Hey guys, I happened to stumble upon this video when going down one of my YouTube rabbit holes. I think I’ll soon hit the bottom of the YouTube algorithm where I’ll hopefully meet SpongeBob or something.
There’s no doubt it’s one of those clickbait-y videos, but despite that the author raises a couple of really interesting and stimulating points in it, which I would like to share with you down below.
1. “Why would I want to do that?” This is a response to the “speak like a native” incentive, and I’m fully on board with it, with one caveat. Firstly, English is a pluricentric language with billions of speakers around the world. In fact, most speakers of English are non-native, which brings us to my point - most likely both you and I will be communicating with other non-natives, using English as a lingua franca. So who is there to impress if everyone is going to be in the same boat anyway? Additionally, English’s pluricentricity comes into play in that you’d have to pick one of the standard varieties for consistency’s sake. There’s no one common English, there’s no one common accent. So which of the many Englishes do you want to sound like a native of?
2. Because somebody is a native speaker, it doesn’t necessarily mean they’re articulate enough for you to emulate. They’re not the guardians of the sacred English language.
3. Don’t speak like a native, speak like yourself, become the best version of yourself. Naturally, any language learning journey starts with simple copying, and it takes quite a while until a learner has the wherewithal to find their own voice and let it be heard.
And here’s a bit of second language acquisition theory to support this point: What all second language learners are using at any given moment of time is not the same kind of English used by native speakers anyway. It’s called interlanguage - a term coined by Larry Selinker in 1972 to do away with the perception of learners’ English as a flawed version of the “ideal” English.
Interlanguage is complex, subject to its own rules, and predicated on our experiences with the language. It’s more of a continuum where you can both advance and backslide.
Well anyway, as an English teacher I still consider it my professional goal to bring my interlanguage as close to the other end as possible because my students naturally pick up my English, and I want to them to pick up the best English that I can give.

#pettyramblings

to have a knock-on effect on sth - to have a secondary, often unintended effect on sth - иметь/оказывать косвенное воздействие на что-л

The drought is likely to have a knock-on effect throughout the whole economy.

Also: The knock-on effect of sth

The knock-on effect of eating ice cream is gaining weight.

#vocab

What does that/it come to? - What does the total cost of the purchases/food (at a restaurant) come out to be? - Сколько с меня/с нас?
It comes to 25 dollars. - It will be 25 dollars. - с вас 25 долларов.

-Here's your food.
-Thanks, what does that come to?

P.S. The dish in the pic is shakshuka. It came out perfect. Compliments to the chef (=my husband).

#vocab

Step on it! - hurry up! - поднажми/поторопись

If we don’t leave in 5 minutes, we’re going to miss the bus. Step on it!

#vocab

A leopard can’t/doesn’t change its spots
OR
A tiger can’t/doesn’t change its stripes - people don’t change their basic nature - горбатого могила исправит (или менее морбидные эквиваленты типа «сколько волка не корми, он все в лес смотрит»)💀🐺

-Oh come on, we’re on vacation, why do you always have to work?
-What did you expect? A leopard can’t change its spots.

#vocab

to whip sth out - to expose/pull out sth quickly or unexpectedly, has nothing to do with whips - резко и неожиданно вынуть что-то 😁🔪

And then Indiana Jones whips out a gun and shoots the guy. Boy was that random!

Michael whips out a 100 dollar note to tip the waiter, and Jan is kind off pissed off with him because it’s his per diem. (The Office)

Let me cut my hangnail here so that people don’t see me whip out a knife in a public street. (A rather creepy yet real sample sentence from my husband)

#vocab

I’ve been looking at memes that would match the post above and this is what I’ve found so far. Idk what it talks about but it was way too cute not to post.

Quick update:

It plays off of the verb “to jones for sth” meaning “to want sth very badly”, “to have a strong need, desire, or craving for something”.

Learn and let learn guys. Learn. And. Let. Learn.

#vocab

to give sb or sth a wide berth - to get around and give sth plenty of space (literal meaning)
OR
avoid, keep away from sb or sth (metaphorical meaning)- обходить кого-л/что-л стороной

red fly agaric - 🍄 мухомор 🍄

Red fly agaric is traditionally considered a highly dangerous and poisonous fungus—even die-hard mushroomers often give it a wide berth.

-What’s gotten into her today?
-Looks like she’s going to have to fall on her sword and quit the job in the wake of the nepotism scandal that her dad’s involved in. Make sure to give her a wide berth when you see her, for understandable reasons.

P.S. The umbrella in the picture is the red fly agaric. Don’t ask me how or why I decided to post this picture. Just don’t. I hoped it would be something along the lines of “fly pestilence” or “fly killer”, but alas..🍄

#vocab

lol I just had a major cultural epiphany about Russians. I was going for “лучшая защита - это нападение” (offence is the best defence/the best defence is offence) when I found out that the English speaking world uses it in the exact opposite way:
“The best offence is a good defence”. Turns out Russians are usually made fun of for being overly aggressive based on this expression. I mean, it makes total sense, but restructuring my brain is easier said than done.. It’s actively refusing to let it sink in, and so since I started writing this post I’ve forgotten how the English expression goes about four times.

#pettyramblings

Love “The Office”. Love Dwight.

Новости, которые мы заслужили 😂🥂🍷🍸

Japan is launching a campaign to increase the tax revenues from alcohol consumption. It’s called “Sake Viva!”, which refers to the traditional Japanese alcoholic beverage made from fermented rice - “sake”.

Here are a couple of factoids about sake that I ripped off a sketchy website:

1. It’s the oldest known spirit in the world;
2. It has more in common with beer than wine (in the English speaking world, it’s commonly referred to as “rice wine”);
3. Spit used to be an integral ingredient of it back in the old day.

Take care!

#pettyramblings

Remember “knock-on effects on sth”? Well, here are
knock-on benefits for sth - secondary benefits - дополнительные преимущества.

#vocab