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Day of the English Language at the United Nations

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3 years ago

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Day of the English Language at the United Nations

The United Nations celebrates English Language Day on April 23 each year to honour the language and promote its history, culture, and achievements. The language is one of the UN’s two working languages and one of the six official languages. English, French, Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, and Russian are among the official languages. They are also the world’s most widely spoken languages. Did you know that April 23 is also the birthday and death date of William Shakespeare, the Bard of Avon? The United Nations celebrates English Language Day not only to promote the language but also to honour William Shakespeare’s life and works.

The invasion of Britain by three Germanic tribes — the Angles, the Saxons, and the Jutes — in the 5th century A.D. marked the beginning of the English language. These Germanic tribes migrated from what is now Denmark and northern Germany, crossing the North Sea and driving out the original inhabitants, who spoke Celtic. The native Britons re-established themselves in what is now Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. The Angles spoke Englisc and came from Engla-land (land of the Angles). England and English are both derived from these words.
Similar languages were spoken by the Germanic tribes, which evolved into Old English. This language is not the same as modern English, and even native English speakers would struggle to understand it. While Old English is no longer in use, it is the foundation for modern English.

The Duke of Normandy, William the Conqueror, invaded and conquered England in 1066. As a result, the Norman language, a variant of French, became the language of the royal court and commerce, while English became the language of the lower classes. Despite these shifts in status, English continued to evolve, incorporating Latin and French words.

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The people of the British Isles overthrew French rule in the 14th and 15th centuries, and the English language regained its royal and commercial status. It was also a period of growth for the language in terms of literature and culture. William Shakespeare, for example, was a key figure in this development. Through his books and plays, Shakespeare added over 1700 new words to the English language, including ‘compromise,’ ‘deafening,’ and ‘cold-blooded.’

Due to international trade, the printing press, and classical learning, the English language underwent a series of evolutions and developments beginning in the 1600s. The colonisation of North America by the English boosted the language’s growth and popularity even more. The language continues to evolve and grow, incorporating words from various English-speaking countries as well as newly invented words for business and technology.

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Laid stars Stephanie Hsu and Zosia Mamet reveal the worst gifts their romantic partners gave them | Exclusive

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1 month ago

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December 19, 2024

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Laid stars Stephanie Hsu and Zosia Mamet reveal the worst gifts their romantic partners gave them | Exclusive

romantic partners

Stephanie Hsu and Zosia Mamet talk about their new series Laid, and some of the horrors of dating as millennials. Imagine a scenario where anyone and everyone you have ever been intimate with begins to die one by one. Is it a curse?

If yes, then who is cursed? These are questions that Stephanie Hsu‘s Ruby battles with in the new zany comedy, Laid. Ahead of the show’s release, Stephanie and co-star Zosia Mamet spoke exclusively with HT about their roles, the show’s unique premise, and the horrors of dating as millennials. (Also read: Dune: Prophecy star Emily Watson on working with Tabu: ‘She is a true treasure’)

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Stephanie Hsu on her character’s flawed morality

Laid, created by Nahnatchka Khan and Sally Bradford McKenna, is the story of Ruby (Stephanie Hsu), who discovers that all her sexual partners are dying one by one, and she must warn them. Helping her in this unique quest is her best friend AJ (Zosia). The fun thing about Laid is that the protagonists are not the usual likeable characters. “She is totally an anti-hero of our story. I really love that.

says Stephanie, referring to Ruby’s moral greyness. “I am not a perfect person and I love playing flawed characters. But it was difficult. The creators told me that she is a total narcissist. But narcissists don’t think they are one, so I had to figure out a way to love her. For me, playing Ruby was about getting into her psychology and finding the innocent part of her – which is that she just wants love,” the actor adds.

While sitcoms usually add the best friend as the voice of reason trope, Laid diverges from that, with AJ even zanier and more morally ambiguous than Ruby. Talking about playing such a colourful character, Zosia Mamet says.

“When you play not-so-likable or zany characters, people don’t believe they are that way. I don’t think AJ wakes up every morning and thinks, ‘I am absolutely crazy’. It’s about trusting the writing and finding an organic way into these characters to make them seem grounded, real, and relatable.”

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Stephanie, Zosia reveal the worst gifts they received from partners

In Laid, Ruby gives the gift of death to the men she is with, even if that is inadvertent. Ask the women about the worst ‘gift’ a partner has ever given them, and the discussions veer into the unusual horrors of modern-day dating.

“I got a vintage wooden duck decoy from someone. It was broken, and I thought, ‘What does this say about our relationship?’. They didn’t know me well enough to know if I’d want this but also that they gave me something old and ailing,” Zosia says with a laugh.

In a recent interview, Stephanie Hsu and Zosia Mamet, stars of the comedy series Laid, shared anecdotes about the most perplexing gifts they’ve received from romantic partners.

Zosia Mamet recounted receiving a vintage wooden duck decoy from a partner. The gift was broken, leading her to question its significance and what it implied about their relationship. She humorously reflected on the lack of thoughtfulness behind the present, noting that the giver didn’t know her well enough to choose something appropriate.

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Stephanie Hsu shared an experience involving an ex who, after a five-year hiatus, sent her a bag of gifts, including a hat knitted by his mother. She found the gesture odd and was uncomfortable with the idea of wearing an ex-boyfriend’s mother’s handmade hat.

These personal stories highlight the complexities and occasional missteps in romantic gift-giving, offering a glimpse into the actors’ real-life experiences that parallel the humorous and relatable themes explored in their show.

Laid is a comedy series that follows the character Ruby, portrayed by Stephanie Hsu, who discovers that all her sexual partners are dying one by one, prompting her to warn them. Zosia Mamet plays her best friend, AJ, who assists Ruby in this darkly comedic quest. The series premiered on December 19, 2024, on Peacock and is available in India on JioCinema.

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