. Piqué es el enemigo número
uno de los madridistas, debido a su odio abierto por Real Madrid que ha demostrado en varios insultos en años recientes como “siempre querré Real a perder”. Además, Piqué apoya la independencia de Catalunya (una región en España) - un asunto político que es impopular entre los españoles. Piqué es tan impopular, que el partido nacional en noviembre contra Inglaterra fue movido del estadio Bernabeu en Madrid a Alicante por miedo al abucheo.
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Odiado = hated > el odio = hatred Aficionados / Hinchas = fans Abucheo = booing Pendejo = idiot Adversario / enemigo = enemy debido a = due to Odio = Hatred Querré = I will want apoyar = to support el asunto = matter por miedo a = out of fear of
the polyglot
Nimbia Numbers
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A flavour of the Linguistics Olympiad given to us from Anthony Bracey
o you remember how to say 78 in French? And in German? It’s soixante dix-huit (60+10+8) and achtundsiebzig (8+70). Languages use systems to express their numerical systems, and they can be quite different and complex, although they’re always highly logical. One of the world’s most interesting numerical systems is that of Nimbia, a dialect of the Gwandara language, which is spoken by about 30,000 people in northern Nigeria. Nimbia is a duodecimal system, which means the number 12 is its base. Higher numbers consist of additions and multiplications of 12. You don’t need to know any Nimbia to figure out the numerical system, a little (or a lot) of brain power will do. The seven numerals 14, 15, 19, 26, 27, 36, 43 are written below in Nimbia. Can you figure out which ones are which? Clue: “mbe” or “ni” mean plus
Tuni
12
Tuni mbe da
13
Gume Bi
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If you did this well, try to work out the following numerals in Nimbia - this is what you have to do in a Linguistics Olympiad!
25, 31, 38, 39 If you’ve got it, try these equalities.
gwom + shide = tuni mbe furu da + furu = biyar
Gume ugu ni bo’o
gume ugu - gwom = biyar x ugu +
Tuni mbe bi
kwada
Gume bi ni bi
wo = tuni x tuni
Tuni mbe ugu
tager = bi x bo’o - shide
Gume bi ni ugu
wo bi ni ugu - wo mbe tuni = gume
Tuni mbe bo’o
kwada ni ugu
Gume ugu
gwom - da = tawan Work out the following Nimbia numbers in numerals: kwada wo bo’o ni da wo mbe gume bo’o ni furu gume ugu ni tawan Work out the following numerals in Nimbia: 21 103 737 1514
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13, 15, 19, 25, 60, 79, 94 kwada 11 wo bo’o ni da 1009 (144 x 7 + 1) wo mbe gume bo’o ni furu 232 (144 + 12 x 7 + 4) gume ugu ni tawan 45 (12 x 3 + 9) 21 tuni mbe tawan (12 + 9) 103 gume tager ni bo’o (12 x 8 + 7) 737 wo biyar ni tuni mbe biyar (144 x 5 + 12 + 5) 1514 wo gwom ni gume shide ni bi (144 x 10 + 12 x 6 + 2) Answers
the polyglot
Chinese Scripts -
from paintings to symbols
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Joe Kelly explains how Chinese scripts evolved
he Chinese script is one of the only fully non-phonetic scripts in the world. In other words, the characters do not represent any sound but rather simply just a word. This is demonstrated quite nicely by the fact that the same script is read completely differently in many different areas of China, the main two dialects being Mandarin and Cantonese. If this is the case, then how does the script originate? And how have the characters evolved to their current form? The key word here is evolved. Over the last 3,300 years, the Chinese script has changed drastically with most characters being simplified significantly and the script as a whole standardised. Some of the first characters created were, perhaps unsurprisingly,
pictorial representations of material objects. Although they have become much more abstract today, many characters still retain the shape of the object they represent. As such, these are known as Pictographic Characters. The character for tree is a good case in point. Obviously, this method is fine for material objects but becomes a problem when trying to represent more abstract concepts or ideas. To represent these, an abstract sign is used or alternatively, a new stroke is added to an existing pictographic concept to indicate something new; for example a root is a line beneath the character for tree. These are known as Indicative Characters. Further than this, there are 4 more main types of character: Associative, Picto-phonetic, Explanative and Phonetic loan
Good pull quote about Chinese script and the origin of it to put in this space for the reader
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characters. Associative Characters are probably the most common out of the four and are when two or more pictographic characters are combined to infer a new meaning, e.g. wood is two trees put together. Having been formed over time, these characters have also simplified significantly since they were first created. Interestingly, the main cause of this was the need to keep records. The need to have regular and understandable records meant that the script was standardised from many different artistic forms and heavily simplified to make writing much easier. The main features of this simplification were combining and straightening lines. Although it has changed so much over the last 3000 years, the Chinese script is still in the continuous process of evolving and could be unrecognisable in the next few millennia.
the polyglot
Zero Responsibility for
Anorexia
James Fotherby discusses the new French legislation on size zero
O
n the 3rd April this year, the French government passed a radical new law which effectively banned size zero models (a yet undefined BMI, but definitely below 18.5*) and the use of photoshop to achieve a thinner appearance, in an attempt to tackle the high number of anorexia cases, around 40,000 in France per year. Any modeling agency that persists to use underweight models could receive a hefty fine or even a short prison sentence. France now joins the likes of Italy, Israel and Spain (all of which have introduced similar anti-anorexia legislations) in implementing a more extreme method of tackling the fast growing number of cases of anorexia. Regardless of the law’s good intention, it has received a rather mixed reception. Supporters of the size zero ban, which include the likes of the French President François Hollande and former British model Caryn Franklin, have praised the French government for taking an active approach in combating the problem at its source: the fashion industry. Other supporters, such as the socialist MP and neurologist Dr. Olivier Véran, believes the legislation triggers a much needed change of mentalities within the fashion industry over what is considered acceptable in terms
of weight. Dr.Véran also firmly believes that the new legislation will be effective, and will not need further amendments since the ‘prospect of punishment will have a regulatory effect on the entire sector’. Criticism of the new legislation has come largely from within the fashion world. One such critic includes the secretary general of Synam*, Isabelle Saint-Felix. She has argued that it is wrong “to conflate anorexia with the thinness of models” as it “ignores the fact that anorexia is a psychogenic illness”. Isabelle, like many others, raises the point that the new law neglects the numerous potential causes of anorexia, ranging from personality and behavioral traits to biological and genetic factors and environmental factors, and simply focuses on one: size zero models. It has therefore been suggested that instead of focusing on one potential cause, more emphasis should be put on researching the other causes and increasing the number of services and resources available so that proper support for anorexia sufferers can be given. Others use the nature versus nurture argument to attack the new legislation. The question that faces both supporters and critics alike is: are models that are “too” skinny really anorexic? Gérald Marie,
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chairman of Oui Management and former president of Elite Model Management Europe, insists there is a clear difference between skinniness and anorexia, and that the two shouldn’t be thought as synonymous with one another. Gérald claims “there is anorexia and there are girls who are thin, very thin, naturally and you can make them eat all day and they would stay thin.” Other critics, who similarly believe that extreme skinniness doesn’t automatically point towards anorexia, have suggested that instead of assessing the health of a model by judging their physical appearance or using the BMI system, which might unfairly discriminate naturally extremely skinny women, the models’ emotional, mental and physical health should be assessed through other, more accurate means. The final, and arguably greatest criticism of the new legislation is that it does not redefine the idea of beauty. Although the law bans models who have a BMI lower than 18.5, most models are still far thinner than the average French woman, who has a BMI of 23.2. Critics have therefore suggested that it would be better to introduce a quota for modeling agencies, whereupon they have to use a range of women with different
the polyglot
BMIs, thus encouraging the idea that beauty is not determined by thinness. It is still too early to see the effects of France’s new legislation, and whilst it is undoubtable that actions need to be taken to tackle the issue of anorexia, I am of the opinion that the emphasis of the legislation is directed in the wrong areas. I think it is naïve to think that putting a BMI limit on French models, or even clamping down on pro-ana websites or even social-media trends, such as the ‘thigh-gap’, will magically change the way anorexia sufferers or potential anorexia sufferers will think. In my opinion, the only way there will be a change in the way people think about skinniness is through encouraging, teaching and redefining the idea that beauty is not external, but internal. * The World Health Organisation considers people with a BMI of 18.5 to be underweight, 18 to be malnourished and 17 to be severely malnourished. *Synam: national syndicate of modeling agencies
French Fact File • Les jeans en toile denim sont originaires de la ville de Nîmes en France. Denim jeans originate from the city of Nîmes in France • Napoléon ne voulait pas que ses soldats s’essuient le nez sur leurs manches de veste, alors il a mis des boutons sur les manches. Merci Napoléon! Napoleon didn’t want his soldiers wiping their nose on their blazers, so he had buttons sewn on their sleeves. Cheers Napoleon! • Le conseil d’administration de la mode à Paris doit valider les candidatures de ceux qui veulent devenir créateur de Haute Couture. The governing body of fashion in Paris must validate the applications of people who want to become fashion designer. • Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel (la personne qui a créé la marque Chanel) était chanteuse avant de devenir créatrice de mode. Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel (the woman who created the Chanel brand) used to be a singer before becoming a fashion designer. • René Lacoste était joueur de tennis avant d’être créateur de mode. Ses supporteurs l’appelaient le crocodile, et comme il aimait son surnom, il a fait coudre un petit crocodile sur ses vêtements quand il jouait au tennis. René Lacoste used to be a tennis player before being a fashion designer. His fans used to call him the crocodile, and because he liked his nickname, he put the crocodile brand on his tennis gear. • Tu penses que le béret est français? Ce n’est pas vrai, car en réalité le béret date des temps romains; ils utilisaient les bérets pour les soldats. You think the beret is french? It’s not true, as in reality the beret dates back to the roman times; they used the berets for the soldiers.
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the polyglot
Samba Samba, as seen by Maud Cottrell
A
près le succès phénoménal d’Intouchables, il n’était pas facile pour Olivier Nakache et Eric Toledano de réaliser un nouveau film. Samba, un sans-papiers sénégalais, vit en France depuis 10 ans où il a un petit boulot dans la restauration. Malheureusement, il n’a jamais pu régulariser sa situation. Alors qu’il doit être
expulsé, deux femmes qui travaillent pour une association d’aide aux sans-papiers décident de l’aider. Parmi elles, Alice va tout faire pour aider Samba à obtenir ses papiers… Ce film s’est inspiré d’un livre qui raconte l’histoire vraie d’un immigré clandestin malien. Les réalisateurs se sont documentés, ils ont enquêté et le film traite
de thèmes graves tels que l’immigration, le travail au noir, la précarité. Samba est tout simplement une comédie sociale pleine de solidarité et d’humour. La fin du film est heureuse et donne un peu d’espoir en ce qui concerne les solutions aux problèmes très complexes de l’immigration. Il faut le voir absolument!
Phoenix Alex Bilyi reviews Phoenix
D
er Film “Phoenix” (2014) erzählt die Geschichte einer Nachtclubsängerin namens Nelly, gespielt von Nina Hoss. Sie ist eine jüdische Überlebende des Konzentrationslagers der Nazis. Durch eine Schussverletzung hat sich ihr Aussehen stark verändert. Die Veränderung ist so groß, dass ihr Mann Johnny, gespielt von Ronald Zehrfeld, sie nicht mehr erkennt. Nelly offenbart ihre
Identität jedoch nicht, denn sie möchte herausfinden, ob er sie vor dem Krieg an die Nazis verraten hat. Doch es kommt alles anders als sie es sich wünscht. In dem Film fokussiert sich der Regisseur, Christian Petzold, nicht auf dem Krieg. Der Film zeigt kein Blut und ist kein “typischer” Nazifilm. Jedoch ist er berührend und löst viele Emotionen beim Zuschauer aus. Unerwartet
entstehen viele gemischte Gefühle. Nina Hoss verkörpert die Rolle der Menschen, die nach dem Zweiten Weltkrieg erfahren mussten, was es heißt von Freunden und Familie verraten zu werden. Dieser Schmerz wird insbesondere durch ihre Gangart ausgedrückt, die sehr schmerzvoll erscheint. Meines Erachtens nach ist “Phoenix” ein Meisterwerk und absolut sehenswert.
Mujeres al Borde de un Ataque de Nervios
M
One of Almodóvar’s classics reviewed by James Gordon
ujeres al Borde de un Ataque de Nervios, estrenada en 1988, fue la primera película de Almodóvar que tuvo éxito internacional. Es su cuarto largometraje más exitoso en ventas de taquilla y premios – ganó cinco Goyas y fue nominada para un Oscar. La trama de esta comedia ligera cuenta un día en la vida de la actriz Pepa (Carmen Maura) y sus amigas Candela y Marisa. La protagonista está deprimida y desesperada porque su novio le ha
dejado. Por eso intenta recuperarlo pero, inevitablemente, hay una serie de pequeñas catástrofes. Como muchas otras películas de Almodóvar, la trama se complica rápidamente y entretenidamente, tal y como se cuenta una historia triste de una manera divertida. La película, que también fue adaptada para el teatro (la vi en un teatro de Londres el año pasado), es bastante emocionante y de ritmo rápido, con aspectos de romance, tragedia y comedia combinados con un argumento
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frenético. Quizás la popularidad global de la película es debido a su realismo y a los personajes con los que uno puede identificarse fácilmente: es probable que la mayoría del público ya haya experimentado las mismas emociones aunque casi no haya hombres en la película. Desde mi punto de vista, esta es la mejor película de Almodóvar, gracias a su combinación de emociones y humor, que frecuentemente me hizo reír. Por eso, os aconsejo que la veáis.
the polyglot
un sans-papiers: an illigal immigrant régulariser: in this context to become a legal immigrant malien: une personne du Mali le travail au noir: illegal work la précarité: job insecurity überleben: to survive die Schussverletzung: shot wound verändern (verändert): to change (changed) erkennen: to recognize offenbaren: to reveal herausfinden (ob): to find out (if) verraten: to betray das Gefühl: emotion der Schmwerz - schmerzvoll: the pain - painfull verkörpern (ausdrücken): to express estrenado/a: released un largometraje: feature film el éxito: success - exitoso: successful ligero/a: light el premio Goya: Goya award (Spanish version of the BAFTAs) la ventas de taquilla: ticket sales la trama: the plot recuperar: to get back entretenido/a: entertaining un argumento: a plot debido a / gracias a: due/thanks to reír: to laugh aconsejar: to advise
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the polyglot
Hola, ¿qué tal? Harry Donoghue interviews our Spanish assistant Ana Blanco
¿Cómo descubrió el colegio de Abingdon? How did you find out about Abingdon school? Descubrí Abingdon a través de unos compañeros de trabajo que el año pasado me recomendaron el puesto. ¡Qué suerte! I discovered Abingdon through some work colleagues, who recommended the post to me last year. What luck! ¿Cuál es el mejor aspecto de la vida en Abingdon? What is the best aspect of Abingdon life? Me gusta que todo está muy cerca; poder ir a trabajar en menos de cinco minutos, lo qué es genial porque el año pasado en Londres, tardaba mucho más tiempo. También, Abingdon es un sitio bastante bonito, y me gusta mucho. Otra ventaja es que Oxford y Londres están muy cerca. I like that everything is very close; being able to go to work in less than five minutes is brilliant, because last year in London, it took far more time. Also, Abingdon is quite a nice place and I like it a lot. Another advantage is that Oxford and London are very close. ¿Qué le gusta hacer en su tiempo libre? What do you like to do in your free time? Cuando no estoy trabajando en el colegio, me encanta salir con mis amigos de paseo, a tomar algo o de fiesta. Además, me divierte mucho escuchar música e ir a conciertos. Mi grupo favorito español se llama El Canto Del Loco, ¡son increíbles! Por otro lado, me gusta mucho el deporte, por ejemplo el fútbol y el baloncesto (soy del Real Madrid) pero en especial la
Fórmula 1, ¡me apasiona! Whenever I am not working, I love going out for a walk with my friends, for a drink or partying. Moreover, I enjoy listening to music and going to live concerts. My favourite Spanish band is called El Canto del Loco, they are amazing! On the other hand, I really like sports, such as basketball and football (I support Real Madrid) but especially Formula 1: I’m crazy about it! ¿Podría describir las diferencias entre la vida en España y aquí en Inglaterra? Could you describe the differences between Spanish and English life? Las principales diferencias para mí son el tiempo y la comida. En mi ciudad, Albacete, hace el mismo frío que aquí en invierno, pero en verano hace muchísimo más calor. Con respecto a la comida, echo de menos platos típicos españoles como las migas o la paella y también los horarios son completamente diferentes. Por ejemplo, la cena es a las seis de la tarde, pero en España ceno a las nueve. The main differences for me are the weather and the food. In my city, Albacete, it’s as cold as it is here during the winter, but in the summer it is so much hotter. In regards to the food, I miss some typical Spanish dishes like migas or paella, and also the meal times are completely different. For example, in England, dinner’s at six in the afternoon, but in Spain I have dinner at nine. ¿Y las diferencias entre los ingleses y los españoles? And the differences between English and Spanish people? Por ejemplo, los ingleses dicen muy a menudo ‘gracias’ y ‘lo siento’, lo que es muy bueno,
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aunque es gracioso que cuando tú te chocas con alguien, es la otra persona la que dice lo siento. Y por otro lado, los españoles tenemos más celebraciones que los ingleses ¡y por eso la gente piensa que estamos siempre de fiesta! English people say ‘thanks’ and ‘sorry’ a lot, which is very good, although it is funny that when you bump into someone, the other person apologies. And on the other hand, Spanish people have more celebrations than English people, which is why people think that we are always partying! ¿Es muy diferente el sistema de educación inglés del sistema en España? Is the English education system different to the education system in Spain? Es diferente, sobre todo los A-levels que en España sería el Bachillerato, porque aquí, solo haces tres o cuatro asignaturas y en España tenemos ocho o nueve. Y además, en España, tenemos exámenes durante todo el año. It is very different, especially with A-levels, which in Spain would be the ‘Bachillerato’, because here you only do three or four subjects, but in Spain we have eight or nine. Also, in Spain, we have exams throughout the whole year. ¿Qué sabía de la escuela antes de venir aquí? What did you know about the school, before coming here? Bueno, cuando solicité el puesto estuve mirando en la página web, y ví el tipo de colegio que era, que tenía muy buena fama y me pareció una escuela muy buena. Sin embargo, tengo que admitir que antes de conocer la oferta de trabajo, no sabía donde estaba el colegio ni
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Spanish Fact File Abingdon. Well, when I sent my application, I also had a look at the Abingdon website, and I saw the type of school it was, that it was well known, and it also seemed like a good school. However, I must admit that before knowing about the post, I had no idea where neither the school or Abingdon actually was. ¿Tiene alguna experiencia en la enseñanza? Do you have any teaching experience? Sí, el año pasado estuve trabajando también como asistente en un colegio público para chicas en Londres, lo cual era bastante diferente. Anteriormente, había hecho las prácticas de mi máster en Sevilla, enseñando español en una academia y en la universidad y además he enseñado inglés como profesora particular hace varios años. Yes, last year I was also working as language assistant in a girls school in London, which was quite different. Previously I had done an internship for my masters degree in Seville, teaching Spanish in an academy and at the University and I also taught teaching English as a private tutor few years ago. ¿Cómo es su alojamiento? What’s your accommodation like? Vivo en una casa bastante grande dentro del colegio en Whitefield. Comparto la casa con los otros asistentes: con los dos asistentes franceses, una asistente alemana, y una asistente china. Es genial porque tienes la oportunidad de vivir con tus nuevos amigos de Abingdon. I live in quite a big house in the school, in Whitefield. I share the house with the other languages assistants: two french assistants, one german assistant, and one chinese assistant. It is great because you have the chance to live with your new Abingdon’s friends.
• Es estimado que un 60% de los españoles son seguidores o de Real Madrid o de Barcelona. It is estimated that 60% of Spaniards support either Real Madrid or Barcelona. • Un estudio reciente reveló que los dos equipos tienen un total combinado de 500 millones aficionados en el mundo, Barça con casi 300 millones un poco más que Real. A recent study revealed that the two teams have a combined total of 500 million fans worldwide, Barca with slightly more than Real, at almost 300 million. • El único país fuera de Europa y las Américas que tiene Español como su idioma oficial es la Guinea Ecuatorial, en el Oeste de África. The only country outside of Europe and the Americas that has Spanish as its’ official language is Equatorial Guinea, in West Africa. • En 2014 vinieron 65 millones turistas a España que es la tercera destinación turística más popular en el mundo, después de Francia y los Estados Unidos. In 2014 Spain welcomed 65 million tourists, making it the third most popular tourist destination in the world after France and the United States. • Como uno de solamente cuatro países en el mundo, el himno nacional español no tiene letra. Spain is one of only four countries to have a national anthem that doesn’t have any words. • El equipo paralímpico español de baloncesto del año 2000 tuvo que devolver sus medallas de oro, porque diez de los doce deportistas no eran discapacitados. The Spanish paralympic basketball team of 2000 had to return their gold medals, after it was discovered that ten of the twelve were not disabled. • El rey más joven de todo tiempo fue Alfonso XIII, que fue declarado rey el día que nació en 1886. The youngest ever monarch was Alfonso XIII, who was declared King the day he was born, in 1886. • En los EEUU hay más personas que hablan español como lengua materna que en España. The United States has more native Spanish speakers than Spain. • La Tomatina es la lucha de comida más grande en el mundo: el 26 de agosto de 2015 el festival en el pueblo de Buñol en el norte de España cumplió 70 años. Vinieron 20000 personas y usaron 170 toneladas de tomates. La Tomatina is the biggest food fight in the world: on 26th August 2015 the festival in the village of Buñol in northern Spain celebrated its 70th birthday. 20,000 people came and used 170 tons of tomatoes.
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linguistics
Ten Word Stories Is it too hard to write a ten-word story? Ist es möglich eine Geschichte in zehn Wörtern zu schreiben? Est-ce trop difficile d’écrire une histoire de dix mots? Piensas que es posible escribir una historia con diez palabras? Example: There is always someone with a big nose who knows. Beispiel: Luftballon an Hand, im Himmel, trauriges Kind. Genervte Eltern. Zuckerwatte. Exemple: Bouquet de fleurs. Robe blanche. Eglise pleine. Pas de mari! Ejemplo: Nochevieja con uvas. Doce campanadas. Beso con otra mujer. Fea. der Luftballon: balloon, genervt: annoyed, Zuckerwatte: candy floss le mari: husband las uvas: grapes, la campanada: bellring, la mujer: woman
Write a ten-word story in French, German or Spanish. Send it to the Polyglot team and get a prize.
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credits
The Polyglot Contributors
Laura Navas Alasdair Czaplewski James Gordon Anthony Bracey Joseph Kelly Oleksandr Bilyi Maud Cottrell Harry Donoghue
Head of Art and Design Blake Jones
Supervising Editor Regina Engel-Hart
Editor in Cheif James Fotherby
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POLYGLOT Issue 3