A Time for Names

Parents have the right in most countries to name their children as they wish.   Some names are chosen for their popularity while others for their meaning.  Calling a girl Yaffa or Tova, Hebrew names, may place a burden on her because they mean pretty and good, respectively.  Of course, there is little worse than Cher calling her daughter Chastity.

A curious serious of selective names involve the seasons.  Some Israeli parents name their children Stav and Aviv, meaning autumn and spring.  By contrast, kayitz and horef, summer and winter, are unheard of.  By contrast, in English, Summer and Autumn as first names exist, but are rare where as spring and winter are basically ignored.

In terms of months, the spring months are generally preferred as sources of first names, specifically April, May, and June.  Although July and August are named after Julius Caesar and Augustus, they don’t seem to have caught on with the general public unless all those Julies and Julias are actually named after a month, which may be technically true.  The fall and winter are dead as far as names go.

The only names of days that pop in the mind are Wednesday  as a first name in the Adams Family series and Friday as a last name in the Dragnet series. 

It can be safely said in English and Hebrew that there is basically no good time for a name.

The Good, the Bad, but not the Ugly

The English language borrows roots from many languages.   Therefore, the same meaning can be expressed in different ways, even in prefixes.  For example, pre and ante both mean before.

If something is good, two possible roots are the Greek eu and the Latin bene.  A eulogy is saying good things about someone who died, even the words are lies while a euphemism is a nice word for an ugly concept – collateral damage for civilian casualties and height-challenged for short.  (By the way, my favorite euphemism is expanded face for describing baldness.).  Similarly, a benefit is a money or privilege that makes life better while a benediction is a blessing, i.e. good words.

By contrast, malady, maladroit and malfunctioning are very bad, as is part of their root, mal.  I don’t know the Greek root for bad or whether it is used in English, but I would be happy to find out from someone.  So, have a euphoric and benevolent week and avoid mal-de-mer, otherwise known as seasickness.

North Americans and Aliya

I am an exception – a former resident of North America (American or Canadian) who came and stayed.  The fact is many come, but few stay.  The interesting issue is the reasons for this tendency.

To clarify, standard of living is generally not an issue.  Most immigrants from North America and Canada come with either capital or financial support.  Being a native speaker and having a degree allows most immigrants to attain respectable jobs.  Very few Anglo-Saxons have ever cleaned streets in Israel.  The level of housing and food is comparable to most of the United States and Canada.  I could not afford my house in the United States.  Instead of living on credit card debt, Israelis live on overdraft.  The name is different, but the interest rate is the same.  Health and educational facilities are superior and less expensive here as compared to many places “back home.”  In short, most Yankees and Canucks do not suffer economically in Israel.

In my opinion, the major factor is cultural.  Israel is a “frontier” country.   The people are hot-tempered and direct; the pace of life is fast; confrontation is common.  For people used to a more “genteel” way of life, coping with Israel requires a change in expectations and thinking.  This is less problematical for singles, who only have to worry about they want.  By contrast, emigrating families struggle to get everybody adjusted to the new life.  Since there is a “home” to return to, some members of the family want to go back where life is psychologically easier.  If the family is split 50/50, it generally returns.

Of course, other reasons may apply.  Age and language difficulty affect integration into society.  Unrealistic expectations can lead to disappointment.  Distance from family can be difficult to handle.

I would be interested in hearing from other immigrants / former immigrants to other countries and their impression.

Don’t tense up on tenses

Foreign students of English often feel that that the most frightening aspect of it is the sheer number of tenses.  Especially for people whose native language is structurally simple, i.e. three forms – past, present, future,  dealing with such a complex grammar structure is rather daunting.  In fact, despite English’s basic structure of 9 tenses (+ a few odds and ends), the construction of tenses tends to be rather simple and straightforward.

First, the raison d’etre of having many tenses is that writers and speakers can say exactly what they mean without adding words to clarify.  For example, I was winning the game does not mean the same as I won the game or I have won the game. So, while adding formal complexity, the learning process enriches the language and is a finite process. Compare that with Russian whose formal structure is simple, but the process of understanding the difference between perfective and imperfect active in any given situation never ends for a foreign learner.

As for building the verb, it is vital to remember that all languages add markers to the verb, generally the root, to signal its time and, often, person.  For example, the present tense is parle, parles, parle, parlons, parlez, parlent; говорю, говоришь, говорит, говорим, говорите, говорят; and אומר, אורמת, אומרים, אומרות in French, Russian, and Hebrew respectively.

English works in a similarly manner, using helping verbs instead of endings for the most part.  The progressive tenses mark time and person using the verb to be and the ing form of the word.  Therefore, present progressive uses am, are, and is; past progressive uses was or were; and future progressive uses will be.  Similarly, the perfect tenses uses the verb to have with the past participle, ie. have and has in the present, had in the past, and will have in the future.  As they say in Hebrew, dafka [dafka]or to be contrary, the simple is the least simple: in the negative and interrogative forms of the present and past, the helping verb is do, i.e. do and does in the present and did in the past, before the root.  The future marker is will.  In the positive form in the present tense, there are neither helping verbs or endings except for after s/he it, in which case an s is added while in the past, aside from the many and common exceptions, an ed added to the work marks the past.

The point is that students can concentrate on the actual meaning of the verb if they relax and learn how to recognize the form, which is not a stressful activity.

France, the French, and Love/Hate

Almost nobody feels neutral about France or the French.  Many people adore France but hate the French.  There are probably a few who feel the opposite.  Some people love or hate both.  Whatever the case, it is rare to anybody say, I went to Paris.  Nothing special.

I am among those who love both France and the French, but not enough to want to live there.  France is a country where living is an art, whether it concerns food, clothing, or conversation.  By contrast, making a living is a necessity and a bit proletariat in the negative sense of the word.    Parisians constantly talk about restaurants, vacations, and movies or books.    So, while French emphasis on living may seem rather decadent to more protestant-thinking people, it is rather attractive and even addictive.

By contrast, to be diplomatic, the French themselves are not always appreciated, even by themselves.  Many people are quite offended by their arrogance and rudeness behind the formal level of politeness.  Being half American and half French, I have no problem understanding their attitude and even enjoying it.  There is a sociological concept called a zero sum world, typical of peasant societies, in which a finite, fixed limit exists for everything, material and immaterial.  There is only so much money and love in the world.  Therefore, to ostensibly show one’s money means that the people watching have less, an unpleasant feeling.  Similarly, in friendship, people have a limited space for love, i.e. childhood friends and close family.  This is creates an us and them world.   Friendship is total for the us group and basically non-existent for the them group.  Fortunately, Paris has a high percentage of non-French.  I belonged to the both to the us and the them.  As any obnoxious attitude was not personal against me, I found it amusing at time, like live theatre (of the absurd).  It is like watching a bunch of children trying to act like adults, ultimately very entertaining.

Of course, living in Paris is another story.  Paris is a small, dense, tense, and intense city with too much air pollution, strikes, and bureaucracy.  Also, for people used to seeing the sun most of the year, the weather is depressing.  Maybe Paris is like New York: a place for young people with lots of energy.

Still, I visit Paris at any opportunity and feel sadness each time I  part from it.   My fantasy wish would be the ability to transport myself instantly to Paris and enjoy a baguette, a good piece of cheese, an old dusty chaotic book store, and petit pain au chocolate or chocolat liegoise.  Ah, sometimes, la vie est dure sans confiture.

How to Write an Email in English

As English is the Lingua Franca of the world for the moment, non-native English speakers, i.e. most of the world, are often faced with the daunting task of writing emails in English.  (I would say that even the French have to do so from time to time, but as they would say, J’ignore.) 

In fact, business emails are easy to write.  Unlike personal letters, they are intended to be short, to the point, and simple.  So, the writer does not have to and should not write Shakespeare (or Orwell, whom I prefer).

Begin with the simple phrase “Dear …).  Add Sir or Madam if you don’t have the actual name of the person, i.e. the customer relations department.  A man is referred to as Mr. while a woman is addressed as Ms.  For business purposes, her marital status is irrelevant.

At this stage, to avoid forgetting to attach the required documents, I always add my attachments before going on.

If you are have written often to the person, are continuing a previous matter, or just want to create a friendly feeling, make the first line a salutation such as Good morning, Good evening, or even Happy Holiday if that applies.

The first real paragraph states directly why are writing:  I am writing in response to your notice on the forum or As requested, I am attaching the proposal.  Make it short and sweet.  You don’t have to use fancy words.  People receive hundreds of emails a day. They want you to get the point quickly.

The next paragraph or paragraphs go into detail concerning what you have to say.  Once again, write short, direct sentences.  If you are applying for a job, begin with one sentence why the company should consider you, such as I have expertise in C++, as you require.

The last sentence should say what you want them to do: Please confirm receipt or I await further instructions.  As for the salutation at the end, see my previous posting on that issue.

The final step before sending the mail is to reread the text and check for any grammar or spelling errors.  Those make bad impressions, as any girl who received a note saying “I luvs yu” would know.

By writing short and simple sentences, non-native speakers can simplify vocabulary and grammar while ensuring that their meaning is transmitted as intended.  Also, it reduces “language stress” when thinking about writing the email.  Here’s for reducing stress!

What I like about America

I recently realized that I am an “expatriate.”  That means that I have lived abroad, in Israel, for almost as many years as I lived in the United States.  That is nothing compared to my mother, who has lived in the U.S. twice as many years as she lived in France.  Still, as an expatriate who occasionally visits the motherland or the fatherland, as a Russian or German would say, I have the right and ability to appreciate many good things about the United States of America.

1.       The United States is one of the few countries in the world in which going to the post office and bank takes only 30 minutes.

2.      The level of service received is not a coefficient of the salary level of the worker.

3.      People do not feel entitled to punish the salesperson or secretary for the fact that they had a fight with their spouse, child, or cat.

4.      America is a place where everyday driving, except on Sunday, is not a battleground.

5.      Most people expect to work and make adjustments for life’s unpleasant surprises.  They don’t expect the government to do it for them.

6.      Two day weekends are fantastic! 

7.      It doesn’t make a difference how old you are or how new you are to a city.   You can still make new friends.

8.      Almost everybody has an accent (at least in California).  Variety is the spice of life.

9.      American food is world food: granted in enormous quantities, but there is everything.

10.   Americans try to be nice to each other at least in public.  That makes life so more pleasant!

I know that that the flip side also exists.  There are many problems in the United States.  However, as an expatriate, I can take the good and ignore the bad. 

I would be interested in hearing any comments or additions to this list.