Dave's ESL Cafe's Student Discussion Forums

[ClarissaMach]

I must warn that this topic is a litte bit “off-topic” … but as I believe that learning another language has a lot to do with learning about another culture, I think it might be a good point for discussion.

I’d like to ask you all if is there in your country such a meaningfull event as the World Cup is to Brazil.

It’s very different from Christmas Eve or New Years Day; althoug these are very important ceremonies, they happen every single year, so, you know, they become too usual….

But the World Cup… it happens just once in four years. Well, you wouldn’t believe how much it gets people involved! This is a moment in which all the differences seem to vanish! Everybody wears green and yellow, the main colours of the Brazilian flag. Workers are allowed to leave the office much earlier than usual (1:00 pm, when it should be 6:00 pm), and so are students at school. Everybody gets totally excited about it! The streets are fully decorated with paper streamers, and little flags, even in the poorest neighbourhoods.

So, tell me, is there such a special moment in your country?



Clarissa Alves Machado

[Mister Micawber]

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You might get more discussion if you post this in one of the discussion forums, like Current News or Culture, Clarissa. The World Cup bores me immensely.
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_________________
"I really do not know that anything has ever been more exciting than diagramming sentences." � Gertrude Stein
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Canadian-American who teaches English for a living at Mr Micawber's

[Anuradha Chepur]

Here in India Clarissa, people are crazy about cricket (I am not, though.)
During cricket, students go missing from classes, people go missing from offices. Sometimes, specially if it is a match between India and Pakistan, even the government may declare a pulbic holiday.

[ClarissaMach]

Mr Anuradha Chepur, I had never heard that cricket meant so much in your country, thanks a lot for your answer.

Mr Micaweber, thanks for the advise. I'll post it in the "Culture" forum.

(By the way, I don't like soccer either... but I love the World Cup! Brazilians were very disappointed yesterday, for Brazil's team made only one goal against Croatia's team).

[Anuradha Chepur]

Just for your information Clarissa - In India, names ending in vowels are feminine (Anuradha, Sita, Gita, Megha, Sujata, Gautami, Swati, Jyoti, Kaveri, etc). Names ending in consonants are masculine (Rajesh, Siddharth, Sridhar, Prashant, Rajiv, Kashyap, Kaushik, etc). There could be very rare exceptions in either case.

Have a nice day!

[ClarissaMach]

Oh, I'm so sorry, lady! Thank you very much for the explanation.

By the way, curiously, it's almost the same in Portuguese. Names ending with an "a" (like mine, "Clarissa", or Maria, Gabriela, Daniela), usually are feminine; names ending with an "o" (such as Pedro, Paulo, Ricardo, Rodrigo, Gustavo) usually are masculine.