AULD LANG SYNE

"Auld Lang Syne" is the most commonly sung song for English-speakers to bring in the New Year and say goodbye to the old year. It is an old Scottish song that was first published by the poet Robert Burns in the 1797 edition of the book , "Scots Musical Museum". Burns transcribed it after he heard it sung by an old man from Scotland.

"Auld Lang Syne" literally translates as "old long since" and means "times goes by". The song asks whether old friends and times will be forgotten and promises to remember people of the past with fondness, "for auld lang syne, we´ll take a cup of kindness yet". In the song, two old friends who haven´t seen each other in a long time meet and share a drink together.



SHOULD AULD ACQUAINTANCE BE FORGOT,
AND NEVER BROUGHT TO MIND?
SHOULD AULD ACQUAINTANCE BE FORGOT,
AND DAYS OF AULD LANG SYNE?

FOR AULD LANG SYNE, MY DEAR,
FOR AULD LANG SYNE,
WE´LL TAKE A CUP OF KINDNESS YET
FOR AULD LANG SYNE.

AND HERE´S A HAND MY TRUSTY FRIENDS
AND HERE´S THE HAND OF THINE,
WE´LL TAKE A CUP OF KINDNESS YET
FOR AULD LANG SYNE

FOR AULD LANG SYNE, MY DEAR,
FOR AULD LANG SYNE
WE´LL TAKE A CUP OF KINDNESS YET
FOR AULD LANG SYNE.


http://youtu.be/7C9YWK2MKs4

THE ORIGINS OF CHRISTMAS

Long ago, many pagan festivals took place in the Winter. In Scandinavia, the Winter Solstice was celebrated with the festival of Yule. Also at Winter Solstice, the Druids celebrated the festival of Nolagh. The Romans held a festival called Saturnalia in December, in honour of their harvest god, Saturn. The Greeks and the Egyptians also had celebrations at this time of year.

- Today, Christmas is when the birth of Jesus Christ is celebrated. It is the most joyful time of year for Christians, altough non-believers also look forward to Christmas.

- We do not know the exact date when Jesus was born, so early Christians did not celebrate the birth of Jesus on a special day. Later, the Church decided that an official date should be fixed, and chose 25th December.

- The word Christmas means Christ´s Mass, and it was first celebrated officially in AD 354.

Different countries have different Christmas customs and traditions.

In Holland and Germany, children receive sweets on 6th December, St. Nicholas´s Day. Their Christmas presents are brought by the Christkindl on Christmas Eve. St. Nicholas is the messenger of the Christkindl.
In Italy and Spain, most gifts are given on 6th January. In France, Father Christmas is known as Père Nöel, and children leave their shoes for him to fill with gifts on Christmas Eve.
Children in Mexico take part in a procession called "a posada", which means "inn".This commemorates the time when Joseph and Mary were seeking shelter in Bethlehem. Christmas Day itself is a quiet family day and presents are exchanged on 6th January.
America has many different Christmas customs because so many people have settled there from other countries. In Australia, Christmas comes in the middle of summer, so Christmas Dinner is often served on the beach as a barbecue. Homes are decorated with palm leaves and special flowers.

IT´S TIME TO BE HAPPY. MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL OF YOU!!!

ADVENT

Advent means "arrival" (from Latin "adventur"). It is the season just before Christmas and begins on 1st December. During Advent, Christians remember the long and tiring journey that Joseph and Mary made to Bethlehem.

· Advent Candle: Special candles are often lit in church during Advent. A white candle is lit on each of the Sundays of Advent, and burns throughout the day. A special Christmas candle is lit on 25th December.

· Advent Calendar: This idea originally came from German Lutherans. It is often a picture of a Christmas scene, on which 24 small "windows" have been marked. Behind each window, there is a picture of something to do with Christmas. One window is opened on each day of December until Christmas Eve.

· Christingle: Christingle means "Christ-light", and a Christingle consists of an orange (the world) with a candle pushed into it. The candle stands for Jesus, the light of the World. The orange is speared with four little sticks carrying fruit, representing the fruits of the Earth. A red ribbon (Christ´s blood) is tied round the orange. The original custom has been practised since Roman times, when fruit stuck with almonds, raisins, and olive sprigs from the sacred groves of the goddess Strenia, were given as goodwill gifts in December. The custom was brought to Britain by Roman soldiers. Much later, it spread to America and came back to Britain as a Christingle to express the message of Christmas.

THANKSGIVING DAY

Thanksgiving Day is celebrated on the 4th Thursday of November. In America, it is time of turkeys, stuffing and pumpkin pie. A time of Indian corn, holiday parades and giant ballons.

In the USA, in 1621 after a hard and devastating first year in the New World, the Pilgrim´s fall harvest was very successful and plentiful. They found they had enough food to put away for the winter. Their governor proclaimed a day of Thanksgiving that was to be shared by all the colonists and the native American Indians.

The custom of an annually celebrated Thanksgiving, held after the harvest, continued through the years. During the American Revolution (1770´s), a day of national Thanksgiving was suggested by the Continental Congress. In 1817 New York State adopted this day as an annual custom and by the middle of 19th century many other states also celebrated a Thanksgiving Day.

The turkey has become the most well-known symbol of Thanksgiving Day. The American traditions of this day revolve around a huge meal, usually with turkey as the centrepiece. A special prayer of thanks precedes the meal and in many homes, family members will mention something they are very thankful for.

Thanksgiving is a time for families to create traditions and memories that last a lifetime. Nowadays in the United States they celebrate Thanksgiving Day with parades, football and the start of the Christmas shopping season.

HALLOWEEN

Halloween is upon us, when ghouls, ghosts, witches and warlocks come out to spook the living... and the living dress up like the undead. Halloween is a time for fun, a time for superstitions and spirits. Fancy dress, fake blood and trick-or-treat are traditional but many people celebrate Halloween without knowing how this holiday was originated and how it evolved into what it is today.

Halloween is on October 31st, the last day of the Celtic calendar. It was a pagan holiday. All Hallows Eve (Halloween) is the evening before All Saints´ Day, which was created by Christians to convert pagans, and it is celebrated on November 1st.

ANCIENT ORIGINS

Halloween´s origins date back to the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (Old Irish-meaning summer´s end). The Celts, who lived 2000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom and Northern France, celebrated their New Year on November 1st. This day marked the end of summer and the harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter, a time of year that was often associated with human death. On the night of October 31st, they celebrated Samhain, when it was believed that the ghosts of the dead returned to death!

To commemorate the event, Druids built huge sacred bonfires, where the people gathered to burn crops and animals as sacrifices to the Celtic dieties. During the celebration, the Celts wore costumes, typically consisting of animal heads and skins, and attempted to tell each other´s fortunes.

By A.D. 43, Romans had conquered the majority of Celtic territory. In the course of the four hundred years that they ruled the Celtic lands, two festivals of Roman origin were combined with the traditional Celtic celebration of Samhain. The first was Feralia, a day in the late October when Romans traditionally commemorated the passing of the dead. The second was a day to honor Pomona, the Roman goddess of fruit and trees.

By the 800s, the influence of Christianity had spread into Celtic lands. In the seventh century, Pope Boniface IV designated November 1st All Saints´ Day a time to honor saints and martyrs. It is widely believed today that the Pope was attempting to replace the Celtic festival of the dead with a related, but church-sanctioned holiday. The celebration was also called All-hallows or All- hallowmas (Middle English-meaning All Saints´ Day) and the night before it, the night of Samhain, began to be called All-hallows Eve and , eventually, Halloween.

THE COMBINATION OF ENDURANCE

An amazing, inspiring and courageous effort on the part of the miners and their rescuers!

In a world in which disasters often end in tragedy, this event is a beacon of hope for humans everywhere.

"MISION CUMPLIDA CHILE"

NON-VIOLENCE

Throughout the history of the world there have been many movements which have attempted to transform society. Most of these movements have been violent. However, there is also another attitude which has been maintained through the course of the centuries. This is a belief in the ideals of brotherhood, love, and above all, peace.

The first positive movement to change society by peaceful means began with Jesus Christ and Christianity. The movement against violence has had many followers through the centuries, such as Saint Francis of Assisi.

During the first half of the twentieth century, the cult of non-vilence progressed greatly, due to the work done by Gandhi. He held no official position in a Government but he symbolized a universal spirit of peace and brotherhood without distinction as to race or nation. After his death in 1948, and as a reaction to Vietnam War, the Hippy Movement grew up, developed from Gandhi´s doctrines,and reached its peak in the 60´s. Hippies had strong feelings about racism and persecution. They took part in the Civil Rights Movement and they made their beliefs known to the world in many ways including musical shows, pacifist folk songs and through peaceful sit-ins.

Nowadays more and more people are looking for an ideal to save the world. They are looking for something sublime, so simple to understand, and yet so difficult to get- PEACE.

PHILATELY

Philately is probably the most popular hobby outside sport, and it has been so for a very long time. Far from being a spare-time hobby, it would now be a full time job to collect the stamps of the whole world, and most collectors choose to specialise in a few specific countries. Some still prefer not to restrict their collection to a handful of countries and instead choose a theme, probably connected with their own interests.

Every stamp collector likes to have in his collection what is one of the most famous stamps in the world, the PENNY BLACK, an unperforated stamp showing the head of Queen Victoria. This, along with the TWOPENNY BLUE, was the first postage stamp to be issued anywhere in the world. As Britain was the first country to use pre-paid adhesive stamps for its postal service in 1840, it was not considered necessary to include the name of the country in the design, and Britain is still the only country in the world whose stamps do not bear its own name.

British stamps changed hardly at all in their first hundred years. Queen Victoria insisted that the same youthful image of her head should be used throughout her reign but commemorative stamps were issued exceptionally for the 1924 Empire Exhibition at Wembley. This was a time when philatelists found the stamps of other counties far more exotic than the home-grown product.

This state of affairs continued until well into the reign of the present Queen. Although the picture started to change when George VI came to the throne, the Second World War intervened, and only a few commemoratives appeared during his reign.

1966 was quite a year for stamp collectors. It was also the year when the World Cup Football Competition was held in Britain, and the special FOURPENNY STAMP was overprinted with the words "England winners" after the happy outcome.

In the seventies, chemistry, energy resources, broadcasting sailing, sport and social reform were some of the other themes treated in a similar way. But the general trend was towards more naturalistic representation: trees, flowers, horses, dogs, birds.... Famous people also began to figure regularly on stamps: poets, writers, explorers and composers, and the anniversaries of several famous Brithish painters were used as a nice excuse to reproduce in miniature some paintings. Many people think that stamps are the world´s most popular miniature art form. It is definitely cultural and scientific life which British stamps designers choose to represent.

So for many years, British stamps have taken people on a wonderful journey through Britain and its society, celebrating important events and anniversaries, heroic achievments, showing the British way of life. Meticulously researched and beautifully designed, stamp collecting opens a window to the world, and they capture the richness and diversity of British life like no other.

EMILIA PARDO BAZAN

BIOGRAPHY

- Born in La Coruña (Spain) in 1852.
- Raised in a wealthy family with progressive political leanings.
- Very well-educated, particularly influenced by French thought and literature.
- Known for bringing Naturalism to Spanish Literature, for her descriptions of reality and for her role in feminist literature.
- Her work is representative of the styles and concerns of Realism, Naturalism,
Feminism and Modernism.
- Interested in politics and advocate of education and other opportunities for wo-
men.
- Particularly concerned with the representation, in her fiction, of sexual passions
and gender issues as well as social differences and contrasts.
- Wrote extensively in many forms (novels, short stories, essays, articles...)
and on a wide variety of subjects ( literature, technology, theology, social issues,
feminism...)
- Attacked as immoral by reactionary and oppresive elements of Spanish society.
- Proffesor of Romance Literature at the University of Madrid (1916-1921).
- Died in Madrid in 1921.

MAIN WORKS

Emilia Pardo Bazán was universally recognized as one of the chiefs of the new naturalistic movement in Spain. She wrote nineteen novels including: "Pascual López" (1879), "El cisne de Villamorta" (1885), "Los Pazos de Ulloa" ( 1886), "Madre Naturaleza" (1887) and "La sirena negra" (1908).
With "Un viaje de novios" (1881), she tried to introduce into Spain the methods of French Realism. Another naturalistic tale, "La tribuna" (1885), influenced by Emile Zola caused a sensation among the literary groups. Meanwhile the writer´s reply to her critics was issued under the title of "La cuestión palpitante" (1883), a piece of rhetoric value.
"Los Pazos de Ulloa" (1886), probably the best of Emilia Pardo Bazán work, is a painful story of a decadent aristocratic family. The portraits of types like Nucha and Julián are notable. Her merit lies in its pictures of country life, its poetic realization of Galician scenery set down in an elaborate style, which is very effective.

She was also author of hundreds of short stories including: "La cristiana" (1890), "Cuentos de amor" (1894), "Arco Iris" (1895), "Misterio" (1903), "La Quimera" (1905), and "Verdad" (1905).

ALL THE WORLD´S STAGE

This is an extract from a Shakespeare play, "As you like it", written nearly four hundred years ago. It is a famous speech, known as "The seven ages of man", by a character called Jaques.
It is one of Shakespeare´s most famous monologues. He analyzes the great drama of life in a world which is "a wide and universal theatre". The basic idea is that every life is a theatrical performance. Man is just playing a role. Shakespeare divides the life of a man into seven ages or acts, and describes each with a character: infant, school-boy, lover, soldier, justice, pantaloon and second childhood.


Act II, Scene 7," AS YOU LIKE IT" by William Shakespeare.

All the world´s stage,
And all the men and women merely players:
they have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts being seven ages. At first the infant,
Mewling and pucking in the nurse´s arms.
And then the whining school-boy, with this satchel,
And shining morning face, creeping like snail
Unwillingly to school. And then the lover,
Sighing like furnace, with a woful ballad
Made to his mistress´eyebrow. then a soldier,
Full of strange oaths, and bearded like the pard,
Jealous in honour, sudden and quick in quarrel,
Seeking the bubble reputation
Even in the cannon´s mouth. and then the justice,
In fair round belly with good capon lin´d,
With eyes severe, and beard of formal cut,
Full of wise saws and modern instances;
And so he plays his part. The sixth age shifts
Into the lean and slipper´d pantaloon
With spectacles on nose and puoch on side,
His youthful hose well sav´d a world too wide
For his shunk shank; and his big manly voice,
Turning again toward childish treble, pipes
And whistles in his sound. Last scene of all,
That ends his strange eventful history,
Is second childishness and mere oblivion
sans teeth, sans eyes, sans taste, sans everything.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C68ksx6QYEo


Glossary

mewling and pucking: crying and being sick
whining: making a complaining noise
woful: sad
oaths: swear, rude words
belly: stomach
capon: male chicken fattened for eating
saws: proverbs or sayings
slipper´d: with slippers on
pantaloon: (archaic) in commedia dell´arte, a foolish old Venetian merchant
hose: kind of trousers
oblivion: forgetfulness
sans: without (French word)

SAINT BRENDAN, THE VOYAGER.

Saint Brendan, the voyager, was born in the south west of Ireland in 484. There is little information about his life but he had a very strong influence on the Celtic Church. He founded a number of abbies and monasteries, including the one at Clonfert in Galway (Ireland) where he died in 578.

Saint Brendan is known for his legendary quest to the "Isle of the Blessed". The saint was a wanderer. He left his home as a sign of his spiritual quest. He decided to sail from the Hebrides off the edge of the known world into the west. Although there is no historical proof of his voyage, Brendan is said to have sailed in search of a Paradise with a company of sixty monks. After a long voyage ( 7 years), they reached the Paradise, an island covered with vegetation.

Many medieval manuscripts of the "Voyage of Saint Brendan" still exist and there are versions in Middle English, French, German, Italian, Flemish and other languages. This story was popular in the Middle Ages.

Maps of Columbus´s time often included an island called St Brendan´s Island that was placed in the Western Atlantic Ocean. Map markers of the time had no idea of its exact position but they believed it existed somewhere west of Europe. It was mentioned in a Latin text (Navigatio Santi

Brendan Abatis), dating from the 9th century. It described the voyage as having taken place in the 6th century. Several copies of the text have survived in monasteries throughout Europe. Since the 13th century the legend has appeared in the literatures of the Netherlands, Germany and England.

The narrative in "Navigatio Brendan" offers a wide range for the interpretation of the geographical position of the Paradise´Island: far west of the southern part of Ireland, the Fortunate Isles in the south,....

Soon a new theory arose, maintained for those scholars who claimed for the Irish monk the glory of discovering America because he could only have the knowledge of foreign animals and plants described in the legend by visiting the western continent. Did Saint Brendan travel to America before Columbus? He possibly reached America in the 6th century!!!

Now Saint Brendan is known as the Patron Saint of sailors and travellers. His feast is kept on the 16 May, the day of his death. It is celebrated by Catholics, Anglicans and Eastern Orthodox Christians.

THE STORY BEHIND THE PICTURE

Every picture tells a story and now I am thinking about the terrible story which is represented in ¨The third of May 1808¨painted by Francisco de Goya y Lucientes between 1814 and 1815.

On the second of May 1808, the people of Madrid attacked a group of the mounted Egyptian soldiers (mamelukes) of the French Army. The participants and the witnesses of the attack were punished by arrests and executions continuing throughout the night and the following morning of 3 May. The reality is that hundred of Spaniards were rounded up and shot.

The subject is a scene where French soldiers execute Spanish patriots at Príncipe Pío hill in Madrid. It is recognizable because of the palace on the right-hand side.

There are two diagonal lines: the individualized patriots and the soldiers. The French soldiers are identical, with the same uniforms, swords, hats. They are an inhuman group of men. The central figure, a man with his arms outstretched, reflects the desperation and the terror of the situation which is evident on his face. The brightness of this figure highlights the tragic moment.

This painting is not so much a protest against the French Imperialism. It is a cry against the inhuman brutality in all wars.

STONEHENGE

Stonehenge is a mysterious place. Nobody knows exactly who built the monument on Salisbury Plain. The construction was begun about 5000 years ago, so it is one of the oldest buildings in existence.

There are three circles of stones and some of the stones are very heavy. The extraordinary thing is that a lot of them were brought from places far away. People didn´t have transport in those days, so how did they move them? It is a mystery.

The legend says that Stonehenge was built for sunworshipping but there are different theories as to why Stonehenge was built. Some people think it was a castle, others an observatory from which to watch the stars, and still others a calendar in stone. Speculation on the reason it was built range from human sacrifice to astronomy.

Stonehenge has many visitors every year. It is very popular in the Summer. On June the 21st of every year, the longest day of the year, the sun rises directly above a line drawn between two of the most important stones, and there is a ceremony of sunworshipping at sunrise on Midsummer´s day. People stand inside the sacred circle and there is an amazing excitement at the solstice sunrise.

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/episode/stonehenge-decoded-3372

EXAMS, EXAMS.

Selectivity exam for thousands of students is in the horizon and they are all getting quite nervous. As many teachers know, it is a very important exam for them. It is a period of hard work and study. I know that pieces of advice here can be a bit funny but the only thing I am going to say to all my students is to do their best!

Before the exam:

- Check your equipment, make sure it is in order.

- Don´t cheat or break any rules. Don´t take mobile phones in.

- Make sure you get enough sleep and have a healthy breakfast or lunch.

- Keep your thoughts to yourself and concentrate on the exam.

- Relax and think positively to grow your confidence.

In the exam:

- Take a short breath in through your nose and then let it out long through your mouth.

- Concentrate on what you have to do.

- Have a glucose sweet to give energy to your brain.

- Read the instructions on the exam papers carefully.

- Read the questions before you write anything.

- Use time to choose your questions and write notes to help you remember later.

After the exam:

- Don´t worry about the exam you have just taken.

- Concentrate instead on the next exam.

GOOD LUCK, GUYS!!!

LITERATURE: THE ROMANTIC PERIOD

The age of Romanticism brought about a new type of emotional literature. The scientific and rational thought of the previous century gave way to the most violent emotions: enthusiasm, melancholy, passion, emotion. The coming of the 19th century brought a period of cultural change which was notable in many aspects of life.

MAIN CHARACTERISTICS OF ROMANTICISM.

- Individualism and the triumph of subjectivity.
- Interest in Nature as inspiration for Art.
- Fascination with magic, dreams, fantasy and mystery.
- Spirit of rebellion.
- Idealism.
- Renewed interest in the past and exotic cultures.
- A feeling of personal liberty.

Romanticism dominated English Literature through 19th century. In Britain, it is represented by two generations of poets:

- The Lake Poets: William Wordsworth, Samuel Taylor Coleridge. The most important elements of their works are: solitary meditation, a deep emotion produced by the contemplation of nature, the presence of a mysterious atmosphere...

- The Rebel Poets: Lord Byron, John Keats, Percy Shelley. The poetry of all three is full of romantic emotion, revolutionary ideas and notable perfection.

Romantic novels were also popular. Some well-known examples are Mary Shelley´s "Frankenstein" (1818), Emily Bronte´s "Wuthering Heights" (1847), Charlotte Bronte´s "Jane Eyre" (1847) and Walter Scott´s "Ivanhoe" (1819).

OUT-OF-THIS-WORLD MENU

One good reason to visit Galicia is to enjoy the excellent food, available in many restaurants, shops and markets.
Seafood is its speciality, due to the province´s long shoreline and traditional fishing economy.

- Octopus with olive oil and Spanish paprika

- Mussels

- Lobsters

- Squid

- Prawns

- Crabs

- Oysters

- Barnacles

- Sardines and mackerel

Seafood is also used in soups, stews, paellas and pies. Galician pie is a meat or fish pie with a bread-like base. "Caldo gallego" is a soup made from cabbage or turnips tops, potato and a small piece of meat. There are many varieties of this Galician speciality.

Galicia also produces a number of high-quality wines, including Albariño, Ribeiro, Ribeira Sacra and Valdeorras.

To round off this brief look at Galician cuisine, let me not forget its fresh cheeses, pastries and "filloas"(a type of crepe), the most original and delightful dessert that Galicia can offer.

A feast for stomach and eyes!

SUCH IS THE TRADITION

Along the routes to Santiago de Compostela people of all conditions have walked: honest pilgrims, convicts, minstrels, beggars, adventurers... If you go across the south-west of France and into northern Spain you will begin to see groups of walkers. Most are carrying backpacks and long sticks and somewhere they are wearing a scallop shell. All of them are headed to the same place. They are on a guided tour, but they are not ordinary tourists. They are pilgrims walking the Camino de Santiago, the way of Saint James, to Santiago de Compostela, the route that millions of people have taken over hundreds of years. The pilgrimage to Santiago, where Saint James is believed to be buried, is extremely popular, especially among the French and other north Europeans.

From the ninth century its fame spreads. Thus from the relative darkness of a local cult, the Jacobean pilgrimage, which took its place beside Jerusalem and Rome, developed. People travelled in groups because it was safer and also more enjoyable. Whether the pilgrim´s route lay by land or by sea there were many hazards to be faced, either from Nature or from their fellow men.

To prove they had done the pilgrimage, the rules were quiet strict. They had to follow a well-planned route and visit important places of culture. They had to travel by horse or on foot and they stayed in special hostels. For some, the pilgrimage was an important religious experience, but for many it was a chance to have a holiday and do some sightseeing. The asking of a favour or seeking a cure have always been motives for pilgrimage and many cures and miracles were attributed to the intervention of Saint James. Closely associated with the motive of petition was that of thanks-giving, and some of the offerings at the shrine were evidence of gratitude.

Today, the rules are less strict. You only have to travel 100 km on foot or horseback. You can go by bicycle as well, but you are not supposed to drive or hitchhike, so to prove you have resisted this temptation, you are obliged to obtain a special "passport" at several checkpoints along the way. To officially "do the camino", you need to cover at least 100 kilometres.

When you arrive in Santiago, you have to show your passport at the Pilgrim´s Office by the cathedral. A church official gives you a "compostela".

Finally, you are supposed to enter the magnificient cathedral, give a hug to the statue of Saint James and get a glimpse of the tiny silver coffin holding his bones. With this last gesture, you have become a part of the pilgrim tradition that has attracted believers and tourists for many hundreds of years.

Past days are long gone, but the pilgrimage itself has essentially stayed the same century after century because there is something very satisfying about walking a route people have walked for more than 1000 years.

In 1987 the Council of Europe named the French Way as First European Cultural Itinerary. In 1993, UNESCO highlighted the importance and significance of the Way of Saint James by declaring it part of Mankind´s Cultural Heritage.

THE ORIGIN OF ENGLISH

The history of the English Language started with the arrival of three Germanic tribes who invaded Britain during the 5th century AD. These tribes were: the Angles, the Saxons and the Jutes. At that time the inhabitants of Britain spoke a Celtic language.

Old English

Old English is the vernacular Germanic language of Great Britain as it is recorded in manuscripts and inscriptions dating from 1100. It is one of the Germanic group of the Indo-European family of languages. There are four dialects: Northumbrian, Mercian, Kentish and West-Saxon. After 900, West-Saxon was increasingly used as a standard written language.

Middle English

Middle English is the name given to the type of English used from about 1100 to 1500. After the Norman conquest, French became the language of the upper classes, while English was used by the lower classes. English did not re-established itself as the language of the educated people until the 13th and 14th centuries.

Modern English

Modern English is the form of the English Language spoken since the Great Vowel Shift in England. Texts from the early 17th century are considered to be Modern English. It has a large number of varieties throughout the world: American English, Australian English, Canadian English, New Zealand English, .... Today English is widely spoken. It has often been referred to as the "world language" of modern era.

Hello everybody and welcome to my blog!

There is so much to talk about and so much to examine..... Where to begin? I don´t know.... but I will try to include some resources that can help you with your English.

I hope you enjoy it!