French Instructors and Students Celebrate the Holidays at Tersiguels

Celebrating the Holidays with Spanish Instructors and Students at Tio Pepe's

Happy Holidays from CCBC Life Enrichment!

Give the gift of learning--for yourself or others!

Celebrating in French Class

Herb is multi-talented! What a beautiful cake!

Thu and the Advanced French class celebrate her birthday.

 

International Education Week-Ojczyzna Polish Dancers

Languages and Dementia

I heard a great podcast the other day, from NPR/PRI.  It has to do with the effects of speaking multiple languages on the brain and aging.  Much research as been done in this area, and studies indicate that being learning another language can help slow aging in the brain and improve cognitive abilities, even if taken up in adulthood.

To listen to the podcast, "Dementia stole my grandmother's memories-and our common language, " click here.

Join Us For International Education Week, November 16-20, 2015

It Might Be Time to Learn a New Language...

(A special thanks to our students and staff for helping with this production!)

Why Learn a New Language?

Here's an oldie but goody!  One of my favorites, from Finding Nemo, when Dory speaks Whale....

Looking for Something to Do?

There is a Russian Festival in Baltimore October 16-18.  Lots of food and entertainment--check it out!  For more information, click here.

French Travels...

These are pictures taken at the Paradis du Gourmand, a bakery in Paris.  Rhida Khadher, the owner and baker, won 1st place in a contest in 2013 for his baguettes.  

His amazing life story was published in the Paris Match magazine. Khader moved to Paris from Tunisia at the age of 15 without knowing a word of French.  He has now become world famous for his baguettes through hard work and determination. 

Students in our Intermediate and Advanced French classes read his story in the magazine, and were so moved that the instructor promised her students to pay a visit to his bakery and meet Khader & his staff in person on a trip to Paris last spring.  Some of our students are his customers when they visit Paris.

 Bill Gates, founder of Microsoft, said in an interview that one of his biggest regrets is speaking only English. According to Entrepreneur, the Top 6 Languages Global Minded CEOs Should Know
 are

1. Spanish
2. Portuguese
3. Chinese Mandarin
4. Russian
5. Arabic
6. Russian

Also frequently mentioned in our increasing globalized economy are Hindi and Persian.  Interedsted in learning one of these?  Check out our web site for more information.

So you've heard about the water problems plaguing Rio, as they prepare to host the Summer Olympics in 2016.  In many of Brazil's urban areas, sewage is not collected or treated, as it is in the U.S.  In Rio, much of the waste runs through open-air ditches to streams and rivers that feed the Olympic water sites.  This poses a serious health risk for the athletes.  In the U.S., such areas would be shut down immediately.

If you were thinking about traveling to Rio, whether for the Olympics, vacation,or work, would this keep you from attending? 

What Class Will You Take This Fall?

Our schedule of fall classes is out!  Click here to link to the Fall 2015 Catalog of Courses. World Language classes begin on page 84.  Or go to the CCBC homepage and enter the language you are looking for in the query box.   We offer three different levels of classes: Getting Started, Basic, and Intermediate/Advanced.  From Arabic to Urdu, we have a class for you. Check out the schedule, and get started!

To register, click here .

It's Bastille Day!

Bastille Day is the French National Holiday, and celebrates the beginning of the French Revolution.  This day commemorates the storming of the Bastille, a medieval fortress that came to be used as a prison.  The prison was a symbol of the harsh rule and absolute power of Louis the 16^th.  By capturing the prison on July 14, 1789, the people signaled that the king’s power was no longer absolute, and the first Republic Was created in 1792.

Bastille Day is a huge celebration, with parades, dances, fireworks, and family gatherings.

Want to learn French, or continue your studies?  We offer classes at all levels, from beginning to advanced.  Check out our class options here .

image from schaefers.com

Out and About...

CCBC sponsored a float in Catonsville's 4th of July parade.  Helping out was Thu Schaeffer, our lead World Languages instructor, and her grandchildren.

And here is the group shot!

What are the World's Most Common Languages?

Here are the top 10 most common languages, based on number of native speakers ( list from Accredited Language Services):

1. Mandarin
2. Spanish
3. English
4. Hindi/Urdu
5. Arabic
6. Portuguese
7. Bengali
8. Russian
9. Japanese
10. Punjabi

CCBC Life Enrichment offers classes in 8 out of 10 of these languages. For more information, visit our web site.  To register, click here.

Women's World Cup 2015

The Women's World Cup has begun!  The youngest player?  18. The oldest player?  39.  Number of teams participating? 24.  How many world languages do we offer that would enable you to watch a team's game in the native language, and understand what was being said?  11

Register now for classes beginning this week!
Click here to register!

Traveling to Cuba?

You'll be able to fly from BWI to Cuba, beginning this fall.  Check out this article from the Baltimore Business Journal.

Maybe you need to brush up on your Spanish before you go?  Our Summer semester classes begin early to mid-June.  You can find our summer Spanish classes by clicking here and entering "Spanish" in the query box on the home page. Register now!

Check Out One of Our Classes!

Learn American Sign Language!

The Huffington Post had a good article:  Explore the Silent World of Deaf America .  Interested in learning Sign Language?  Our summer semester classes begin in June.  Click here for course information.

Get Ready for Rio!

Are you ready to head to Rio in the summer of 2016, to cheer on Michael Phelps?  Why not take a Portuguese class and really be ready to experience the magic of Rio de Janeiro.  Check out our class schedule here.

Amirah Sackett: Muslim Hip Hop Dancer & Choreographer at CCBC

 In celebration of Arab-American History month, CCBC’s World Languages, The Office of Multicultural Affairs, Essex’ Cultural Diversity Committee & Multicultural Student Associations present Amirah Sackett’s workshop on expression and movement.

CCBC ESSEX

Tuesday, April 14th

9:35-10:55

ADMN 120

CBCC CATONSVILLE

Tuesday, April 14th

12:30- 1:25 Catonsville the Barn

CCBC DUNDALK 

Wednesday, April 15th

11:15 – 12:10

College Community Center 120

For more info contact: Patricia Quintero-Hall   443.840.3206    pquinterohall@ccbcmd.edu

& 

Business Overseas? Don't Know the Language?

Traveling overseas for business and not being able to speak the local language can be daunting.  Here is an interesting article from the Fast Company:  10 Tips for Overcoming the Language Barrier When Expanding Overseas .  To really be comfortable, why not take a class?  We offer 16 different world languages.  You will learn to communicate, as well as learn customs and traditions of the countries where that language is spoken.  For class information, click here .

Erin go Bragh!

An interesting article for St. Patty's Day, taken from mental_floss, written by Arika Okrent:

  

You may hear an "Erin go bragh" and a "sláinte" or two this St. Patrick's Day, but even on the most Irish of holidays, we don't hear much of the Irish language—which is a shame! Irish is so different from English or any of the languages we usually study in school, and so much about it is rather interesting and cool. As we head towards St. Patrick's Day, here are a few fun facts about Irish.

1. THE NAME OF THE LANGUAGE IS "IRISH."

Gaelige is the name of the language in Irish, and Irish is the name of the language in English. Sometimes people will call it Irish Gaelic in order to make sure they aren't misunderstood to mean "Irish English" for Irish. They may also say Irish Gaelic to distinguish it from Gaelic, which means Scottish Gaelic, a related but different language.

2. THERE'S NO "YES" OR "NO" IN IRISH.

There are no words for "yes" or "no" in Irish, but that doesn't mean there's no way to answer a question. You communicate "yes" and "no" with a verb form. The answer to "did they sell the house?" would be "(they) sold " or "(they) didn't sell." In Irish:

Ar dhíol sian an teach?
Dhíol.
Níor dhíol.

3. ITS WORD ORDER IS VERB SUBJECT OBJECT.

Sentences have Verb Subject Object order. So "I saw a bird" would be "Saw I a bird." "I always speak Irish" would be "Speak I Irish always." This word order is relatively rare—only 9 percent of the world's languages use it.

4. THE WORDS FOR NUMBERS DEPEND ON WHETHER YOU'RE COUNTING HUMANS OR NON-HUMANS.

In addition to one set of numbers for doing arithmetic or referring to dates and times, Irish has a second set for counting humans and a third set for counting non-humans. Five children is "cúigear páiste," but five horses is "cúig chapall."

5. THE BEGINNING OF THE WORD CHANGES DEPENDING ON THE GRAMMATICAL ENVIRONMENT.

What's the word for "woman"? Either "bean" (byan), "bhean" (vyan), or "mbean" (myan), depending whether it comes after certain possessive pronouns (my, your, his), or certain prepositions (under, before, on), or certain numbers, or a whole range of other conditions that determine which form of the word is correct. Most languages people study require them to learn different word endings, not beginnings. Irish requires…both. It's a bit of a challenge!

6. IT ONLY HAS 11 IRREGULAR VERBS, THOUGH.

English has a lot more. More than 80, and that's just counting the commonly used ones…

7. IT'S LEFT AN IMPRINT ON THE ENGLISH SPOKEN IN IRELAND.

English phrases in many parts of Ireland show a parallel structure with their counterparts in Irish. "I'm after eating my breakfast " (I just ate my breakfast), "I gave out about the terrible service" (I complained/told them off about the terrible service), and in some places, "He does be working every day."

8. IT'S POSSIBLE (BUT NOT EASY) TO TRAVEL AROUND IRELAND ONLY SPEAKING IRISH.

Filmmaker and native Irish speaker Manchán Magan made a documentary No Béarla (No English) in which he traveled through Ireland only speaking Irish, even when people demanded he switch to English. Shopkeepers told him to get lost, officials refused to help him, people on the street ignored him, but he kept at it and found willing speakers here and there. In any case, he survived the trip. 

New: Take a Blended Spanish Class

We are proud to introduce our first blended Spanish class!  Basic Spanish 1A, CRN 40109, will begin Thursday, April 16 at the Hunt Valley Center.  The class will meet face-to-face for one and a half hours each week, and there will also be an online module for students to complete outside of class.  For more information and to register,  click here .

How to Choose a Language to Study

Learning another language has many benefits, from increasing job opportunities and wages, to boosting brain activity.  The Washington Post recently published an interesting article:  Quiz: Which foreign language should you learn?  Learn more about the languages we offer at CCBC by clicking here .

New Classes Starting Soon!

Getting Started with Spanish (34973) and Getting Started with German (34564) begin Monday, March 2 in Catonsville.  These are introductory level classes-perfect if you want to see if Spanish or German might be for you!  For more information, click here.  To register, click here or call 443-840-4700.

Vacation Plans?

Do your vacation plans include travel abroad?  We have several "Getting Started" language classes beginning in late February:  Spanish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, and Portuguese.  These classes meet for just 8 weeks, and you'll learn the basics!  For more information, click here:
World Languages Class Schedule.  To register, click here: www.ccbcmd.edu/flexreg .

Mariinsky Ballet at the Kennedy Center

Russia's Mariinsky Ballet brings a program featuring Hodson's Le sacre du printemps inspired by Nijinsky, Fokine's Le Spectre de la Rose and The Swan, and Petipa's Paquita Grand Pas.  For more information, please click here:

Mariinsky Ballet 

Traveling Abroad This Winter?

Here is an interesting article about dining in other countries!

14 Dining Related Taboos

What are you waiting for?

Our winter semester world language classes will begin at the end of January.  We have classes scheduled at sites all over Baltimore County!  For more information, click here...

Continuing Ed World Languages

To register, go to www.ccbcmd.edu/flexreg