English Lectures
Páginas: 12 (2755 palabras)
Publicado: 10 de diciembre de 2012
Readings
English is a West Germanic language originating in England, and the first language for most people in Australia, Canada, the Commonwealth Caribbean, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States of America (also commonly known as the Anglosphere). It is used extensively as a second language and as an official language throughout the world, especially inCommonwealth countries such as India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and South Africa, and in many international organisations.
Modern English is sometimes described as the global lingua franca. English is the dominant international language in communications, science, business, aviation, entertainment, radio and diplomacy. The influence of the British Empire is the primary reason for the initial spread of thelanguage far beyond the British Isles. Following World War II, the growing economic and cultural influence of the United States has significantly accelerated the spread of the language. On an average school day approximately one billion people are learning English in one form or another.
A working knowledge of English is required in certain fields, professions, and occupations. As a result over abillion people speak English at least at a basic level. English is one of six official languages of the United Nations.
J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (January 3, 1892–September 2, 1973) was the author of The Hobbit and its sequel The Lord of the Rings, his most famous work.
A former pupil of King Edward's School, Birmingham, he worked as Professor of Anglo-Saxon at theUniversity of Oxford from 1925 to 1945, and as Professor of English Language and Literature, also at Oxford, from 1945 to 1959.
He was an eminently distinguished lexicographer and an expert in Anglo-Saxon and Old Norse. He belonged to the literary discussion group the Inklings, through which he enjoyed a close friendship with C. S. Lewis.
In addition to the The Hobbit and The Lord of theRings, Tolkien's published fiction includes a number of posthumous books about the history of the imaginary world of Middle-earth, where his stories take place.
The enduring popularity and influence of these works have established Tolkien as the father of the modern high fantasy genre. Tolkien's other published fiction includes adaptations of stories originally told to his children and not directlyrelated to Middle-earth.
The Beatles
The Beatles were one of the most influential music groups of the rock era, and many consider them the best musical group on Earth. Initially they affected the post-war baby boom generation of Britain and the U.S. during the 1960s, and later the rest of the world. Certainly they were the most successful group, with global sales exceeding 1.1 billionrecords.
While they were originally famous for light-weight pop music (and the extreme hysterical reaction they received from young women), their later works achieved a combination of popular and critical acclaim perhaps unequaled in the 20th century.
Eventually, they became more than recording artists, branching out into film and — particularly in the case of John Lennon — politicalactivism. They achieved an iconic status beyond mere celebrity, with far reaching effects difficult to exaggerate.
The members of the group were John Lennon, (James) Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr (Richard Starkey), all from Liverpool, Merseyside, England. Original drummer Pete Best was asked to leave the group just before it started recording. Stuart Sutcliffe was with them in Hamburgbut also left.
Beatlemania began in the UK and exploded following the appearance of the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show in the United States, on February 9, 1964. The pop-music band became a worldwide phenomenon with worshipful fans, hysterical adulation, and denunciations by culture commentators and others such as Frank Sinatra.
Some of this was confusion over the sources of their music...
English is a West Germanic language originating in England, and the first language for most people in Australia, Canada, the Commonwealth Caribbean, Ireland, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States of America (also commonly known as the Anglosphere). It is used extensively as a second language and as an official language throughout the world, especially inCommonwealth countries such as India, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and South Africa, and in many international organisations.
Modern English is sometimes described as the global lingua franca. English is the dominant international language in communications, science, business, aviation, entertainment, radio and diplomacy. The influence of the British Empire is the primary reason for the initial spread of thelanguage far beyond the British Isles. Following World War II, the growing economic and cultural influence of the United States has significantly accelerated the spread of the language. On an average school day approximately one billion people are learning English in one form or another.
A working knowledge of English is required in certain fields, professions, and occupations. As a result over abillion people speak English at least at a basic level. English is one of six official languages of the United Nations.
J. R. R. Tolkien
John Ronald Reuel Tolkien (January 3, 1892–September 2, 1973) was the author of The Hobbit and its sequel The Lord of the Rings, his most famous work.
A former pupil of King Edward's School, Birmingham, he worked as Professor of Anglo-Saxon at theUniversity of Oxford from 1925 to 1945, and as Professor of English Language and Literature, also at Oxford, from 1945 to 1959.
He was an eminently distinguished lexicographer and an expert in Anglo-Saxon and Old Norse. He belonged to the literary discussion group the Inklings, through which he enjoyed a close friendship with C. S. Lewis.
In addition to the The Hobbit and The Lord of theRings, Tolkien's published fiction includes a number of posthumous books about the history of the imaginary world of Middle-earth, where his stories take place.
The enduring popularity and influence of these works have established Tolkien as the father of the modern high fantasy genre. Tolkien's other published fiction includes adaptations of stories originally told to his children and not directlyrelated to Middle-earth.
The Beatles
The Beatles were one of the most influential music groups of the rock era, and many consider them the best musical group on Earth. Initially they affected the post-war baby boom generation of Britain and the U.S. during the 1960s, and later the rest of the world. Certainly they were the most successful group, with global sales exceeding 1.1 billionrecords.
While they were originally famous for light-weight pop music (and the extreme hysterical reaction they received from young women), their later works achieved a combination of popular and critical acclaim perhaps unequaled in the 20th century.
Eventually, they became more than recording artists, branching out into film and — particularly in the case of John Lennon — politicalactivism. They achieved an iconic status beyond mere celebrity, with far reaching effects difficult to exaggerate.
The members of the group were John Lennon, (James) Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr (Richard Starkey), all from Liverpool, Merseyside, England. Original drummer Pete Best was asked to leave the group just before it started recording. Stuart Sutcliffe was with them in Hamburgbut also left.
Beatlemania began in the UK and exploded following the appearance of the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show in the United States, on February 9, 1964. The pop-music band became a worldwide phenomenon with worshipful fans, hysterical adulation, and denunciations by culture commentators and others such as Frank Sinatra.
Some of this was confusion over the sources of their music...
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