Why learn languages ​​improves health?

Probably those who decide to venture to the task of learning a new language they do to improve their job skills , learn about other cultures or cope when traveling . But much more than that : knowing a second language can greatly improve the health of people .

Given that the brain is an organ that must be exercised constantly to keep agility, a recent study published in the journal Neurology claims that bilingual people are less likely to suffer early neurodegenerative diseases such as dementia and Alzheimer's.

The study, conducted by professionals from the University of Edinburgh and the Nizam Institute of Medical Sciences in India , is based on analysis of 648 patients with this condition. The team found that those who knew two or more languages ​​had developed demencia4 , five years later than those only spoke one.

According to their findings , knowing more than one language enhances the development of the brain areas that are responsible for the executive functions and attention tasks . An interesting fact is that some of the patients involved in this study were illiterate , so it follows that languages ​​are not the level of education that focuses on prevention of this disease : switching between sounds, words and grammar structures stimulating factors would be more effective than currently available drugs .

Research suggests that bilingual people tend to be more creative and intelligent

It is not the first time that an investigation reveals that speaking more than one language keeps the brain fit and strengthens mental function : it is shown that this activity alters gray matter in the same way that exercise strengthens muscles. In 2011 professionals at York University in Toronto , Canada , and in early 2013 of the Medical University of Kentucky , United States , confirmed that regularly speak a second language delays the onset of dementia and improve brain performance .

In addition to preventing these diseases, benefits of learning other languages ​​are:

Improving intelligence : A multidisciplinary team of European professionals in 2012 revealed that after learning foreign languages ​​can increase brain plasticity and cognitive skills . Similarly, a study from the University of York showed that students who learn other languages ​​tend to perform better than monolinguals on tests of math, reading and vocabulary.

Stimulates concentration : The development of new neural pathways and tissues because of this activity leads to improved attention span of people. According to Canadian psychologist Ellen Bialystok , bilinguals have greater control nonverbal executive tasks than monolinguals , such as limiting their levels of distraction.

Learning new languages ​​can help avoid distraction and forgetfulness

Facilitates problem solving : The strategies developed to learn grammar , vocabulary and other language structures to the brain become more apt to solve other problems . According to research from Pennsylvania State University published in 2011 , who know more than one language are used to switch from one language to another , which helps to effectively solve several issues at once.

Optimizes memory of children : Psychologists of Spain and Canada showed earlier this year that bilingual children have better performance in memory-related tasks , such as remembering lists, dates and names.

It helps to take decisions : A 2012 study showed the link between knowing a second language and make rational decisions. Made on students at the University of Chicago , the analysis made ​​it clear that when people define situations bilingual in a language other than their mother tongue make more rational , fast and effective because there is a more logical and less emotional .

Power creativity : Association of sentences and meanings in a second language requires a conscious thought , where planning comes into play , flexibility and memory, three critical components for the development of creativity.

Improves language : learn abstract rules and structure of the language to a second language can help improve communication skills of people. The conscious use of language and writing fosters a more clear and correct speech .

While children learn languages ​​since is most effective , it is still possible to develop this potential into adulthood : begin studying a foreign language can be a good choice at any time of life.

The Spanish language and concerns of the director of the Cervantes Institute

If there is a book that is a delight is that of the 500 most frequent doubts Spanish , published by Spain . Victor Garcia de la Concha , former director of the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ) , and today at the Instituto Cervantes , said home truths . The " big deal " the misuse of language comes from reading , because wealth is not learned from a theoretical book , but based on reading , "he said and asked . " Read you , reading is the basis of everything, " insisted .

Cervantes Institute in Madrid presented his book The 500 most frequent doubts Spanish , a work that seeks to ensure the correctness of spoken and written Spanish , since according to its director, Victor Garcia de la Concha , " we are in a period of neglect in the use of Spanish , Spanish talked a scruffy " .

Victor Garcia de la Concha emphasized the need for a campaign whose slogan is " Spanish rough treatment , write well , speak well," since " such a shame" that having " a language rich in nuances," Spanish speakers express "each time in a more poor."

The work published by the Oxford University Press publishing and aims to " resolve the doubts of speakers in general" and not just specialists avoiding jargon and using a question-answer format with "thousands of examples relevant to 500 questions to be faithful to a correct expression , "he explained .

Agencies claim the Spanish speaking Spanish doping official language

The agencies responsible for the fight against doping in sport in Spanish-speaking countries today claimed to Doping Agency (WADA) to "adopt Spanish as the official language and that can be used for appeals to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (TAS) ".

Also, during the plenary session of the World Conference on Doping in Sport, held in Johannesburg, speaking agencies thanked "publicly" Higher Sports Council (CSD) the Spanish translation of the World Anti-Doping Code, the agency reported sports.

That measure, which was driven by the Spanish government through the CSD, allowed access to the Hispanic community in their own language to the rules governing anti-doping worldwide.

Luis Goytisolo: "I am a Spanish novelist"

Luis Goytisolo was awarded this Thursday with the National Prize of the Spanish Letters , a "great prestige " for this writer , who this year has also been recognized with the award Anagram Test .

   The author of works such as ' Journal 360 degree ' or ' Liberation ' has appeared before the press Thursday afternoon at the Royal Academy of Spain ( RAE ), the institution in which he held the chair C , within hours of learning that the second Spanish literature prize most important d Spain had fallen on him.

   Despite claiming that it is a prize "very important" , the writer and academic has an objection , " the statement" . " It's a bit confusing , should be called Letters Award of Spain , otherwise territorial language creates confusion in Latin America , where they believe the award is also for them," he noted.

   Goytisolo not feel a Catalan writer , as he claims that he has called throughout this day in several media. "I feel a Spanish novelist because it is the language in which I write , in which I feel comfortable. What I feel is Barcelona . Saying that I am a Catalan writer writers would offend Catalans, Catalan spelling I do not know " , says.

   Another thing to be "on the line " of other contemporary Spanish , which claims not to know , because what is clear above all is that " literature is regardless of nationalities " . " They are different concepts, there is a relationship over the language," he said.

   Asked by sovereignism boom in Catalonia , Goytisolo says he feels " a little outside" the political debate. I live " from afar " because the relationship people have with the times of the week in which is located in Madrid. The rest of the time is spent in Tarragona , in the countryside, where he is immersed in the restoration of a mill that was " made ​​a mess " .

   In his view, the situation that exists now in Catalonia has been repeated more times , as the year in which the Olympic Games were held , for example. In your opionion , these "bubbles " that " seem to disappear " and a day " prick " . " There is a real basis of nationalism which I think is a minority " has manfiestado .

REALISM OBJECTIVE : STARTING POINT

   From a young age , gender Goytisolo was imposed as objective realism authors also used as Ernest Hemingway and Cesare Pavese : " A cold and objective statement in which the author is not involved story , which brings the data so that the reader can interpret it ." This technique was developed in which ' Outside ' , the first piece that received the Biblioteca Breve Prize in 1958 .

   From then developed a style that has characterized his career , which stands out above all his works Antigonia ' . He recalls , for writing this book was very inspiring the 35 days he spent isolated in prison of Carabanchel ( Madrid) , where he remained for four months.

   "They were fruitful . Was a cell without furniture, so he had to write on the ground . Nor had paper , so I used toilet paper , which I still have some pieces . Such total isolation helped me to concentrate," he says.

   Asked about the current new social habits , Goytisolo believes that " the time devoted to the screens is time that eludes traditional book reading ." " There are good times ," he says , though she says that this statement refers only to that effect , and he believes that " there will always be readers."

Manual Launches to speak good Spanish language

The Royal Spanish Academy launches clarification on the proper use of language, cyclopean work involving particular speech to be attentive to all the countries of the region.

The concerns may be even as anecdotal , but lives show the evolution of language, which often mutates by numerous stimuli. Assuming this vitality and escfrita spoken speech , the Cervantes Acdademia just launched in Spain the manual 's 500 most frequent doubts Spanish , published by Oxford University Press , to solve pressing issues on pronunciation , spelling , grammar or vocabulary.

The collection comes after the success of The Book of the Spanish right , a hit with 15,000 copies sold. For Victor Garcia de la Concha , director of the Cervantes Institute and before the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ) , doubts about the speech are daily bread , he said at the launch of the book, this morning : " To doubt is to start hitting " .

Some of the questions that come in the manual, are already on the anglicisms colloquial use ( Can you write mp3 ? ) Adaptations not frowned upon , but they can offer more of a surprise : Is it OK that Add Up? " Yes , but it is a redundant expression . These expressions : climb up , get down, get in, go out , are admissible in oral and colloquial use of language, which are generally used with the expressive and emphatic , but we must avoid in written texts "

Some 600 European professionals discuss new ways of teaching languages ​​in Aceia conference

Some 600 professionals from across Europe have shared experiences and have opted for "change and adaptation to the new economic and social at the conference of the Association of Language Centres in Andalusia Espeñanza ( Aceia ) representing the sector in Andalusia.

In a statement, the Aceia has indicated that Seville has become Saturday in " European epicenter of recycling and continuing education of language teaching in Europe " thanks to its annual conference , which has brought together more than 600 teachers from 70 schools across Europe , as well as free participants from universities or official language schools .

The meeting, which this year reaches its seventh edition and has developed over more than 40 workshops and conferences held simultaneously, has served to "create a fluid dialogue and exchange of experiences on how to constructively address the major challenges currently facing the field of language teaching , "he explained .

 Among them, the Aceia stressed " fundamentally changing profile of students, the increasing intrusion and sustaining the quality of teaching in times of crisis." The conference , as indicated by the association , " exhausted all its places for several days and has had a full house , in opening the conference and all workshops and conferences held throughout the day ."

The Association of Language Centres in Andalusia Espeñanza said that the "success" of the conference have contributed " not only the work of the entity over the year, but also the interests of all participants and the role played by the team of 35 volunteers " from Aceia associated centers and 20 exhibitors from publishers and companies related to the teaching of languages ​​, which " have worked in a coordinated manner . "

'Future in Spanish' was presented highlighting the opportunity of language as a Business Tool

The importance of Spanish as a business strategy worldwide and the need to support its expansion into new technologies are some of the conclusions that could be heard in the presentation of the 2013-2014 acts of ' Future in Spanish ' , organized by Vocento and CAF ( Development Bank of Latin America / Andean Development Coorporación ) held this Tuesday, November 5 , at the Cervantes Institute in Madrid. The event was sponsored by the Government of La Rioja , Logroño City Council , International University of La Rioja UNITE , Iberdrola, Aena , Foundation for New Latin American Journalism Australe FNPI and Mare Foundation .

' Future in Spanish ' is a forum for reflection on the power of language shared by hundreds of millions of Spanish as a communication tool : the key that gives access to a huge potential market for Spanish and American companies .

Fernando Rodríguez Lafuente , coordinator of ' Future in Spanish ' , opened the event by highlighting the importance of that " 9 out of 10 Spanish speakers are in Latin American dimension and that is a key issue . We need to reflect on the Spanish business opportunities . "

Meanwhile, Rafael Rodríguez Ponga, Secretary of the Institute Cervantes , said it is clear that Spanish is a language of the future , something that has proven in his recent visits to Latin America.

need

Vocento president , Enrique Ybarra , provided that these activities are aimed at expanding knowledge beyond borders : " Vocento and I believe in the need to call the same forces with the same names . Vocento is honored to be part of this noble and necessary goal as is the Future in Spanish " .

He also participated in the event, the director of UNITE , José María Vázquez García- Peñuela , who said that " our language is the third most used on the network is an opportunity for institutions to develop teaching ." " Initiatives like this and intense daily presence on the web is our best way to contribute to the future of the Spanish ," he said .

Conception Gamarra , mayor of Logroño , recalled that "the future of Spanish is a global future , since it is a multi-country language , open and where everyone fits . It's the future of communication , "adding that" it is also a business future . The Spanish have a double strategic future , international and regional level . "

experiences

In his speech, CAF director for Europe , Guillermo Fernandez de Soto , said " Spanish is the future for all Spanish speakers can learn from experiences " and stressed that " the language was born in San Millan de la Cogolla must be a counterpoint of values ​​and should give the best of themselves . "

The author of the fictional language of 'Game of Thrones' establishing the Spanish Translation

David J. Peterson , creator of the Dothraki language and Game of Thrones Valyrian always lamented that Americans do not act either the word " Khaleesi " title of nobility of one of the protagonists of the series , so today praised the Spanish dubbing is "closer " to its original concept of language created by himself. The linguist and president of the Society for the Creation of Languages ​​told Efe that the actors in the series pronounce the word as " Calisi " , unlike the voice actors from Spain , they use the word " Calesi " but qualifies that he conceived the word with four syllables and jot as aspirated aitch , " Jálehesi " .

Peterson , however , assumes that a battle that he " has gotten out of hand " , before the large group of people who mispronounce his word , and he confesses perplexed by the fact that " Khaleesi " has been the name most used to baptize Americans born 2012: "Personally I like Daenerys ," he says , referring to the name of the character in the series . The scholar also assessed which are , for him, the gifted students in learning the intricacies of the language among the interpreters of the cast, and the actors noted Dar Salim and Amrita Acharya as the best Dothraki speakers series two characters with just lines of dialogue and killed in the first season.

" Is it about Game of Thrones , you can not expect that anyone will survive long time," Peterson said , laughing , and also wanted to mention the actor Jacob Anderson , whom he considers " the best actor in the history of celluloid " . Despite their differences with the producers , the grammarian says that the main efforts are directed series in which characters from different realms remain the same linguistic features .

" The key is to create a fictional language that sounds credible , with a combination that obeying the rules of a civilization and a morphology that fits the culture of the people represented " he explains. The inventor of languages ​​this week attending the Fourth Congress of Brilliant Minds in Madrid , which held a presentation on Saturday under the title " Being creative " with Javier Mariscal and Steve McCurry , moderated by Michael Robinson and Manuel Campo Vidal .

the first colossus of the Spanish language

It was in August 1713. Home of the Marquis of Villena , in Madrid's Plaza de las Descalzas , a group of heroes came together in the spirit and commitment to defend and maintain the Spanish language. They created the Royal Spanish Academy whose constitution a year after King Philip V sealed .

Positions the first foundations of the company, those illustrated decided it was to go from words to action and went to work in a dictionary to fix , clean up and give glory to our language .

For thirteen years , between 1726 and 1739 , were drafted that work that eventually would reach the thirty-seven thousand references of Spanish words , all endorsed by a top-notch author ( Lope , Quevedo , Cervantes, among many others) , ie an 'authority' . Therefore, the work would be called Dictionary of Authorities . A top-notch work that even today, three hundred years later, is a real treat , a gift , our culture .

Thus, coinciding with the hundred birthday of the Royal Academy , the institution has put on sale a facsimile edition of the book (published by JdeJ Editors ) in two versions, the popular and luxury .

The popular consists of six volumes , the publication will take place as follows : Volumes I and II , October 2013 , volume III , November; volume IV, February 2014 : Volume V, March 2014 , and Volume VI , April 2014. The price per volume is 29.90 euros . Its binding is rustic . Each issue is between six hundred and eight hundred pages .

As for the deluxe version , the release schedule is as follows: Volumes I and II , October 2012; volumes III and IV , November , and volumes V and VI , December. The price of the complete work is of 1,188 euros. The binding is in imitation leather, hard cover , sewn with yarn plant , stamping old gold ingots and aniline dyed edges , halters and keep fantasy .

The popular version can be purchased in bookstores and www.facsimilesrae.com , website where there is also an introductory offer for the deluxe version.

Spanish Language in continuous transformation, Congress concluded

The Spanish language is fertile and alive but maimed and vulnerable to pollution, concluded on Wednesday scholars and linguists to lower the curtain of the sixth International Congress of the Spanish Language .

The Spanish language "remains fertile as were the roots of your birth, your users must understand that he is alive and so is vulnerable to contamination and mutilation " said Bern Perez Ayala , director of the Panamanian Academy of Language Spanish .

During four days of the congress, which is held on a triennial , discussions focused on issues relating to the history and contributions of the book on the links between Spain and Latin America , as well as the state of reading and education. Among the hot topics included the challenges and opportunities facing the language of Cervantes to the flourishing of social networking , the Internet and media.

The concern about teaching and learning " correct language , well managed , with beauty, with care and love " was captured during the meeting in Panama , José Manuel Blecua considered , Director of the Royal Spanish Academy and president of the Association of Spanish Language Academies .

Not speaking Spanish has become a 'crime' for Indians

The lack of structure and understanding of the Spanish language is the biggest obstacle for indigenous people in Mexico . What has cost them at least 502 indigenous 8000 have been unjustly imprisoned in 2012 , not knowing defend before a public prosecutor , according to the National Commission for the Development of Indigenous Peoples ( CDI ) .

What do you think about the discrimination experienced by indigenous people in Mexico ?

" Because I had a translator at the time and nothing engaged to say 'yes ' or 'no' at the time and are judged because they gave his statement and said yes , they take ," said Mayorga Nubia , owner of CDI CNN.

With the Release of Prisoners program , the CDI has achieved so far release year nearly a thousand Indians , aged between 18 and 40 years , illiterate or only a primary education , unjustly accused and could not defend themselves let alone Spanish . Others out by not having the money to bail " from 5000 and 12 thousand dollars ," said the official.

Data of the National Social Policy Evaluation ( Coneval ) notes that there are currently 5 million Mexico 100 000 Indians in poverty , of those 2 million 500 thousand are in extreme poverty.

The program has national coverage through the administrative units of the Commission in the states.

In 2013 , the program had a budget of 26.8 million dollars, for the payment of bail, grant 2000 462 consultants , conduct surveys and hire 26 to 259 performers .

There is a type of crime for which indigenous people are dams with the highest incidence in particular. The charges are both common law crimes and the federal , for crimes against life and physical integrity , property crimes , against health or sexual assault issues , details Mayorga.

This was the case of indigenous Nahua of Puebla José Ramón Aniceto Gomez and Pascual Agustin Cruz , who in 2012 was sentenced to six years in prison for stealing a van, which could not defend themselves for not speaking Spanish .

After 10 months in prison , the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation granted an injunction brought them out of prison and in which it was recognized that there were violations of due process because it did not have translators .

Oaxaca , Chiapas and Guerrero with , is one of the states in which the CDI has more indigenous cases unjustly imprisoned .

The CDI Holder said ideally in Prosecutors had interpreters but it does not. " There are some cases where it does its work who have to make the function that corresponds , in this case in the public ministries . It's easy to put them in jail , that injustice can not give, " Mayorga said .

An emblematic case is that of Alberto Patishtán teacher , who was arrested in 2000 for allegedly engaging in an ambush that killed seven police in Chiapas . International organizations such as Amnesty International ( AI ) have lamented the "serious irregularities" in his opinion .

On September 13th of Chiapas court rejected an appeal by the defense of professor of ethnic Tzotzil thus exhausted their options within the Mexican justice system .

" It is a matter of grave concern that the justice system makes the decision to ignore the serious irregularities against Alberto Patishtán process and keep the denial of the right to a fair trial ," explained AI in a statement after the judge's decision .

In 2010 the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation ordered released by inconsistencies in the process to three indigenous women Jacinta Francisco , Alberta Alcántara and Teresa González , after nearly four years in prison.

The challenge: convert the language in a development tool

In the not recommended Elysium , currently in theaters, the hero played by Matt Damon malvive a devastated Earth and miserable , abandoned to the terrible plight of the poor who dream of escape to space colony where the rich fled . In paradise millionaires inaccessible speak English and French . In the Land of the ragged and needy , the main language is Spanish .

The fantasy of Elysium is located in the year 2159, but do not make great efforts of imagination to suppose that , in a possible future marked by extreme social and economic differences , the Spanish language would identify the most disadvantaged. If you consider that today the language of Cervantes is the second in the world in number of native speakers ( 457 million ) , but the third in terms of global literate population (5.47 % of total) , one might think that , not to shrink the gap between Spanish speakers and literacy origin who speak the language, the ugly future that is described in Elysium would be closer than it might seem.

Do speaking societies are prepared to admit that the Spanish could become the universal banner of the humble ? The language is a homeland , a feeling and a destination. We further determined that even as we say in our dreams also speak Spanish .

The popular sayings , idioms and the "lines " are the cultural archive of a country and shape the thinking of its citizens. You can not think "outside " of the language , its boundaries are those of our thinking , ie draw the only border crossing impossible . So the richer your background , is that boundary further . Today, Spanish is spoken in at least 35 countries , and each brings miles of linguistic miscegenation put even more distance between the speaker and the confines of contemporary language. But the wealth of treasure that unites nearly 530 million Spanish speakers does not correspond to the social and economic status that the Spanish could be on track to represent.

The challenge of the VI International Congress of the Spanish Language , which these days is celebrated in Panama , is simply to convert the language in a development tool . The main road is the promotion of reading as a recreational activity ( " reading is a pleasure and that is what is to be transferred ," said the Colombian writer William Ospina ) now supports multiple platforms and media. The day speaking societies bearing a comparable wealth to their language, Spanish will be the passport to be grain in customs where he hopes the future. To make this change is put in place , the states and the book industry must commit to education. In Elysium , the poor of the earth try an escape impossible and are intercepted by the space police , communicating in English. Even in a movie so bad it is clear that the best future is in their own language .

where are going the spanish language?

The Fourth International Congress of the Spanish Language held in Panama a few days away to go unnoticed and be accused of " outmoded " in the digital age , it was the busiest of the so far performed . He threw interesting debates that complicate and above a little more than mere rivalry between books vs. paper . the eBook.

In the four days of the Congress passed nearly two thousand visitors and more than 200 academics among writers , publishers and booksellers speaking and also from the United States, Italy , Japan and others. All discussed under the theme " The Spanish in the book : the South Atlantic Ocean " and what was clear is that the best home for discussion is Latin America. There is an idea that was imposed on the rest : the future of the Spanish language largely passes through the region .

The delegation represented the Argentina was small but participatory . The integrated , among others , the president of the Academia Argentina de Letras, José Luis Moure , the director of the National Library , Horacio González- who had a health complication and had to stay in Panama - boarding ; writer Abel Posse and Guillermo Martinez , and artist Miguel Repiso , Rep.

To project the future of the Spanish language , before listing the new devices and changes in cultural consumption habits , which slides into the Latin American debate are the asymmetries between those who can read , and do not understand what they read , and those who can not read for not being able to go to school . You can not ignore this cultural inequity in the region.

Among academics present consensus was that in Latin America, one of the main shortcomings of the education system is that " it has been emphasized in learning to read instead of reading to learn , hence the low rates academics ," said Juan Carlos Vergara Silva , representative of the Colombian Academy .

Endorsing the idea of the role poor education in the region and its consequent impact on the weakening of the Spanish language , added Lucy Molinar , Minister of Education of Panama : " We wanted to impose an education like ours and we have forgotten the students. Today the student not only wants to be receiver of information , wants to build knowledge. "

Peruvian writer and Nobel Literature Prize Mario Vargas Llosa closed Congress and full of euphoria optimistic : " We need to defend and care for our language, not locking us into foreign languages ​​, but opening the windows to enrich our language from other languages ​​, as they they do with us. language must prevent impoverish and degrade it . "

" The Spanish language is spreading in recent years for various reasons . On the one hand , there are cultural reasons : many Spanish speakers , especially American , still have large families , a phenomenon that seems not verified in some European communities. On the other hand , the growth of the Spanish speaking population in the United States also mobilized some fashion and market changes . But also, I think one can not ignore the fact that many Spanish speakers on both sides of the Atlantic are highlighted in the sport, in the art and science , which acts as a diffuser interesting of our language, explains Silvia Ramirez Gelbes , Ph.D. in Linguistics from the University of Buenos Aires ( UBA ) and Director of the BA in Communication from the University of San Andrés .

Yuqing Deng, the Chinese who speaks a perfect spanish

She has 21 years , a few months ago he returned from Barcelona , and today has awakened as the girl who speaks better Spanish than China. Yuqing Deng is the winner of the first contest that celebrated the Chinese national television , CCTV , to find the brightest person in the management of this language in the Asian country , which ended this weekend .

"No way I imagined it would be the winner ! " Exclaims Deng phone today , remembering the time when the national competition jury chose her as the winner on Saturday night , after being among the three finalists that were presented to 170 students from around the country and had to spend a " tough but interesting " evidence .

Among them - and as if the contest were The Voice , ' performing a song from Shakira, ' This is Africa ' , which she chose to stage talent , one of the first tests of this program where the contestants had to demonstrate their skills with the Spanish with some original proposal and that other fellow took to dance a quickstep or recite " Platero and I " by Juan Ramon Jimenez.

After singing , bending movies live or comment videos like the Madrid bid for the 2020 Olympics or the Inca culture in Peru , Gabriela Deng - or , as the Spanish name that she got to start Philology Hispanic in Beijing , which now is in his fourth and final year , rose on Saturday night as the winner of the prize: a trip to Peru for two, for about ten days.

With the same humble attitude that characterizes throughout the conversation , Deng talks about his two competitors , two young people, one of his own career at the University of Beijing Language and Culture , and the other , a student at Valencia, where he decided go to study and after starting with the Spanish at the early age of 12 years apart from English.

"They were much better than me , I think the only thing I might differ is that, as was so clear he would not win , I was less nervous ," said Deng , whose interest in Spanish was born after studying French and get to know the European culture .

" When it came time to choose a career opted for the Spanish to have another language and because the Spanish speaking population in the world is the largest after the Chinese, and is also one of the official languages ​​of the UN," explains the student who intends to continue his studies to finish this language by teaching or work in another government entity , which , given the increase in their international relations increasingly needs more people who can speak several languages.

To increase your level , she does not rule out a stay abroad, as he was enjoying until this June in Barcelona, ​​now longs .

And that is where the young winner gave a " boost " to his study of the language of Cervantes , talking to classmates, in school or on the street, where he also learned a word of Catalan as " bon dia " or " bona takes " .

"It was like a dream ," says the student, who between Mexico and Spain , decided to study the third year of studies in our country.

" We had three options : Barcelona, ​​Santiago de Compostela and Almería . Barcelona I opted for because for the Chinese is the most famous , has important works of Dalí and is located on the Mediterranean ," said Deng , who took advantage of his stay to visit other Spanish cities such as Valencia in Fallas - time and where you fell in love with the ' ninots' - to Madrid in full National Day parade , which impressed him " riding the military ."

Now , the program allows you to continue your study of Spanish Peru to discover knowing what for her is " the unknown world of the Mayas and Incas " , but admits that he would like the trip did their parents.

" But, of course , need a translator " laughs Deng , who rejoices , not winning the first " Spanish Quiz " CCTV , but this was concluded .

" Before we had a contest official or as important in China on Spanish , English only . And I think that is transcendental : it makes people know that in China there are many people who speak this language , there is more interest , and the students here , it gives them an incentive . "

USA speaks Castilian

United States has become a laboratory for the language of Cervantes . Powered by Hispanic immigration , the Spanish live an unprecedented expansion . This growth , as tabled in the Spanish Language Congress of Panama held two weeks ago, involves challenges and some other danger.

With nearly 50 million , is the first Spanish -speaking country most populous Spanish-speaking . The advance is such that it seems that in 2050 Mexico surpassed and will have the absolute record of Castilian speakers .

With 900,000 students , is the most studied foreign language in universities. And there are some that offer courses and language studies only .

"It is our wet tongue entering the United States hidden in cargo vans , crammed onto the roofs of the carriages of the train of death in Chiapas trip to Sonora , which transfers the smart wall , which mocks infrared detectors ".

With its literary description of the way and the conditions under which language comes Juan Rulfo , Nicaraguan writer Sergio Ramírez was the first to talk in Congress of a reality which employs linguists and sociologists.

Behind him were others in the Convention Center Atlapa approached a phenomenon that is a direct response to the recent opening of a branch of the Instituto Cervantes in Harvard University .

" Throughout the Spanish history there have always been areas where there have been mixed , but with a large geographical spread not, and communication with a capacity as large as the U.S. ", said the director of the center Cervantes , Francisco Moreno Fernández .

Hispanics are consolidated as the largest minority in the land of John Steinbeck and Spanish stands in the language of a speech community stable. So far , however , we can not talk of a U.S. Spanish . Each community partners there still remains very high awareness of its origins.

" In Chicago, for example, the Castilian is Mexican , Florida is the Caribbean ', exemplified the director of the Spanish Academy , Jose Manuel Blecua . There is a variety , as there is no single profile of Hispanic , but several.

But there is an ongoing convergence interhispánicos elements that eventually forging a U.S. Spanish sooner or later, says the professor Moreno Fernández , head of the Harvard Observatory Cervantes Spanish language , studying everything that has to do with that expansion in the North American country.

"For example , all speaking call yard and patio . Processes are occurring balancing between Spanish varieties that will end in U.S. Spanish . "

Fear of ' Spanglish '

One aspect that some look with fear is Spanglish , Spanish pollution by giving expressions like English 'll call you back, the literal translation I call you back .

The Peruvian writer and critic Julio Ortega , who has lived for 30 years in the land of Stars and Stripes , sees no problem.

"The Spanish history is made by those processes of mixing and contamination from the Italian Garcilaso 's work until Darius French and Quechua of José María Arguedas ' he said. "Do not be afraid , will cease to exist when no longer observed , as in the imaginary diseases ."

"There are many social, linguistic, political , economic, that will make the Spanish go to one side or another. USA is a laboratory , "said Moreno .

Regret combination of Maya and Spanish language

With the misconception of giving prestige to the Mayan language , many people combine this with the words of Castilian , which causes gradual loss of the original dialect , lamented the writer and linguist , Feliciano Sánchez Chan .

As part of a separate meeting of writers , linguists and specialists speak Maya , denied that such practice should be assumed as a development , since in this language the same thing or situation can be said in different ways.

Indeed , he considered , is that this insistence of mixing Spanish words when speaking Mayan , is properly a form of aggression and violence perpetrated by those who are in a language is predominant as Spanish .

"From my point of view , he added , when manifested in Maya is valid that many of us try to resurrect words even think it worth creating neologisms " .

Sánchez Chan said " the Mayan language is very wide , very wide and rich because to tell you what we can do in many ways, why not speak it correctly it stop ."

"It is believed that the more pollute speech given more prestige but , on the contrary , the more we add to a process of submission and violence to ourselves, for it is said that we are speaking a language of subsistence and that our grandparents if they spoke the Maya , "he said .

Finally , he indicated that the degradation process started in mid of last century, when the Maya began to assimilate concepts and phrases of Spanish , due to a misconception that should be bilingual , giving this mixing process that has so damaged the Mayan language .

The U.S. is the great laboratory for the Spanish language, as dean of Harvard

The U.S. has become a " fascinating laboratory " for studying the relationship between Spanish and English and anticipate the future of both languages ​​, in the opinion of the Dean of Arts and Humanities at Harvard University , Diana Sorensen .

In a conversation with Efe, held this week in Cambridge ( Massachusetts ) at the launch at Harvard the "Observatory of the Spanish language ," Sorensen said the " important role " that is serving in the U.S. Spanish .

Could it be said - asked - that the future of Spanish is being played in this country?

" I dare not make a judgment as blunt " answers Sorensen, "but I think in the U.S. the Spanish is fulfilling an important role , affecting both English and Spanish being affected as a language , so that, rather than gamble with the future of language , I think we are witnessing a migration lab and Crosses is fascinating and very vital. "

The two most widely spoken languages ​​in the world live in the country at the forefront of science , economics , technology and entertainment, and that relationship will largely condition the transformation of both languages.

From Argentina , Diana Sorensen is Professor " James F. Rothenberg " of Romance Languages ​​and Literatures and Comparative Literature at Harvard , and a renowned specialist in Latin American literature of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries .

Thanks to their efforts, just starting your career at Harvard on " Observatory of Spanish language and Hispanic cultures in the United States " , a new center of the Instituto Cervantes which intends to investigate the evolution of the Spanish and the Hispanic in this immense country.

The Centre is directed by Professor of the University of Alcala de Henares Francisco Moreno Fernández , until recently, academic director of the Cervantes .

When asked if the U.S. will end up becoming a bilingual nation , Sorensen responds with a dart of reproach to the politicians in Washington.

" I do not know if ( bilingualism ) may occur in an official manner , because you all have witnessed the unfortunate lack of political cohesion that are there in Congress , in the government. 's A public embarrassment ," he says , referring to the recent dispute between the two major parties has remained paralyzed and the federal administration to the brink of bankruptcy.

" These same gentlemen, as this gentleman Cruz ( Ted Cruz, Republican Senator ), which unfortunately has a Hispanic name , I guess they are people who are willing to enact legislation that is so open , but I think we are actually sailing two languages ​​" .

The Dean reveals to Cambridge, where he is based university "is a city where English is rarely heard in the street."

"If you're standing in line at the post office, will hear Russian, will hear Arabic, Spanish course , much Portuguese ... , so here inhabit a sort of polyglot sea , which I find fantastic. But I think it becomes official ( bilingualism ), I think is going to happen maybe in practice . "

According to Sorensen , both the president of Harvard as the dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences are delighted with the project of the Spanish Observatory .

Testing has shown that acquired the project is the fact that at the first faculty meeting of the academic year , on September 25 , the dean announced to the entire faculty building of the new center .

Being only one among many other projects of this university , considered the first in the world, is the only one that has been announced publicly.

The Observatory is also the best illustration of the new dynamics of "opening the doors to the international world " that pursues Harvard over other models used by other private universities in the prestigious Ivy League.

" Harvard seeks international attention , wants to receive foreign forces in the most positive sense of the word ," recalls the dean .

" While NYU built a campus in Abu Dhabi , or Yale in Singapore , we are creating a different model that is much more agile and flexible : we have an observatory, we can create a study center in São Paulo or Bombay , but we are trying to create agile international presence with institutions that are not new campus, " he explains.

The plan is that the first activities of the new Observatory begin immediately upon termination of the International Congress of the Spanish Language which is being held these days in Panama

Experts discuss the impact of technology in the Spanish language

Inscribed on the celebrations of the fifth centenary of the discovery of the Pacific , Congress - organized by the Royal Spanish Academy , the Association of Spanish Language Academies and the Institute Cervantes , whose motto is " The Spanish in the book : the Atlantic to the Sea South " .

"We focus on the book and on those close to him applications , such as e-book that has elements of new technology and old traditional book elements ," explains José Manuel Blecua , director of the SAR and president of the Association which groups at 22 schools .

For four days will address issues as "problems that today have the book from the legal point of view , with digital rights , intellectual property , all these elements are as vivid today that did not exist 20 years ago ," he says .

From the first Congress in 1997 in Zacatecas ( Mexico ), where Gabriel Garcia Marquez threw his controversial call to retire spelling, also changed "the possibilities of working with the language, with everything that brought applications to research language , "he adds , noting " such access to large databases "online .

In this edition , chaired by Prince Felipe of Spain and Panamanian President Ricardo Martinelli , the opening will be borne by the Spanish- Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa , Sergio Ramírez Nicaraguan and Panamanian Juan David Morgan .

The conference , which for the first time will have a virtual Internet edition will also be the occasion to launch a Elemental Spelling coincide with the interests of the host, Panama Minister of Education , Lucy Molinar , to give an educational character .

This conference should serve to " take a significant step in improving teaching in Spanish " in schools, had said Molinar during the presentation ceremony in June in Madrid , for which Panama among others invited to participate over a thousand student teacher .

Future.

The SAR will also present " two projects closely related to the issue of Internet " explains Blecua . The first is the new website of the Academy , where in addition to the dictionary of the language , which already recorded 42 million visits a month, will be available the fundamental works published since its founding 300 years ago , some of which no longer have paper edition .

To this is added the first phase of a database , called the Spanish Corpus XXI Century ( CORPES ) , with 160 million words of time , from 70% of American texts and materials 7.5% emerged Internet .

The network and its actors , including bloggers , will also be addressed but its influence is still too recent , as Blecua , to feel in the language. " The language states do not change so quickly.

Increased demand for Spanish as a foreign language

China , Portugal and other countries in the world are demanding more and more tools to learn the Spanish language , and not necessarily motivated by the reading of " Don Quixote " .

" It's stupid to think that, in the case of China have to do with an interest driven more by trade ," says Humberto López Morales , secretary of the Association of Spanish Language Academies .

Be in the interest to read "Don Quixote " by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra learn Spanish or for other reasons, Spanish specialists have noticed this growing trend to adopt language in the world. For example, some institutions outside speaking countries begin to include the teaching of Spanish in their curricula .

Therefore, the Cervantes Institute and the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM ) in Panama on Tuesday urged the signing of an interagency agreement that creates American network training and updating of teachers in Spanish as a foreign language .

" The network was created for the purpose of responding to the demand for teachers , through approval of training systems , upgrading and certification internationally validated and adjusted to the most advanced standards of the specialty ," said Victor Garcia de la Concha , director of the Institute Cervantes.

Currently, there are no precise figures on the number of teachers from Spain and Latin America who teach Spanish in countries with other languages ​​, but the phenomenon exists and grows increasingly as the unseating Spanish languages ​​like French between worldwide use, says Lopez Morales.

The deal comes as part of the Sixth International Congress of the Spanish Language , involving first Spanish hundreds of teachers , mostly from Panama and that the government has funded virtually the cost of their participation.

Aida Montenegro a Panamanian journalist decided to take a course in teaching Spanish in Barcelona , Spain , participated in the conference , even if it had to make a long journey from the United Arab Emirates , where she teaches Spanish .

Some educational institutions in the Arab country have in their programs the Spanish study , said Montenegro.

" I help them communicate. To write a letter, an email ," he said . " They are happy students since entering the classroom and say ' good morning ''' .

An estimated 530 million people speak Spanish in the world and is considered , according to the Instituto Cervantes , the second international language after English communication .

The interest Spain and Latin America for trade , culture , tourism and literature has given a boom to the language.

The Spanish " each passing day is a language most coveted , most respected , obviously there is an important part of the Spanish -speaking world ," Lopez said Morales .

Besides UNAM Instituto Cervantes and integrated as founding member of the Instituto Caro y Cuervo ( Colombia ) and the Universities of Salamanca ( Spain ) , Católica de Chile , Católica de Valparaíso (Chile ) , from Costa Rica , Nacional de Rosario ( Argentina ) , Rio Piedras ( Puerto Rico ) and Ricardo Palma ( Peru ) .

Once established the network and created the training and certification systems , for which dates were not specified , others will join the project.

A new form of the Spanish language was born in the United States

The United States " is setting " a form of Spanish with a cultural sign itself , although still far from comparable with lexical varieties exhibiting other Spanish-speaking countries , according to experts at the Sixth Congress participaronn International Language in Panama .

Projections suggest that by 2050 the United States could become the first Spanish-speaking nation , ahead of Mexico , if migration and demographic trends continue, according to participants in the Congress, which has already completed .

The director of the Instituto Cervantes , Victor Garcia de la Concha , said in an interview with Efe in Panama City has been the progressive growth of the number of Spanish speakers , because the flood of migration, what is driving this new form of Spanish , one language , however , is still seen as a " language of migrants" in the United States.

"I actually , sociolinguists , say that you are setting a modality States ( of Spanish ) , but you are setting , yet is distinct from a configuration as fixed such as the Colombian or Mexican ," said Garcia de la Concha .

For the director of Instituto Cervantes , " we do need to consider this whole phenomenon " , but stressed that " still not yet fully as to specifically define .

Garcia de la Concha , however , noted that if anything stands out to Spanish is his " very strong unit ," which is clear from the fact that " 91% of the vocabulary used by all Spanish speakers, in any country , it is common " .

" Everything is Spanish , but Spanish varieties , some syntactic construction but lexical mainly reduced to the customs ," he said .

The president of the American Academy of the Spanish Language, Gerardo Piña Rosales , also told Efe that you can start talking about the existence of " Spanish in the United States."

This nascent form " has not so much a syntax, a structure " , but a " lexicon that responds to the cultural life of the United States," said Pina , who explains the phenomenon in a book he published with Professor Dominita Dumitrescu .

The U.S. Spanish "undoubtedly already happening " in a process that is also improving quality due to social promotion of Spanish speakers , said the president of the American Academy of the Spanish Language since 2008.

"People said , has a very wrong notion of what the Spanish in the United States, which is now the Spanish corrupted , as it somehow happened before . And for a social issue ."

"Simply put, there is a Hispanic middle class and , on the other hand, children of immigrants realize that being bilingual worth two ," said Piña Rosales.

In this process "we must take care " that the new Spanish American is being born " is as accurate as possible " , which is entirely linked to education, said Professor University of New York.

" To the extent that children , especially Hispanics, Anglos but also , have access to education , that Spanish is getting better ," he said .

In that sense, García de la Concha said the recent launch of an Observatory of the Spanish language and Hispanic cultures in the United States, driven by the Cervantes Institute and Harvard University , under the sponsorship of Banco Santander.

The Observatory " will be giving us information of how you're doing " everything Hispanic in the United States, including the phenomenon of the new form of Spanish in this country .

The director of the Cervantes also referred to the social progress of the U.S. Hispanic migration , and how this can help the Spanish no longer seen as a " language of migrants " and go to be considered one of " excellence."

"As immigrants are boosting their social role grows also the consideration of the language , but if they stay true to that language " and not limited to use it " in the family " , then that Spanish will also progress , said Garcia de la Concha .

" At the time when the Spanish started now into social areas and then begin to have more extensive references , more universal , then I can acquire that language recognition of excellence ," he added .

Festival of the Word of Puerto Rico seeks to help the Spanish language in the U.S.

The Festival of the Word , the fourth edition in Puerto Rico , wants to strengthen the literary connection between the Caribbean island and the Anglo world , as well as " help (language) Spanish in the U.S.," the director told Efe programming of the event, the Spanish José Manuel Fajardo.

The director of the event, the writer Mayra Santos Febres , Efe further elaborated that , coinciding with the century of existence of the New York newspaper in Spanish "The press " has prepared a special agenda that promotes bilingualism for a festival celebrated until next Sunday in San Juan .

Thus, through the streets of San Juan are already Latino writers but preferably in English writing as Daniel Alarcon , Justin Torres and Larry La Fountain .

This objective of boosting the visibility of Puerto Rican literature abroad and to strengthen ties between the Latino writers is why the Word Festival moves next week to New York , where he held a second part , between 16th and 19th .

"This is an international festival held in Puerto Rico ," said Fajardo , to make clear that there is room in the event to promote literature in general , whether in Spanish , English or any other language.

Another of the objectives in this issue is to highlight the link between journalism and literature , issue addressed in depth the Spanish Jacinto Antón , linked to the culture section of the newspaper El País for over two decades.

This edition highlights the presence of the Portuguese Lidia Jorge , whom Fajardo defined as one of the leading figures of European literature : " It is one of the great voices of Europe" .

In the corridors of the imposing Museum of Art Puerto Rico could see today also Colombian Santiago Gamboa , Venezuelan Juan Carlos Mendez Guedez , Yolanda Lopez and Puerto Ricans and fellow Matienzo Roxana Juan López Bauza .

López Bauza is the new winner of the third edition of the Americas for Best Latin American narrative for his ambitious and quixotic work " Barataria " , a satirical novel about the political status of Puerto Rico .

Another of these is the Puerto Rican Eduardo Lalo , winner of the last edition of the Romulo Gallegos Prize for his novel " Simone " , who claimed during the inauguration of Puerto Rico flee festival of rhetoric and empty words .

Rajoy considers the Spanish language as a resource against economic crisis

The Prime Minister , Mariano Rajoy, has opted Wednesday for a more interactive Cervantes Institute in promoting Spanish and considered this language as a resource to deal with the crisis that should be used by the companies. Rajoy has chosen to enhance that role of Spanish in his speech at the meeting of the board of the Instituto Cervantes , which was presided over by the Prince of Asturias in the Zarzuela Palace .

The Chief Executive highlighted the role of the Instituto Cervantes in Spanish promoting and disseminating the image of Spain , and reiterated that this language is already the third most used on the Internet . In his view, this fact is one of the main challenges of the Institute in redefining its role in the XXI century , and therefore , although this entity is already present on the internet, think you should go for the digital environment as a space reference and opportunities for the internationalization of Spanish .

In that vein , said that "should embrace the changes related to the new digital scenarios with lower entry barriers and lower costs of production , distribution and dissemination" . "We should move towards a more interactive Cervantes Institute , which offers more content and information in real time ," he argued Rajoy.

For him , an Institute to intensify the use of virtual platforms for Spanish teacher training and the evaluation and certification of Spanish as a foreign language would link " inexorably " Spanish language and culture with technology and innovation.

The Prime Minister believes that this decision will also help maintain the quality and sustainability of the Instituto Cervantes , whose leadership believes it has made ​​a great effort to generate capital and keep intact its network of centers. Rajoy has stressed that the promotion of Spanish is a task that transcends as a country and that requires cooperation and co-leadership of the entire American community .

Therefore considered that cash to improve the status of Spanish is necessary to design a strategy that should be shared internationally for all Spanish-speaking countries . " We are an extraordinary asset of more than half a billion people who must feel the Instituto Cervantes as an instrument itself , as a strategic element of institutional strength to successfully export a comprehensive picture of Spanish culture ," he stressed .

For Rajoy , Spanish linguistic cohesion should serve to establish alliances with Latin American countries in order to access the academic and socio-cultural environment of the United States. It is there that understands the stakes consolidation of Spanish as a second language , as well as new technological and financial borders are being drawn to Asia and the Pacific .

Rajoy has come to the meeting in his capacity as Executive Chairman of the Board of Instituto Cervantes , and it was also attended by government Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Garcia - Margallo , and Education and Culture, Jose Ignacio Wert .

Heritage courses for bilingual

His school performance was excellent , whenever English . But at home it was in Spanish , from its dilated talks with his grandparents in the evenings until Barbie magazines that came monthly. She was sure she was bilingual .

Until Dorothy , now a student at Harvard University , spent last summer studying in Mexico and realized how poor was his Spanish .

" We were talking about the presidential election and there were so many things I wanted to explain ," said Villarreal . "In the end we ended up playing a guessing game that I spoke English and my friends repeated it in Spanish , trying to guess what I meant ."

Villarreal 's experience is increasingly common in the United States, where one in five children growing up in a bilingual household . To help these young people to improve their language , several universities are expanding their language courses, in part to improve the preparation of students who will graduate and will need several languages ​​for their professional future in a world characterized by globalization.

For those who grow up in homes multilingual , there are certain advantages to it. They can greet and speak colloquially in another language, and even talk about light topics as time soap opera . But when it comes to deeper issues , or to read and write , they are in trouble.

The shortcomings are evident in high school, where these students are bored in basic language classes but are overwhelmed in the more advanced courses . And that is only if your school offers classes in cultural language , therefore the end of the day , how many schools in the U.S. offer courses in Arabic or Korean ?

With the growing U.S. Hispanic population , most language courses are in Spanish heritage , and these classes have proliferated California , Florida and several central-western states . Also some have emerged in institutions like Harvard University , which incorporated a course this year.

Villarreal , who aspires to work in Latin America for a multinational corporation or for the U.S. government - " without looking ridiculous ," he says - was among the first students to enroll in the course. He was excited about the opportunity to improve your Spanish without having to engage an advanced course with non-Latino peers , which may have strong accents but they pronounce the words correctly.

That kind of pressure , and shame because they can not read or write in a language that supposedly dominate , may lead some students to fall behind in the regular academic program , says Maria Luisa Parra Velasco , the Harvard professor who created the new Spanish course . Also , students may carry on stigma of speaking " broken Spanish " or more colloquial Spanish , says .

Apart from the language , the classes offer an unusual Villarreal academic space to talk about issues that can not talk comfortably with their white Anglo-Saxons. Compare your Spanish class with the class that has immediately afterwards: an advanced course in Spanish , focused on cultural practices in the border area between the U.S. and Mexico . In that class, Villareal speaks less .

" In class we talk about the border like an abstract concept, and for me , I went to school that was five minutes from the border. Border to me is what made suspend classes at my school because police helicopters are trying to catch people crossing , "he said .

Language programs of cultural heritage in the United States have existed in one form or another for over a century , as a way to preserve both the language and the culture, even amid movements demanding that only speak English. In the late nineteenth century , the German schools were common. In California, are tradition for years the Chinese and Japanese classes on weekends , and bilingual classes in English and Spanish have been established for years.

However, the emergence of language classes and cultural heritage is relatively new, especially in universities. The University of Texas -Pan American received funding from the Department of Education in 2007 to create a program of medical terms in Spanish , which is being replicated in other educational institutions.

Spanish classes are not the only ones that are fashionable . Harvard has developed programs in Russian, Chinese and Korean languages ​​that the U.S. government considers strategically important to the academic life and the world of espionage.

The National Heritage Languages ​​at the University of California at Los Angeles , funded by the Department of Education of the United States since 2006 , recently conducted the first national study of such courses , and found that they were teaching at 34 states and then the Spanish , the most popular were Chinese, Korean , Russian and Farsi .