English Language Blog

I think it is fair to say that Americans, on the whole, really like bumper stickers. Bumper stickers, are large stickers with short messages written on them that attach to the back of a car. They are just another way for people to express themselves and share their opinion, which really fits with the American belief in freedom of speech. Just like people’s thoughts and beliefs, bumper sticker messages are quite diverse including messages that are: religious, political, humorous, sports related, regionally affiliated, and more. People can even have their own unique bumper sticker made to say whatever they want if they can’t find one that already has the right message. Bumper stickers are also a way for Americans to assert their individuality when driving in a sea of similar looking cars. (America after all also has a very strong driving culture and the average American commuter spends 38 hours a week in their car!) Drivers use the bumper stickers they see on cars to judge other drivers.

Bumper stickers have been a part of American culture for a while and they only seem to gaining in popularity as well as spreading to drivers/cars around the world.  Bumper stickers first made their debut in the United States around World War II, when they were most often in the shape of flags. They soon became a way of advertising, and then started to become political. In the United States around election season you will see bumper stickers for political candidates all over the road on the back of cars. Now there is a bumper sticker for just about every group, cause, or idea.  Some bumper stickers are quite creative even.  More than anything I appreciate a funny bumper sticker, something that makes me laugh, especially when I’m sitting in traffic for a while.

Below are some pictures of common bumper stickers seen in the United States. The best part about these bumper stickers is you don’t have to try and read them while in a moving car!

Here is a creative sticker with a message about the beauty of the earth, as art.

People commonly put this bumper sticker on their car to let others know they have run a marathon, which is 26.2 miles long.

Here is a sticker associated with a place. People often get bumper stickers like from their favorite vacation spots or when traveling to new places.

Here is a sticker associated with a cause.

This bumper sticker promotes peacefulness among people of different faiths and spiritual beliefs, by encouraging everyone to “coexists.”

Lastly, here is a picture of the car of a person who really likes to speak their mind through bumper stickers!

According to recent statistics (http://www.theweddingreport.com/bz/index.php/one-1-in-six-6-couples-meet-online/) 1 in every 6 couples in the United States now meets on-line.  This is a lot of people meeting online! People are meeting and dating via the internet all over the world, so this information is probably not big news to you, but there is a lot of interesting information out there about on-line dating and some vocabulary related to on-line dating that I would like to teach you in this post.

One of the original on-line dating sites was called ElectronicMatchmaker, and started way back in 1992 (over 20 years ago!). This site later became Match.com and Match.com now has 17,000,000 people using their website per month. Match.com is only one of many English-language on-line dating sites, in fact there are many many others, like: eHarmony, PlentyofFish, and OkCupid, some of which are sites users pay for and others which are free.

To begin to look at some of the vocabulary related to on-line dating let’s first look at the names of some of these sites. PlentyofFish, gets its name from an expression “There are plenty of fish in the sea” which means ‘there are a lot of other possible options out there.’ This is an expression that is often used when talking about a relationship not working out, when someone is beginning to look for a new boyfriend or girlfriend.  For example:

A: My boyfriend broke up with me. I know I’ll never find anyone else I love as much as him.

B: Come on, there are plenty of fish in the sea, I’m sure you will find someone else amazing very soon.

The site OKCupid gets its name from the classic mythological god of desire, love, and attraction who was called Cupido in Latin and Eros in Greek, and Cupid in English. Match.com gets its name from the definition of ‘a match,’ and I’m not talking about the thing you use to light a fire.  ‘A match’ is also what it is called when you bring together two corresponding pieces. For example you may match one puzzle piece with another or match two cards that look the same in a card game.

So, what other of vocabulary related to on-line dating would be good to know? First of all you will need to know what a ‘profile’ is.  A profile is the summary of who you are, with information ranging from you age, height, weight, and occupation, to likes, dislikes, favorite activities, etc. It is the summary of who you are that you share with others. Your ‘profile picture’ is also an important term to know.  This is the picture of you attached to your written profile information. This is the first picture potential ‘matches’ will see of you. In the on-line dating world ‘a match’ is a person who you have been connected with by a computer program as someone who is potentially a good fit for you, based on your profile. If you are lucky, you might meet your ‘Mr. or Mrs. Right’ through on-line dating. The phrase Mr. or Mrs. Right is an English expression used to refer to a person who is perfect for you – your soul mate.

Even if you are not looking to get into on-line dating, a really great way to practice your English would be to write a ‘profile’ for yourself. Doing this will require you to think about and find the words to talk about yourself and your interests, which is just the type of information you will commonly share with new people.  So being able to talk about this personal information easily in English is great for you to be able to do whether you are interested in on-line dating or not.

Where are all the cicadas? First of all, what are cicadas? Cicadas are insects, so yes this post is about insects. They are a unique insect though, certainly worthy of a post of their own!

There are many different types of cicadas, but the most well-known type is one that hibernates for 17 years then comes out to “sing,” mate, and then die.  Yes, you read that right, cicadas spend 17 years sleeping away in the ground, until they pop out of the earth, then the males make a unique chirping noise, like a song, to attract the females in order to mate, then the cicadas die and the whole 17-year process begins again! The sound the cicadas make during this short time they live above ground is quite impressive especially when there are hundreds and thousands of them making this sound all at once, which often happens because they tend to all emerge from their 17-year hibernation all at once.

Here is YouTube video of a cicada starting to chip/sing:

So, the cicadas are due for their once in 17 year appearance, but unfortunately something seems to have gone wrong because the cicadas on the Eastern Coast of the United States have overslept!  They were supposed to be here in May (of 2013), but still have not arrived! In fact, people are so confused about what is going on with the cicadas that it has made the news.  Here is a recent radio news program about the missing cicadas.  This is a great piece to listen to because the language is clearly spoken and at a reasonable pace. Take a listen to learn a little more about our missing cicadas here on the East Coast of the United States.

http://cnnradio.cnn.com/2013/06/05/where-are-the-cicadas-already/

Here is some vocabulary to help you understand this news article:

gimmick – a trick to attract attention

bust – a disappointment or ‘let down’

chirp – a short, sharp, high-pitched sound usually made by birds or insects

nymph – a young cicada

emerge – to move out of something or come into view

noisy – making a lot of noise or sound

entomology – the scientific study of insects

brood(s) – a family or large group

modem – a device used to transmit data to or from a computer via telephone or other communication lines

swarm – a large group of insects flying together

So, what do you think, will the cicadas be swarming Washington, DC and New York City soon? What do you think has happened to them?