Women's Hospital of Greensboro

One of our women's classes visited the Women's Hospital. They took a guided tour of the hospital with Cheryl Pratt RN from the Perinatal Education. They also attended a one hour class of advice for women about what to expect on the day of their children's births and things they can do to prepare for that day. At the end of the visit, Cheryl gave our students a book and a CD to keep and watch at home.

"The field trip to the Women's Hospital was exciting and helpful for me. I liked the delivery room. The room is very comfortable for women."   
                                                  - Bibi
                                          

"It was interesting and I liked it, and this gave us confidence in the hospital, because everything was clean."                                   
                      -Mona

"I liked the trip to the Women's Hospital because I'm pregnant, and it was very important to me. I saw the delivery room and I learned a lot about the labor."
                                                                                           -Shroug

The Natural Science Center

American Language Academy took a trip to the Natural Science Center of Greensboro. The museum hosts a fine collection of exhibits that cover many areas of natural sciences, including astronomy, geology, paleontology, human and animal biology, and meteorology. It also has a zoo that includes gibbons, wallabies, meerkats, and tigers, among other animals. Our students and faculty had a great time exploring the museum and meeting the tigers.

Civil Rights in Greensboro

On February 1^st in 1960, four African-American students from what is now NC A&T State University were refused service at the F.W. Woolworth Co. in downtown Greensboro, because the lunch counter was racially segregated. Despite the restaurant's request that they leave, they remained in their seats, in non-violent protest.

More students joined the cause each day, in North Carolina and the surrounding states, and within three months sit-ins had spread to at least 55 cities. The students had taken inspiration from Rosa Parks, who began the Civil Rights Movement by refusing to give up her seat in a Montgomery bus in 1955.

A few years later, in 1963, Martin Luther King would deliver his "I have a Dream" speech during the march in Washington D.C. Over the next few years, African-Americans would gain equal rights, through legislation such as the Equal Voting Rights Act, passed in 1965.

The Smithsonian Institution's Museum of American History in Washington displays a section of the  original lunch counter, and the original building is now open as the International Civil Rights Center and Museum. 

A Special Term

There’s something special about the word “special.” We often use it to describe things we love, such as memories, gifts, foods, crafts, people, and locations.

 The word is related to “species” in that refers to something “individual, particular,” the meaning of the origin Latin word, speciālis. 

 

They both also relate to the Latin verb, speculārī, “to spy out, watch, examine, observe, and spect-āre, “to look at.” The Latin word evolved into a now out-of-use English word, “spect,” which was used in 16^th century descriptions of navigation, meaning “to look or face in a specified direction.”

That’s where we get the words “expect,” “speculate,” and “spectacle,” which means, “a specially prepared or arranged display of a more or less public nature (esp. one on a large scale), forming an impressive or interesting show or entertainment for those viewing it.” The evolution of the “spec” words is a natural one—to look at something is to determine that is particular in itself, individual and distinct. Derivatives of the Latin word were in use in Old French in addition to Middle English, and also some of the Scandinavian languages.

Student Profiles: Veronica and Ali

"Hello, everyone! I'm Veronica. I'm from Rome, Italy. I always knew that I would study in the United States, because it is the best place to learn the English language. My father works for the United Nations, and his colleague spoke highly of this school. So, my father and I decided that I would come here.  

I am living in Greensboro with my father's wife. My experience in Greensboro has been pleasant. The school is very friendly and warm and now feels like a second family.  I am fortunate enough to have two wonderful teachers. I only have a short time left because I have to return to my country.  But if I am able, I will come back to finish the rest of the levels.  I highly recommend this school to anyone who is able to come to ALA to have this important experience, to learn the life, culture and language of the United States."

Service Learning at ALA

Our Winter 2013 group visited the Heritage Green senior living facility. We had many interesting conversations with the residents in front of the fireplace.

"I was very happy and some of the residents were carrying pictures of their children."  - Mona

An  architect showed us some of his most impressive sketches!

"I want to thank American Language Academy for giving me this wonderful opportunity to visit the retirement community. I really enjoyed talking with the senior citizens. They were so nice and friendly. I hope to visit them again and spend a good time with them. "  - Mona

Word Histories from the Language Doctor:

Regulate, Regime, Region, Register?

Learning the history of a word, or its etymology, can be a useful component to an ESL lesson, and often you don’t even need access to the Oxford English Dictionary, though it’s a wonderful tool. Some knowledge of Latin or the Romance languages, such as French, Spanish, and Italian, can help in English language exploration, and students may be able to remember words simply by knowing parts of them and what they stand for.

Recently, my class learned the words “regulate” and “regulations.”

 I directed the students to consider “reg.” What other words contain “reg”? I asked them. “Regime,” a ruling force, and “regal,” king-like.

Also, “regular,” “regimen,” and “regiment.” What do all these have in common? I pointed out that Latin words for ruler are “rex” and “regis” Without even knowing that, however, we can conclude that a word that begins with “reg” will have something to do with being ruled, or having rules and order, or consistency.

But what about “region” ? That seems to have nothing to do with rules. A quick look at the OED reveals that “region” originally meant “kingdom,” or an “administrative division,” which makes sense, because the word “regal” comes from the Latin rēgālis, which meant "belonging to a king or queen."

What about the word “regard” ? In addition to “give attention to,” it can also mean to “protect” or “to take care of.” “Register” naturally relates to all the above, since when something is registered, it is accounted for in some particular order. “Regale” or “to please or delight,” obviously has to do with pleasing or delighting a ruler.

Words that began with “reg” and referred to rules, rulers, or order existed in Old English, Middle English and Middle French. (Old English was used before the 12^th century, Middle English was in use the 12^th through the 15^th century, and from the 15^th century onward, we’ve been speaking Modern English.)

Our language is imperfect, with odd inconsistencies and strange connections, but considering the history of words leads us to remember them, as well as some of the history that formed them. Feel free to post any observations you have about words and word histories, or you may request a word history from Dr. Language.