Moon & Stars/Locarno/Switzerland

Avete già sentito del programma musicale stupendo tra l’8.8.2011-17.7.2011 che sarà offerto a Locarno nell’ambito dei famosi “MOON & STARS”? Spero che possiate così

anche migliorare le vostre conoscenze linguistiche. (Oltre a questo mio blog vi consiglio anche il mio nuovo sito www.langedi49.ch per migliorare le vostre conoscenze

linguistiche oppure per avere ulteriori informazioni sul Ticino.)

Have you already heard about the fantastic artists Locarno is expecting for the open-air concerts in Locarno between the 8th and 17th July 2011? I hope that you can in this way

also improve you language knowledge.

Habt ihr schon von den fantastischen”Moon & Stars” Konzerten gehört, die zwischen dem 8.und 17.Juli 2011 in Locarno gegeben werden? Ich hoffe, dass ihr dank dieser Musik

auch eure Sprachkenntnisse verbessern könnt.

Ecco un link al programma detagliato./Hier ein Link zum detaillierten Programm./Here is the link to the detailed programme. http://www.moonandstarslocarno.ch/

Great artists, such as BLIGG, STING, SANTANA, ZUCCHERO, JOE COOKER and GIANNA NANINI, ROXETTE, AMY WINEHOUSE, BRYAN ADAMS or JACK JOHNSON will take part!

BRYAN ADAMS

Here is the link to the song”EVERYTHING I DO I DO IT FOR YOU”: http://www.lyricstraining.com/game3256.htm You can listen to the song and at the same time do an exercise.

There are three difficulty levels in this kind of exercises.

You have to fill the missing words into the gaps and the music will stop if it is to fast for you to follow. Click on “backspace” if you want to relisten to the music or on “tab” for the missing

word to be filled in..

Some words or expressions from the song: Don’t tell me it’s not worth trying/fighting: Non mi dire che non vale la pena di provare/di battersi/ Sag mir nicht, dass sich ein Versuch nicht lohnt

/dass sich kämpfen nicht lohnt.

You know it’s true./Sai che è vero./Du weisst, dass es wahr ist.

There’s nothing to hide/Non c’è niente da nascondere/Es gibt nichts zu verbergen.

There’s nowhere unless you’re there./Non c’è nulla, (nessun posto) se tu non ci sei./Es  gibt nichts, (keinen Ort) ausser du bist dort.

Here is a link to a video where it is explained how to create your own song activities:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bPIXUZY5mPQ

YOU ARE SO BEAUTIFUL/ JOE COCKER

Joe Cocker , posted with vodpod

This is the link to the song activity I created for beginners  “You are so beautiful”http://www.lyricstraining.com/game5852.htm

ENGLISHMAN IN NEW YORK/STING – with subtitles!

ENGLISHMAN IN NEW YORK, posted with vodpod

Amy Winehouse: Rehab, posted with vodpod

Click here and you can listen to  the song REHAB / by AMY WINEHOUSE.http://www.lyricstraining.com/game3314.htmand do another exercise as above explained.

Spaghetti harvest in Ticino/Video

YouTube – Swiss Spaghetti Harvest 1957
Follow my videos on vodpod

The Spaghetti harvest in Ticino!

Despite the fact that today we don’t have the 1st April, I would like to publish this entertaining video

about Ticino’s highly efficient Spaghetti cultivation.

It happened that the slopes oveloocking the lake Lugano burst very early into flowers. In fact,

a)    how much eralier than usual?

…………………………………………………..

b)   What does the early arrival of blossom  usually do with the food?

………………………………………………………………………………………………….

c)    What effects did the mild weather of that winter have on the crop?

……………………………………………………………………………………

d)   The ticinesi cultivation of Spaghetti  can, however, not be compared with the

Spaghetti cultivation of which country and region?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

e)    By whom was the crop in the past sometimes destroyed ?

……………………………………………………………………………….

f)     How did the plant breeders succeed in creating Spaghetti of the same length?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

g)    What kind of Spaghetti is being served to the guests?

……………………………………………………………………………………………..

Answers: a) a fortnight/b)The frost can ruin or impair the flavour and therefore reduce

the price on the world market. c) It effected in a very heavy Spaghetti crop./

d)Italy (Po Valley)/e) by a little creature/f) It’s the result of many years of research. g)

g)freshly picked Spaghetti, dried in the sun

About the vocabulary:

1. a slope/ un pendio/ein Hang

2. a fortnight/due settimane/14 Tage

3. to blossom/fiorire/blühen

4. the harvest or crop/la raccolta/die Ernte

5. a tremendous scale/ in grande quantità/in grosser Menge

6.to lay out and dry/distendere e essiccare/ausbreiten und trocknen

7. disappear/sparire/verschwinden

8.the  endeavour/l’ impegno/die Anstrengung

9. to have the same length/avere la stessa lunghezza/di gleiche Länge haben

Electricity/Bavona Valley

Valle Bavona: stone houses and almost no electr…, posted with vodpod

When I saw the above video by Swissinfo.ch  I decided to publish it also here on my blog, because I know many ticinesi fishermen who are angry, disappointed, sad or just despair as there are almost no fish left in the region’s rivers due to the electricity production.

Here below there is a summary of the video’s content and an exercise  you can check online.

All around the Maggia valley in the Italian speaking Ticino you can see high waterfalls.

which tumble down steep cliff. Many mountain streams feed the Maggia river. The water is exploited  to produce electricity. In the 50s and 60s a network of hydroelectric

power plants was built there. In that period the Bavona valley decided against electricitybecause the inhabitants thought that it was a luxury they could do without.

That decision now proves to be a bonus. Due to the fact that if you want electricity you have to produce it by yourself (solar panels or generators) few people built

houses and the valley remained almost untouched and is practically only  inhabited in summer.

The Bavona valley is one of the steepest mountain valleys with rockfalls, landslides and avalanches.

We learn from one of the speakers that in the past the region around Locarno has been as swamp and that therefore people moved higher up. A family who had an

alpine pasture was considered lucky, however tiny it was, because they could make cheese.

The first colonizers of the alps were heroes. To escape poverty the majority of men emigrated in the 19th century, leaving behind the elderly, children and the women.

These women had to take care of the cattle and fields, while raising a family in the harshest environment. To pay homage to these strong and hardworking women a local artist made a sculpture resembling the madonna, but instead of carrying a baby she is holding a tool. The priest blessed the fugure  as a woman from Galilee and the inhabitants accepted her.

The artist Franco Laffranca draws a lot from the local traditions, but also tries to bring modern culture to the rather remote  and isolated valley and he wants to work together with other artists under the condition that they consider their work more important than that of the farmers who made life there possible.

Wordtranslations:

the water is tumbling down/ l’acqua scende in modo forte/in another sense to tumble down can also have the meaning of getting ruined/andare in rovina

rockfalls/caduta sassi e landslides/frane

steep, steeper, steepest/ripido, più ripido, il più ripido

to do without/fare a meno di

elderly/le persone anziane

leave behind/lasciare indietro

pasture/alpe

tool/attrezzo

Click her BAVONA to do the exercise and on the arrow that appears on the  HOT  POTATOES page. Non appena che vedete la pagina con l’articolo cliccate sulla freccia per vedere le domande.

Die Schwarzen Brüder

Das traurige Schicksal der armen Kinder

Das Musical „Die Schwarzen Brüder“  nach dem Jugendroman  mit dem gleichen Namen zeigt am Beispiel von Tessiner Buben das leider oft traurige Schicksal von Hunderttausenden von Schweizer Kindern,  die bis weit ins 20. Jahrhundert Zwangsarbeit  machen mussten.

Kinder aus den Tessiner Tälern wurden nach Mailand verdingt, wo sie als Kaminfeger grosses Leid erlitten. Die Eltern, oder Mütter, die die ganze Arbeit in der Landwirtschaft  alleine erledigen mussten, machten dies, weil sie in grosser Armut waren. Entweder litten sie unter Dürre, Waldbränden, Viehsterben oder Krankheiten.

VERBEN: Übersetzung auf  ITALIENISCH

zeigen: dimostrare/ Partizip der Vergangenheit = gezeigt/dimostrato

machen: fare/ = gemacht/fatto

müssen: dovere (Modalverb)= gemusst/dovuto

verdingt werden: dare in servizio/= verdingt worden =dato in servizio

Arbeit erledigen: sbrigare il lavoro/ = hat die Arbeit erledigt/ ha sbrigato il lavoro

Die Kinder bekamen dann auch nicht genug zu essen, denn nur  magere Kinder konnten in den Kamin steigen. Bevor diese Kinder abreisten, mussten sie in einer Kapelle vor der Madonna versprechen, dass sie nie über ihre zukünftigen Erlebnisse sprechen würden. Aus diesem Grund dachten die Eltern, dass es ihnen gut gehe.

bekommen=ricevere/=bekommen/ ricevuto

steigen=salire/ = gestiegen/salito

essen=mangiare/= gegessen/mangiato

denken=pensare/=gedacht/pensato

es geht gut=va bene/=es ist gut gegangen/è andato bene

versprechen/promettere/= versprochen/promesso

sein: essere /=gewesen/stato

werden: diventare /= geworden/diventato oppure per fare il futuro o condizionale

erleiden: soffrire= erlitten/sofferto

Die Spazzaccamini sind eine regionale Antwort auf die Frage, wie man mit der Armut  umgeht. Die Tradition geht übrigens bis ins 16.Jahrhundert zurück.

Auch  im wunderschönen Museum im Maggiatal  geht man auf diese tragische Geschichte ein.

Verben:

mit der Armut umgehen: gestire la povertà/mit der Armut umgegangen/gestito….

auf etwas zurückgehen: risale a qc./=zurückgegangen/risalito

auf etwas eingehen: trattare qc./= auf etwas eingegangen/trattato qc.

Sollte jemand ein Arbeitsblatt benötigen:

Das traurige Schicksal der armen Kinder

Jeff Beck/ Rhonda Smith

Great musicians in Locarno!

Just listen to the music and read the article if you like.

Jeff Beck, posted with vodpod

The other day I saw Jeff Beck and Rhonda Smith, two powerful muscicians, in a concert in Locarno and was fascinated by them. They were the opening group of ZZ Top and I had never heard of them before and, therefore, wrongly thought that they were less good than the main stars, but I liked them even better.

In the meantime I’ve tried to find out more about Jeff  and Rhonda and saw that in the sixties, when he was hardly twenty, he even substituted Eric Clapton in the famous band “Yardbirds”. Jeff Beck seems to be one of the best guitarists worldwide. He is English or more precisely from Surrey and 66 years old.

Much of Beck’s recorded output has been instrumental, with a focus on innovative sounds and his releases have spanned Genres ranging from  blues-rock, heavy metal, jazz fusion and most recently, an additional blend of guitar-rock and electronica. Beck has earned wide critical praise; furthermore, he has received the the Grammy Award for the best Instrumental Performance five times. Although he has had two hit albums (in 1975 and 1976) as a solo act, Beck has not been able to establish and maintain a broad following or the sustained Commerce of many of his collaborators and bandmates.

About Jeff’s temperament

Stories about Beck’s temper began to circulate early on in his career. His perfection, coupled with the faulty equipment often in use during the 1960s, led to many stories about his willingness to take out frustrations on his equipment^] The 1966 movie BLOWUP contains a scene where the Yardbirds perform “Stroll On” and Beck becomes so enraged by equipment problems that he smashes his guitar.

About Rhonda

She also is a very gifted musician and not only plays the bass in a technically brilliant way, but her voice provoked goose pimples in me. Rhonda is also a songwriter and worked with the legendary PRINCE. She plays the bass because of her brother who brought the instrument home when she was a girl and told her not to touch it. Rhonda was born in Halivax, Nova Scotia, the oldest black community in Canada. She plays blues-rock, jazz/funk and electrified funk and I don’t now what else!

Vocabulary explanations in German and Italian

1. wrongly(adv.) = erroneamente= fälschlicherweise (Adjektiv=wrong=erroneo=falsch)

2. worldwide= in tutto il mondo = weltweit

3. output = la produzione =  die Produktion

4. recently= ultimamente= unlängst

5. although= benche- obwohl (congiunzione/Konjunktion)

6. bandmates = colleghi di gruppo =  Bandkollegen

7. willingness= la volontà =  der Wille

8. goose pimples=la  pelle d’oca=die  Gänsehaut

BOSCO GURIN/TESSIN

LESEVERSTÄNDNIS , FRAGEN, FOTOS, MAP

ist das höchstgelegene Dorf im Tessin. Es liegt auf 1’506 m.ü.M. Seine Geschichte ist älter als siebenhundert Jahre. Es ist

urkundlich belegt, dass Boso Gurin bereits im Jahr 1253 eine unabhängige Gemeinde mit einem Stadthalter war.

Das Dorf wird noch jetzt vor allem von Nachfahren der Walser bewohnt, die das Gebiet besiedelt hatten. Die Bewohner

sprechen neben Italienisch, Gurinerdeutsch auch einen deutschen Dialekt.

Obwohl die ersten Siedler ein hartes Leben hatten, konnten sie sich demographische etwas entwickeln.

Im 17. und 18. Jahrhundert gingen zwei Lawinen auf das Dort nieder und töteten 34 und 41 Menschen, was eine Tragödie war.

Bosco Gurin und andere Dörfer der Seitentäler, litten  zunächst unter saisonaler Abwanderung und Auswanderung nach Übersee.

Dann folgte auch die Landflucht, einer Erscheinung, die durch die Moderne diktiert wurde. Die Einwohner von Bosco Gurin arbeiteten

im Sommer auswärts als Gipser, Maler oder Maurer und im Winter machten sie zu Hause Gefässe und andere Gegenstände aus Holz,

die sie in Locarno auf den Markt brachten.

Bosco Gurin bietet den Pflanzeninteressierten sehr viel. Wie haben z.B. wunderschöne grosse Enziane, Knabenkraut oder

Vergissmeinnicht gefunden.

Nach den verheerenden Schneefällen und Lawinen hat man entsprechende Schutzbauten gebaut.

In den letzten Jahren hat man auch viel in den Wintersport investiert. Es gibt Jugendherbergen und Seilbahnen.

Wenn man diesen Ort erreichen möchte, fährt man zunächst nach Cevio, dem Hauptort im Maggiatal/Tessin und

dann ca. 15 Km hoch und um viele Kurven herum.

Uns hat auch der Friedhof beeindruckt, weil alle Gräber dieselben Kreuze haben!

RICHTUNGSANGABEN

Diese Karte zeigt, wie man in dieses Dorf gelangt.Nach dem Gotthardtunnel fährt man Richtung Süden, oder Locarno und

dann ins Maggiatal und, wie gesagt, bis nach Cevio. Dort gibt es übrigens ein sehr interessantes Heimatmuseum.

Darnach gibt es viele Kurven!Klickt hierBOSCOGURIN und Sie können eine Hot Potatoes-drag & drop-Übung (tirate le parti delle

frase da destra verso le foto) machen, die Sie selbst korrigieren können.

Arbeitsblatt:bosco-gurin.doc2

PS: Heute habe ich in der NZZ und im “Corriere del Ticino” gelesen, dass dieses Dorf mit dem Preis 2010 der

Schweizerischen Arbeitsgemeinschaft für Berggebiete (SAB)

worden ist. Es werden in BOSCO GURIN das kulturelle Erbe und die Renovation landwirtschaftlicher Bauten

aufgewertet. Die Landwirtschaft sei wiederbelebt und die touristische Attraktion ergänt worden. TOLL!

Trovo bellissimo che BOSCO GURIN  abbia riceuto questo riconoscimento SAB 2010 per le regioni di montagna.

Il villaggio deve oggi affrontare diverse sfide, fra cui

il declino del settore agricolo, la diminuzione della popolazione locale e la lontnanza dai centri urbani. Perciò

le nuove offerte, come per esempio la messa in funzione di

una birreria, la gestione di un’azienda agrituristica oppure l’aperatura di una pensione dovrebbero essere attraenti

per nuovi visitatori. Speriamo che riusciranno a creare

o conservare dei posti di lavo. Vi consiglio quindi di andare a Bosco Gurin non solo a sciare in inverno, ma anche a

fare delle bellissime passeggiate durante l’estate. (Vi prego di tradurre questo testo in tedesco.)

Orte im Tessin

Ich habe heute versucht ein kleines Video mit http://animoto.com und http://audacity.sourceforge.net/?lang=de zu machen.Es ist natürlich noch nicht perfekt, aber ein Anfang!

1)Beschreibt doch einfach, was ihr seht und macht daraus eine kleine Geschichte.

2) Erklärt, wie man in das Morobbiatal und wie in das Maggiatal gelangt.

3)Was kann man auf dem Gotthard machen und welche Bedeutung hat dieser Ort?

4)Wo liegt Brontallo?

Tessin.

more about “Orte im Tessin“, posted with vodpod

The Hill of the Dead

more about “Hill of the Dead“, posted with vodpod

Tick yes, if you consider the content of the sentence correct and no, if you think it’s wrong.

The Hill f the Dead	right	wrong
1.The Hill of the Dead lies between Somazzo, Switzrland and Uggiate, Italy
2. San Giuseppe attracts prilgrims from both sides of the border
3. The remains of three walled in women are attributed with rain making powers .
4 Believers climb up to the church and pray hoping to  get help for he dead
5. People used to scrape pieces of plaster off the wall and put them into their shoes.
6.The death cult is quite widespread and a candle is lit for he dead
7. People brought handicapped childred to the church and put their backs against the wall in the hope to be cured.
8. Riva San Vitale was in the grip of  terrible drought and vignard owners could only break up the earth with pick axes.
9. Even though they prayed the rain didn’t arrive.

Bellinzona/Burgen/history

Fotos F.Ramsauer

1.August 2009

Deutsch and English: Fotos/Lückentexte/audios/vocabulary

Beschreibt die Bilder und erklärt jemandem, warum es sich lohnt Bellinzona zu besichtigen.

Describe the pictures and explain somebody why it is worthwhile visiting Bellinzona.

For  the English exercise scroll down.

Setzen Sie die folgenden Wörter in die Lücken im Text:

Das  das  Das  den  den  den  den  der  der  der  der  der  der  der  der  der  der  der  die  Die  die  die  Die  die  die  Die  Die  die  die  die  die  die  ein

Geschichte:

Bellinzona liegt im Zentrum ______ italienischen Schweiz, am Ausgang ______ Täler, ______ zu ______ großen Alpenübergängen aus ______ Welt des Nordens in ______ Süden führen, des Gotthard, des Lukmanier und des San Bernardino. Es wurden auch Gräber gefunden, ______ von ligurischen und keltischen Relikten zeugen. ______ Gegend ist seit ______ Bronze-und Eisenzeit besiedelt. Während Jahrtausenden bestimmte ______ naturgegebene Lage ______ geschichtliche Bedeutung ______ Stadt. Rom machte aus ihr ______ Bollwerk gegen ______ Barbaren. Hier fanden Kämpfe zwischen Franken und Langobarden statt. Im Jahr 590 ging ______ Name „Bilitionem castrum in campis situm Canis“ erstmals in ______ Geschichte ein. Könige, Kaiser, ______ Bischof und ______ Stadt Como, ______ Visconti und ______ Herzöge Sforza von Mailand stritten sich um diese Stadt, bis sie im Jahr 1500 endgültig eidgenössisches Herrschaftsgebiet wurde. ______ Untertanenverhältnis dauerte bis zur Helvetik; ______ heutige Kanton Tessin entstand durch ______ Mediationsakte im Jahr 1803. ______ Stadtbild wird von ______ drei mittelalterlichen Burgen  bestimmt. ______ Kirche S. Maria delle Grazie, S. Biagio und S. Paolo im Vorort Arbedo, alle drei mit Fresken und Gemälden berühmter Meister ausgestattet. ______ Altstadt hat ihren lombardischen Charakter bewahrt. Zwei berühmte Engländer, ______ Schriftsteller John Ruskin und ______ Maler J.M. William Turner haben sich seinerzeit für Bellinzonas Gässchen und Winkel begeistert. ______ Umgebung lädt zu wunderschönen Fusswanderungen und Ausflügen ein. Seit mehr als 100 Jahren Kantonshauptstadt, zählt Bellinzona heute über 18′000 Einwohner: In Bellinzona feiert man ______ Karneval „Rabadan“ oder man geniesst ______ Markttreiben in ______ Altstadt jeden Samstagmorgen und natürlich feiert man in Bellinzona auch den Nationalfeiertag.

Wenn ihr auf folgenden Link klickt könnt ihr den Text hören und korrigieren.

http://vocaroo.com/?media=vf60QbEfdyuzBpv3N

fought  Franks  lombardian  more (Fill these words into the gaps)

Bellinzona is the capital town of the Canton Ticino and its center. *From Bellinzona you can reach the alpine passes, such as the Gotthard, Lukmanier and San Bernardino. Tombs were found which give evidence of celtic and ligurian relicts. For thousands of years the region was very important for its position. Rome made of the region a stronghold against the Barbarians. *Fights against the ____________ and Langobards were taking place. Bellinzona was first mentioned as „castrum“ in about 590 AD by the Romans. The name changed in the course of the years from „Castrum“ to Belition“ to „Birzona“. *Kings, emperors and bishops of Como as well as the Visconti’s and the Sforza’s, dukes of Milan, ____________ for the city until its territory bacame definitely part of the Swiss Confederation in 1500. The Canton Ticino, as it is today, was created thanks to the Act of Mediation in 1803. The townscape is determined by the three medieval castles, Castelgrande, Montebello and Sasso Corbaro. The churches Santa Maria delle Grazie or S. Biaggio are richly decorated with frescoes of famous artists.* The old town has kept its ____________________ characteristic. Two famous Englishmen, the writer John Ruskin and the painter J.M. William Turner were once enthusiastic about Bellinzona’s narrow paths. Bellinzona’s surroundings invite for beautiful hiking tours or excursions. *The town has been the capital of the Canton for more than 100 years and it has ________ than 18’000 inhabitants. Bellinzonesi people celebrate the carneval or the national holiday but they also enjoy strolling through their market on Saturday mornings.

(Die drei mittelalterlichen Burgen heissen: Castel Grande, Montebello und Sasso Carbaro.)

Bellinzona’s castles a world heritage site, posted with vodpod

Some vocabulary to the video

To play an important role means= giocare un ruolo importante

the duke= il duce

take charge of sthe= assumersi la responsibilità/compito di qc.

to strenghten= fortificare

to tax sb.= tassare qu.

traders= commercianti

arrow= frecia

Swiss emigrations

In the following audio by Swissinfo.ch it is very well explained when the Swiss emigrated mainly to America

and that happened. We’are also informed about the Processing Centers “Castle Garden” and Ellis Island.

http://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/multimedia/audios/detail.html?siteSect=15055&sid=10671080&mp3=y

1) How many people passed through the Processing Center “Ellis Island” during the huge emigration to

America  in the 1880s which has now become a museum?

2. When were the processing facilities at Ellis Island opened and why?……………………………………………
3. The number of Swiss almost ………………… to 82’000 in………………………………………………………………

(There would never again be so many Swiss people knocking on America’s door.)
4. In what way were the people helped at the processing center „Castle Garden“ and in what way was it   different  from „Ellis Island“?
- List some points, such as information about boarding houses, possibility to speak in various languages

and ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..
5.  How were the health controlls at „Ellis Island“?…………………………………………………………………………..
6.  How were the Swiss received in America?…………………………………………………………………………………..
7.  What did they have or bring with them?………………………………………………………………………………………
8.  Why did so many Europeans try to emigrate  between 1880-1914, but especially in the
1880s? and what were they promised?………………………………………………………………………

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

9. What changed, however, definitely in America after that wave of immigration? .

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

10. What is your opinion of nowadays immigration into Switzerland? Do you consider it as

huge?………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….