What stories are behind your words? Susie Dent has some answers in this month’s issue of ‘Tell Your Story Newsletter’

October 2024 Vol 6 Issue 10

Tell Your Story Newsletter (TYSN):

 Teaching English as a Second Language

Let us help you tell your story!

Welcome Mid-October, 2024!

What does “October mean (to you)? What changes does it bring?Media reports in late September and early October have concentrated notably on social justice and public health issues in our community, and at a time when Saskatonians prepare to vote in upcoming civic, provincial and federal government elections.

On September 30th, we observed the “National Day for Truth and Reconciliation,” to honour the Indigenous children, who (as the Government of Canada acknowledges), “never returned home (from  government- and church-led residential schools), and their survivors, alongside their families and communities.”

Young Indigenous children faced emotional, physical and sexual abuse, and endured the forced suppression of their language, culture and familial relationships. But change has been slow to arrive.

The day has also become known as “Orange Shirt Day,” an “Indigenous-led, grassroots commemorative day, intended to raise awareness of the . . . impact of residential schools [and] to promote the concept that ‘Every Child Matters.’”

In my faith group on September 29th, we donned orange shirts and listened as guest speaker Patti Polowick discussed the need for change: through public apologies to the Indigenous people of SK (and beyond); through our refusal to condemn those who (intergenerationally) struggle with homelessness and addictions; and through recognizing the Biblical and spiritual basis of both truth and forgiveness.

 

And on October 10th, we observed “World Mental Health Day,” an international day (writes the the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union [UFCW]) “to raise awareness of the stigmas surrounding mental illness and the importance of promoting mental health.” Change here, too, is desperately needed.

Globally, close to one billion people now live with mental illness (reports the World Health Organization [WHO]); and the Covid-19 pandemic has further reduced people’s mental wellbeing. Yet mental health continues to be “one of the most neglected areas of public health.”

Efforts need to be mobilized to increase the quality and accessibility of good mental health care–and no place greater than in SK. On its website  (https://www.who.int/campaigns/world-mental-health-day), the WHO reminds us that good “mental health is a universal human right.”

Yet we find ourselves experiencing impoverished (some might say “third-world”) healthcare in a first-world province. Change is needed.

Indigenous healing and reconciliation with settler cultures and the improvement of human mental health are two of the greatest cultural and health-related movements we face world-wide. They demand that we work toward meaningful change (and surpass mere “lip-service”).

Survivors have important stories to tell that can yield change, as we advocate for more respect, tolerance and support than current times provide.

And appropriately, the month of  October is usually a month of seasonal change. As Environment Canada’s forecasts indicate, our current warmer-than-seasonal weather will be displaced at month’s end, by single digit degrees above zero, Celsius.

Yet our days are marked with the turning and falling of gloriously golden and crimson leaves, that bring great beauty to our lives, even as we brace ourselves for the change of winter.

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary tells us that the name “October” shares roots with  “octopus” and “octagon,” which originally meant “tenth” in Anglo-Saxon and Middle English—so that “October” designates the tenth month of our Gregorian calendar. That is one of its stories.

But to add to the complexity of linguistic history (a theme popular with this month’s featured dictionary writer, Susie Dent), the name “October” also reflects the earlier Latin “octo” and the Greek “okto” (both of which mean “eight”). So in the earlier Roman calendar, “October” occurred in the eighth month, an earlier story . . .

In keeping with stories of change, in “Article One” this month, I visit a recent book from acclaimed British lexicographer (dictionary writer), Susie Dent, on the meaning of words that have surprising (hi)stories to tell.

In “Storytellers’ Corner,” I cite Canadian entrepreneur and strategist, Arlene Dickinson on how, by exchanging the often harsh thoughts we have of ourselves with ones of self-worth, we can empower our minds and lives.

And in this month’s “Shop News,” I share sundry items of visits, events and news that energized me in recent weeks, making me glad to have exchanged time in my office to engage with peers like you!

What has October brought to you?  Have you plunged into your work, embracing the reality that summer has finally passed? Or have you stepped aside from the daily grind, mindfully, to notice the season’s beauty and distinctness?

And please send your updates and ideas for  future issues of “TYSN.” I’d be delighted to hear from you.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth

Principal

Storytelling Communications

www.elizabethshih.com

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IN THIS ISSUE:

 

ARTICLE 1: What stories are behind your words? Susie Dent has some answers

STORYTELLERS’ CORNER: Arlene Dickinson on retelling your story of self-worth

SHOP NEWS

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Article One: What stories are behind your words? Susie Dent has some answers

In her recent book, Interesting Stories about Curious Words: From Stealing Thunder to Red Herrings, Britain’s most popular “lexicographer” (dictionary writer), Susie Dent, shares some of the fascinating stories behind common English words and phrases.

Those of us who communicate for our living (I teach English-as-a-Second Language) are not surprised to know (as Languagelinks.ca reports) “that over half of the English language comes from French and Latin.”  In fact, “more than 60% of our vocabulary has its origins in France.”

And when we read the work of Susie Dent, it’s not hard to imagine her as the heroine of Pip Williams’ recent popular novel, The Dictionary of Lost Words, a plausible but fictional telling of the work of late Victorian and early 20th-Century lexicographers who developed the first-ever edition of the Oxford English Dictionary (OED).

Describing her career of researching and writing dictionaries, Dent cites Eric Partridge (Britain’s “20th-century chronicler of slang expressions”) as saying there are “more imagination and enthusiasm in the making of a good dictionary than in the average novel.”

Dent cites a favourite anecdote, also from Partridge–of an elderly Englishwoman who, after borrowing a dictionary from the public library, returned it with the comment that it was “a very unusual book indeed—but the stories are extremely short, aren’t they?”

In Interesting Stories, Dent brings together hundreds of her favourite eclectic histories of English words, whose criterion for inclusion was only that the stories “might elicit an ‘ah!’, an ‘of course!’ or maybe even a ‘what!’”

Dent writes that “curious minds will always need curious words,” so learning languages, such as English, including the fantastic words that she collects, need never be boring.

Here, this month, are ten of the favourite words Dent chronicles in her book:

(1) “Long time no see”: “A mock traditional greeting to a person one has not seen for a long time. It is a form of Pidgin English based on Chinese “hăo jiǔ méi jiàn.”

(2) “Wotcher”: “A late 19th-century alteration of the greeting, ‘What cheer?’, or ‘How are you?’”

(3) “All one’s geese are swans”: “To overestimate; to see things in too rosy a light. All one’s children are paragons, and whatever one does is, in one’s own eyes, superfluous.”

(4)  “Booby”: “A species of ‘gannet’ (large seabird) is called a booby because of its apparent stupidity. The Spanish bobo means ‘silly.’ It was this that gave rise to the idea of a ‘booby prize.’”

(5) “As mad as a March hare”: “Hares are unusually . . . wild in March, which is their rutting [mating] season.”

(6) “A Leopard cannot change its spots”: “A person’s character never changes fundamentally. The allusion is to Jeremiah 13:23: ‘Can the Ethiopian change is skin, or the leopard his spots?’”

(7) “Teddy bear”: “A child’s toy bear, named after Theodore (Teddy) Roosevelt (1858-1919), who was fond of bear-hunting. Roosevelt was shown sparing the life of a bear-cub in a cartoon drawn by C.K. Berryman in 1902 as a spoof on the president’s role as an ardent conservationist.

In 1906, The New York Times  published a humorous poem about the adventures of two bears named Teddy B and Teddy G, in Roosevelt’s honour. The names were then given to two bears newly presented to the Bronx Zoo, and manufacturers seized on the event to put toy bears called ‘teddy bears’ on the market.”

(8) “Higgledy-piggedly”: “Jumbled up in a confused mess. The word first appeared at the end of the 16th century and may have been inspired by the slovenly reputation of pigs. It is an example of what linguists call a ‘reduplicative compound,’ in which two words are paired on the basis of their sound, and one of them tends to be a fanciful add-on.”

(9) “To get someone’s goat”: “To annoy a person. The expression, an old Americanism, is said to relate to a practice among racehorse trainers of soothing a nervous horse by putting a goat in its stall. Someone wanting the horse to lose could sneak in and remove the goat. The horse would again succumb to an attack of nerves and would not run well. But one can irritate a person by constantly butting in, and this may be a more likely reference.”

(10) “Dogsbody”: “Someone who does all the menial jobs that no one else wants to do, typically a young person or trainee employee. The term dates from the 1920s and was originally applied humorously to peas boiled in cloth on board ships and subsequently to a junior officer.”

And now it’s your turn: Do these “curious” stories about words appeal to you? How much of a role does storytelling (more broadly) play in the languages you speak and write?

 

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STORYTELLERS’ CORNER . . . . 

STORYTELLERS’ CORNER

This month: Arlene Dickinson on retelling your story of self-worth . . . 

From entrepreneur extraordinaire, Calgary-based Arlene Dickinson  (Dragon’s Den investor and Canadian strategist) . . . comes some other words we can tell ourselves–these in keeping with the advancement of all entrepreneurs, but women, in particular:

“The next time you stop yourself from enjoying life’s moments, doing something new and exciting or putting yourself out there, because you don’t like your body or your looks, here’s a new short tape”– a change to your  personal story –“to play in your head”:

“I am more than good enough.
I am beautiful exactly as I am.
I can’t wait to show myself what I can do.
I am uniquely and proudly me.

And then, thank your body for its strength in getting you through the days and nights and for keeping your spirit alive.”

Dickinson concludes from her own experience that it’s not easy for entrepreneurs “to drown out the insecure thoughts” that run through our minds.

But she says: “Keep rehearsing these lines” and you will revise those thoughts–and with them, your story!

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SHOP NEWS:

This month, I am especially thankful for the collaborative articles I have co-authored with fellow women writers of “Saskatoon Freelancers’ Roundtable.” The fifth of our pieces appeared in this fall’s issue of  “Freelance” magazine and online ezine, publications of the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild.

Thank you to Ashleigh Mattern, Julie Barnes, Adele Paul and Ashlyn George for the collaboration.

Our final article addressed issues of “time management.” And our group looks forward to writing collaboratively again, in the future. Perhaps we will then include our group’s photographers and designers.

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CORRECTION from last month’s (September) issue!

The Praxis School of Entrepreneurship’s 30+ year, “startSMART” program is not ending, as I earlier reported, but is instead changing shape through a new online network for January, 2025.

Alumni of the past 30+ years are cordially invited to a “refresher” socializing and networking potluck, with date and time forthcoming, early in 2025. Stay tuned!

And please let fledgling entrepreneurs in your circles know that powerful training and community building opportunities through the Praxis School of Entrepreneurship are coming soon!

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I have been deeply moved this month by a visit I made to Rev. George Yando, of Prince Albert, who served as a spiritual advisor and interim minister (five years ago) to my faith community (St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church).

During a recent visit, I was touched by Rev. Yando’s continued humanity, warmth and empathy for others, even in the face of his own terminal illness.

Sometimes hospital visits become visitations, in which the visitor themselves is transformed.

Thank you, Rev. Yando.

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Special thanks this month to WESK’s CEO Miriam Johnson, and WESK team members, including those I spoke with–Program Lead, Jenelle Yochim; Brand Manager Michael Betteridge; and Client Services Manager, Cara Cote, for developing a “speed networking” format for “YXE Connect” on October 9th.

All entrepreneurs were given 15 minutes in each of four sessions to ask questions and network with service providers.

The service providers included representatives from representatives from Saskatoon’s legal, financial, banking and other advisory services (who also deserve our thanks).

The smaller group format  enabled ambiverts (like me) and introverts and newbies (whom I met) to speak more openly and engage more deeply with others, thereby extending the event’s “connective” power.

I look forward to seeing what the WESK team does for YXE’s November meeting to encourage engagement from our diverse entrepreneurial community.

Thank you, WESK!

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I’m happy to share that my ESL/EFL training organization, the TEFL Org (formerly known as TEFL Scotland) founded in 2008 by EFL teachers, Jennifer MacKenzie and Joe Hallwood, celebrated its 16th anniversary on October 9th!

TEFL Org has recently been awarded the label of a “B-Corp Certified business” for “meeting high standards of social and environmental performance, transparency and accountability” in business. TEFL Org has won numerous awards, including the “Queen’s Award” in 2022.

The company “has trained over 185,000 TEFL teachers [including me], who have entered the industry as confident and capable educators” (www.Tefl.org)

Here’s a birthday video about TEFL org:  Congratulations on 16 great years to Jennifer, Joe, Alan, Carl and the entire TEFL Org team!

There are always new businesses or events to promote and new people to thank.  But this is a “wrap” for mid-October!

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ABOUT US:

Between 2011 and December 2018, Elizabeth Shih Communications chronicled the stories of B2B marketing and communications on the Prairies and across the country.

Effective January 1, 2019, I rebranded as “Storytelling Communications.” I now help new and economic immigrants to secure  contracts or find better jobs by improving their language skills. And I also write and edit “legacy stories” of businesses in our community.

Interested in learning more? Please contact me through my CASL-compliant website (www.elizabethshih.com).

After I receive your message, I’ll be pleased to discuss projects with you!

Please visit my website for more information (www.storytellingcommunications.ca).

Fed up with sugar addiction? Meet the Canadian entrepreneur who dissolves it, in this month’s issue of ‘Tell Your Story Newsletter’

September 2024 Vol 6 Issue 9

Tell Your Story Newsletter (TYSN):
Teaching English as a Second Language
Let us help you tell your story!

Welcome Mid-September, 2024!

Enduring record-breaking heat in much of Saskatchewan last weekend (September 6th to 8th), many Saskatchewanians gleefully restored our summer clothes and sandals to the fronts of our closets!

Along with a life-long friend and her family, I observed one of those “dog days of summer” at the annual Broadway Avenue Street Fair! The street’s shops and many artisans’ booths sold beautiful items of textiles, wood and jewellery that were particularly wonderful to behold.

But with the drop in temperatures that have followed, most of us feel that summer is now over.  The shortening of daylight hours is already appreciable. And yet, the start of a new program and school year has brought a spring to my step, even in these challenging economic and political times.

How are you living this new season, good reader?

One of the greatest joys of mid-September is that it marks the time for one of Saskatoon’s largest entrepreneurial gatherings, the annual Raj Manek Mentorship Program Banquet. This year–the program’s 28th–the business community returned to Prairieland Park, to hear an inspiring keynote conversation with Canadian entrepreneur, Tara Bosch, founder of “SmartSweets.”

Did you miss the banquet and want to catch up? Or is it new to you? Keep reading: this issue is for you!

In “Article One, I feature highlights from that inspiring interview with Tara Bosch, hosted by CTV journalist (and perennial emcee), Jeff Rogstad.

Then, in this month’s “Storytellers’ Corner,” I feature part three of a series on Latin terms to know and use! These “should” be used playfully in the classroom or boardroom, or else you may meet resistance (haha)!

And in “Shop News,” I acknowledge some of the wonderful industry of mentors, peers and clients in my network.

Local writer and woman leader, Linda McCann, recently blogged on “the promise of September”:

“It’s a time to reflect on the desires of our hearts and the longings of our souls, as we consider the months ahead . . . . September has always held a special promise, even in the most challenging times. It brings the anticipation of a harvest, the start of a new school year, reconnections with friends and fresh opportunities for learning. It’s also a time to walk in nature, savouring the changing colours, scents and sounds of this abundant season.”

Whether you’re criss-crossing the province, country or globe on business or personal ventures, or whether you’ve returned home after a summer (vacation) away, I wish each of you that awareness of September’s “promise” and “abundance.”

Whether savouring locally made pizzas and soups at Christie’s “Il Secondo”; a last mouthful of summer’s sweetness at Beppi’s Gelato; whether opening a new novel by a (perhaps local) favourite author . . . . or simply treading, with a beloved friend or pet, our leaf-strewn Meewasin Trail . . . may you live this new season with renewed energy, purpose and optimism, faithful readers.

As McCann reminds us, there will be both “challenges and gifts” in this new year, just dawning.

Sincerely,

Elizabeth Shih
Principal
Storytelling Communications
www.elizabethshih.com

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IN THIS ISSUE:
→ARTICLE 1: “Fed up with sugar addiction? Meet the Canadian entrepreneur who dissolves it, in the 28th annual Raj Manek Mentorship keynote address”
→STORYTELLERS’ CORNER: Six more Latin terms that everyone “should” know (part three)

SHOP NEWS
ABOUT US

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Article One: “Fed up with sugar addiction? Meet the Canadian who dissolves it, in the 28th annual Raj Manek Mentorship keynote address”

The 28th Annual Raj Manek Memorial Banquet was held last Tuesday evening (September 10th) at Prairieland Park, featuring a keynote interview with Tara Bosch, the Vancouver-based Founder of “Smart Sweets.”

Influenced by an “unhealthy relationship with sugar” as a teenager and by kitchen-table wisdom from her grandmother, some 20 years ago, Bosch began to research the damaging and widespread health effects of sugar. She then founded the first confectionary company to address the need to vastly reduce sugar, creating a recipe for gummy bears (and others followed) that
were the world’s “first candy [to] kick sugar.”

And Bosch didn’t stop there. She has rapidly become a global leader in what she describes elsewhere as “pushing back on foods with excess sugar.”
Her vision is of consumers who can “live their best lives by giving them the choice to kick sugar.”

Bosch has also pioneered “Bold Beginnings,” an entrepreneurial accelerator that brings “six to eight women entrepreneurs from all corners of North America to Vancouver,” to compete for a $100K investment in their startup.

Through what she describes as an arduous journey, Bosch has found much success! She was named Ernst and Young (EY)’s Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year Award (2019), one of both “Inc” and Forbes magazine’s “30 Under 30,” and has received numerous other awards from the likes of “Entrepreneur magazine,” “Business Insider,” The Bank of Montreal (BMO), and
“SmartSweets” distributor, Whole Foods.

Only four years after launching “SmartSweets” from her basement, Bosch sold it for $360M, with herself as majority owner!

So, I highlight here some of Bosch’s testimony and journey to make “smarter candy” to “better her community and herself”:

• Bosch’s business started with her wish to end “the silent epidemic of sugar in our country’s candy aisles.” As a child, she said: “candy was my thing. It brought joy and love until my teenage years, when excess sugar made me feel bad about myself and my body image.”

•She was spurred on to change that “unhealthy relationship to sugar” when her “Oma” (her grandmother and childhood best friend) told Bosch how much she regretted having consumed “too much sugar” in her lifetime.

• At the same time, Bosch consciously chose a niche with the most “radical value”—weight watchers who needed low-sugar treats. She simultaneously worked to make”SmartSweets” high in fibre, to add to its nutritional value.

• Bosch laments that food manufacturers target consumers’ “bliss points” – the combination of sugar, salt and fat that addicts children through their tastebuds. Virtually every food product in the supermarket intentionally contains (unhealthy) sugar —and Bosch knows that change is an uphill battle.

• She says she “wanted to create a community around sugarless eating,” and she has succeeded.

• Bosch says she “leveraged scrappiness of what was available to [her],” reading food science journals, accessing knowledge online and by “cold contacting people on LinkedIn,” many of whom were willing to share 10 minutes of their time, when she was honest and clear about her motives.

•She didn’t hesitate to enlist colleagues in the same business accelerator she was in, tech start-up people, as her candy taste-testers.

• Bosch advocates for “being honest about yourself, knowing both your strengths and your weaknesses.” She advises us to use experts to support you in those weak areas, as she assembled “a team of people who were smarter than I was.” Similarly, she brought on a COO as a “people leader,” who had run Starbucks and Lululemon, and who fostered a woman-focused culture to sustain the business. That kept the challenges of sustaining
growth from “draining [Bosch’s] cup.”

• Bosch acknowledges that start-up life saw her oscillate “between a pit of despair one day,” to a high, like” serendipity,” the next.

• To try to level out those extremes and to stay motivated, Bosch used (and recommends to entrepreneurs) a spreadsheet to track each day’s successes, whether big or small (“micromoments”). These moments can create “mind fuel” by keeping you aware of even incremental progress. For instance, if someone on her contact roster simply opened an email from her, she’d record it as a “win.”

• “All challenges are opportunities in disguise,” Bosch says. Some days involve “climbing a high mountain, but something magical lies just around the corner.”

• Bosch says in her work now, she “normalizes self-doubt, imposter syndrome and insecurities that all entrepreneurs face,” especially women. Therefore, she maintains gender parity on her board and keeps the executive team at “SmartSweets” 85% female. A further 80% of the company’s employees are female. Bosch says that shared and conscious vulnerability can become a form of strength.

“Think BIG” and let that goal subvert your fears and doubts of how you’ll get there. She said that mastering your fears allows you to tap into limitless potential.

• Remember, though, that “money is not a ‘why’ deep enough to take you through all the tough days.”

• So, don’t keep family at bay: Bosch has since added a three-year old daughter to her family, as well as several dogs and cats, all who remind her of the importance of being compassionate, kind and of seeking “lightness,” or happiness, whatever the challenges of entrepreneurship bring.

• Following the example of her COO (Cindy), Bosch urges us to respect the lives and schedules of mentors, collaborators, colleagues and staff, by being and keeping on time when in meetings and at events.

• Bosch also urges entrepreneurs to leverage government programs (e.g. debt protection and fundraising) that we’re blessed to have available to us, in Canada. (“SmartSweets” manufacturing headquarters remains in Vancouver).

• Bosch sold “SmartSweets” in 2020 for $360M at the age of only 29 but continues as its founder.

• After Malcolm Gladwell’s book, The Tipping Point, Bosch says: “It only takes 1000people to start a movement.” This is what she led “SmartSweets” to create.

• Since then, she has launched a business incubator called “Bold Beginnings” in North America, which offers a $100K award to help women entrepreneurs learn “they are infinitely capable”: she urges women to apply at  BoldBeginnings.com

• Bosch says that when crises arose (such as losing her manufacturer, 20+ years ago), she finally “gave up the problems to a larger force than [herself]” and remained “thankful to have the opportunities [she’d] had.”

• It’s hard not to wonder and imagine what future ventures lie ahead for this plucky, resilient and inspirational entrepreneur.

• Bosch’s creativity in devising methods to keep her mind and spirit strong through the most harrowing of entrepreneurial days is remarkable—and commendable! Even the names she’s given to her pet cats and dogs come from TV and movies, reflecting some of her irreverent spirit. (In the long-distance interview with Rogstad, Bosch’s cat Tarzan briefly stole the show.)

• So, if you’re a reader of business success stories, be sure to add Tara Bosch of “SmartSweets” to your list! Her own “lightness” illumined the evening of the 28th Raj Manek Memorial Banquet for hours (and over the social media that followed, too).

• As a leader, Bosch has said that she “is wildly passionate about empowering the next generation of entrepreneurs,” believing that “their big impact vision are needed more than ever before in the world.”

And now it’s your turn:
To join in the work and successes of the Raj Manek Foundation, please consider this your invitation! Visit www.manekmentorship.com for more details on monthly seminars and annual networking events.

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STORYTELLERS’ CORNER . . . .

 

 

 

STORYTELLERS’ CORNER: Six Latin terms that everyone “should” know
(part three)

The online editing website, Grammarcheck.net, recently published a list of 60 Latin terms that “everyone should know.” The latter claim may be a tall order, given that most writers and editors younger than 45 have not found Latin offered in Saskatchewan’s primary or secondary schools (although that changes at the university level).

But setting aside the perennial debate of whether Latin should still be taught to children, I suggest that numerous Latin terms are (or can become) recognizable, even to non-specialists.

And using such terms can create subtlety in our spoken and written word–and, maybe some fun, too?

This month, here are six more terms to recognize and enjoy:

(13) Curriculum vitae (C.V.) –“A formal resume.” (e.g. “Please submit your curriculum vitae for the HR Manager’s position.”)

(14) De facto—“In fact.” (e.g. “The neighbourhood is de facto segregated.”)

(15) De jure – “By law.” (e.g. “In some countries, women are granted de jure equality with men, but the day-to-day experience is much different.”)

(16) De novo – “From scratch.” (e.g. “The judge ordered a trial de novo after the first trial.”)

(17) E pluribus unum – “Out of many, one.” (e.g. “The US motto, E pluribus unum, reflects the country’s diverse makeup.”

(18) Ergo – “ Therefore.” (e.g. “He is a hard worker; ergo, he will succeed.”)

Do you have any favourite Latin terms or stories of people using them?
Please write in; I’d be delighted to hear from you.

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SHOP NEWS:

Following the introduction and “Article One” of this issue, you won’t be surprised that at the top of this month’s entrepreneurial news is my thanks to the organizers, mentors and proteges of the Raj Manek Mentorship Program (RMMP), for their dedication to personal and professional growth, across our province.

The Raj Manek Foundation and Mentorship program is based on a wonderful immigrant’s, and immigrant family’s, success story: the late Raj Manek Sr. settled his family in Saskatchewan, following globe-crossing ventures from his birthplace in Kenya, to the UK, later, Inuvik, the Northwest Territories, and finally, Saskatoon.

Special thanks go out again, to the Manek family, Kanchan, Raj Jr., Sona and Kinjal Manek for tirelessly preparing and launching another year’s remarkable networking banquet.

And the dedication of many mentors for another year ignited or rekindled connections, in a collegial, encouraging and generous environment.
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My professional, personal and long-term thank you goes (of course) to Monica Kreuger, Founder and Chief Visionary Officer, of the Praxis School of Entrepreneurship. As my long-time mentor and advisor (some 10 years!) through the RMMP, Monica has shared with me dozens of mentorly conversations and discussions, which have broadened my outlook and helped me to foster resilience.

The Praxis School of Entrepreneurship, where I taught business communications (2017-2020), and trained as a startSMART participant (2018-19), is undergoing invigorating change in its training opportunities for entrepreneurs, across all sectors, through a new, online network.
So December will mark the start of the final cohort of Praxis’ 30+ year, “startSMART” program, whose facilitation and content will be transformed in new dimensions and offerings. Stay tuned to learn more about this transformation!

So if you (or someone you know) has a business idea they have long pondered, wait no longer! Contact startSMART program administrator, Elaine Mantyka, at (306) 664-0500, so you can begin planning your business before the program and the year 2024 close!
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On the networking front, I’ve enjoyed talking with “Table 35,” a group of women entrepreneurs named after the table where we met at last spring’s gala of Women Entrepreneurs of SK (WESK). We took a summer break, but plan to reconvene for camaraderie and conversation shortly.
Many thanks to fellow entrepreneurs, Suzanne Anton, Keshia Gamola and Sandra Miller, for participating in the early summer. It was great to see Sandra at the Raj Manek Banquet last Tuesday night!

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Special thanks go to my French ESL student, Eliane, who lives south of Paris, for recently graduating from my language classes, after sharing nearly two years of spirited English language conversations, over italki.com.

Eliane and I have discussed the Arts, including opera, classical and popular music, literature, film and television, and shared life experiences working and travelling in our different corners of the world. I will miss our weekly discussions a good deal and wish her all the best.
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Thanks also go out to both my IT consultant, Jordon, and to my bookkeeper, Heather, for assisting me so fully in recovering many records, after an equipment failure in late August.

Both have been attentive to detail and highly skilled in showing me the needed changes, for which I am grateful.
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Thanks to my editing client, Greg Gilroy, retired Saskatoon Transit driver, for hiring me to edit his memoir–a legacy document that collects stories from Greg’s 32+ years as a bus driver, in an ever-changing (and challenging) environment.

I’m grateful to Greg for staying open to the “edits” I’ve made on a book whose publication will be his long-term “dream.”

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Thank you to my valued colleagues Ashleigh Mattern and Lenore Swystun, whom I’ll join in conversation this winter about “Communication in an Age of AI.” We’ll meet, along with co-host Christina Cherneskey, on local CFCR radio’s “Civically Speaking.”

We’ll discuss ways that AI is affecting our businesses (especially language learning) and I look forward to the discussion!
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And on the topic of AI and training, I’d be remiss if I didn’t also thank Montreal-based, English copywriter and coach, Nick Usborne, for his monthly Facebook events, where former students of his “Futureproof Copywriting” course (me included) discuss the nature and applications of AI.

Nick is generous and thoughtful and I appreciate his encouragement as we strive to be “Humans in the loop.” He recently said that “AI is not a Frankenstein,” and that the best way to avoid such an outcome is by curating and setting limits on what we do with it and how.

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And a final “thank you” goes to American sales and marketing coach, Jennifer Darling, who shared her “Storytelling for AI” workshop with me and other communicators, last week.

Darling’s model for turning personal experiences into scintillating marketing material is not totally new to me but is powerful and will transform some of my blogging and newsletter-ing work.
++++++++
There are always new entrepreneurs to promote and new people to thank for their interest and support. Please share your stories and acknowledgements with me, for future issues.

But for now, this is a wrap for mid-September!

++++++++

ABOUT US:
Between 2011 and December 2018, Elizabeth Shih Communications chronicled the stories of B2B marketing and communications on the Prairies and across the country.

Effective January 1, 2019, I rebranded as “Storytelling Communications.” I help new and economic immigrants to get better jobs or secure better contracts by improving their English skills. And I also help individuals and companies to tell their legacy stories.

Interested in learning more? Please contact me through my CASL-compliant
website (www.elizabethshih.com).

After I receive your message, I’ll be pleased to discuss projects with you!
Please visit my website for more information (www.storytellingcommunications.ca).

What length of holiday is best? An answer in the mid-August issue of TYSN!

August 2024 Vol 6 Issue 8

Tell Your Story Newsletter (TYSN):
Teaching English as a Second Language
Let us help you tell your story!

Welcome Mid-August, 2024! 

The moderate temperatures of early August and the rain that fell on August 6th were welcome relief to many Saskatchewanians, following weeks of high heat without precipitation.

Mid-August is peak holiday time for many of our province’s residents, entrepreneurs and their clients. My recent social media feed has featured exuberant photos of travel, events and holidays spent with friends and family.

And for good reason! This time in the calendar is nearly perfect
for relaxing and recharging before another program year starts.
In keeping with holiday times, I’m sharing simpler pieces this month to be consumed on the beach or on a golf course, in a cabin or in a fishing boat, or wherever you find yourself situated, good reader.

In Article One, I feature a timely question: What length of (summer) holiday is best? Some might quip, “the longer, the better!”

But the specific answer from “Forbes” magazine and other online sources might surprise you.
In this month’s “Storytellers’ Corner,” I feature part two of a posting on Latin terms to know and use in the classroom or boardroom–and to do so playfully, if possible.

And in “Shop News,” I share some developments in our local network, including an upcoming networking event, as September dawns.

Enjoy these dog days of summer, good readers! Whether you’re criss-crossing the globe, taking a staycation, or working now to take your holiday next winter, I hope you’ll appreciate these last few weeks of summer.
Whether as simple as savouring locally made ice cream or gelato, or walking a pet at River Landing, I wish you all much pleasure in these “dog days” of summer.

May you shore up much energy and joy for the new program year ahead.

Sincerely,
Elizabeth Shih
Principal
Storytelling Communications
www.elizabethshih.com
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IN THIS ISSUE:
ARTICLE 1: What length of holiday is best?
STORYTELLERS’ CORNER:
Six Latin terms that everyone “should” know (part two)
SHOP NEWS
ABOUT US
++++++++

Article One: What length of holiday is best? Here’s an answer . . .

Entrepreneurs and business people have long discussed just how long our annual (usually summer) holiday should be.

While some may fantasize about taking multiple weeks away, most of us remain deeply invested in our businesses or jobs, so that we check messages and monitor urgent developments even when we’re out of our offices.

The decision of how long to get away tends to depend on factors such as our progress on projects, finances, how we choose to spend the holiday and the availability of family and friends to meet up with.

Virtually all studies on workplace holidays have focused on the lives of “day-job” employees and not on entrepreneurs, the latter which leave much under-acknowledged experience for future publication.

Dutch employees, who were interviewed in 2011-2012 for (the aptly named) “Journal of Happiness Studies,” took longer than 14-day holidays and reported on different criteria throughout and after that length of time.

These employees reported that “health and wellness increased quickly during vacation, peaked on the eighth vacation day and had rapidly returned to baseline level within the first week of work resumption.”

Holidays of longer than eight days did not produce longer-lasting effects when employees returned to work.

Similarly, a 2009 study from the “Journal of Occupational Health” concluded that vacations continue to have “positive effects on [the] health and well-being” of employees, “but these effects soon fade out” when they return to work.

Surprisingly, there have not been many publications that address or analyze the “fading out” of holiday-related positivity. There have also been studies that analyze holiday time for entrepreneurs.

But from the perspective of employees or workers, several findings on how to optimize holiday time have emerged:

(1) Perhaps most obviously, holidays boost employees’ spirits both prior to and after their occurrence.
For instance, in the weeks leading up to holidays, employees found that “stressful experiences had less of an elevating effect” on their heart rates, as they conducted regular duties. Employees absorbed less mental and physical stress than usual, as they waited to get away.

After they return, employees reported feeling better for varying lengths of time, between one week and “around one month.” However, after that time, employees all returned to baseline levels of mood and performance. Even if the vacation had been three weeks or longer, the “elevating effect” always fades.

Researchers in the “Journal of Psychology and Health” report that it is not clear how much longer after they return to work that some employees enter burnout; however, sprinkling “a few different eight-day holidays annually lower . . . risk for developing metabolic syndrome” and other life threatening illnesses. (“Metabolic syndrome” increases the likelihood of heart disease,
diabetes and stroke.)

But businesses or companies seldom allow employees to take multiple eight-day breaks throughout a program or calendar year.

(2) Summer holiday plans usually need to be made the January before, to set aside several days. Career advisors recommend adding two days for travel, one on either side of your break, in order to get the most out of your time off.
But, as Alex Ledsom writes, in an article in “Forbes” magazine: “If you leave [your holiday] too late” in the summer, “you’ll feel battered by the time it arrives.” At the same time, however, if you take your holiday too early, you may struggle to endure the rest of the calendar year.

(3) In recent years, Europeans report having 25+ days of annual paid leave, as full-time employees. By contrast, in the US, which historically used to offer longer holidays than Europe (between the 1970s and the year 2000), 28 million employees had no paid time off (2023). And in 2022, non-governmental employees in the US received only 11 to 20 days of annual paidvacation days, depending on years of service.

Additionally, in 2018, 52% of US employees reported working for short periods while on holiday (e.g. answering emails and joining conference calls) and a total of 765 million vacation days went altogether unused. In some industries (e.g. engineering), employees have even been called back to work mid-way through holidays, if their expertise was required at a critical juncture.

Regardless of how many days off you book, career counsellors recommend planning them early in the New Year, so as to include public/statutory holidays. If a government holiday falls on a Thursday, writes Alex Ledsom, plan to take off the Friday after it, to reach the weekend that
follows.

(4) The trend (at least in the Western world, but also, likely, beyond) of taking a fewer number of paid vacation days, the reality that employees often work part-time while on holidays and the advent of Covid, all have blurred the boundaries between work and home life. Therefore, career counsellors argue that it is more important than ever to plan to spend plenty of time with
family and friends, and with as few interruptions from work as possible, when you do take time off.

All of the above points can intensify when applied to entrepreneurs, whose self-employment is even more likely to eclipse our need for rest, relaxation, family and friends. Entrepreneurs have no “paid” days of vacation and often do not plan for holidays, for fear of losing clients and contracts. Time “off” may be irregular snatches of time taken between those contracts.
Furthermore, responsibility for recruiting and paying for staff and for attending to overall business considerations can escalate stress beyond that experienced by (non-entrepreneurial) employees. . . . Yet, these different kinds of workers should not compete in what Seth Godin calls a “race to the bottom.”

What is the bottom line on taking holidays? Employees and entrepreneurs of all varieties all need to take breaks for mental and physical health. Eight days at a time is a healthy duration of time.

If you can do that twice per year (or miraculously, three times?), you’ll be ahead of the game. But if we deny our human need for rest, our long-term employability or the viability of our businesses, not to mention our health and families, will certainly suffer.

And now it’s your turn: Do you find, as an employee or an entrepreneur, that you need more time off than you usually get?
What about eight days as a length of holiday?
How and when do you plan to take holidays that restore yourself and your family?

++++++++

STORYTELLERS’ CORNER . . . .

STORYTELLERS’ CORNER:  Six Latin terms that everyone “should” know (part two)

The online editing website, Grammarcheck.net, recently published a list of 60 Latin terms that “everyone should know.” The latter claim may be a tall order, given that most writers and editors younger than 45 have not found Latin offered in Saskatchewan’s primary or secondary schools (although that changes at the university level).

But setting aside the perennial debate of whether Latin should still be taught to children, I suggest that numerous Latin terms are recognizable, even to nonspecialists. And using such terms can create clarity in our spoken and written word–and maybe some fun, too?

This month, here are six more terms to recognize and enjoy:

(7) Anno domini (A.D.) –“In the year of the Lord.” (e.g. “The Middle Ages started around A.D. 476.”)

(8) Ante bellum—“Before the war.” (e.g. “One can visit many ante bellum plantations in Savannah, Georgia.”)

(9) Ante Meridiem (A.M.) – “In the morning.” (e.g. “The class is scheduled for 10:00 A.M.”)

(10) Bona fide – “In good faith.” (e.g. “The organization is a bona fide charity.”)

(11) Caveat emptor – “Let the buyer beware.” (e.g. “Caveat emptor is a principle that buyers should be aware of potential faults in [something].”)

(12) Circa – “ Around/Approximately.” (e.g. “The Great Pyramid of Giza was finished circa 2560 B.C.”)

Do you have any favourite Latin terms or stories of
people using them?
Please write in; I’d be delighted to hear from you.
++++++++

SHOP NEWS:

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you to folks of Saskatoon and area who volunteered their time for the annual Saskatoon “Ex” (Exhibition) at Prairieland Park, this year.

The “Ex” featured new rides like “Hurricane,” “X-Drive,” “Frenzy” and “Rock Star”; musical acts by Amanda Marshall and Tom Cochrane; festival “eats” like Spudnuts and Doukhobor bread.

Altogether, the fair had many gems on offer.

But it was also a reminder of the need to keep our children and youth safe, as an assault to a young woman that occurred on fair grounds will now enter our justice system.

My colleague, friend, and community developer, Laura Van Loon, volunteered as a Health and Safety nurse in another part of the fair, donating the honorarium she received for the work to Saskatoon’s Soroptimist group.

This group appropriately works toward helping women who are escaping sexual exploitation to find hope.

In light of ever-present concerns about girls’ and women’s safety at large public events, Laura’s service and the work of the Soroptimist group warrants mentioning.

Thank you, Laura!
+++++
On the networking front, a group of women entrepreneurs (including me) who were seated together at the last gala of Women Entrepreneurs of SK (WESK), have taken a summer hiatus, but plan to reconvene for camaraderie and conversation this fall.
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The 28th Annual Raj Manek Memorial Banquet will be held on September 10th at Prairieland Park, featuring keynote speaker, Tara Bosch, Founder of “Smart Sweets.” Influenced by an “unhealthy relationship with food” as a teenager and by kitchen table wisdom from her grandmother, Bosch researched the damaging and widespread health effects of sugar. She then
founded the first confectionary company to address sugar reduction, creating a recipe for gummybears as “the first candy that kicks sugar.”

In an interview in “Small Business British Columbia” (SBBC), Bosch says that she didn’t stop there. She has rapidly become a global leader in “pushing back on foods with excess sugar.”

Her vision is of consumers who can “live their best lives by giving them the choice to kick sugar.”

Bosch took her pioneering company from first year sales of $2M to fourth year figures of $125M. The business later sold for $360M, with Bosch remaining as majority owner.

She has also pioneered “Bold Beginnings,” an entrepreneurial accelerator that brings “six to eight women entrepreneurs from all corners of North America to Vancouver,” to compete for a $25K investment in their startup.

Don’t miss this rare opportunity to hear Tara Bosch’s story, live in Saskatoon! I hope to see you at the Raj Manek banquet on September 10th!
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Special thanks to my French student, Eliane, who shared with me some of the lesser known but spectacular features of the 2024 Jeux Olympiques (“JO”) held in Paris, recently.

Although the games brought plenty of inconvenience to local Parisians, Eliane shared for me the “back stories” of delights occurring apart from the many sporting competitions.

For instance, she described the engineering behind the opening ceremony’s “silver horse galloping the Seine River,” drone-delivered fireworks, and a haunting performance at the games’ opening ceremony by Celine Dion of Edith Piaf.

Piaf’s beloved “L’Hymne a l’amour” resonated on so many levels for the French setting of the “JO”–for historical losses of France as a homeland; for the losses of a lover; of one’s health (Dion has been fighting neurological disease); and of sporting losses for many athletes, who nonetheless competed at (arguably) the greatest sporting event in the world.

There are always new entrepreneurs to promote and new people to thank for their interest and support. Please share your stories for future issues.
But this is a wrap for mid-August!

++++++++
ABOUT US:

Between 2011 and December 2018, Elizabeth Shih Communications chronicled the stories of B2B marketing and communications on the Prairies and across the country.

Effective January 1, 2019, I rebranded as “Storytelling Communications.” I help new and economic immigrants to secure better jobs or contracts by improving their English skills; and I help individuals and companies to tell their legacy stories.

Interested in learning more? Please contact me through my CASL-compliant
website (www.elizabethshih.com).

After I receive your message, I’ll be pleased to discuss projects with you!

Please visit my website for more information (www.storytellingcommunications.ca)

 

What Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools can be used to teach English-as-a-Second Language?

July 2024 Vol 6 Issue 7

Tell Your Story Newsletter (TYSN):
Teaching English as a Second Language
Let us help you tell your story!

Welcome Mid-July 2024! Summer is here!

Late spring and early summer in Saskatchewan began so cool and rainy that many of us lamented (around the proverbial office water-cooler): “Will we ever see the sun this summer?”

But less than three weeks later, high heat set in, with temperatures reaching 30 degrees Celsius or higher. After a brief reprieve last weekend (marked by refreshing breezes and short downpours), we can expect to return to the low 30s by the end of this week.

Journalist and author Joanne Paulson lamented in a message to me how “ridiculous” it is that we complain about both the cool and the intensely hot weather, never satisfied with either (and often not noticing whatever comes in-between).

Marketing maverick Sara Wheelwright (of Trusted Saskatoon) reminded us over Facebook how summer should be done, soaking up the sun and the melodies last week of Saskatoon’s Jazz Festival, fast on the heels of a joyous visit with extended family at her lakefront cottage. . . . And
much more to come!

After too many years of what I call “Pandemic summers,” I spent Canada Day with close friends in Burlington, walking some of the shoreline of Lake Ontario. And, since holidays are seldom times to eat wisely, some of the memorable meals we enjoyed included delicious hamburgers at Canada’s “The Works” and (one day later) Japanese fare at “k & b sushi,” in Oakville.

Since I’ve been hoping that “high summer” may take you into the great outdoors, good reader, I’ve kept this month’s features shorter and simpler than earlier ones.

In “Article One,” I visit ESL teacher and teacher-trainer, Carl Cameron Day, on what Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools can be useful in the ESL classroom.

In “Storytellers’ Corner,” I have fun visiting five “common Latin terms everyone should know,” from contributors to the online resource, “Grammar Check.”
Rather than insisting that everyone “should” know these Latin terms, I offer them instead as a source for experimentation and laughter, at your next BBQ or party. (More Latin terms will follow, next month.)

Enjoy this beautiful season, good readers, so that wonderful memories (forged by your closest relationships) will buoy your spirits as we proceed through the last half of this year’s orbit around the sun.

Sincerely,
Elizabeth Shih
Principal
Storytelling Communications
www.elizabethshih.com
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IN THIS ISSUE:
ARTICLE 1: What AI tools can be used to teach English-as-a-Second Language?
STORYTELLERS’ CORNER: Five Common Latin Terms to Know
SHOP NEWS
ABOUT US
+++++

ARTICLE ONE: What AI tools can be used to teach English-as-a-Second Language?

In a recent webinar from my language training institute, TEFL.org, English-as-a-Second Language teacher (ESL) and teacher trainer, Carl Cameron-Day, shared his insights on how we can use Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools in the ESL classroom.

For many teachers and writers, AI raises complex, ethical questions that Carl acknowledged. But to start, he addressed: How is AI currently used to teach the English language? Here are some of his answers:

(1) Some standard examinations for non-native speakers of English (e.g. Duolingo, Trinity) are now being graded by AI.

(2) ESL teachers use AI platforms to grade and check for plagiarism in student assignments. (For e.g., teachers can copy and paste student work into AI to test for originality and correct citation of sources. One such platform is “Originality.ai,” although critics have already said these sites function imperfectly).

(3) AI can be used to generate materials for class, such as reading exercises. Otherwise, preparing teaching materials can consume hours of teachers’ time and challenge us to make them fresh and interesting.

(4) Problematic: Students may use AI to write assignments. So teachers should still manually review assignments and be wary of plagiarism (see also #2, above).

(5) Apps are now being used for language study (e.g. Duolingo), so students can practice their oral skills in their own time and space, without having to visit a language lab or library.

Carl also cited some applications of AI that may help ESL teachers:

(1) To help to make syllabi – writing syllabi is a hard task to do, when you have limited experience as a teacher. AI can help to create a first draft. Similarly, you can create an outline for one-on-one tutoring via AI.

(2) To prepare exercises pitched to students’ literacy levels.

(3) To prepare yourself if you haven’t taught a particular type of class before (e.g. Business English or IELTS preparation classes).

(4) To adapt content to your student(s) because AI is generic and needs customizing to meet
students’ needs.

(5) To derive curriculum (e.g. Type into ChatGPT: “Show me a syllabus in English for a Chinese CLB level 3 speaker with poor pronunciation.”) You will likely need to break down your research to use more than one prompt, to retrieve complex/detailed knowledge. But remember that the AI retains your earlier prompts and its answers to them, as you continue in the
same session.)

(6) To practice your skills at writing effective prompts (e.g. “Make me an elementary reading lesson for an eight-year-old boy who is learning English.”) You can derive a story, activities, test for comprehension, vocabulary, etc.

(7) To assess students: AI can review errors and weaknesses in students’ writing, as well as their speaking and pronunciation.

(8) To review AI’s own ideas for quality, accuracy and appropriateness for your audience. Tools like Otter.ai will transcribe students’ speaking, during a Zoom/Teams meeting, to show problems and mistakes you can correct for them (e.g. “Please show me the errors in the following text . . .” (You can also paste writing into Grammarly.com, which is powered by AI, or
into MSWord, which everyone expects to integrate AI . . . )

Other uses of AI for teachers:
(1) To find/make pictures for “warmers” to lessons or
activities (e.g. https://www.craiyon.com/)

(2) To create quizzes for students (e.g. https://www.quizgecko.com)

Troubleshooting tips for using AI in classrooms:
(1) Check anything created by AI—where did it come from; don’t assume its source is good, or that the material is error-free.

(2) Be careful when talking about AI with colleagues—personalize your lessons and don’t publicize that you use AI; some older or more experienced teachers will think you lack a work ethic (and not that you are “working smarter, not harder.”)

(3) Show students how to use AI effectively and not just as an “easy way out.” Check the ages of your students to avoid overusing AI with young children.

(4) Experiment with prompts, especially with writing more verbs than normal.
If, like some teachers participating in Carl’s webinar, you fear you’ll be replaced by an AI bot, his advice was to take heart.

Carl said there will still be a need for a teacher at the front of the room, to effectively correct students’ errors. He concluded the webinar by mentioning that particularly difficult for AI is to correct pronunciation well (e.g. to decipher foreign accents and how to remedy them); and to explain grammar, structure, style and so on, with warmth, humour and kindness. (Carl has these qualities
in spades and encourages other teachers to use them, too.)

So what other uses of AI can you think of, for ESL teaching, or for any educational purposes, overall? How can we prevent AI from overthrowing our teaching of English and other languages and skills?

And now it’s your turn. How do we maintain firm ground as teachers or writers, in this age of AI? How can we remain what Nick Usborne terms, “humans in the loop?”

Please write in; I’d be delighted to share your insights in future issues of TYSN.
++++++++
STORYTELLERS’ CORNER . . . .

STORYTELLERS’ CORNER: Words, Stories, Riddles and Jokes on Writing and Editing . . . 

Five Common Latin Terms to Know (from grammarcheck.net)

(1) A priori (From what is before). E.g.: ” ‘All bachelors are unmarried’ is an a priori statement.”

(2) Ad hoc (For this situation). E.g. ” ‘The library was turned into an ad hoc shelter, during the storm.”

(3) Ad infinitum (To infinity). E.g. “Sandra complained about her work ad infinitum.”

(4) Ad libitum or Ad lib (As you desire). E.g. “Some actors were great at ad lib during their scenes.”

(5) Ad nauseam (To the point of sickness). E.g. “We heard an ad nauseam speech about his medical problems.”

There will be more Latin terms to use, in next month’s issue of “Tell Your Story Newsletter!”

If you have never studied Latin (for long), how might you make use of these terms in common parlance–for entertainment if not edification?
Please share your stories with me; I’d be delighted to cite you in a future issue.
++++++++

SHOP NEWS:

As I mentioned earlier, I am grateful to have enjoyed several days of holidays with old friends in Burlington. A change of scene is so important, especially for those of us who work from home. My deepest thanks to Arian and family for sharing their home and many dinners out with me!

I loved walking near Lake Ontario and admiring the glorious blue and mauve hydrangea bushes, which were more limited in number and size than the white variety. I especially enjoyed evening walks with Arian in her family’s “Orchard” neighbourhood, and hope to host their visit to Saskatoon in upcoming years.

I also remain grateful for smooth air travel to the staff of Air Canada, including no labour strikes in summer’s high travel season.

+++++

Extra special thanks to Steve Cavan, whose many hats include those of ESL teacher, mentor and
editor. Steve graciously took over a recent project on a short time frame for a new client, when my schedule was overbooked.
He also continues to mentor me as I adapt to teaching on different platforms and using some new resources.

For all of these reasons–and more–I have only high praise for Steve. . . I wish him and his lovely wife, Kathy, all the very best as they explore retirement in Italy, this fall!

+++++

Many thanks also go this month to Cathy M., a research librarian at U of S Murray Library, for assisting me in finding and printing an article available to alumni (in-person). The process reminded me of the importance of alumni updating/resetting our passwords on the U of S network–details needed to allow alumni to download journal holdings efficiently, when visiting campus libraries.

+++++
Thank you also to client Greg Gilroy for asking me to edit his memoir this summer. It is a “legacy” document about his career as a veteran Saskatoon bus driver.

The audience for his memoir is newbie drivers (who can benefit from his experience) and senior colleagues, who will find that Greg’s thoughts, memories and laughter resonate with them.

+++++
I’m glad to share housesitting and elder care duties with Parish Nurse, Laura, whose deep knowledge of nursing and patient care have supported me throughout the past six years of my elder care. And thank you to all of you who quietly and sometimes thanklessly visit the elderly throughout our city and province, when loneliness and sadness among them are such an epidemic.

+++++
.
Thank you to my dear friend Lesley who invited me to enjoy a lovely afternoon in her glorious garden in River Heights.
Luscious flowers (from ornate peonies and hydrangeas to the self-seeding miniature violets and bachelor buttons) in vivid colours provided a visual feast; and conversation with Lesley brought much serenity, too.

The garden took me back to early childhood memories of flowers grown by my grandmother’s cousin, some 45 years ago.

+++++

Although deadlines caused me (and several others) to miss our freelance writers’ “roundtable” meeting in early July, I plan to catch up with members’ updates at our August meeting.

Our group’s collective articles for the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild’s “Ask a Freelancer” series were well-received and fun to write! (We offered our insights on topics of creativity, writerly resources, pitching for contracts and time management.)
The group plans on repeating collective articles on new topics, in a few years’ time. Special thanks to writer Ashleigh Mattern for coordinating these articles!

There are always new people to thank and new work to promote. But this is a wrap for mid-July!

+++++

ABOUT US:

Between 2011 and December 2018, Elizabeth Shih Communications chronicled the stories of B2B marketing and communications on the Prairies and across the country.

Effective January 1, 2019, I rebranded as “Storytelling Communications.” I help new and economic immigrants to secure better jobs or contracts by improving their English skills; and I help individuals and companies to tell their legacy stories.

Interested in learning more? Please contact me through my CASL-compliant
website (www.elizabethshih.com).

After I receive your message, I’ll be pleased to discuss projects with you!

Please visit my website for more information (www.storytellingcommunications.ca).

 

 

 

Do languages evolve like biological species? An Answer in the mid-June issue of ‘Tell Your Story Newsletter’ . . .

June 2024 Vol 6 Issue 6

Tell Your Story Newsletter (TYSN):
Teaching English as a Second Language
Let us tell your story!

Welcome Mid-June 2024!
As I prepare this issue of “Tell Your Story Newsletter,” we have had over a week of grey skies and nourishing rain, punctuated by one or two “thunderplumps,” (downpours of fat, heavy raindrops), as described by English lexicographer (wordsmith extraordinaire), Susie Dent.

Today, though, the sun banished the grey clouds to make weekly activities and errands more pleasant!

With Father’s Day approaching this weekend, I hope you will find some time to spend with family, even if the “great outdoors” may not be as sunny and warm as we’d like.

This mid-June issue of “Tell Your Story Communications” is dedicated to the wonderful complexity and capacity of the English language–something I regularly contemplate, when I teach newcomers.

In “Article One,” this month, I visit the contention (presented by staff writers at “The Economist” that languages (including English) evolve like biological species do. . . . English as a Second Language learners (ESL) take note, if English seems a less-than-straightforward language to you!

And in this month’s issue of “Storytellers’ Corner,” I share 10 “obsolete” words that blogger Julia McCoy thinks we should revive. Then I step back to ask, “why do words matter so much, anyway . . .?”

As summer begins to unfurl, I wish each of you time to relax and recharge–body, mind and spirit–in the company of the family and/or friends you most enjoy.

While Saskatchewan’s northern lakes are a beautiful setting for time with loved ones, her many urban parks are also lovely. Consider Saskatoon’s Forestry Farm Park and even small neighbourhood ones,
such as the G.D. Archibald and Wilson Parks. All are child-friendly.

Which favourite haunts will you visit, this summer?

Enjoy this beautiful season, good readers, so that the prosperity of your relationships and the memories they create will be yours, now and always.

Sincerely yours,
Elizabeth
Principal
Storytelling Communications
www.elizabethshih.com
++++++++

IN THIS ISSUE:

ARTICLE 1: Do languages evolve like biological species? Staff writers at ‘The Economist’ have an answer . . .

STORYTELLERS’ CORNER: Amazing, obsolete words in the English dictionary” that we should revive + the bigger picture of why words matter!

SHOP NEWS

ABOUT US

++++++++

Article One: Do languages evolve like biological species? Staff writers at “The Economist” have an answer . . .

As readers will know from prior issues of my enewsletter and prior postings of my blog, I often read the writing of a set of staff writers at “The Economist” who adopt the collective name of “Johnson” (after Samuel, himself, the 18th-Century lexicographer and author).

The “Johnson” writers discuss fascinating contemporary aspects of English language and culture with close research into their historical roots.

In one such article, “Johnson” (as I’ll refer to them, hereafter) wrote that Charles Darwin saw that there are parallels between the evolution of languages and that of biological species.

Today, linguists, philologists and lexicographers (e.g. British lexicographer Susie Dent) tell us that languages are developing and changing all the time. Often, intellectuals view these changes as positive or neutral, but not necessarily negative.

New uses of words appear and old ones disappear.

Terms like “doomscrolling” and “mansplaining” and changes to the meaning of words like “epic” and “branding” show evolution, just as other words fall away.

The latter words exist by the thousands, including, for example, “crapulous” (feeling ill from excessive eating or drinking) and “grumpish” (meaning sullen or grumpy). (For more on obsolete words, see “Storytellers’ Corner,” below, this month.)

Contemporary linguists and philologists apply methods from other sciences to try to organize and explain changes in language. This contrasts the past, Johnson says, when “influence once ran the other way,” when “discoveries in linguistic history [left] a mark on evolutionary theory.”

For instance, Johnson cites the late 18th-century British judge, William Jones, stationed in India, who argued that Sanskrit’s similarity to Latin and Greek was not due to “chance.” Jones proposed (more persuasively than his peers) that there was “a parent language,” like a parent species in biology, from
which these other languages were descendants —“Sanskrit, Greek, Latin, Persian and other European tongues.”

By the 1830s, Jones’ insight, elaborated upon by philologists who had followed him, was picked up by the young Charles Darwin, who thought that evidence that different languages had evolved from a single parent language required a much longer human history than sourcebooks like The Bible
allowed.

Thirty-five years later, Darwin analyzed the parallel between the development of language and evolution, writing that both were “developed through a gradual process,” that was “curiously the same.” Having observed that changes to language occur over long periods of time, he thought it was
possible that one language had “given birth to both Hindi and English,” as Johnson reports.

The emergence of different species of course occurs both in language and in biology. Darwin found that finches separated on different Galapagos islands developed into different species, and that those who contributed to the survival of the group became prevalent by natural selection. “When
such changes accumulate,” as Darwin argued, you develop “two different species.”

Linguistic populations when separated by distance or physical barriers (e.g. oceans, mountains) have similarly differentiated. Small and random changes to pronunciation or to the meaning or grammar of words may be too small for a tribe to notice them. But as many generations pass, with numerous
neologisms arising from a mix of old syllables and mistakes or irregularities to create new words, native “speakers gradually lose the ability to converse with [one] another—[so] two speciating populations being to lose the ability to mate” (Johnson).

Contemporary linguists and philologists have observed other parallels between evolution and language development. Words, writes Mark Pagel (Reading Univ.), are like genes in being “discrete, heritable unities.”
As “Johnson” says, DNA replicating is like my “language teaching” (ESL) to economic immigrants!

“Physical fossils resemble ancient texts,” Johnson argues. But he notes that there are also differences, the largest of which is that “the chief driver of biological evolution—natural selection—is mostly absent in language.”
Johnson observes that whereas a bad mutation can kill an animal (or human), changes in language aren’t usually fatal.

Words may change meaning not to “avoid a predator, but because they help people communicate.” And new meanings for a word may not pertain to the “fitness” of its meaning or speaker. As Johnson notes, a celebrity’s use of a word may “take off quicker” than an academic (neologist)’s, simply because the celebrity has more followers on “X” or “TikTok.”

Johnson writes that “there is a deep and revealing relationship between linguistic change and biological evolution—along with some [major] differences.”

The final shared feature between these two kinds of evolution is that development is not “a process of ever-increasing sophistication.” Both organisms and languages “change to fit their environments.

They may not always become more refined,” Johnson writes. “But neither are they in decline,” he concludes, despite the ongoing lament of traditionalists (in both fields).

And that gives regular users of language, ESL/TEFL teachers and students alike–not to mention native speakers who resent the effects of immigration–much to contemplate.

And now it’s your turn: What do you think about the parallel of biological for linguistic evolution?
Do you agree or disagree with what their relationship has taught us (as summarized by “Johnson”)?
Please write in; I’d be delighted to hear from you.

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STORYTELLERS’ CORNER . . . .

STORYTELLERS’ CORNER: Words, Stories, Riddles and Jokes on English Writing and Editing . . .

This month: “Amazing, obsolete words in the English dictionary” that we should revive + the bigger picture of why words matter!

 

In a recent blog posting on expresswriters.com, American copywriter Julia McCoy has collected “30 amazing, obsolete words in the English dictionary we should bring back to life.” McCoy asserts that words in English do have a limited lifespan. Some originate before present-day
English developed, while others have been “completely ditched.”

To keep this column quick to read, I share below just 10 seldom or never-used words that McCoy thinks were “retired” before their time. Then I’ll reflect more broadly on why words matter at all, with help from English lexicographer,
Susie Dent.

(1) “Groak”—means “to watch someone silently, as they eat,” hoping they’ll share with you. (e.g. How can I enjoy my perogies while that woman is groaking me?)

(2) “Snowbrowth”—from the 1590s, it refers to freshly melted snow. (e.g. Last night there was a snowstorm, that blanketed the yard. But now, it’s merely snowbrowth.)

(3) Excogigate—from Latin origins that mean “to bring out by thinking,” this word means “to plot, plan [or] devise,” but not in a linear way. (e.g. What is Bruce excogigating over there?)

(4) Apricity—from the 1620s, this means “when it’s a cold winter’s day, but the sun is gloriously warm.” (e.g. Although temperatures may be -40 degrees Celsius, apricity makes Saskatoon winters bearable.)

(5) Twattle—means “to gossip.” (e.g. Stop twattling and get back to work!)

(6) Elflock—means “if you have wavy hair and you wake up with it tangled and mangled. . . as if elves have tied it into knots during the night.” (e.g. Have you seen the state of his elflocks today?)

(7) “Gorgonize” – from the early 17th Century, means “to have a mesmerizing effect on someone.” (e.g. I was gorgonized by the sight of him, as he entered the room).

(8) “Curgluff”—a Scottish term from the 19th Century, it means an “intense shock.” (e.g. When you plunge into that cold ocean water and want to scream, you’ll experience curgluff!)

(9) “Snoutfair”—a 16th Century term that refers to “a good-looking person.” (e.g. Janet’s new boyfriend is a total snoutfair!)

(10) “Monsterful” —from the 1820s, it means “something rather extraordinary and wonderful. (e.g. The movie was every bit as monsterful as the trailer promised.)

Why do words like these above matter so much? In other reading this month, I learned that psychologist Lisa Feldman Barrett has found that having the vocabulary to articulate happy feelings can help us to manage our emotions better.
Similarly, having fun words for sad feelings can make us feel less alone. Words matter and it’s important that anyone who wishes can learn to listen, speak, read and write English well.

In an interview in “The Guardian” newspaper (September 2023), etymologist and lexicographer Susie Dent reports that non-native speakers of English around the world now outnumber native speakers. So there will be many “new Englishes” in these people’s “hands and mouths,” around the world.

Dent sees this positively, not as a threat, saying, “English has always evolved by mistake . . . The example I give is the Jerusalem artichoke, which has nothing to do with Jerusalem and is not even an artichoke. The plant is a heliotrope—it turns toward the sun—but because we couldn’t pronounce the
Italian ‘gira sol,’ we thought ‘Jerusalem’ would do.” She refuses to despair about the future of language or of the world it reflects.

When asked for favourite words, Dent names one that resonates most with me: “respair.” It means “the opposite of despair; it only has one record in the dictionary, and it means to recover from despair.” But, she adds, “it also means hoping for better days around the corner. Having fresh hope
and optimism.”

And now it’s your turn: What do you think of retired words like those McCoy has collected? And do you think changes and growth in the English language are something to “respair” about, as Susie Dent does?

Please write in: I’d be delighted to hear from you!
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SHOP NEWS:

Since the last issue of TYSN, I’m happy to report that a “reconvention” of “Table 32,” from May 15th’s gala of the Women Entrepreneurs of SK (WESK), has occurred!

While some at our table (notably me) did not dress as opulently for the gala as other attendees (thinking, “this is not the Academy Awards” . . . .) and while we laughed about being in the “nosebleed” seats, four of our table’s original six women entrepreneurs happily reconnected last week at Prairie Sun Brewery.

And others sent regrets until we meet again. We plan to reconvene to support each other’s businesses by sharing referrals, resources and strategies
for living our best lives.

Now that’s what I call networking!

Thanks to Suzanne Anton, Keshia Gamola and Sandra Miller for returning to the metaphorical table; Annie Charles, Kristen Pierce , Aimee Brown and some new entrepreneurial “sisters” will likely join us in August!
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As summer transforms our yards, gardens and minds, many Saskatchewanian entrepreneurs head to one of the province’s 100,000 lakes or travel out-of-province to see family and friends. In both cases, you may find yourself wishing for a local food or artistic product to enrich a meal or as a
housewarming gift.

When seeking just that, I was delighted recently to revisit Sask-Made Marketplace at 8th Street and Louise Avenue (Louis the 8th Mall). I was impressed to find a much larger range of inventory than earlier existed, in pre-pandemic times.

Last week, for instance, I particularly appreciated Grassland Greens’ microgreens, several varieties of bison meat, photographs by Debra Marshall, local paintings and pottery from several Saskatchewan artists, fruit products and syrups (including those made with local haskap berries),
handmade jewellery, beeswax candles, alpaca products and more . . . .
And the staff were welcoming and cheerful.

If you haven’t visited Sask-Made Marketplace recently, do please consider visiting soon!

Some of their many food products are available in small sizes (under 100 ml), accepted by airport security, if you find yourself flying this summer.
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Special thanks to Marketing Maverick (and CEO of “TrustedSaskatoon”), Sara Wheelwright, for thoroughly reviewing my website and social marketing last month, as I work on promoting my ESL teaching services. . . .

Sara’s marketing prowess helped identify key areas for development: Thank you, Sara! And similarly, another thanks goes to Toronto designer, Oliver Sutherns, who has helped me to perform numerous edits that are deepening my entrepreneurial reach.

I recommend both Sara and Oliver for marketing and design work, respectively; and I encourage you to reach out them directly.
They are extraordinary!
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I’m especially pleased to share that my 10+ year old writers’ group, “Saskatoon Freelancers’ Roundtable,” has submitted our fourth and final collective article in the “Ask a Writers’ Group” series, for this year’s quarterly issues of the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild magazine (SWG), “Freelance.”

In all, Ashleigh Mattern, Julie Barnes, Adele Paul, Ashlyn George and I have co-authored four articles on topics such as time management, how to find clients, writerly resources and more. Each of us (when available) has taken a turn at editing these group articles for SWG’s online magazine.

“Freelance” magazine’s publications coordinator, Sheila Fehr, has responded warmly to our contributions and it’s been lovely to see them in digital format!

Special thanks to Ashleigh Mattern for managing correspondence, negotiating the contract for the series and for submitting the article I edited, on my behalf.
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Alumni (or “alum” as some prefer) of the Praxis School of Entrepreneurship (PSE), take note: You are warmly invited to attend a late summer potluck lunch at the PSE’s downtown office (131 Wall Street). Date: TBA–soon!

Camaraderie, friendships and business contracts have all transpired from alumni networking. And working on the PSE alumni directory still interests many of us.

Rumour has it (haha!) that alum Barry Frain, Megan Kent, Christina Cherneskey, Jolene Watson, Sheridan Trusty and Cody Demarais (frequent PSE flyers) may attend, bringing some favourite cooking to share.

Stay tuned to this newsletter (and upcoming blog issues) for details!
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AND . . . if you, or someone you know, is wanting to start–or grow–a business in SK, please get in  touch with the PSE’s Administrator, Elaine Mantyka; or Coordinator, Silvana Cracogna; at (306) 664-0500 or by email at info@globainfobrokers.ca

Funding opportunities are available, as are accommodations for entrepreneurs with differing abilities. PSE Chief Visionary Office Monica Kreuger, and Chief Facilitator Deanna Litz will transform how you think about entrepreneurship–and life!

Intake occurs regularly, but seats fill up quickly. So contact the PSE—NOW!
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Thank you to some of my ESL students, past and present, including William Wang, Eliane Gaume,  Maryna Kostiuk and to former mentor, Mahmoud Allouch, for providing testimonials for my ESL teaching services that I recently uploaded to my website.

Reading these individuals’ reviews is both humbling and encouraging.

Thank you to each of you!

Do you have news to share on topics of language and communication or on entrepreneurship in Saskatoon (and surrounding areas)?
Please reach out to me and I’ll try to include it in a future issue!

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ABOUT US:

Between 2011 and December 2018, Elizabeth Shih Communications chronicled the stories of B2B marketing and communications on the Prairies and across the country.

Effective January 1, 2019, I rebranded as “Storytelling Communications.” I now help economic immigrants get better jobs or secure larger contracts by improving their language skills; and I also write and edit the legacy stories of individuals and major companies.

Interested in learning more? Please contact me through my CASL-compliant website. After I receive your message, I’ll be pleased to discuss projects with you!

Please visit my website for more information (www.storytellingcommunications.ca) .