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GLN Celebrates Annual Celebration at Marvin Center

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The Global Language Network’s annual celebration took place this past Thursday at George Washington University’s Marvin Center.  Assistant Director Zarko Palankov highlighted GLN’s accomplishments over the past year, with special recognition given to the increased role of volunteers and student participation in the organization’s success.  Various speakers emphasized the hands-on, flexible teaching approach that GLN Founder and Executive Director Andrew Brown infused into GLN and its contribution to a more enjoyable educational and social experience for course participants.  They mentioned the newly established Teaching Fellowship program as a valuable training resource for teachers to improve upon their current success.

Further recognition was given to the success of various GLN-sponsored events throughout the course of the year, among them the Asian Language Immersion Mixer, a Global Languages and Cultures Festival, and over 15 other get-togethers.  The evening concluded with two student performances, beginning with a group singing of the Brazilian love song “Carinhosa” and closing with “Bao Bei,” a Mandarin lullaby.

Have We Killed Sarcasm?

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Simon Doonan over at Slate argues that modern society has abandoned sarcasm in favor of sincerity.

When I think about those ancient Greeks and the carte blanche they enjoyed to say horrid things to one another, I get quite jealous. For example: If you were strolling through downtown Thebes and you ran into a pal who was looking particularly soiled and unkempt, you might say, “Going somewhere special?” to which the other Greek might good-naturedly reply, “Oh! You and your flesh-rending ironic observations!” It’s sad to think that such a remark would, in our squishy and oversensitive age, be met with accusations of “hating.”

 

Where Do the Days of the Week Come From?

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An excerpt from Trusted Translations explaining the origins of the days of the week:

“From as early as the first century, the Romans utilized Saturday as the first day of their week.  However, because they worshipped the Sun, they began using that day, Sunday, as the first day of the week. Its origin is tied to the Latin phrase for ‘sun’s day’ (dies solis). In Latin, it is also said as dominica, which is the ‘Day of God.’  In Spanish, domingo, French, dimanche, Italian, domenica.”

Siberian Musicians “Alash” Use Throat Singing to Create Unique Pitches

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Alash, a group from the Siberian Republic of Tuva, will perform at New York’s Carnegie Hall on February 16th.

From World Music Institute:

“Alash is acknowledged for its superb renditions of xöömei (throat singing), a remarkable technique for singing multiple pitches simultaneously. While holding true to the tradition of their ancestors and inspired by the master musicians of Central Asia, the members of Alash have also been influenced by Western popular music. In addition to their traditional instruments such as the igil (horse-head fiddle), and xomus (jaws harp), they sometimes add guitar to their arrangements.”

For More Umami, Try Some Dashi

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Photo Courtesy: The Japan Times

“Just Hungry” blogger Mikiko Itoh writes in her article for The Japan Times about dashi, a staple of Japanese cuisine:

“It is often described as Japanese soup stock, but it’s used for much more than just soup — to stew meat, fish or vegetables, in sauces and more, and to enhance the umami or ‘savoriness.'”

Among its primary ingredients are “konbu, a thick leathery seaweed native to Japan’s shores; grated or shaved katsuobushi, dried bonito fish; niboshi, whole dried iwashi or sardines; and hoshi shittake, dried shiitake mushrooms.”

Dashi recipes are often a combination of the above ingredients, with konbu and katsuobushi being the most common.

You Can’t Really Perform Flamenco without “Duende”

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Duende. Definitions from Royal Academia Española.

1.  Fantastic spirit said to dwell in some homes and wander restlessly, causing disorder and confusion. Figure appears in the form of an old person or child in traditional narratives.

2.  Type of ancient silver or gold material similar to a highly reflective taffeta (light-weight fabric).

3.  Andalusian.  Dry and thorny thistles that are put on the copings of walls to hinder climbing.

4. Andalusian.  Mysterious and ineffable charm.  The duende of flamenco singing. 

The poet Frederico García Lorca observed that “in all of Andalucia…the people speak constantly of duende.”  He referred to it as “that mysterious power that everyone feels but no philosopher can explain” and wrote of how he “heard an old master guitarist say: ‘The duende is not in the throat; the duende climbs up inside you, from the soles of the feet.'”

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