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JacksonFive's
Free Weekly "Learning English" Newsletter
Issue: 01
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Happy Chinese New Year!

    I hope all of you have had a safe and wonderful Chinese New Year.
    Every new year is the beginning of new hopes and dreams.  It is a
    time to recharge and a time to reflect.  A time to be with family
    and friends, and a time to have fun!

    This certainly has been the case for me as I have just returned
    from a two-month trip to Silicon Valley, California.  I'm excited
    to finally start writing my official "learning English" newsletter.
    A free newsletter to share with you all the fun of learning
    practical English.  Afterall, why shouldn't it be fun.

    As this is the first issue, I'm really looking forward to your
    feedback (compliments, areas I can improve).  Also, if you have
    any good English questions I can feature in the next issue, please
    don't hesitate to email them to me at
    mailto:jacksonfive@path2english.com

                                                          JacksonFive

THIS WEEK's FEATURED QUESTION:

    Many students have asked me, "What is 生肖 in English?"  A good
    question after Chinese New Year and my first featured question.

ANSWER:

    生肖 is translated to "Chinese zodiac".  This is a "borrowed"
    translation.  "Zodiac" without "Chinese" in-front stands for the
    star constellation that you were born under (for example, Leo).
    By "borrowing" it and adding "Chinese" in front, it is now commonly
    used to describe 生肖.

    In addition, the animals in the Chinese zodiac translates as
    follows:

      鼠, Mouse
      牛, Ox (not cow)
      虎, Tiger
      兔, Rabbit
      龍, Dragon
      蛇, Snake
      馬, Horse
      羊, Ram (not sheep)
          "Sheep" is a farm animal (too soft) while "ram" is a
          strong masculine animal living on mountains.
      猴, Monkey
      雞, Rooster (not chicken)
          "Chicken" also means someone not brave, a coward. Therefore,
          no one wants to be called a "chicken".  Rooster is an adult
          male chicken but it doesn't mean coward.
      狗, Dog
      豬, Boar (not pig)
          "Boar" means someone strong and wild which is better than
          "pig" for obvious reasons.

TYPICAL USES:

    "What animal are you in the Chinese zodiac?"
    "What animal were you born under in the Chinese zodiac?"
    "I'm a rooster in the Chinese zodiac.  How about you?"

NEXT WEEK's FEATURED QUESTION:

    What are some interesting and special ways to greet a friend or to
    say goodbye?

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