Songs to study in class

In our last class, we saw John Lennon and Forest Gump speaking with each other on a TV talk show. The conversation was very similar to the lyrics of John Lennon's song "Imagine." You can find the lyrics to this song here. In our next class I would like to listen to this song with you and study the lyrics.

There is another song I would like to introduce to you. It's called "If I Had a Hammer." I mentioned it in class in regard to a question about the meaning of "would" in the sentence "He would like to thank Mr. Cunningham." You can find the lyrics to this song here. Actually, I should have introduced this song to you during our last class but I forgot. Sorry.

Retest (or "Make-up Test")

As I said today in class, I will test you on Scout and Atticus on December 15.  For those of you who took the first test on Scout and Atticus this will be a "retest" (though I may change some of the questions).  For those of you who were absent that day, this will be a make-up test.

The beginning of "Forrest Gump"

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Please study this dialogue from the beginning of "Forrest Gump."

F: Do you want a chocolate?
My mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you are going to get.

F: Those must be comfortable shoes.
I'll bet you could walk all day in shoes like that and not feel a thing.
I wish I had shoes like that.
L: My feet hurt.
F: Mama always said there's an awful lot you can tell a lot about a person by their shoes. Where they're going. Where they've been. I've worn lot's of shoes.

M: What are y'all staring at? Haven't you ever seen a little boy with braces on his legs before?
Don't ever let anybody tell you they're better than you, Forrest.
If God intended everybody to be the same, he'd have given us all braces on our legs.
F: Mama always had a way of explaining things so I could understand them.

F: You know, it's funny how you remember some things but some things you can't.
M: You do your very best now, Forrest.
F: I sure will, Mama!
F: I remember the bus ride on the first day of school very well.

B: You can't sit here.
F: You know it's funny what a young man recollects, 'cause I don't remember being born. I don't recall what I got for my first Christmas and I don't know when I went on my first outdoor picnic, but I do remember the first time I heard the sweetest voice in the wide world.
J: You can sit here if you want.
F: I had never see anything so beautiful in my life. She was like an angel.
J: Well, are you going to sit down or aren't you?

Join my EnglishCentral class

Please click here to join my EnglishCentral class.

By the way, I will return your tests today and we will begin a new movie -- "Forrest Gump."

More about EnglishCentral

Click here to see a page that explains in detail (and in Japanese!) how to use EnglishCentral.

Extra Credit

In today's class, I'll show you how to use EnglishCentral.  If you join EnglishCentral, please send me an e-mail to tell me that you have joined.  I will then send you an invitation to join my group on EnglishCentral.  If you join my group, I will be able to give you extra credit for practicing on EnglishCentral outside of class.

Test

We will have a test on Scout and Atticus next week (October 27).  Don't be late for class.

Study Methods

In class we talked about how to study.  After class I made this outline about study methods.

1. Text only
1. Equipment
• Handout (printout)
• Computer
2. Methods
• Read silently (while thinking about meaning)
• Read out loud (while thinking about meaning)
• Read online with dictionary (e.g. Longman, Rikai, etc.)
• Read paper with dictionary (write notes)
2. Audio only
1. Equipment
• Computer
• iPod, Sony Walkman, etc.
2. Methods
• Just listen
• Shadowing (listen and then speak)
3. Audio and text
1. Equipment
• Computer
• Video capable iPod, Sony Walkman, etc
• Mp3 player and handout (printout)
2. Methods
• Read while listening
• Listen, checking text occasionally
• Listen, then write, then check (dictation)

Assignment for October 20th

As I explained in class, your assignment is to study the materials on the "Scout and Atticus" page of this blog and then send me an e-mail telling me about how you studied it. Here are some things you might write about in your e-mail to me:

• How much of this essay have you studied? Have you studied the whole essay or just part of it?
• Have you listened to the audio?
• Is it difficult for you?
• Are you interested in the movie?
• Are you enjoying class?  Is there anything you would like me to do differently?

Please send me the e-mail address by Tuesday evening (the evening of the 19th). My e-mail address is "masden@kumagaku.ac.jp". See you next week!

Scout and Atticus

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Last week we began watching "To Kill a Mockingbird." The movie is narrated by a little girl called "Scout." "Scout" is a nickname, not the girl's real name. I think it's an unusual nickname. I've never met a little girl in the U.S. who was called "Scout." The word "scout" means "to look for something." So, perhaps Scout's father decided to call her "Scout" because she was always looking around for things.

Scout calls her father "Atticus." This is also unusual because "Atticus" is her father's first name and most American children don't call their parents by their first names. Dill, the little boy that Scout and her brother Jem meet early in the movie, wants to know why Scout calls her father "Atticus" because it's so unusual:

Dill: Why do you call you daddy Atticus?
Scout: 'Cause Jem does.
Dill: Why does he?
Scout: I don't know. He just started to ever since he began talking.

On the other hand, I have heard of other children calling their parents by their first names. As a matter of fact, my sister's children called her "Marti," which is her first name. Still, most American children call their parents something like "Mom" or "Dad."

In the beginning of the movie, a man named Mr. Cunningham brings some nuts for Atticus. Scout calls Atticus when she sees Mr. Cunningham, even though Mr. Cunningham says that there's no need to bother him. After Mr. Cunningham leaves, Atticus tells Scout not to call him the next time Mr. Cunningham comes. Listen to the dialogue:

Atticus: Scout, I think maybe . . . next time Mr. Cunningham comes, you better not call me.
Scout: I thought you'd wanna thank him.
Atticus: Oh, I do. I think it embarrasses him to be thanked.

Atticus is a very kind man and father. He would like to thank Mr. Cunningham for the food that he brings him, but he can see that being thanked embarrasses Mr. Cunningham so he tells Scout not to call him next time. Now, let's listen to the rest of the conversation between Scout and Atticus to find out why Mr. Cunningham feels embarrassed when he brings food to Atticus's family:

Scout: Why does he bring you all this stuff?
Atticus: He's paying me for some legal work I did for him.
Scout: Why does he pay you like this?
Atticus: That's the only way he can. He has no money.
Scout: Is he poor?
Atticus: Yes.
Scout: Are we poor?
Atticus: We are indeed.
Scout: [Are] we as poor as the Cunninghams?
Atticus: No, not exactly. Cunninghams are country folks, farmers. Crash hit them the hardest.

Atticus is a lawyer and Mr. Cunningham was his client. As Atticus explains to Scout, Mr. Cunningham has no money and so the only way that he can pay Atticus is to bring food from his farm.

The "crash" that Atticus mentions is the stock market crash of 1929. The crash of the stock market was the beginning of the Great Depression, which lasted for about 10 years. This movie takes place in the 1930s, during the Great Depression.

During the Great Depression, food prices dropped. This hurt the farmers because they could not get much money for the food they produced. This is one reason that Atticus says that the crash hit the farmers the hardest. Another reason is that the farmers were already very poor before the crash of the stock market.

Now, let's study the dialogue in more detail.

Atticus: Scout, I think maybe . . . next time Mr. Cunningham comes, you better not call me.

When Atticus says "you better not call me" it means the same as "you had better not call me." In English, you can say "you had better do such-and-such" to mean "you should do such-and-such" and some people just say "you better do such-and-such," as Atticus did here.

When people speak they sometimes leave out words that they would include if they were writing. Atticus's leaving out the "had" in "you had better not call me" is one example of this. Another example is when Scout leaves out the word "are" in the question "Are we as poor as the Cunninghams?":

Scout: [Are] we as poor as the Cunninghams?

When people speak in informal situations, they also tend to pronounce two or more words together as one word, instead of saying each word clearly. For example, instead of saying "do not" people often say "don't." In the following sentence Scout pronounces "you would" as "you'd" and "want to" as "wanna."

Scout: I thought you'd wanna thank him.

In standard English, this would be "I thought you would want to thank him." When you speak, I recommend that you say "want to" because "wanna" can sound a bit childish, unless you are speaking very quickly. When you write, you should definitely write "want to," not "wanna."

Scout: Why does he bring you all this stuff?
Atticus: He's payin' me for some legal work I did for him.

"Legal" means having to do with the law. So, Atticus is referring to work that he did as a lawyer as "legal work." When Atticus says "paying me" he pronounces it "payin' me." Americans often talk this way in informal situations. However, when Atticus speaks in court, he pronounces the "ing" sound at the end of words clearly.

Now that we have studied the dialogue, I hope you will find it easier to understand. Let's conclude by listening to the entire dialogue one more time.

Atticus: Scout, I think maybe . . . next time Mr. Cunningham comes, you better not call me.
Scout: I thought you'd wanna thank him.
Atticus: Oh, I do. I think it embarrasses him to be thanked.
Scout: Why does he bring you all this stuff?
Atticus: He's paying me for some legal work I did for him.
Scout: Why does he pay you like this?
Atticus: That's the only way he can. He has no money.
Scout: Is he poor?
Atticus: Yes.
Scout: Are we poor?
Atticus: We are indeed.
Scout: [Are] we as poor as the Cunninghams?
Atticus: No, not exactly. Cunninghams are country folks, farmers. Crash hit them the hardest.

About Podcasts

I made a video in which I explain what podcasts are. Click here to see the video (it should open in another window).

I have also prepared three files that you can download to study outside of class. To download each file, please right-click on the link:

• About_Podcasts.mp4
  This is a video file that you can put in an iPod or other device that plays mp4 files.
• About_Podcasts.mp3
  This is an audio file that you can put in any mp3 player.
• About Podcasts.pdf
  This is a file that contains the text in the video. If you download this file it will be very easy for you to print the text out on one sheet of paper.

Next week I will give you a quiz on the English in the video. I will play a recording of the audio and you will have to write down the sentence that I played and translate it into Japanese.

Here is the text of the video. Please study it for the quiz.

Hi! In this video I try to help you understand what podcasts are and how they work.

Podcasts are audio or video programs that you download with a computer and can enjoy on your computer or on a portable device, such as an iPod. Many people use a program called iTunes to download podcasts. There are other ways to get podcasts but let's begin by looking at iTunes. If you don't have iTunes on your computer you can download it for free. Just type "iTunes" into Google. It doesn't matter whether you have a Mac or a Windows computer. You can use iTunes on either one.

After you start iTunes, click on "iTunes Store." Even though it's called a "store," don't worry. Almost all podcasts are free. Next, click on "Podcasts." Now, let's look at the podcasts in the "英語を学ぶ" quick link that is in the Japanese iTunes Store.

There are two types of podcasts: audio and video. The audio podcasts are like radio programs and the video podcasts are like TV programs. Let's look at this one to see what it's like.

[A short video plays here.]

If you are interested in this podcast you should subscribe to it by clicking on this button. It will take a few minutes for the last program in the podcast to download.

After you subscribe to a podcast you can find it the "Podcasts" section of iTunes. The podcast that we just subscribed to is made up of many individual shows. Podcasts are similar to radio and TV programs in that each podcast is a series of shows. In this case, "Gaba G Style English" is the name of the whole series. These are the individual shows in the series. After you subscribe to a podcast, iTunes will show you when a new show in the series is ready to be downloaded. If you click on this "Settings" button, you can change how iTunes checks for new shows (or "episodes") and what you want iTunes to do when it finds a new show in a podcast that you have subscribed to.

Podcasts are like radio or TV shows in that they have audio and video content. However, they are like newspapers or magazines in that, once you subscribe to them, they come to you automatically. If you subscribe to a newspaper, you will find it in the morning even if you were asleep when it was delivered. In the same way, if you subscribe to a podcast, you can find the new shows when you turn on your computer. Unlike TV and radio, you don't have to worry about when the next show will be broadcast.

By the way, let me take a minute or two to explain that parts of the word "podcast." "Podcast" combines the "pod" of "iPod" and the "cast" of "broadcast." First, let's think about the meaning of "iPod." Apple has many products that begin with the letter "i": iPod, iPad, iMac, iTunes, iMovie, etc. The "i" in these products stands for "internet." A "pod" is a part of a plant or machine that can be separated from the main part. So, the iPod is part of a computer that is connected to the internet and that you can separate from the computer and take with you. Now, let's think about the word "broadcast." "Broadcast" is also made up of two parts. "Broad" means "over a wide area" and "cast" means to "send." So, broadcast means to send radio and TV signals over a wide area so that people. Now, I think we are ready to understand how the word "podcast" combines parts of the words "iPod" and "broadcast" to mean programs that are sent, or "broadcast," to iPods over the internet.

If you have an iPod or iPhone, it is very easy to use iTunes to copy the podcasts on to it. If you use a Sony Walkman or some other device, it may be a little harder to copy the podcasts onto your player but I think it is possible. Remember that you can only watch video podcasts on devices that can play video files. Many iPods can do this but not all. Before you buy an iPod or Walkman or some other device, make sure that it can play the kinds or podcasts that you want to subscribe to.

In my next video, I'll show you how to used iTunes to find lots of podcasts that you can use to study English.

What do you mean?

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Today, I'd like to talk about three ways in which the word "mean" can be used. The first way is to talk about the meaning of a particular word. For example, if you are reading a book and you find an English word that your don't understand, you might point to the word and ask, "What does this word mean?" I strongly recommend that you ask questions like this about words that you don't understand. It's a great way to learn.

The other two ways both come up in The Wizard of OZ several times. Here's a conversation between Miss Gulch and Uncle Henry that is an example of the second way in which the word "mean" can be used:

Gulch: I want to see you and your wife right away about Dorothy.
Henry: Dorothy? Well, what has Dorothy done?
Gulch: What's she done? I'm all but lame from the bite on my leg!
Henry: You mean she bit you?
Gulch: No, her dog!
Henry: Oh, she bit her dog, eh?
Gulch: No!

It is clear from what Miss Gulch said that she has been bitten on her leg but she did not say who or what has bitten her. Since Miss Gulch began by saying that she came to talk about Dorothy, Uncle Henry asks if Miss Gulch is trying to say that Dorothy bit her. It's difficult to hear all of the words but he is saying "You mean she bit you?"

This is the second way in which the word "mean" can be used -- to talk about what someone is trying to say or talk about.

Here's a another example from the movie of this way of using the word "mean." Dorothy is talking with Professor Marvel:

Dorothy: Oh, please, Professor, why can't we go with you and see all the Crowned Heads of Europe?
Professor: Do you know any? Oh, you mean the thing . . . Yes, well, I -- I never do anything without consulting my crystal first.

Dorothy asks about going to see the "Crowned Heads of Europe" (that is, kings and queens in Europe) because she saw the sign on Professor Marvel's wagon. For a moment, Professor Marvel does not know what Dorothy is talking about but then he remembers his sign and says "Oh, you mean the thing" written on my wagon. So, in this case "Oh, you mean the thing" means "Oh, you are talking about the sign."

Finally, here's an example of the third way in which the word "mean" can be used:

Please, Aunt Em, Toto didn't mean to. He didn't know he was doing anything wrong.

Dorothy is telling Aunt Em that Toto didn't intend to doing anything wrong to Miss Gulch. Here's another example:

Witch: Who killed my sister? Who killed the Witch of the East? Was it you?
Dorothy: No, no. It was an accident! I didn't mean to kill anybody!

Dorothy uses the word "mean" in the same way after she kills the Wicked Witch of the West:

Guard: She's dead. You've killed her.
Dorothy: I didn't mean to kill her, really I didn't. It's just that he was on fire!

Here, too, Dorothy is saying that she didn't intend to kill anyone.

To review, the first way in which the word "mean" can be used is to talk about the meaning of a particular word, as in the sentence, "What does this word mean?" The second way is to talk about about what someone is trying to say or talk about, as in the sentence, "Do you mean that Dorothy bit you?" Finally, the third way is to use the word "mean" to talk about what someone did or did not intend to do, as in, "I didn't mean to do it. It was an accident."

We Are the World

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Last week, we began to study the song "We Are the World." This song was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie and recorded by the supergroup USA for Africa in 1985. USA for Africa is called a "supergroup" because it was made up of people who were already famous. The song soon became an international hit and money from record sales went to help the victims of the 1984–1985 famine in Ethiopia.

I think that the main idea of the song is that when there is a problem or people are in trouble we should do something about it ourselves and not wait for someone else. For example, the following lyrics tell us not to wait for others:

We can't go on
Pretending day by day
That someone, somewhere will soon make a change.

The chorus of the song (the part that is repeated many times) says that "we are the ones who make a brighter day so let's start giving."

Sometimes we may wait for other people to solve problems because we don't feel that we have enough power to change things ourselves. It's true that the power of a single individual is limited. On the other hand, the lyrics remind us that when many individuals "stand together as one" great things can happen:

Let us realize
That a change can only come
When we stand together as one

Click here to see a YouTube video of this song with English subtitles. To read the lyrics to this song, click here.

How to Study English

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Last week, we talked about how to study English. Many of you are interested in English conversation or improving your scores on tests like TOEIC and TOEFL but are having trouble achieving your goals. Today, I'd like to review some of the points that I made last week.

1. First, don't be too dependent on teachers.
   
   Teachers like me can help you. However, if you wait for teachers to give you what you need you will never go far. This is particularly true at this university because we do not have an intensive English program. You only have English classes for a few hours each week. This is not enough time to make good progress. If you want to improve you must take the initiative. Read books. Use the internet to read and listen to English. Ask questions. Take charge of your own study.
   
   
2. Second, get lots of good "input."
   
   Speaking is a kind of "output." If you want to be a good speaker you need lots of "input." When you are studying English, "input" is listening and reading. You will never become a good speaker of English by trying to translate from Japanese. You must imitate the English you hear or read. This is just like breathing. You can't breath out if you don't have any air in your lungs. To breath out, you must first breath in.
   
   
3. Third, study living English.
   
   By "living English," I mean English that is used for communication. A book that tells a story is living English. A podcast that explains something (even this one!) is living English. A practice test in which you try to learn how to choose the right answer is not living English. A list of words and Japanese translations is not living English. This point about living English is closely related to my second point about input. You should be reading and listening to living English because living English will show you how English really works and give you good models to imitate. Even if your primary goal is to improve your scores on tests like TOEIC and TOEFL, the best long-term strategy is to get lots of good "living English" input.
   
   
4. Fourth, use your imagination.
   
   I showed you a video about a young man who became an excellent gymnast. One secret to his success was "image training." He didn't just go to a gym and do what his teachers told him to do. He imagined what he wanted to do even when he could not practice gymnastics. He drew pictures in a notebook that showed what he wanted to do. He made his stuffed animal do what he wanted to do. I'm sure that this image training was a major factor in his success. This point is also closely related to my second point about input. You should take what you read and hear and imagine how you can use it when you speak. If you do this a lot, your "input" will help you become a better speaker.

One minute of dialogue

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Today I'd like to talk about one minute of dialogue. This conversation is at the beginning of the movie. The jurors have just voted and only Juror No. 8 has voted "not guilty." The dialogue begins with Juror No. 10 asking Juror No. 8 if he believes what the boy said in court. Let's begin by listening to the whole dialogue.

J10: I want to ask you something. Do you believe his story?
J8: I don't know whether I believe it or not. Maybe I don't.
J7: So how come you vote "not guilty"?
J8: There were 11 votes for guilty. It's not easy to raise my hand and send a boy off to die without talking about it first.　
J7: Well, now, who says it's easy?
J8: No one.
J7: What? Just because I voted fast? I honestly think the guy's guilty. You couldn't change my mind if you talked for a hundred years.　
J8: I'm not trying to change your mind. It's just that we're talking about somebody's life here. We can't decide it in 5 minutes. Supposing we're wrong.
J7: Supposing we're wrong. Supposing this whole building should fall on my head? You can suppose anything.
J8: That's right.
J7: What's the difference how long it takes? Suppose we do it in five minutes. So what?
J8: Let's take an hour. The ball game doesn't start till 8:00.
J1: Whose got something to say?
J9: I'm willing to sit for an hour.
J10: Great. I heard a pretty good story last night.
J8: That's not why we're sitting here.
J10: Alright. Then you tell me. What are we sitting here for?

Let's start with Juror No. 10's question. He asks if Juror No. 8 believes the boy's "story."

J10: I want to ask you something. Do you believe his story?

He means "Do you believe what he said in court." The word "story", however, gives us the impression that the boy made up a story that's not true. Juror No. 10 doesn't believe what the boy said and the way he asks the question tells us that.

J8: I don't know whether I believe it or not. Maybe I don't.
J7: So how come you vote "not guilty"?

"How come" means "why". So Juror No. 7 is asking why Juror No. 8 voted "not guilty." When Juror No. 8 answers he says that "it's not easy to send a boy off to die."

J8: There were 11 votes for guilty. It's not easy to raise my hand and send a boy off to die without talking about it first.

When he says "it's not easy" he means "it's difficult." Juror No. 8 didn't vote "guilty" because he was very aware of how important his vote was. This made voting guilty difficult.

Juror No. 7 interprets this as a criticism. In other words, Juror No. 7 seems to think that Juror No. 8 is saying that he voted without thinking deeply enough.

J7: Well, now, who says it's easy?
J8: No one.
J7: What? Just because I voted fast? I honestly think the guy's guilty.

Then, Juror No. 7 says that he will never change his mind about the guilt of the boy. "To change your mind" means "to change your opinion or decision." So, Juror No. 7 is saying that he will never change his opinion about the boy being guilty.

J7: You couldn't change my mind if you talked for a hundred years.　
J8: I'm not trying to change your mind. It's just that we're talking about somebody's life here. We can't decide it in 5 minutes. Supposing we're wrong.

"Supposing we're wrong" means "what if we are wrong." Longman says that the phrase "supposing that" is "used when talking about a possible condition or situation, and then imagining the result." Longman has the following example sentence:

Look, suppose you lost your job tomorrow, what would you do?

So, when Juror No. 8 says "supposing we're wrong" he is saying that they need to think about the possibility that they might be wrong and how terrible it would be for a young boy to be killed for something that he didn't do.

Juror No. 7 seems to think that this is crazy. He compares it to discussing what would happen if the building they are in suddenly fell on them.

J7: Supposing we're wrong. Supposing this whole building should fall down on my head? You can suppose anything.
J8: That's right.

Juror No. 7 uses the word "suppose" again when he talks about how long it takes to make a decision.

J7: What's the difference how long it takes? Suppose we do it in five minutes. So what?

He means that even if it only takes five minutes to make the decision, that shouldn't matter if the decision is right. Juror No. 8 responds by suggesting that they discuss the case for one hour.

J8: Let's take an hour. The ball game doesn't start till 8:00.

Juror No. 9 agrees with the idea of taking one hour to discuss the case:

J9: I'm willing to sit for an hour.

Of course, Juror No. 8 wants to have a serious discussion about the facts of the case. Juror No. 10, however, interprets the idea of "sitting for an hour" to mean simply spending a little more time in the room to make it look like they considered the case carefully.

J10: Great. I heard a pretty good story last night.
J8: That's not why we're sitting here.
J10 Alright. Then you tell me. What are we sitting here for?

Now, let's listen to the whole dialogue one more time.

J10: I want to ask you something. Do you believe his story?
J8: I don't know whether I believe it or not. Maybe I don't.
J7: So how come you vote "not guilty"?
J8: There were 11 votes for guilty. It's not easy to raise my hand and send a boy off to die without talking about it first.　
J7: Well, now, who says it's easy?
J8: No one.
J7: What? Just because I voted fast? I honestly think the guy's guilty. You couldn't change my mind if you talked for a hundred years.　
J8: I'm not trying to change your mind. It's just that we're talking about somebody's life here. We can't decide it in 5 minutes. Supposing we're wrong.
J7: Supposing we're wrong. Supposing this whole building should fall down on my head? You can suppose anything.
J8: That's right.
J7: What's the difference how long it takes? Suppose we do it in five minutes. So what?
J8: Let's take an hour. The ball game doesn't start till 8:00.
J1: Whose got something to say?
J9: I'm willing to sit for an hour.
J10: Great. I heard a pretty good story last night.
J8: That's not why we're sitting here.
J10: Alright. Then you tell me. What are we sitting here for?

I selected this section because of four words that are used first by one juror and then used again when another juror answers. The four words are easy, mind, suppose, and sit. I noticed that the Japanese translations of these words change depending on which juror uses them. I'll talk about this in class. I'll also talk about why translation is difficult and why much is often "lost in translation."

Unanimous

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We talked about the word "unanimous" in class. The first part of this word comes from the Latin root "unus," which means "one." The second part of the word comes from the Latin "animus," which means "mind." So, the word "unanimous" means "of one mind" or, in other words, "everyone agrees." In English, people sometimes say "we are all of one mind" to mean "we all agree" about something.

I talked about the word "unicycle" (which means "one wheel") and asked about other words that begin with "uni." One student mentioned the word "universal." "Universal" comes from the word "universe" which means "one world." (Note: The second half of "universe" doesn't mean "world" but "universe" means "one world.") "Universal" means "the same everywhere." The idea is that the we live in "one world" and that some things are the same wherever we go in that world. So, for example, people sometimes say that music is a "universal language." The idea is that wherever you go, people will understand music. People also talk about "universal human rights." This refers to the idea that there are some rights that all people have and that should be protected all over the world (that is, everywhere in our "one world").

Another student mentioned the word "unit." This word also comes from the Latin root "unus." To understand the relationship of "unit" to the meaning of "one" let's begin by considering meaning of the word "unite." "Unite" means to come together and become one. Something that is made by uniting, or putting together, several parts is called a "unit."

One more word that came up in class is UNICEF. The word (or name) UNICEF is made up of the first letters of United Nations International Children's Fund. So, "UNI" in UNICEF does not come directly from the Latin root "unus." On the other hand, the first word in UNICEF, that is "United," does indeed come from the Latin root unus. In the "United Nations," many nations become like one.

Finally, I'd like to talk about the word "unique." "Unique" means "the only one of its kind." A unique painting is the only one of its kind. If you do something in a unique way, you are the only one who does it in that way.

Reasonable doubt

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The first movie we will study in this class is called "12 Angry Men." It came out in 1957 and shows how 12 men decide whether or not a 17 year old boy is guilty of the crime of murder.

I'd like to begin by talking about the some of the judge's instructions to the jury at the beginning of the movie.

You've listened to the testimony. You've had the law read to you and interpreted as it applies in this case. It's now your duty to sit down and try and separate the facts from the fancy.

Now, let's look at each sentence.

You've listened to the testimony.

"You've listened to the testimony." The judge is not speaking very clearly here. He sounds a little bored. I think he must be saying "You've listened to the testimony" but I can't hear him say "you've." The Longman English Dictionary says that the word "testimony" means "a formal statement that something is true." When people speak in a court of law about what happened in a case like this one, their speech is called "testimony." One important job of a juror is to listen to testimony.

You've had the law read to you and interpreted as it applies in this case.

"You've had the law read to you and interpreted as it applies in this case." Ordinary people become jurors. Unlike judges and lawyers, they are not experts on the law but they must make very important decisions based on the law. It is the job of the judge to make sure that the jurors have had the relevant laws read to them and that the laws have been explained properly. The jury system is based on the idea that, in a democracy, ordinary citizens are smart enough to understand the laws. In other words, ordinary citizens may not have broad knowledge of the law but they have the ability to understand the laws if they are explained properly.

It's now your duty to sit down and try and separate the facts from the fancy.

"It's now your duty to sit down and try and separate the facts from the fancy." A duty is something that someone must do. Longman says that it is "something that you have to do because it is morally or legally right." "Fancy" is something that is imagined but is not true. Longman says that fancy means "an idea or opinion that is not based on fact." So, in other words, the jurors must sit down and decide what is true and what is not true.

Now, let's listen to this part of the judge's instructions again.

You've listened to the testimony. You've had the law read to you and interpreted as it applies in this case. It's now your duty to sit down and try and separate the facts from the fancy.

Soon after this the judge tells the jurors that they must make their decision on the basis of "reasonable doubt."

If there's a reasonable doubt in your minds as to the guilt of the accused -- a reasonable doubt -- then you must bring me a verdict of not guilty. Now if, however, there's no reasonable doubt, then you must in, good conscience, find the accused guilty.

"If there's a reasonable doubt in your minds as to the guilt of the accused -- a reasonable doubt -- then you must bring me a verdict of not guilty." Longman says that "doubt" is "a feeling of being not sure whether something is true or right." The phrase "not sure" is important. Even if we think that it is likely that something happened, we may still have some doubts about it. It is also important to think about why we do not feel sure. The judge uses the phrase "reasonable doubt." "Reasonable" is based on the word "reason." If a doubt is "reasonable" there are reasons for it. It is possible to doubt anything. We might doubt, for example, that the sun will come up again tomorrow. However, if we don't have a reason to doubt that the sun will come up, our doubt is not a reasonable one. When the judge says "If there's a reasonable doubt . . . you must bring me a verdict of not guilty" he is saying that the jurors must consider whether or not there is a good reason to think that the boy might not be guilty. This is very different from considering whether or not the boy is probably guilty. This idea of "reasonable doubt" is at the heart of the jury system and this movie. Let's listen to the judge talk about reasonable doubt one more time.

If there's a reasonable doubt in your minds as to the guilt of the accused -- a reasonable doubt -- then you must bring me a verdict of not guilty. If, however, there's no reasonable doubt, then you must in good conscience find the accused guilty.

The "verdict" is the decision that the jurors make. They will either say "guilty" or "not guilty." "The accused" is the boy. He has been accused of murder so he is called "the accused."

Then, the judge tells the jurors that their decision must be unanimous.

However you decide, your verdict must be unanimous.

"However you decide, your verdict must be unanimous." Longman says that "a unanimous decision, vote, agreement etc is one in which all the people involved agree." Everyone must agree. This, too, is a very important idea in the American jury system and in this movie. If one or more people on the jury do not agree with the other jurors they must talk more. The requirement that the decision be unanimous often forces the jurors to talk more than they would if it were only necessary that a majority or the jurors agree. It also makes it harder to find the accused guilty. In order to find the accused guilty, all twelve jurors must agree that there is not a reasonable doubt about the guilt of the accused.

Your grades

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Hi! Welcome to my class on American culture. I hope you enjoy it and that it helps you improve your English as you learn about America.

This is the first recording that I am making for this class. I will make many more recordings like this and put them up on my blog. I will explain the recordings in class but you will also need to listen to them outside of class so that you can learn to understand the English in them. If you have an MP3 player you should download these recordings and put them in your MP3 player so that you can listen to them when you have free time.

I would like to begin by telling you how I will decide your grades. Eighty percent (80%) of your grade will be your score on the final exam and twenty percent (20%) will be your score on pop quizzes that I will give in class. Pop quizzes are little tests that I will give in class without warning. In the phrase "pop quiz", the word "pop" means "sudden and unexpected." The same kinds of questions will be on the pop quizzes and the final exam. So, after you have taken several pop quizzes, you should know what kinds of questions to expect on the final exam.

I will also consider your participation in this class when I decide your grades. If you participate actively in this class, I will give you a higher grade. There are two ways in which I will know that you are participating in this class. One way is through Twitter. During class you can use Twitter to ask questions or make comments. I will explain how to use Twitter in class. The second way is to send me e-mail after class. If you send me an e-mail after class, it should include a summary of what we studied in class and some comments or questions. It is very important that you always include your student number in your tweets and e-mail messages. At the end of the semester I will do a search using your student number. If your messages do not have your student number in them, I will not be able to find them.

Again, I hope you enjoy this class!