Varieties of English

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the 20th century's most outstanding personalities. His successful non-violent fight against the discrimination of Blacks in the United States was inspired by the thoughts and methods used by Gandhi.Martin Luther King was born into a country (USA, Atlanta) where practically every southern state was segregated, a divided and unequal system made up the educational, economic, political and social landscape of the Old South. Schools were segregated, restaurants were off limits to black people, and hotels had no vacancies when a black face appeared. Theatres, housing, waiting rooms, lavatories, drinking fountains, public accommodation, the queues for purchasing a dog license were segregated. This within a nation which called itself the hope for the oppressed of the world, which had declared all men equal, which had promised freedom, and equal protection for all, a nation which had built its wealth upon the backs of slaves.

“I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.”

“I submit to you that if a man hasn't discovered something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live.”

“I want to be the white man's brother, not his brother-in-law.”

“Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into friend.”

“Nothing in the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity.”

“Take the first step in faith. You don't have to see the whole staircase, just take the first step.”

“The Negro needs the white man to free him from his fears. The white man needs the Negro to free him from his guilt."

Ana Filipa Castro nº3

Ana Raquel Faria nº5

Leonor Sousa nº14

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Name: Frederick Grant Banting

Birth date: 14th November of 1891

Death date: 21st February of 1941

Nationality: Canadian

Profession: Medical scientist/doctor Frederick is considered an icon to his nation and to the whole world because he discovered insuline. Due to his medical research, he won the Nobel Prize in medicine. Banting shared the award money with his colleague, Dr. Charles Best. As of September 2011, Banting, who received the Nobel Prize at age 32, remains the youngest Nobel laureate. The Canadian government gave him a lifetime annuity to work on his research. In 1934 he was knighted by King George V. In 2004, Frederick Banting was voted 4th place on The Greatest Canadian.

Diogo Bastos nº7

Isabel Lopes nº11

Vanessa Ribeiro nº21

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The New Zealand men's national rugby union team, known as the All Blacks, represents New Zealand in what is regarded as its national sport. The All Blacks are the Rugby World Cup champions and they have held the top ranking in the world for longer than all other countries combined and in over 100 years only five of the top 20 test rugby nations have beaten New Zealand. The All Blacks perform a haka (Māori challenge) before each international match. The haka has been closely associated with New Zealand rugby ever since a tour of New South Wales in 1884. That’s why they are so important to the country (New Zeland).

Ana José nº4

Sofia Miranda nº16

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Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi (2nd October 1869 – 30th January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement. A pioneer of satyagraha, or resistance to tyranny through mass civil disobedience—a philosophy firmly founded upon ahimsa, or total nonviolence—Gandhi led India to independence and inspired movements for civil rights and freedom across the world. Gandhi is often referred to as Mahatma Sanskrit: or "Great Soul," an honorific first applied to him by Rabindranath Tagore. In India, he is also called Bapu and officially honoured as the Father of the Nation. His birthday, 2nd October, is commemorated in India as Gandhi Jayanti, a national holiday, and worldwide as the International Day of Non-Violence.

Jéssica Xavier nº12

Tiffany Pereira nº20

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Nelson Mandela born 18 July 1918, served as President of South Africa from 1994 to 1999, and was the first South African president to be elected in a fully representative democratic election. Before his presidency, Mandela was an anti-apartheid activist, and the leader of the armed wing of the African National Congress (ANC). In 1962 he was arrested and convicted of sabotage and other charges, and sentenced to life in prison. Mandela served 27 years in prison, spending many of these years on Robben Island. Following his release from prison on 11 February 1990, Mandela led his party in the negotiations that led to multi-racial democracy in 1994. As president from 1994 to 1999, he frequently gave priority to reconciliation, while introducing policies aimed at combating poverty and inequality in South Africa. Mandela has received more than 250 awards over four decades, including the 1993 Nobel Peace Prize, due to the influence of his actions all over the world.

Ana Catarina Oliveira nº2

Carolina Oliveira nº6

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Is our city prepared to welcome foreigners?

0n the 23rd September 2011, with the mission of finding out if our city is ready or not to receive foreigners, our class went to the historical city centre to interview people (tourists, inhabitants and business owners).

We decided to approach people in English.

Here are some of the answers to our questions:

Paraxut Restaurant

"-Good morning! Do you speak English?

-Yes.

-Do you think English is important to improve your business in the historical centre of Guimarães?

-Of course.

-Why?

-Because Guimarães will receive many visitants from the entire world.

-If they are from all around the world why do we have to speak in English?

-There are other important languages like Spanish, but English is the easiest to learn and speak.

-Well, thank you."

Cervejaria Martins

"-Sabe falar Inglês?

-O básico, para atender os clientes, nada muito complicado.

-Can you tell us some sentences that you usually use?

-Hein?

-Nós explicamos, pode dizer-nos algumas frases que usa frequentemente? Or words?

-“Welcome”; “Thank you”;”Here is the menu!”; “Can I help?”; “The bathroom is down there”;”Beer”;”Bread”;”Spirits”.

- Well, thank you very much."

The mastery of other languages is important, but we should also consider the mastery of basic details of the historical and cultural knowledge of Guimarães, in order to be able to inform tourists correctly. In spite of the visible difficulty felt by the citizens and business people, it is also important to consider the effort made by many of them to overcome these communication obstacles. As an example, the city hall has provided a workshop —“Eu Sou Guimarães” —, aimed at business people which gives them the bases to better welcome the tourists that may “invade” our city next year.

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Interviewing a British couple