Spanish contributions to the United States

Spanish explorers that came to America had the power to change the history and culture of a continent. The culture of Latin America has obviously
been shaped by these explorations. But the United States has also been
influenced  by contributions made by Spanish explorers. The origins of the
U.S  are multicultural and, therefore, this society has been affected by
different ethnicities. Specifically, the U.S. has been influenced in the
diverse areas of language, architecture and food by Spanish speakers.  I
believe that American society has borrowed and adapted some ways of life from
Spanish society.
In the area of language English has either borrowed or adapted words
from the Spanish language.  As a result, in the United States there are many
geographic names of Spanish origin such as California, Colorado, Los Angeles,
San Francisco, Florida, Rio Grande. The English language has also taken many
words from Spanish such as hacienda, patio, aficionado, conquistador, coyote,
guerrilla, iguana, piñata, sombrero.  Most Americans are familiar with Spanish
words such as hola, amigo and nada.  Many are also familiar with Cinco de
Mayo celebrations.
In the United States there are many modern homes and buildings that
show the influence of the early Spanish. Specifically, some construction
techniques and characteristics of Spanish architecture are patios and balconies.
Spanish inspired homes built in the first decades of the 20^th century are usually
described as Spanish Colonial Revival, suggesting that they borrowed ideas
from early settlers. Many examples of Spanish Colonial Revival architecture can
be found in buildings in Florida, California, Louisiana and New Mexico.
Spanish influence in cuisine can be noticed in many typical foods
prepared in the American diet which have Spanish roots. For instance, Mexican
foods are extremely common in the U.S. As a result, Taco Bell and Tex Mex
restaurants are very popular. Americans are very familiar with tortillas,
enchiladas, tacos, tamales and chiles con carne. Chips and salsa have
become a snack in the America diet, especially, during Sunday football games. 
In our community there are also many Spanish restaurants where you can eat
typical Spanish dishes such as paella and tapas while drinking some sangria.
In conclusion, Spanish explorers in the past and Spanish immigrants in
the present have influenced the English language, American architecture and
cuisine.  We must remember that the origins of the United States are
multicultural and, therefore, affected by different people from different parts of
the world.

WEB VP OUTPUT FOR FILE:
Words recategorized by user as 1k items (proper nouns etc): NONE (total 0 tokens)

Families Types Tokens Percent K1 Words (1-1000): 89 99 267 66.25% Function: ... ... (166) (41.19%) Content: ... ... (101) (25.06%) > Anglo-Sax =Not Greco-Lat/Fr Cog: ... ... (41) (10.17%) K2 Words (1001-2000): 13 15 22 5.46% > Anglo-Sax: ... ... (7) (1.74%) 1k+2k ... ... (71.71%) AWL Words (academic): 15 16 21 5.21% > Anglo-Sax: ... ... (1) (0.25%) Off-List Words: ? 60 93 23.08% 117+? 190 403 100%

Words in text (tokens): 403 Different words (types): 190 Type-token ratio: 0.47 Tokens per type: 2.12 Lex density (content words/total) 0.59 Pertaining to onlist only Tokens: 310 Types: 130 Families: 117 Tokens per family: 2.65 Types per family: 1.11 Anglo-Sax Index: (A-Sax tokens + functors / onlist tokens) 69.35% Greco-Lat/Fr-Cognate Index: (Inverse of above) 30.65%

How to study a new language

A successful language learner must be able to read, write, listen, and speak in the target language. It is always helpful to travel to the country where the language is spoken in order to become familiar with the culture as well.
A beginner language learner should try to master reading and writing skills first. For this purpose, you must learn grammar and vocabulary. This part of the process is very repititive and not so much fun.
Then, as you acquire basic vocabulary, you must focus on listening and understanding the language. The last step, and also the most difficult one, is to be able to communicate. It is also helpful to be an outgoing person. This process is fun and works best if you are not shy to talk to others.
As a language learner, myself, I love grammar and vocabulary. I have difficulties speaking in English. I am aware that I made more progress at the beginning than now. Right now I need to practice the language more.
In conclusion, learning a language is not an easy process. First of all, you must be interested in learning the language and you must persevere in this process. Unfortunatelly, sometimes you don´t see much progress and you feel frustrated, but there is always light at the end of the tunnel.
WEB VP OUTPUT FOR FILE: Untitled
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Families Types Tokens Percent K1 Words (1-1000): 81 96 192 87.67% Function: ... ... (114) (52.05%) Content: ... ... (78) (35.62%) > Anglo-Sax =Not Greco-Lat/Fr Cog: ... ... (50) (22.83%) K2 Words (1001-2000): 4 4 6 2.74% > Anglo-Sax: ... ... (3) (1.37%) 1k+2k ... ... (90.41%) AWL Words (academic): 8 8 11 5.02% > Anglo-Sax: ... ... (2) (0.91%) Off-List Words: ? 8 10 4.57% 93+? 116 219 100%

Words in text (tokens): 219 Different words (types): 116 Type-token ratio: 0.53 Tokens per type: 1.89 Lex density (content words/total) 0.48 Pertaining to onlist only Tokens: 209 Types: 108 Families: 93 Tokens per family: 2.25 Types per family: 1.16 Anglo-Sax Index: (A-Sax tokens + functors / onlist tokens) 80.86% Greco-Lat/Fr-Cognate Index: (Inverse of above) 19.14%

Be your child´s superhero

We live in an era in which our children´s miseducation is only blamed on teachers.  Our society instead of praising good teachers for a job well done, teachers are usually attacked on the media and elsewhere as well.  Unfortunately, I only hear negative portrayal of teachers by the media.  It is unfair to blame them for the failure of some of our children.  Instead we should congratulate them for the success of most of them.
As a parent I believe that education, knowledge and success takes place both at school and at home.  Therefore, my children´s achievement and failures are the result of the work done by their teachers and myself as well.  I am an active participant in my child´s education.  As an involved parent I share this responsibility with teachers.
In an era in which teachers are considered accountable for their students test scores I believe that parents are also accountable. We live in an era in which our children´s miseducation  Learning not only takes place at school but also at home.  Unfortunately, most parents are not making an effort to share their responsibility with teachers.  Instead we choose to shower our children with material things.
I have noticed that the media loves to share stories about bad teachers.  On the other hand, I never hear any positive stories about dedicated teachers who do their best to educate my children.  I know that they are as many stories outthere of bad parents and bad students who are not shown in the news.
In conclusion, we need parents to do their best job at home in helping in the education of their children.  We also need more positive stories of good educators in the news.  Education is a collaborative effort.
WEB VP OUTPUT FOR FILE: Untitled
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Families Types Tokens Percent K1 Words (1-1000): 82 95 242 86.12% Function: ... ... (145) (51.60%) Content: ... ... (97) (34.52%) > Anglo-Sax =Not Greco-Lat/Fr Cog: ... ... (57) (20.28%) K2 Words (1001-2000): 7 11 19 6.76% > Anglo-Sax: ... ... (1) (0.36%) 1k+2k ... ... (92.88%) AWL Words (academic): 8 8 12 4.27% > Anglo-Sax: ... ... (1) (0.36%) Off-List Words: ? 7 8 2.85% 97+? 121 281 100%

Words in text (tokens): 281 Different words (types): 121 Type-token ratio: 0.43 Tokens per type: 2.32 Lex density (content words/total) 0.48 Pertaining to onlist only Tokens: 273 Types: 114 Families: 97 Tokens per family: 2.81 Types per family: 1.18 Anglo-Sax Index: (A-Sax tokens + functors / onlist tokens) 74.73% Greco-Lat/Fr-Cognate Index: (Inverse of above) 25.27%

Rome

I remember that the first time that I visited Italy I went to Rome.  This was six years ago in April around the time that Pope John Paul had died.  My first impression was that Rome was dirtier than expected, compared to other European cities.  This must be due to the fact that probably Rome gets more tourists than other cities.  Italy is also famous for having had problems with the collection of garbage.  I was also surprised to see so many tourists in the month of April.  Rome is an unique place where you can find history and art all over the city.  Wherever you look you can find art and beauty. You also find many foreign born street vendors everywhere harrassing you to buy their merchandise.  It is very difficult for me to pick a favorite landmark in Rome since they are all so astonishing. It is really easy to find good food, good coffee, good ice cream and excellent clothing in Rome. I really enjoyed this trip to Rome and I am looking foward to going back soon.

Spain is located in the Southwest of Europe. It has seventeen regions and Spanish is the official language.  Spanish is spoken around the world by 350 million people who are native speakers and by 50 million people who have learned it as a second language. Madrid is the capital of Spain. The population of Madrid is 6 million people.  The symbol of Madrid are a bear and a strawberry tree. Madrileños or people from Madrid are called gatos or cats since they love to be out at night. For example it is very common for Spanish families to go out most nights to eat out at tapas bars. Tapas are little snacks like cheese, olives, tortilla etc that you can eat as a light dinner. One of my favorite landmarks in Madrid is The Rastro flea market.  This popular market has being taken place since the Middle Ages.  Nowourdays this market takes place every Sunday. I also recommend visiting the Retiro Park where you can find all kinds of people.  Young people usually start or finish their nights partying at the park.  Unfortunately, right one is not the best time to visit Spain since you need almost a dollar and a half to purchase an euro.  You also need to consider than in general in Europe things are more expensive than in America.

Animal farm

Mr Jones is complaining to anyone about the monstrous injustice he had suffered in being turned out of his property by the animals. Later Mr Jones and his all men with others from Foxwood and Pinchfield were going to attempt the recapture of  the farm, but Snowball prepared a defensive operation against Mr Jones and his people. The battle was terrible, all animals fighting against humans. Snowball dashed straight for Jones, but the most terrifying spectacle of all was Boxer who killed a boy, but he is sad because he did not want to do it. The battle finished, animals won, and they decided to create a military decoration, "Animal Hero, First Class", which was conferred there and then on Snowball and Boxer.The battle was called "the Battle of the Cowshed". They use Mr Jones's gun to fire it twice a year-once on October the twelfth, the anniversary of the Battle of the Cowshed , and once on Midsummer Day, the anniversary of the Rebellion.

Learning about blog

Now I'm learning a new thing to do.