Intensive Japanese Speaking Classes in San Francisco

Start something new this summer! The Japan Society of Northern California is offering a special summer course is designed for those who would like to learn beginning conversational Japanese. This course focuses on practical Japanese expressions used in daily life. If you are planning a vacation to Japan or would like an intensive introduction to speaking the language, then this could be the course for you! I study Japanese at the Japan Society, and love their courses. I also love the location, which is an easy walk from the Montgomery BART station in downtown SF.

Schedule: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 7/28 – 8/27/09, 6:30 – 8:30 PM
Registration Deadline: August 3, 2009
Location: Japan Society of Northern California
500 Washington Street, Suite 300
San Francisco, CA 94111 (map)
Teacher: Mr. Katsuhiro Otsuka
Cost: US$300 for non-members, $195 for members
Register: Japan Society

Japanese Lecture in San Francisco This Week

The word "Japan" usually brings to mind images of tiny electronics, Tokyo skyscrapers, and anime, but would you like to learn about how modern Japan got started? Do you live in the San Francisco Bay Area? If so, then this is your lucky week! The Japanese Cultural & Community Center of Northern California (JCCCNC) is hosting a lecture called, "Tadamasa Oguri and Japan's Modernization." Read on for more information. --Cicely

Thursday, June 18, 2009

The Perry Expedition in 1853-54 brought an end to Japan’s “sakoku” closed-nation policy and led to its opening to the world. In 1860, Tadamasu Oguri, one of the architects of modern Japan, visited the United States as a member of the first Japanese diplomatic mission to America. What did Oguri learn in the US? How did he lay the foundations for Japan’s modernization upon his return? This lecture will look at Japan’s transition from the end of the Edo Period to the Meiji Period, focusing on one of the most influential figures in the birth of modern Japan.

Lecturer:
Taiken Murakami, historian and head priest of Tozenji Temple, home to the tomb of Tadamasa Oguri
(to be presented in Japanese with English interpretation)

Time:
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Program: 12:00 to 2:00 pm

Location:
Japanese Cultural & Community Center of Northern California (JCCCNC)
1840 Sutter Street
San Francisco, CA (USA)
map

Cost:
E-mail japaneseteahouse@yahoo.co.jp for registration and cost information.

Organized by the committee for the 150th Anniversary of the First Official Japanese Vessel to SF. Co-organized by the Japanese Chamber of Commerce of Northern California. Supported by the Consulate General of Japan in San Francisco.

New English Term: Greenwash

A new hybrid (also known as a "portmanteau") word has recently appeared on dictionary.com: Greenwash! Keep yourself and your English conversation students up to date with the latest terminology! Follow the link below for more information about the origins of "greenwash."

Earthly Happenings: Are You Tired of "Greenwash"?

Greenwash--A combination of the words "green" and "whitewash". The dissemination of misleading information by an organization to conceal its abuse of the environment in order to present a positive public image. It is a term used to describe the practice of companies deceptively marketing their products and policies as environmentally friendly.

The Dictionary of American Regional English

The Dictionary of American Regional English, Volume I: Introduction and A-C is part of a multi-volume effort to capture regional expressions and colloquialisms. The DARE project, as it is known, was started in the 1950s by Frederic Cassidy, a linguist who sent field workers out across the United States to interview people. Cassidy's catalogers talked to nearly 3,000 people over six years, making recordings along the way in order to capture pronunciations.

The first volume of the DARE was released in 1975, with additional volumes following in time, but the final volume still had not been published by the time of Cassidy's death in 2000. His tombstone reads, "On to Z!"

Now, after five decades of research, "S to Z" of the DARE will be published next year. Joan Hall, the book's chief editor, says the dictionary is unique because it tells us how we speak, rather than how to speak. "It's very helpful because it's really more descriptive than prescriptive," she says.

And now for a few sample expressions from around the country...How many do you know???

NPR.org, June 11, 2009 · The following definitions were adapted from the Dictionary of American Regional English.

elbedritsch (n) An imaginary creature which, as a practical joke, a greenhorn is sent to hunt or capture. (Usage: Southeast Pennsylvania)

flannel cake (n) A pancake. (Usage: Appalachians)

flea in one's ear (n) A hint, warning, disquieting disclosure; a rebuke. (Usage: chiefly the Northeast)

hell-for-leather (adv) At top speed, in great haste. (Usage: scattered, but especially the West Coast)

honeyfuggle (v) To swindle or dupe; to intend to cheat or trick. (Usage: scattered)

hookem-snivey (adj) Deceitful, sneaky. (Usage: scattered)

Lucy Bowles (n) Diarrhea; loose bowels. (Usage: scattered, but especially Pennsylvania, New Jersey and southeast New York)

mulligrubs (n) A condition of despondency or ill temper; a vague or imaginary unwellness. (Usage: scattered, but especially the South)

nebby (adj) Snoopy, inquisitive. (Usage: chiefly Pennsylvania)

pungle (v) To shell out; to plunk down (money); to pay up. (Usage: chiefly West)

rantum scoot (n) An outing with no definite destination (Usage: scattered)

roller bird (n) blue jay (Usage: In the vicinity of Dothan, Ala., bluejays are often called "roller birds" because when chinaberries are ripe, the birds sit in the trees and gorge themselves until they grow drunk. Then they tumble out of the trees and roll on the ground, and the cats creep out and eat them.)

say-so (n) An ice-cream cone. (Usage: scattered)

DARE is published by the Belknap Press of Harvard University Press. The above definitions were adapted from the University of Wisconsin's DARE Web site.

Neil Patrick Harris Has Got Shoes For You!

Are you looking for a fun way to teach rhyming words to children or English language learners? Check out this song performed by Neil Patrick Harris (of Doogie Howser MD, How I Met Your Mother, Dr. Horrible's Singalong Blog, etc.) in his debut as the Shoe Fairy on Sesame Street. Who knew that so many words rhymed with "shoes"?!? (This video clip is made available to the public by the copyright holder.)

More Free ESL/EFL Resources for Teachers and Learners

Here is a second list of links to free online materials for ESL teachers and learners, alike! Remember, the first list can be found HERE.

English Quizzes
Fluency Through Fables
60+ Idioms
LessonPlansPage.com - FREE, Original Lesson Plans!
ESL - LOUNGE (ESL Materials)
Business English
The ESL Gazette
The Internet for ESL Teachers
Printable ESL worksheets and lesson plans

Two Exciting Japanese Events in San Francisco

For folk in and around the San Francisco Bay Area, two great events are scheduled for June! Head on down to Japan Town for the 2009 Craft Fair and Island Jam on June 20th. Then check out the US premiere of the new Japanese film Until the Moon Waxes at the SF International LGBT Film Festival on June 25th. More information below.

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Until the Moon Waxes Thursday, June 25, 7:00 pm Roxie Theater

Check out the US premiere of Until The Moon Waxes at Frameline's annual San Francisco International LGBT Film Festival. In Japanese with English subtitles.

>> Click here for more information.

2009 Craft Fair and Island Jam

Saturday, June 20, 2009, 10:00 am - 4:00 pm

Japantown San Francisco

On Saturday, June 20th, 2009, the Japanese Community Youth Council (JCYC) will be celebrating its 39th year of serving children, youth and families. To commemorate this occasion, JCYC will be hosting the 5th Annual Japantown Craft Fair and Island Jam. Free and open to the public.

>> Click here for more information.

Celebs Sing Their ABCs on Sesame Street

Ray Charles, Ellen DeGeneres, Susan Sarandon, Patrick Stewart, Michael Jeter, and many more proudly sing their ABCs on Sesame Street, so English language learners young and old can sing along! Patrick Stewart sings like the Shakespearean-trained actor that he is...DeGeneres raps "ppp p pp, I'm rapping!" The clip is made available to the public online by the copyright holder, Sesame Workshop. I like this video so much that I put a border around it in my favorite color! Enjoy, everybody.



Watch more great Sesame Street clips!
(Sesame Street is a production of Sesame Workshop, a nonprofit educational organization which also produces Pinky Dinky Doo, The Electric Company, and other programs for children around the world.)