Showing posts with label World War II. Show all posts
Showing posts with label World War II. Show all posts

Monday, January 30, 2012

Brandenburger Tor

The Brandenburger Tor is a monumental gate, which replaced an older city gate, built in the 18th century as a symbol of peace. It is situated at the end of Unter den Linden, a grand boulevard in Berlin, Germany. This gate is related with the worst moments of the Berlin's history and is probably the most well-known landmark in Berlin, it now stands as a symbol of the reunification of the two sides of this great city.
The gate led directly to the city palace of the Prussian monarchs. It was commissioned by King Friedrich Wilhelm II of Prussia as a sign of peace and built by Carl Gotthard Langhans from 1788 to 1791.
The gate consists of twelve Greek-style Doric columns, six to each side, forming five passageways. Citizens originally were allowed to use only the outermost two. Atop the gate is the Quadriga, a chariot drawn by four horses driven by Victoria, the Roman goddess of victory. In 1806, during Berlin's occupation by France, Napoleon ordered the quadriga to be taken to Paris. After the Battle of Waterloo, the quadriga was triumphantly taken back to Berlin, and it was turned into a symbol of victory, that's why the quadriga is called Victoria.
During WWII the Brandenburger Tor was badly damaged but not destroyed by allied bombing. After WWII, the gate was incorporated into the Berlin wall during the years of Communist government. Consequently, it became a symbol of a divided city.
With the fall of the wall in November 1989, people flocked to the reopened Brandenburger Tor to celebrate. Since the fall of the Berlin Wall, the gate has become the symbol of a reunified Berlin and a symbol of unity.

Sunday, January 8, 2012

The future of the English language

It is proved nowadays that English is the most widely spoken language all over the world. It is the language of business, international politics, advertising, the recording industry, science, technology, travel, media, and especially the Internet. People can communicate all over the world thanks to this language. If it weren't for the English language, it would be difficult for people from different countries to communicate effectively. Therefore, it has become a link between many different cultures.
The English language emerged in Britain and gained a lot of importance due to the British overseas empire. It was the dominant language in these colonies until after World War II when the British lost their power to the USA. This is why English is such an important language. The USA is a powerful country with an enormous economy and industry that uses English as the universal language to communicate with people from many different countries.
What's next? What is the future for the English language?
English is being learned all over the world as a first foreign language. In general, this is making it the most learned language outside the English speaking countries. On the other hand, the population in the countries in which English is the first language is steadily declining.
As a result, many new varieties of English will develop in these countries. Each country has its own pronunciation of many English words, and they also have their own way of adapting to the English language. While adapting to the English language, they are also trying to find a way to learn the language while trying to express their ethnic identity.
In conclusion, we can't say there will only be one form of English. In the future, it's possible to say that English will be combined with other languages and it may come to be spoken in many different variations that we can refer to as "New Englishes."