|
About Me
My personal interest in education, more specifically teaching foreign languages, is what brought me to study Letras in Federal University of Paraná in 2014. Yet I still have a special passion for education, now I see myself deeply involved with literature and a little bit of psychology, and this is why I have plans on doing a research in the future that relates both. I have no other specific ambitions for after I graduate than keep teaching foreign languages, specially English, showing my students that when you know another language different from your first one, the world doesn't seem that big anymore. |
Final essay: "Communication through text messaging and other instant forms of online communication are short and basic. Some people think that this will be the death of grammar and spelling. Do you agree or disagree?"
There is a great debate not only among linguists but also the general population about the supposed disappearance of grammar and spelling considering the increase of new ways of communication that has emerged from the advances in technology. Twenty years ago, people were still used to sending letters to family and friends telling about the news of their lives. A person that studied in another state, away from their family, had to sit down, handwrite a letter and then mail it; two weeks later, the letter would be arriving to their parent’s home. However, nowadays what or how you write something is not the most important thing anymore and speed has become the name of the game. The purpose of this article is to discuss to what extent instant forms of online communication affect the usage of grammar and spelling.
Firstly, it is important to remember that language is dynamic and therefore it changes and gets more suitable throughout time, what is the case of “pathetic” that used to be written as “pathetick” from the 17th to the early 19th or the “st” abbreviation on the street signs, instead of writting “street”. That said, it might sound a little more obvious that the language would change to suit better the purpose of instant online communication, in other words, the language would shorten and be more direct and basic. Still many people worry about to what extent this “new grammar” used on the internet affects the “real grammar” used in real life, as emails, letters, documents.
It is a fact that younger people, that are the largest amount of people who are in touch with the internet daily, might bring some “internet grammar” to real life. It happens not because they believe that it is right to write that way in school tests, for example, but because sometimes it is hard for an overexposed mind adapt itself to every new context of language usage. In this case, it is extremely important that professors rectify their understanding of grammar and help them to suit their language to each situation. However, if one truely believes that there is nothing wrong in writting using the “internet grammar” in real life, then we have a problem. That is because since the first grade we should teach our kids the importance of adapting yourself and more specific, your language, to every daily situation.
Still, it is possible that the language changes over time, just as happened to many words we know, that changed their spelling and even their meaning as the decades went by. And if so happens, then we will have to adapt ourselves to it. Simple as that. It doesn’t mean that our language is dying or vanishing away. It only means that it is changing - and it doesn’t necessarily mean something bad.
Firstly, it is important to remember that language is dynamic and therefore it changes and gets more suitable throughout time, what is the case of “pathetic” that used to be written as “pathetick” from the 17th to the early 19th or the “st” abbreviation on the street signs, instead of writting “street”. That said, it might sound a little more obvious that the language would change to suit better the purpose of instant online communication, in other words, the language would shorten and be more direct and basic. Still many people worry about to what extent this “new grammar” used on the internet affects the “real grammar” used in real life, as emails, letters, documents.
It is a fact that younger people, that are the largest amount of people who are in touch with the internet daily, might bring some “internet grammar” to real life. It happens not because they believe that it is right to write that way in school tests, for example, but because sometimes it is hard for an overexposed mind adapt itself to every new context of language usage. In this case, it is extremely important that professors rectify their understanding of grammar and help them to suit their language to each situation. However, if one truely believes that there is nothing wrong in writting using the “internet grammar” in real life, then we have a problem. That is because since the first grade we should teach our kids the importance of adapting yourself and more specific, your language, to every daily situation.
Still, it is possible that the language changes over time, just as happened to many words we know, that changed their spelling and even their meaning as the decades went by. And if so happens, then we will have to adapt ourselves to it. Simple as that. It doesn’t mean that our language is dying or vanishing away. It only means that it is changing - and it doesn’t necessarily mean something bad.
Why The Maine is my favorite band
I always had this special thing with music. I feel it so deep inside me that sometimes I mistrust that it runs in my veins along with my blood. When I was twelve and started creating these deep connections with bands, I found this Arizona band called The Maine. They used to sing about love, just like any other teen band. Nothing pretty much special about it, right? Wrong. Later on I found out that they were not singing about love because they wanted to, but because their producer, Warner, wanted them to. Love sells albuns to teenager girls who can only think about that and money was the only thing that mattered for Warner back then. In 2011 they broke up the bound with the producer and became an independent band, creating music about themes that they truly believed in. Maybe this is one of the things that make me feel so intensely connected to this band and not to any other: this courage and force that they have to do what they love, no matter how hard it will be. Also, of course, the fact that I grew up with them. Whenever they released a new álbum, it was more mature than the one before - and so was I, as a person. I am nineteen now and have been to four The Maine concerts and in every single one of them they got me through this passion for music. Even though I am not friends with them, I feel like I am. I feel like I am not alone, because they are always with me, during my bad and good times, not personally as human beings, but as music. And still, every time I listen to any of their songs, I feel like I am connected somehow to human beings. This might sound confusing, but I never had the feeling that I didn't know them and they didn't know me - even though we don't. Because there is their music in between, as a bridge that connects my heart and my deepest feelings to theirs. And this might be the point. It doesn't matter if I am writing about a band, or a sports team, or anything else in the world. It can only be considered my favorite thing or the best thing ever if it allows me the best person I can be - and The
Advantages of Internet shopping
It is arguably true that the internet and technology advances made people's lives easier and helped people to save their times. If one needed to stop whatever they were doing to go to the supermarket to buy food, for example, nowadays that can be done while walking for work, with just some touches on your phone's screen. Here is a short list of advantages that online shopping has brought us. Firstly, online stores are open any time of the day, what means that if one wants to go shopping late in the night, it is possible. That certainly is a great point for mothers with small children, for example. Also, with online shopping people have the ability to compare prices from hundreds of different vendors in a short period of time. No walking exhaustively, no spending many hours looking for stores with the product that you are looking for. It is true that one cannot try things on when it comes to online shopping, but there are lots and lots of reviews about the vendors and their products online that the costumer might feel more confident about what they are buying, once they have seen infinite opinions about it. Surely there is nothing like the convenience of online shopping. There is some cons about it, just like anything else, but the pros outweigh the cons. Internet shopping is here to stay!
Brazil is not all about soccer, samba and beaches
It is widely believed that the Brazilian people are passionate about soccer, samba and beaches. Indeed, it is not hard to find people who are really involved with soccer, supporting not only the Brazilian team in big championships but also local teams in smaller championships. And if one visits Lapa, in Rio de Janeiro, on a Saturday night it will not be hard to find happy people dancing and singing to samba. Also, there is no need to mention that the Brazilian beaches are known all over the globe. However, there is always the other side of the coin. Try asking an average person that does not live in Rio de Janeiro to dance samba, for example. They will probably not know how to do that. If going to Pernambuco, northeast Brazil, one may discover that most people do not care much about samba, but about forró or tecnobrega. The beaches are another bone of contention. There are thousands of people who are not into going to the beach and laying down on the sand to sunbathe. These people might be more into going to cities such as Gramado, in Rio Grande do Sul, that do not have any beaches nor much sun, but cold charming days and lots of green places to be seen. It is important to mention that soccer is deeply loved only by the ones who are really involved with it, the ones who go to the stadiums to watch the games, who truly support their local teams. Otherwise, try asking an average Brazilian person, no matter where they are from, who won the Brazilian championship last year. They will not know. All these examples were used in order to show that, yes, Brazil has a special feeling for beaches, samba, soccer. But it is necessary to always consider that, just like everywhere else in the world, not all Brazilian will be passionate about those. In the same way that Italy is not all about pizza and spaghetti, Paris is not all about coffee and the Eiffel Tower, Buenos Aires is not all about tango and Maradona. And this is exactly where the charm of each place in the world lives.
Five things you didn't know about NFL
1. A standard NFL game lasts about three hours. However, according to this study the real action lasts about 11 minutes only. The time that remains of those three hours is filled up with commercials, that are responsible for approximatedly 60 minutes, replays and shots of the players huddling.
2. NFL used to support the blackout policy. Blackout policy states that the match is not allowed to be shown on television for the city that is hosting the game unless the tickets are sold out. If it doesn't happen 72 hours before the start time of the match, then bye-bye watching the game at home or anywhere else with friends.
3. Superbowl's halftime show usually surprises us with big names of the music industry, such as Madonna, Michael Jackson and Jimmy Hendrix but it was not like that since the very beginning. During the first decade of the championship, martial high school bands were invited to play during the halftime to entertain the people,
4. According to this study, 1 in 6 football players go bankrupt only a few years after the quit the football career.
5. Cheerleaders are usually paid 50 dollars per match. Considering the Money they spend on beauty salons, clothing, accessories, dance classes and so it goes, they end up losing money to be dancing at the games.
2. NFL used to support the blackout policy. Blackout policy states that the match is not allowed to be shown on television for the city that is hosting the game unless the tickets are sold out. If it doesn't happen 72 hours before the start time of the match, then bye-bye watching the game at home or anywhere else with friends.
3. Superbowl's halftime show usually surprises us with big names of the music industry, such as Madonna, Michael Jackson and Jimmy Hendrix but it was not like that since the very beginning. During the first decade of the championship, martial high school bands were invited to play during the halftime to entertain the people,
4. According to this study, 1 in 6 football players go bankrupt only a few years after the quit the football career.
5. Cheerleaders are usually paid 50 dollars per match. Considering the Money they spend on beauty salons, clothing, accessories, dance classes and so it goes, they end up losing money to be dancing at the games.
Brazilian flanelinhas: street helpers or extortionists?
Whenever trying to park a car in Brazil, it is common to see a person in the street pointing to empty spots or coming to tell the driver that they will "take care" of the car. These people are known as "flanelinhas", a kind of "car watcher". Flanelinhas usually ask for tips to do this job. The point is that this "job" is not regulated and because of that this tip is commonly understood by many people as a sort of extorsion. There are cities, such as Rio de Janeiro, trying to intervene over these people's job by installing parking meters. This action would affect the life of 650 flanelinhas, considering that many of them support their families with the money that come from the streets. Still, the flanelinhas are not the victims of the situation. The purpose of this article is to discuss both sides of the story.
Curitiba's public transportation system demystified
It is widely believed that Curitiba has one of the best public transportation systems in the world. Indeed, the public transportation is well organized, being divided by colors in order to identify the destination of each bus, and people are able to check on the internet the schedule of every line.
There are many ecological buses; this kind of green transport uses a biofuel, which contributes to reducing pollution. Moreover , their schedule works very well, and are comfortable and inexpensive.
However, the Curitiba public transportation system is actually far from perfect. For example, it is possible to spend at least thirty minutes waiting for an empty bus to get in. Meanwhile, these ecological buses are not the conventional lines. Generally, these conventional lines are crowded in the peak traffic periods. In addition, they are old, without good maintenance, and therefore break down a lot.
All these factors are examples that the transportation systems in Curitiba have to improve in many aspects, before being amongst the best public transportation system in the world. Hence, if you are planning to visit Curitiba and use the public transportation system, be aware that sometimes it will not be the best experience.
There are many ecological buses; this kind of green transport uses a biofuel, which contributes to reducing pollution. Moreover , their schedule works very well, and are comfortable and inexpensive.
However, the Curitiba public transportation system is actually far from perfect. For example, it is possible to spend at least thirty minutes waiting for an empty bus to get in. Meanwhile, these ecological buses are not the conventional lines. Generally, these conventional lines are crowded in the peak traffic periods. In addition, they are old, without good maintenance, and therefore break down a lot.
All these factors are examples that the transportation systems in Curitiba have to improve in many aspects, before being amongst the best public transportation system in the world. Hence, if you are planning to visit Curitiba and use the public transportation system, be aware that sometimes it will not be the best experience.
How about doing drugs to have a healthier life?
There is a common sense that doing drugs is always a bad thing. After all, many crimes are linked somehow to drug addiction, such as burglary and even murder in some cases. Also, there are lots of studies that prove that some kinds of drugs can get people addicted in a short period of time and damage their brain functions and consequently their body functions as a whole. While that is mostly true, recently it was discovered by medicine that some kinds of drugs can help people with certain illnesses - when used moderately and in the right way. For example, it has been proven that marijuana can be used to treat and prevent glaucoma, epileptic seizures and decrease anxiety. Despite all the studies about the medical benefits of drugs, misconceptions around them keeps people refusing to try them.
