LAS LENGUAS INGLESA Y ESPAÑOLA de Delfín Carbonell

Comienzo la lectura de El infinito en un junco , de Irene Vallejo , y del cual no puedo todavía ofrecer opinión. Lo leo un poco a la fuerza porque es un regalo, hecho con buena voluntad, y no debo desairar a la persona que me lo ha ofrecido. En la página 61 sí leo unas líneas sobre el paralelismo del griego de la época de Ptolomeo y el inglés de nuestros tiempos que me han hecho sonreír: "La lengua griega se estaba convirtiendo en la nueva lengua franca. No era, claro, el idioma de Eurípides y Platón sino una versión asequible que llamaban koiné , algo parecido a ese inglés renqueante con el que nos entendemos en los hoteles y aeropuertos de vacaciones." Supongo que los hablantes del griego koiné y los del inglés renqueante andaban, y andan, satisfechos de sus logros lingüísticos. Ya daré mi opinión de El infinito en un junco , que trata sobre el libro y su devenir, cuando acabe su lectura. 

  Afterward(s). Después, más tarde. Compuesto de after y el sufijo ward(s) , hacia. We had lunch and afterwards we went to bed for a while , almorzamos y después nos acostamos un rato. He had a car accident and died shortly afterwards , tuvo un accidente de coche y murió poco después. For weeks afterward I felt sick , durante semanas después me sentí enfermo. Los británicos, australianos y neozelandeses parece que prefieren afterwards . Sin embargo, no importa cuál de las dos formas empleemos. Más en mi Gramática inglesa para torpes , Oberón.

I dedicate my new book FRASEOLOGÍA ESPAÑOL-INGLÉS ( Editatum , October 2022) to my readers: "Based on the conceit that all brains are created equal, this booklet sets forth to explore the similarities in the phraseological discourse in languages, particularly in Spanish-English, and aims to prove that, as a result, equivalent parallel expressions in both languages can always be found. It claims further that there´s always a bilingual solution to every phrase and idiom. To paraphrase Dr. Samuel Johnson: There´s no language problem the mind of man has set, that the mind of man cannot solve. And so, I am taking the liberty of dedicating this book to all those who share my views, interest, and passion for language study in general and bilingualism in particular. I am especially addressing this to you, reader, and wish to thank you for your interest and eagerness to improve your language skills. Never falter, and keep on trucking!"

  El bilingüe maneja dos idiomas, y debe ser consciente de eso. No nos valen los libros de aprendizaje sólo escritos en un idioma. Siempre estamos comparando idiomas. Por ejemplo, a veces el nombre, el sustantivo inglés, actúa como adjetivo y debemos emplear “de” en la traducción: university professor     profesor de universidad glass house                 casa de cristal metal chair                 silla de metal love story                    historia de amor fashion night              noche de moda

  Whether your English is from New Zealand, Australia, the US, or the UK... stick to educated English which will always stand you in good stead wherever you go. The same goes for Spanish. There is no such dichotomy as "Castillian Spanish" and "South American Spanish" as many are wont to say. Stick to educated Spanish that will again stand you in good stead in Peru, Mexico, Cuba, or Puerto Rico. Steer away from localisms, slang, and low-life Spanish or English. Repeating the mistakes natives make will never make you sound like a native speaker. Mark my words. With educated English and Spanish , you will gain the respect of locals. Mark my words.

I have read Steven Pinker , Antonio Damasio , Irvin Yalom , Daniel Dennett , and some others interested in the brain and how it works. They all put forward interesting and very illuminating theories that give us a lot of food for thought. My favorite is Santiago Ramón y Cajal who said that each of us can be the architect of our own brains. He meant that there is plasticity in the brain and that as we acquire knowledge new neurons and new pathways among them are formed. This is very evident in the acquisition of a new language when we force the brain to rewire itself. The brain is far from being an open book, even to neuroscientists, but it is clear that if we lose so many cells per day, new ones can be formed and activated daily also, by learning new ways to express ourselves, especially by learning more language. Believing in the plasticity of the brain, in the possibility of rewiring it may be farfetched and optimistic, but we have little to lose trying, trying to augment the horizo...

I have been carrying on a love affair with the English language since I can remember. Somehow and for no reason, I took a shine to it very early in my life. When I was a kid, my father used to listen to the BBC news on the radio every day, after lunch. I would stick around and listen even though what I was hearing was way over my head. Also, my father had books in English which also were beyond my understanding, and yet, somehow, I would try to read them. I can say that I have been studying English ever since and to this day I look up words almost daily, new and old ones. A dictionary for me is a very essential tool, in the two languages I am constantly trying to improve. And, curse it, there are always new words popping up... less and less, true, but still, I have to look up some. I have lists of words and expressions noted down in my phone, in notebooks which I review every so often. When I am watching a film I have my Ipad at hand to check on a word, its meaning, or even its pronunc...