Here are some common words in English that come from Amerindian words – from indigenous American languages – north, south, and central.
English Club
English, No. 3, p. 14
“English Varieties”
CLASS SURVEY
Task: Make a survey of your classmates and collect the differences in Englishes =)
Use:
Hello!
May I ask you a question?
Could you tell me, please …
What is your opinion about …
I’m interested in the following …
STUDENT’S NAME :
The difference \ difficulty noticed:
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Language Quiz on the United States
Take this quiz to test your knowledge about languages in the US.
You’ll need to guess of course, but don’t be afraid!
There are nine correct answers possible, and the Americans who took the test averaged just 5.2 correct!!!
1. What is the official language of the United States?
2. What is the most common second language in the United States?
Hint: More than 28 million people speak it at home.
3. How many in the US speak Russian at home, according to the 2000 U.S. census?
4. According to the 2000 US census, at least one million people speak one of six languages at home. English and Spanish are not included.
Hint: three are European and three are Asian.
Write down your six answers/guesses.
Questions for listening:
Languages Spoken in the United States
1. How many languages are spoken in the USA?
2. What percent of the population speaks only English at home?
3. What is the most common foreign language in the USA?
4. How many people speak the most common foreign language in the USA?
5. What is the second most commonly spoken foreign language in the US and how many people speak it?
6. How many people speak French at home?
7. How many people speak German at home?
8. What 3 languages have about 1 million speakers each?
9. How many people reported speaking Russian in the US?
10. How many people speak any of the African languages?
11. How many people reported speaking Native American languages at home?
12. Which is the most common Native American language?
13. How many languages are spoken by American Indians?
GRAMMAR BLOCK
Past Simple versus Present Perfect
Past Simple
Present Perfect
It is used to talk about actions in the past that finished. It talks about 'then' and definitely excludes 'now'.
It is used to look back on actions in the past from the present. It always includes 'now'.
Look at these sentences in the past with no connection to the present:
I knew him 10 years ago. I worked here from 1987 till 1999. I ate too much for lunch yesterday.
Now look at the same situations seen from the present:
I've known him for 10 years. I've worked here since 1987. My stomach hurts. I've eaten too much.
We use time expressions like 'yesterday', 'ago', 'last year', 'in 1999'with the past simple.
We spoke to him yesterday. He came in a few moments ago.
We use time expressions like are 'ever', 'never', 'since' with the present perfect.
I've never seen so many people here before. Have you ever been more surprised?
Typical time expressions used with the present perfect in British English but often used with the past simple in American English are 'already', 'just', 'yet'.
I haven't done it yet. (UK) = I didn't do it yet. (US) I've just done it. (UK) = I just did it. (US) I've already done it. (UK) = I already did it. (US)
CLASS SURVEY
Present Perfect: Question
Present Perfect:Answer
Past Simple:Question
Past Simple: Answer
Your personal question
LEXICAL BLOCK
Amer-Indian Roots: Word Root Game
Here are some common words in English that come from Amerindian words – from indigenous American languages – north, south, and central.
Can you identify the English word derived from this Amerindian word?
Some of these words have even made it into Russian =)
Original
Word
Language of Origin
Definition or Hint
English Word
1.
barbricot
Caribbean
A way of cooking meat.
2.
ahuacatly
Nahuatl
An unusual green veggie (actually a fruit) with a big seed in it. Rather expensive.
3.
caryba
Tupi
A person who eats people.
4.
acajú
Tupi
A curved type of nut.
5.
xocolatl
Nahuatl
A yummy sweet desert, although the Aztecs made an unsweetened drink of it.
6.
chilli
Nahuatl
Spicy hot food flavorer.
7.
papaya
Carib
A fruit.
8.
xoc
Maya
The big fish nobody wants to see when they are swimming
9.
tomatl
Nahuatl
The red fruit/veggieyou put in salads.
10.
squnck
Massachuset
Black and white animalthat has a powerful smell.
11.
xacalli
Nahuatl
Originally a thatched cabin; now it means a shanty, a cheap cabin.
12.
batata
Taino
Staple crops = basic food product. People mash it, fry it, and boil it.
13.
cóyotl
Nahuatl
An animal like a dog. He likes to howl in the evenings.