CROSSROADSCROSSROA DS Language StudioÊs Newsletter August,August , 201
20 1 3
Some US television networks proclaimed theroyal baby news by welcoming the arrival ofthe "future king of England", but they forgot
about the rest of the UK!
Some of the biggest names in American
broadcasting have overlooked Scotland, Walesand Northern Ireland amid the hysteria
surrounding the newborn Prince. Star presenters
on CBS News and ABC News were among theculprits who referred to the baby as "the futureking of England". American talk show host Ellen
DeGeneres tweeted: "It's a boy! So happy for mycousin Kate and the future King of England".
But there hasn't
been a King ofEngland since William
III in the early 18thCentury - and there
won't be again, unless(or until) the United
Kingdom splits up
completely.
The political state of the Queen's home nationis the 'United Kingdom', not England! England isjust one region within the United Kingdom alongwith Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The'United Kingdom' is shorthand for the 'United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland’and contains the word “king”!
The structure of the English monarchy changed
when Wales was incorporated by the Act of Union of1536. It changed again in 1707 when Scotland wasincluded to constitute the Kingdom of Great Britain.
The Act of Union with Ireland in 1801
necessitated another change of name to The United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, whichlasted until Southern Ireland was declared aFree State in 1921 and Ireland was removedand instead Northern Ireland was included.
It's a common misunderstanding in the US.
The New York Times angered many Scots lastmonth when it marked Andy Murray's
Wimbledon triumph with a tweet that said:"After 77 years, Murray and England rule".

But before Brits gettoosnotty
about
Britain and England,
it'sapretty
complicated businessand the English (orBritish) are sometimes
guilty of the same
Henson Recording Studios, LA, USAmistake! The UnitedStates of America isoften referred to as"America" by British people. The distinction
between America and the US is important,because there is another America, Latin
America. Not to mention Central America, andthe rest of North America that includes Mexicoand Canada. So can we legitimately use"American" as an adjective referring tosomething from the US?
Funnily enough, the British themselves also
forget about Northern Ireland by referring to"Great Britain", which is an island, when reallythey mean the United Kingdom. (The Northern
Irish are "British" without being part of GreatBritain.)
And remember that the Isle of Man and theChannel Islands are British, but not part of theUK. Do you have a headache yet?
Perhaps the answer is for everyone to be
tolerant, to embrace a bit of constructive
ambiguity and just toast the health of both theUnited Kingdom and The United States ofAmerica and forget all about Australia.

Article by Matthew

NET LESSONS: Are you too busy to come toCROSSROADS?....Try our lessons on the Internet!

SITE OF THE MONTH:
Here are some interesting facts about royal babies throughthe ages: http://www.express.co.uk/news/royal/409739/Ahistory-of-royal-babies-Top-25-facts

Joshua Says: This month we will say goodbye to Dylan who isreturning home after only a short stay with us. Everyone at Crossroads
wishes him the best of good fortune and we all hope he stays in good
health into the foreseeable future. “Have a safe trip back to Wales,
Dylan, and from time to time let us know how you are getting on!”Junko Says: Recently I have noticed more than the usual number ofstudents heading overseas for study or work. Some are going to language
schools or universities and some are being posted overseas by their companies. I
get the impression that this is a developing trend and fits in with the reality of
our current economic situation and Japan’s need to reach out to theinternational community. Let’s all work hard to fit in with this movement.

Matthew Says: This incredible heat has given me the perfect excuse
to eat loads of ice-cream – specifically chocolate chip. I know some ofyou love vanilla but that is considered a boring flavour in the U.K.!
We also don’t have ice-cream shops in England so I love going to themany ice cream shops in Matsuyama! Enjoy your summer!

Dylan Says: It is difficult to know exactly how many separate languages
there are in the world. Most experts agree that the number is probably
between 4000 and 4500. Some languages, like English, are spoken all over
the world, by millions of people. Others, like some of the languages ofSouthern Africa, are spoken by fewer than 1000 people. As you know, I amWelsh, and I speak my own language. So, 'HWYL FAWR'. That's good bye.

Cyril Dit: Il était une fois une jeune fille de la campagne qui voulait
devenir princesse. Après avoir mis la main sur une fée, elle négocia
son souhait. La chirurgicale magicienne lui fit subir une
transformation esthétique des plus bouleversantes, jamais on n'avait
vu pareil raffinement dans les limites extrêmes de la beauté. Auxanges, la pucelle pu prendre son nouvel emploi au Starbuck.

…will be held on Saturday the 7th of September and we start at
6:00pm, here on our roof-top. It will be B.Y.O. (bring your own)
and free to attend! All of our students, yourfriends andfamilies are invited………

See you there!!

Dear, Crossroads
How are you Joshua, Junko, andother teachers, Setsuko, Miho, Risa,
and other students?

This is a scene in frontof the university.

I'm going to INTO (language school)with no problem (^-^)
Newcastle is good. It’s a peacefulplace. The buildings and streets are also beautiful, and I
have already been around to some places by train and bike.
Now, it's very rare in Britain these days, but we’ve
had just a little rain here, so far. And the temperature
is very comfortable for me. My flat-mates andclassmates are very kind and I'm studying academic
writing and basic English.
Recently, I got used to living here, so I canconcentrate on my homework and essays. I'mplanning to make friends locally and in the language
programme at university.

This is a famous sightseeing
spot in Newcastle

If there are any requests for pictures, please send them to me!!

Hello! My name is Shiiha
Yamamoto. I passed EIKEN
Grade 2 in July. I can’t believe
how! There are two hurdles inEIKEN. One is the writing test
and the other is an interview. I
took classes at Crossroads
because I was not good at theinterview. In the class myteacher suggested that theexaminer judges you by yourknowledge rather than yourinitiative. This surprised me andI kept his words in mind soI could take the test feelingvery calm. This time, Icould learn that English isnot a subject or knowledge.
It is a means of staying alive!
See you!!

Shiihaisa3 rd yearJuniorHighstudent

Don’t forget… Our SPECIAL 1+1 Campaign offer! Up to 50% off!!
See our notice board, or ask Junko in our office, for the details.