Word of the Day #8: Dilatory

Main Entry:

dil·a·to·ry

Pronunciation:

\ˈdi-lə-ˌtȯr-ē\

Function:

adjective

Etymology:

Middle English, from Anglo-French dilatorie, Late Latin dilatorius, from Latin differre (past participle dilatus) to postpone, differ — more at differ, tolerate

Date:

15th century

1 : tending or intended to cause delay <dilatory tactics> 2 : characterized by procrastination : tardy <dilatory in paying bills>

— dil·a·to·ri·ly \ˌdi-lə-ˈtȯr-ə-lē\ adverb

— dil·a·to·ri·ness \ˈdi-lə-ˌtȯr-ē-nəs\ noun

This word is ideal for addressing stereotypes in both of my target cultures. Fantastic!

First stop, German stereotypes. Last week I went to Woodland Junior High to give a presentation for my German multiculturalism class. During the course of the presentation, my group had to adamantly profess that not all Germans are Nazis, not all Nazis are Germans, and Germans in general hate Hitler and neo-Nazis and would just as soon spit in their face as look at them. Although Nazism is by far the worst German stereotype, there are several others. For example, the idea that Germans wear Lederhosen and drink lots of beer. In fact, the image on the right is the first one that came up when I typed in "German stereotypes". Another one is they loath any kind of dilatory behavior and are "Nazis" about being on time. In the U.S., the word "Nazi" has become a kind of pop-culture reference refering to anything strict or somewhat crazy, such as the famous "soup-Nazi". This is a little disheartening for Germans who are guests here, and even though I am guilty of sometimes loosely throwing around this word, I would ask that people be a little more aware of how the term is being used. So, here's the definition to help you determine when is a good time to use it.

Now for Spain, which means I get to talk about my partner again :). When it comes to being on time, I am definitely the sterotypical, type-A American. If you're on time, you're late. So, this clashed largely with my partner's idea of always being "in time" as opposed to "on time". In addition, all those from Spanish-speaking countries seem to have this same stereotype attached to them. This dilatory fashion of my partner has often caused conflict. However, it truly is a stereotype. For example, my partner's father is perfectly capable of being on time, in fact he is apparently known for being an hour early. Along with the dilatory stereotype, there are the stereotypes that all Spaniards love bull-fighting and are loud and fanatical (as seen in the left picture), and that Spain only has seafood. My partner, for one, doesn't enjoy bull fights, and a lot of the people who run with the bulls are in fact tourists. And the picture is probably from a soccer game anyway. In addition, one of the most famous foods, other than paella, is the Spanish omelette, which has no seafood. And, there are some paella recipes that don't call for any seafood.

With all this being said, I have to question why stereotypes exist. And, who decides what these stereotypes are? If people exhibit a stereotype, is it due to their upbringing, culture, societal expectations, all of them or something else entirely? With the exposure to so many different societies through technology, are these stereotypes disappearing? These are questions that especially need to be addressed by the U.S., since we are constantly exposed to different cultures as a multicultural society. As a melting pot, will all these stereotypes eventually blend together? And if that happens, will stereotypes actually disappear?

Although I try to be an optimist, I think stereotypes are the result of ignorance, hate and fear, which are unfortunately aspects of every society and are therefore here to stay. Stereotypes are perpetuated by the media, thus exposing us to a never-ending cycle of assumptions and misconceptions. Although technology is closing the gap between countries and oceans, only those who seek out knowledge will be able discount stereotypes, and therefore those who are ignorant will remain so. The U.S. has been given the name "melting pot" but has never fully accepted it. Our neighborhoods are still segregated along racelines and there are still people who strongly support eugenics.

So, what are we educators and future educators to do about stereotypes? Take charge. We can no longer be dilatory concerning these issues. We have to get them out in the open now. This is something I'm obviously passionate about, but I think there are certain things you have to have an opinion on. Ignorance, hate and fear are on that list of things.

Word of the Day #7: Biannual

bi·an·nu·al

Pronunciation:

\(ˌ)bī-ˈan-yə(-wə)l\

Function:

adjective

Date:

1877

1 : occurring twice a year 2 : biennial 1

usage see bi-

— bi·an·nu·al·ly adverb

Not to brag, but I'm pretty sure I found one of the most perfect connections for this word. Going with the second definition, which means occurring every two years, I found a connection with Spain, and with Earth Day (today), and with my partner (who is always fun to talk about).

The U.S. Department of Energy has a biannual Solar Decathlon. In this decathlon, the best and brightest from around the word compete to create the winning design for a solar powered home.

So, the connection with Spain? The University of Madrid will be presenting a pretty fantastic design this year. It's a house with a rotating roof that constantly catches the sun (image on right), kind of like a sunflower, in order to get the most solar power. Earth Day? That seems pretty obvious. Earth Day is all about going green and utilizing alternative energy. Using solar energy is a great way to be more environmentally friendly. My partner? Well, he's an engineer and works with a company specializing in solar energy. I feel more environmentally friendly just by knowing him :)!

Now for making this post a bit more culturally relevant. The U.S. seems to be trailing the world when it comes to going green. While living in Austria, I had to separate plastics from paper from aluminum from glass from disposable waste. There are some places in Europe where people are fined for not properly separating the trash and recycling. Abengoa Solar, the company my partner works for, is a Spanish based company with offices around the world.

As a hypo-industrialized nation, the U.S. must stop disregarding renewable resources and alternative energy. This is a worldwide issue. In all my foreign language classes I've had to respond to prompts concerning the environment, so I can tell people to recycle in three different languages. Before I channel Al Gore though, I will say we have become overall more aware as a nation concerning the environment. However, we've got a lot of catching up to do.

Word of the Day #6: Diaphanous

Main Entry:

di·aph·a·nous

Pronunciation:

\dī-ˈa-fə-nəs\

Function:

adjective

Etymology:

Medieval Latin diaphanus, from Greek diaphanēs, from diaphainein to show through, from dia- + phainein to show — more at fancy

Date:

1614

1 : characterized by such fineness of texture as to permit seeing through <diaphanous fabrics> 2 : characterized by extreme delicacy of form : ethereal diaphanous landscapes> 3 : insubstantial , vague diaphanous hope of success>

— di·aph·a·nous·ly adverb

— di·aph·a·nous·ness noun

I was considering posting about wedding traditions, since this word would tie in quite well with the typical wedding veil and because I will be attending a genuine Spanish wedding this summer. However, when I read the second definition I thought of the most ethereal moment of my life. It was the first time I climbed the Schlossberg in Graz. I even wrote about the experience on my Facebook. Which leads me to an observation on Austrian/German/European culture: They love to climb.

All over Europe there's mountains and cliffs and other outdoorsy awesome places. The Schlossberg was only a few hundred meters, a baby in comparison to real mountains in Austria. I also climbed Schoekel which was a few thousand meters. At the bottom we had t-shirts, and at the top there was snow. And of course, the granddaddy of any hill like Schoekel would be found in Tirol. Tirol is in Western Austria and is home to the Austrian Alps. Some of you may have heard of Innsbruck, which is the capital city. 

When it comes to mountains, Austria is the place to be. Whether it's skiing, hiking, snowboarding, or just climbing, you can do it just about anywhere in Austria. They just don't make the same kind of diaphanous views in the U.S.

Word of the Day #5: Acedia

acedia • \uh-SEE-dee-uh\ • noun

: apathy, boredom

Example Sentence:

A restaurant reviewer in SF Weekly once described a brunch as "a stupefyingly lavish buffet spread that will do nothing to erase your acedia."

Just when I thought the words couldn't get more challenging, here is one that was next to impossible for me to relate to culture. The main problem for me is that I find foreign cultures anything but boring. So, I realized I have to look at it as an insider. With that, the best I could come up with is the contrast between the North and the South in Spain.

While on vacation throughout Andalucia, I noticed that people were always yelling at eachother. Well, I saw it as yelling, in actuality they were just conversing boisterously. However, if an Andalucian was transplanted to the North, he or she would experience much acedia with the calmness. Some would jokingly say in the South they can be as loud as the want, but in the North they have to worry about the ETA. It's not really a joke to laugh at, but perhaps it's an explanation for the difference.

This contrast can also be seen between Austrians and Germans. Typically, Austrians think Germans suffer from much acedia. They speak slower and think....well, their jokes aren't always that funny. It could be that Austrians get frustrated from being thought of as "Southern Germany" and it could be that I'm biased due to my time in Graz, but Austrians seem to try hard to be distinguished from Germans and they seem to have more enthusiasm.

Personally, I rarely suffer from acedia while in the southern realms. Maybe the exception is in the U.S. Once agian, I have bias from being born and raised in the South, but the North just seems to have much more to offer. Then again, the South has some fantatstic, unique, and culturally significant history.

Word of the Day #4: Purfle

Main Entry:

pur·fle

Pronunciation:

\ˈpər-fəl\

Function:

transitive verb

Inflected Form(s):

pur·fled; pur·fling \-f(ə-)liŋ\

Etymology:

Middle English purfilen, from purfil embroidered border, from Anglo-French, from pur for, in place of (from Latin pro-) + fil thread, yarn — more at pro-, file

Date:

14th century

: to ornament the border or edges of

— purfle noun

This word was the most challenging yet. I was really at a loss for what to discuss, so I decided to search google images for inspiration. Mostly there were pictures of wedding dresses and other random things, but by the third page I finally found something to inspire me. This is kind of taking the word out of context, but I suppose I'm the one who makes the context. So, my inspiration was this image:Apparently this beauty has a "herringbone purfle gloss". Perfect! Today I'll switch gears with my target culture and talk about Flamenco.

Flamenco is both a type of music and a type of dance. First, I'll talk about the music.
Flamenco is actually quite personal to me, because my boyfriend is Spanish. Not only is he Spanish, he's from Andalucia: the birthplace of Flamenco. Thus, he not only knows Flamenco music, he also knows how to play Flamenco on his guitar. An acoustic guitar is used for Flamenco, and people who know about the music generally clap along at the appropriate places. I suppose I'm a difficult audience to play to as a guiri, but I still think it's some of the most beautiful music there is.
Speaking of standing out as a guiri in a crowd of Spaniards, it seems all Spaniards know how to dance Flamenco. Thus, while at a New Year's party when Flamenco music came on, not only did I look out of place with my blonde hair and blue eyes, I also was the only idiot who didn't know how to dance properly. After that experience I've decided Flamenco dancing is at least one thing I will learn in this lifetime. While on the subject of dancing, the Flamenco dresses are quite incredible. Many dancers purfle their hair with flowers and wear dresses that flair out when they spin. Here's a video of the music and a dancer.

As far as a comparison, I don't think there really is one in the U.S. Jazz and Blues are very American forms of music, but neither one of them really have a corresponding dance. Flamenco is seems to be one of a kind. From the influx of various influences (Muslim, Christian, Jewish, Gypsy, etc.) it has come into being. Nobody can say exactly who or what culture deserves credit for it, because it seems to be a conglomerate of several different cultures. In addition, the style is much different from the North, so it seemed to develop on its own within the beautiful region of Andalucia.

Word of the Day #3: Whipsaw

Pronunciation:

\ˈhwip-ˌsȯ, ˈwip-\

Function:

transitive verb

Date:

1842

1 : to saw with a whipsaw 2 : to beset or victimize in two opposite ways at once, by a two-phase operation, or by the collusive action of two opponents whipsawed by inflation and high taxes>

With a whipsaw, two opposing sides go back and forth to reach a greater goal of cutting the wood. This thought led me to think of Russian director Sergi Eisenstein's idea when creating his great montage films: Thesis+Antithesis=Synthesis.
His inspiration for this idea came from Japanese kanji characters. Many of them put symbols together in order to create an idea. For example, dog+mouth=bark. The most famous scene from Eisenstein's Battleship Potemkin (1925) is the Odessa steps sequence which is all about conflict. However, Eisenstein believed eventually a balance would be reached and there would no longer be an antithesis. Hence, the end of the film sees celebration as opposed to another conflict.
In Germany, one could say the thesis of post WWII was the capitalists, the antithesis was the communists and the the synthesis was the wall. By 1989, the thesis was the communists, the antithesis was the capitalists and the synthesis was the fall of the wall. Of course, it is much easier to identify these factors in retrospect. Additionally, I hope Eisenstein was correct in believing eventually there would be a peace and hopefully that stability is now.

Sources: Cook, David. A History of Narrative Film, 4th ed. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2004. p. 148-150

Word of the day #2: Girandole

Pronunciation:

\ˈjir-ən-ˌdōl\

Function:

noun

Etymology:

French & Italian; French, from Italian girandola, from girare to turn, from Late Latin gyrare, from Latin gyrus gyre

Date:

1749

1 : a radiating and showy composition (as a cluster of skyrockets fired together) 2 : an ornamental branched candlestick 3 : a pendant earring usually with three ornaments hanging from a central piece

I was afraid this word would completely stump me. In what way could this word possibly be culturally relevant?? But last night before going to bed, I realized there was a picture of a girandole right on my nightstand...

The lights of the Euro cup!

Fußball, fútbol or soccer as Americans like to call it, is kind of a big thing in Europe. I was able to experience it first hand while living in Austria during the Spring of 2008. Cultural differences were very apparent to me while comparing Fußball to football.
In soccer, it's okay if there is not a winner. In fact, there were three ties in the first rounds of the Euro cup (Eurocup results in Spanish). Of course once it got to quarter finals there had to be a winner, but winning just didn't seem to be quite as important.
Something else that was quite shocking was the celebration after each goal. In football there would definitely be a penalty for excessive celebration, but for soccer it's basically expected. They just interrupt play for a few minutes in order to tackle each other from excitement.
Which brings me to one last observation. There are no time-outs. None, zip, nada, kein. They have "extra" time they add on the end to "make-up" for lost time due to injuries or changes, while in actuality there is always more time wasted than made up.

In the end, our Friday (or Saturday or Sunday or Monday) night lights may look the same as is in Europe, but what happens underneath them is quite different.

Word of the Day #1: Reconcile

Pronunciation:

\ˈre-kən-ˌsī(-ə)l\

Function:

verb

Inflected Form(s):

rec·on·ciled; rec·on·cil·ing

Etymology:

Middle English, from Anglo-French or Latin; Anglo-French reconciler, from Latin reconciliare, from re- + conciliare to conciliate

Date:

14th century

transitive verb1 a: to restore to friendship or harmony <reconciled the factions> b: settle , resolve <reconcile differences>2: to make consistent or congruous <reconcile an ideal with reality>3: to cause to submit to or accept something unpleasant reconciled to hardship>4 a: to check (a financial account) against another for accuracy b: to account forintransitive verb: to become reconciled

When I hear the word "reconcile", I first think of relationships, which would easily go along with the first definition (to restore to friendship or harmony). On further consideration, I realize my thoughts on relationships could easily be morphed into a relationship with a culture or language.

Reconciliation is about resolution which involves compromise. No relationship is healthy without compromise and when you're traveling to a foreign country there are plenty of compromises to make. For example:

• Instead of eating dinner at 6 o'clock, you eat at 9 o'clock
  
• Instead of shopping at Wal-mart at midnight on a Sunday, you shop at Hofer at 4 in the afternoon on a weekday
• Instead of driving to school, you walk or take the city bus
• etc, etc, etc

I believe you can never learn a language without learning about the culture. Furthermore, you cannot fully appreciate a culture without truly experiencing it. There may be times when you have to submit to things you may not want to, but the culture cannot be experienced without reconciliation.

In the end, it's worth trying the snail, even if it's just to say "I've eaten snails in Spain"...and, yes, I have.

(Snails and Shark in Cádiz)