Culture and Language Exchange

In the absence of cultural gatherings, celebrations and events during the pandemic, CERCLL has asked friends and colleagues to share traditions that are important in their culture in our Culture and Language Exchange (CLÉ).  These short videos are shared on CERCLL’s social networking websites to showcase the richness of culture present in our community. Videos are in the original language (without subtitles) in an effort to create an immersive language experience. Language educators are welcome to use them as part of a class lesson or sample assignment for their students in that language class. CLÉ videos will be shared bi-weekly on Fridays–you will see them when they post if you follow us on Facebook, and on Twitter as @CERCLL and Instagram as @cercllua.
 
If you would like to contribute to the CLÉ series and participate with a video, email cercll@email.arizona.edu.

PERSIAN:

Nowruz, also known as Persian New Year, is a holiday in Iran that marks the first day of Spring and symbolizes renewal. It’s a 3,000 year-old tradition that, according to the United Nations, is now celebrated by nearly 300 million people around the world. In this video, Sajedeh Sadat Hosseini shares with us the symbolism of the Haftseen table, a decoration and tradition that can be seen throughout Iranian households celebrating Nowruz. After putting her own Haftseen table, she explains to us what each item symbolizes. Take this video to your Persian-language class or share it with friends and family!

KYRGYZ:

Here is a little taste of the great Kyrgyz Language and Culture presentations by Dinara Abakirova. Abakirova is a Kyrgyz Language Developer at the Center for Languages of the Central Asian Region (CeLCAR) at Indiana University —a sister Language Resource Center.

Dinara made her two ~13 min videos specially for our Culture & Language Exchange series.

Watch the full Kyrgyz Culture video here: https://youtu.be/Y0jG8WROso0​

Watch the full Kyrgyz Language video here: https://youtu.be/2wDw9gIpAmE

ENGLISH:

Nicole sent us a traditional Scottish ballad that is close to her heart: “Wild Mountain Thyme”. She is inspired by influenced by Sheila Stewart of a Scottish traveler family.

 

PORTUGUESE:

Lick your fingers with this wonderful recipe of pão de queijo and brigadeiro, taught by Mariana Bertho! Pão de queijo is a brazilian recipe that resembles a puffed small cheese bun. It is originally from the state of Minas Gerais but popular throughout Brazil!

 

SPANISH:

In response to one of our previous CLE video series, Silver Cruz shared with us his own salsa verde recipe! Watch this cool Mexican cuisine class and do a Spanish language practice with your students! Ingredientes: media cebolla, un manojo de cilantro, diez tomatillos, un aguacate, tres chiles serranos y sal. ¡Provecho!

 
CHINESE:
2021 is the year of the Ox in the Chinese lunar calendar. In this video, Wenhao Diao shows us key elements of the Chinese New Year celebration and gives a simple demonstration of how to make the dumplings that are eaten in some parts of China at this time of year. Dumplings can be made with a combination of meat, vegetables and spices; these ones are vegan, made with impossible meat.
 
Wenhao Diao is an Associate Professor in the Department of East Asian Studies at the University of Arizona. She is also the author of CERCLL’s Dormtalk resources (supplementary Chinese learning materials for teachers and students based on Chinese L2 learners’ actual engagement in authentic language use outside the classroom): https://dormtalk.arizona.edu/

 
 
 
FRENCH:
This edition of our Culture & Language Exchange video series is dedicated to the celebration of La Chandeleur or Candlemass. Originally, this festivity is a religious observance that marks the 40th day after Christmas and midpoint of the winter season, however it has become a popular food-based tradition and an unofficial “crêpe-eating day” throughout France. Learn a traditional crêpe recipe with Beatrice Dupuy, CERCLL’s Co-Director and French Professor!
 

 
 
TURKISH:
University of Arizona students Mehtap and Serdar Acar show us how to prepare Turkish coffee and play tavla! Tavla (Turkish backgammon) is one of the oldest board games still being played today. Some of the earliest findings of tavla boards date back 5,000 years, from historical Mesopotamia. In present-day Turkey, tavla is still part of everyday culture and you can find it being played in cafes, bars, restaurants and even on street corners.
 

 
Filipino culture:
Melinda Fami Straczynski from Tacloban, Leyte, Philippines, shares with us a little bit of her culture and the way she prepares rice. Melinda lives with her family in Tucson. Her preferred rice brand is Tamanishiki super premium short grain rice, which she can find easily in Japanese and Thai rices here in Tucson. !
 

 
 
RUSSIAN:
Anna Fomchenko Buchanan from Russia shares with us the cultural customs surrounding chay. Tea drinking in Russia started in the sixteenth century with trade from China and became ubiquitous around the empire. Particular to the chay culture in Russia is the use of samovar (Russian tea pot) and porcelain tea cups, which you can see in Anna’s video:
 

 
SPANISH:
Xochitl Coronado-Vargas (CERCLL’s Outreach Coordinator) from Sonora, México, shares with us one of the many ways you can make salsa roja tatemada. Salsas can be used in all kinds of dishes with a variety of chiles and spices. How do you make your salsa?
 

 
ITALIAN:
Italy has a strong and very unique coffee culture that spans centuries back and is still central to the everyday life of Italians. The legacy is undisputable: it is embedded in the lingo of all coffeeshops— latte, cappuccino or espresso. Here Margherita Berti, from Bergamo, shares with the CLÉ series how to make Italian espresso. What traditions are central to your culture?
 

 
GERMAN:
Learn how to play with Chantelle Warner, CERCLL’s co-director and an Associate Professor of German and Second Language Acquisition and Teaching at the UA. In foreign language instruction, gameplay can be a great way to make learning interactive! What games do you play with your students? Watch in YouTube and comment!
 

 

SPANISH:

Learn how to make arepas costarricenses with University of Arizona SLAT student Veronica Oguilve and her mother Yolanda.

ENGLISH (Scotland):

Nicole sent us a traditional Scottish ballad that is close to her heart: “Wild Mountain Thyme”. She is inspired by influenced by Sheila Stewart of a Scottish traveler family.

 

PORTUGUESE:

Lick your fingers with this wonderful recipe of pão de queijo and brigadeiro, taught by Mariana Bertho! Pão de queijo is a brazilian recipe that resembles a puffed small cheese bun. It is originally from the state of Minas Gerais but popular throughout Brazil!

 

SPANISH:

In response to one of our previous CLE video series, Silver Cruz shared with us his own salsa verde recipe! Watch this cool Mexican cuisine class and do a Spanish language practice with your students! Ingredientes: media cebolla, un manojo de cilantro, diez tomatillos, un aguacate, tres chiles serranos y sal. ¡Provecho!

 
CHINESE:
2021 is the year of the Ox in the Chinese lunar calendar. In this video, Wenhao Diao shows us key elements of the Chinese New Year celebration and gives a simple demonstration of how to make the dumplings that are eaten in some parts of China at this time of year. Dumplings can be made with a combination of meat, vegetables and spices; these ones are vegan, made with impossible meat.
 
Wenhao Diao is an Associate Professor in the Department of East Asian Studies at the University of Arizona. She is also the author of CERCLL’s Dormtalk resources (supplementary Chinese learning materials for teachers and students based on Chinese L2 learners’ actual engagement in authentic language use outside the classroom): https://dormtalk.arizona.edu/

 
 
 
FRENCH:
This edition of our Culture & Language Exchange video series is dedicated to the celebration of La Chandeleur or Candlemass. Originally, this festivity is a religious observance that marks the 40th day after Christmas and midpoint of the winter season, however it has become a popular food-based tradition and an unofficial “crêpe-eating day” throughout France. Learn a traditional crêpe recipe with Beatrice Dupuy, CERCLL’s Co-Director and French Professor!
 

 
 
TURKISH:
University of Arizona students Mehtap and Serdar Acar show us how to prepare Turkish coffee and play tavla! Tavla (Turkish backgammon) is one of the oldest board games still being played today. Some of the earliest findings of tavla boards date back 5,000 years, from historical Mesopotamia. In present-day Turkey, tavla is still part of everyday culture and you can find it being played in cafes, bars, restaurants and even on street corners.
 

 
Filipino culture:
Melinda Fami Straczynski from Tacloban, Leyte, Philippines, shares with us a little bit of her culture and the way she prepares rice. Melinda lives with her family in Tucson. Her preferred rice brand is Tamanishiki super premium short grain rice, which she can find easily in Japanese and Thai rices here in Tucson. !
 

 
 
RUSSIAN:
Anna Fomchenko Buchanan from Russia shares with us the cultural customs surrounding chay. Tea drinking in Russia started in the sixteenth century with trade from China and became ubiquitous around the empire. Particular to the chay culture in Russia is the use of samovar (Russian tea pot) and porcelain tea cups, which you can see in Anna’s video:
 

 
SPANISH:
Xochitl Coronado-Vargas (CERCLL’s Outreach Coordinator) from Sonora, México, shares with us one of the many ways you can make salsa roja tatemada. Salsas can be used in all kinds of dishes with a variety of chiles and spices. How do you make your salsa?
 

 
ITALIAN:
Italy has a strong and very unique coffee culture that spans centuries back and is still central to the everyday life of Italians. The legacy is undisputable: it is embedded in the lingo of all coffeeshops— latte, cappuccino or espresso. Here Margherita Berti, from Bergamo, shares with the CLÉ series how to make Italian espresso. What traditions are central to your culture?
 

 
GERMAN:
Learn how to play with Chantelle Warner, CERCLL’s co-director and an Associate Professor of German and Second Language Acquisition and Teaching at the UA. In foreign language instruction, gameplay can be a great way to make learning interactive! What games do you play with your students? Watch in YouTube and comment!
 

 

SPANISH:

Learn how to make arepas costarricenses with University of Arizona SLAT student Veronica Oguilve and her mother Yolanda.

PORTUGUESE:

Lick your fingers with this wonderful recipe of pão de queijo and brigadeiro, taught by Mariana Bertho! Pão de queijo is a brazilian recipe that resembles a puffed small cheese bun. It is originally from the state of Minas Gerais but popular throughout Brazil!

 
 

SPANISH:

In response to one of our previous CLE video series, Silver Cruz shared with us his own salsa verde recipe! Watch this cool Mexican cuisine class and do a Spanish language practice with your students! Ingredientes: media cebolla, un manojo de cilantro, diez tomatillos, un aguacate, tres chiles serranos y sal. ¡Provecho!

 
CHINESE:
2021 is the year of the Ox in the Chinese lunar calendar. In this video, Wenhao Diao shows us key elements of the Chinese New Year celebration and gives a simple demonstration of how to make the dumplings that are eaten in some parts of China at this time of year. Dumplings can be made with a combination of meat, vegetables and spices; these ones are vegan, made with impossible meat.
 
Wenhao Diao is an Associate Professor in the Department of East Asian Studies at the University of Arizona. She is also the author of CERCLL’s Dormtalk resources (supplementary Chinese learning materials for teachers and students based on Chinese L2 learners’ actual engagement in authentic language use outside the classroom): https://dormtalk.arizona.edu/

 
 
 
FRENCH:
This edition of our Culture & Language Exchange video series is dedicated to the celebration of La Chandeleur or Candlemass. Originally, this festivity is a religious observance that marks the 40th day after Christmas and midpoint of the winter season, however it has become a popular food-based tradition and an unofficial “crêpe-eating day” throughout France. Learn a traditional crêpe recipe with Beatrice Dupuy, CERCLL’s Co-Director and French Professor!
 

 
 
TURKISH:
University of Arizona students Mehtap and Serdar Acar show us how to prepare Turkish coffee and play tavla! Tavla (Turkish backgammon) is one of the oldest board games still being played today. Some of the earliest findings of tavla boards date back 5,000 years, from historical Mesopotamia. In present-day Turkey, tavla is still part of everyday culture and you can find it being played in cafes, bars, restaurants and even on street corners.
 

 
Filipino culture:
Melinda Fami Straczynski from Tacloban, Leyte, Philippines, shares with us a little bit of her culture and the way she prepares rice. Melinda lives with her family in Tucson. Her preferred rice brand is Tamanishiki super premium short grain rice, which she can find easily in Japanese and Thai rices here in Tucson. !
 

 
 
RUSSIAN:
Anna Fomchenko Buchanan from Russia shares with us the cultural customs surrounding chay. Tea drinking in Russia started in the sixteenth century with trade from China and became ubiquitous around the empire. Particular to the chay culture in Russia is the use of samovar (Russian tea pot) and porcelain tea cups, which you can see in Anna’s video:
 

 
SPANISH:
Xochitl Coronado-Vargas (CERCLL’s Outreach Coordinator) from Sonora, México, shares with us one of the many ways you can make salsa roja tatemada. Salsas can be used in all kinds of dishes with a variety of chiles and spices. How do you make your salsa?
 

 
ITALIAN:
Italy has a strong and very unique coffee culture that spans centuries back and is still central to the everyday life of Italians. The legacy is undisputable: it is embedded in the lingo of all coffeeshops— latte, cappuccino or espresso. Here Margherita Berti, from Bergamo, shares with the CLÉ series how to make Italian espresso. What traditions are central to your culture?
 

 
GERMAN:
Learn how to play with Chantelle Warner, CERCLL’s co-director and an Associate Professor of German and Second Language Acquisition and Teaching at the UA. In foreign language instruction, gameplay can be a great way to make learning interactive! What games do you play with your students? Watch in YouTube and comment!
 

 

SPANISH:

Learn how to make arepas costarricenses with University of Arizona SLAT student Veronica Oguilve and her mother Yolanda.

PERSIAN:

Nowruz, also known as Persian New Year, is a holiday in Iran that marks the first day of Spring and symbolizes renewal. It’s a 3,000 year-old tradition that, according to the United Nations, is now celebrated by nearly 300 million people around the world. In this video, Sajedeh Sadat Hosseini shares with us the symbolism of the Haftseen table, a decoration and tradition that can be seen throughout Iranian households celebrating Nowruz. After putting her own Haftseen table, she explains to us what each item symbolizes. Take this video to your Persian-language class or share it with friends and family!

KYRGYZ:

Here is a little taste of the great Kyrgyz Language and Culture presentations by Dinara Abakirova. Abakirova is a Kyrgyz Language Developer at the Center for Languages of the Central Asian Region (CeLCAR) at Indiana University —a sister Language Resource Center.

Dinara made her two ~13 min videos specially for our Culture & Language Exchange series.

Watch the full Kyrgyz Culture video here: https://youtu.be/Y0jG8WROso0​

Watch the full Kyrgyz Language video here: https://youtu.be/2wDw9gIpAmE

KOREAN:

Meet Seojin Park and HyeonAh Kang, they are students at the Second Language Acquisition and Teaching Ph.D. program at The University of Arizona. In this video, they show us the basis of Korean girls’ makeup with a short demonstration. Their own makeup of choice is a soft natural look with cushion foundation, brown-tone eye makeup, and gradation lip makeup!

ENGLISH:

Nicole sent us a traditional Scottish ballad that is close to her heart: “Wild Mountain Thyme”. She is inspired by influenced by Sheila Stewart of a Scottish traveler family.

 

PORTUGUESE:

Lick your fingers with this wonderful recipe of pão de queijo and brigadeiro, taught by Mariana Bertho! Pão de queijo is a brazilian recipe that resembles a puffed small cheese bun. It is originally from the state of Minas Gerais but popular throughout Brazil!

 

SPANISH:

In response to one of our previous CLE video series, Silver Cruz shared with us his own salsa verde recipe! Watch this cool Mexican cuisine class and do a Spanish language practice with your students! Ingredientes: media cebolla, un manojo de cilantro, diez tomatillos, un aguacate, tres chiles serranos y sal. ¡Provecho!

CHINESE:
2021 is the year of the Ox in the Chinese lunar calendar. In this video, Wenhao Diao shows us key elements of the Chinese New Year celebration and gives a simple demonstration of how to make the dumplings that are eaten in some parts of China at this time of year. Dumplings can be made with a combination of meat, vegetables and spices; these ones are vegan, made with impossible meat.
Wenhao Diao is an Associate Professor in the Department of East Asian Studies at the University of Arizona. She is also the author of CERCLL’s Dormtalk resources (supplementary Chinese learning materials for teachers and students based on Chinese L2 learners’ actual engagement in authentic language use outside the classroom): https://dormtalk.arizona.edu/

FRENCH:
This edition of our Culture & Language Exchange video series is dedicated to the celebration of La Chandeleur or Candlemass. Originally, this festivity is a religious observance that marks the 40th day after Christmas and midpoint of the winter season, however it has become a popular food-based tradition and an unofficial “crêpe-eating day” throughout France. Learn a traditional crêpe recipe with Beatrice Dupuy, CERCLL’s Co-Director and French Professor!

TURKISH:
University of Arizona students Mehtap and Serdar Acar show us how to prepare Turkish coffee and play tavla! Tavla (Turkish backgammon) is one of the oldest board games still being played today. Some of the earliest findings of tavla boards date back 5,000 years, from historical Mesopotamia. In present-day Turkey, tavla is still part of everyday culture and you can find it being played in cafes, bars, restaurants and even on street corners.

Filipino culture:
Melinda Fami Straczynski from Tacloban, Leyte, Philippines, shares with us a little bit of her culture and the way she prepares rice. Melinda lives with her family in Tucson. Her preferred rice brand is Tamanishiki super premium short grain rice, which she can find easily in Japanese and Thai rices here in Tucson. !

RUSSIAN:
Anna Fomchenko Buchanan from Russia shares with us the cultural customs surrounding chay. Tea drinking in Russia started in the sixteenth century with trade from China and became ubiquitous around the empire. Particular to the chay culture in Russia is the use of samovar (Russian tea pot) and porcelain tea cups, which you can see in Anna’s video:

SPANISH:
Xochitl Coronado-Vargas (CERCLL’s Outreach Coordinator) from Sonora, México, shares with us one of the many ways you can make salsa roja tatemada. Salsas can be used in all kinds of dishes with a variety of chiles and spices. How do you make your salsa?

ITALIAN:
Italy has a strong and very unique coffee culture that spans centuries back and is still central to the everyday life of Italians. The legacy is undisputable: it is embedded in the lingo of all coffeeshops— latte, cappuccino or espresso. Here Margherita Berti, from Bergamo, shares with the CLÉ series how to make Italian espresso. What traditions are central to your culture?

GERMAN:
Learn how to play with Chantelle Warner, CERCLL’s co-director and an Associate Professor of German and Second Language Acquisition and Teaching at the UA. In foreign language instruction, gameplay can be a great way to make learning interactive! What games do you play with your students? Watch in YouTube and comment!

SPANISH:

Learn how to make arepas costarricenses with University of Arizona SLAT student Veronica Oguilve and her mother Yolanda.