from Lawrence, SUNDAY PhiloMadrid meeting at 6:30pm: The power of words + News

Dear Friends,

This Sunday we are discussing: "The power of words".

We are all familiar with how powerful words are and can be. The issue,
or at least one of the issues, is what are the limits of words? Words
can be powerful but they can also fire blanks, so to speak; meaning that
words can also be meaningless. After all, it is not so much what words
can do but what meaning can we derive from them.

Hence, I would argue that we need good ideas first before we can choose
the right words to express our ideas. We also need public words that can
be use for our ideas, the words we choose must also be available to our
target audience and finally, our audience needs to connect with our
ideas for words to release their power.

A brilliant idea on a subject we don't know anything about is just lost,
and if we don't know the right vocabulary ideas will be lost as much as
anything. The first is demonstrated when professional experts try to
talk about their discipline to lay people without toning down the
language. And the second point is demonstrated by Second language
Learners who might know the subject but do not have the necessary
vocabulary in the target language.

Unable to understand concepts, because we are not familiar with them, is
not the same as not being able to understand certain vocabulary or
vocabulary structures. Parents are usually victims of absence of
vocabulary when they fail to understand their teen children. And the
final condition, which I would say is also a necessary condition, is
that the target audience must be receptive to our ideas. And how
receptive people are to our ideas depends on the opinion people have of
us as a human being. People generally relate quite well to other human
beings who are not perceived as a threat or a competitor. Words might be
powerful, but words do not go too far without the right action.

Words used properly and accurately can move mountains and achieve the
impossible. However, words are very finicky and risky and can easily
backfire. Words can indeed be powerful but they are also volatile and
they can come back to haunt us or worse, to hurt us.
Lawrence


News:
Lucia would like to know if there are any tertulias or cambios in
English during the mornings. I don't know of any, but I'm not up to date
on the subject. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.

A message from David:

Friends / Amigos del Cementerio Británico, Madrid

INGLÉS : Monday - 7th March - 18,00 hours.
At this time of year one year ago the Cemetery was the scene of a
commemoration celebrated by the Russian Church in Madrid and arranged by
the Russian Embassy at the graveside of Baron Theodore de Budberg, the
last Russian Ambassador before the Bolshevik revolution of 1917. This
year the event will be repeated as it is the centenary year of the Baron
de Budberg's death in 1916.
This message is so that Friends of the British Cemetery who wish to be
present may join in this appreciation of a diplomat recognised in his
day for his statesmanslike qualities.
The front page of ABC newspaper of 11 March 1916
(scanned and attached ) shows the esteem in which the Baron Theodore de
Budberg was held.

ESPAÑOL : lunes -- 7 de marzo -- 18,00 horas
Hace un año la Embajada Rusa y la Iglesia Rusa en Madrid han conmemorado
en el Cementerio Británico la memoria del Barón Théodore de Budberg, el
último Embajador de Rusia previo a la revolución bolchevique del año
1917. El centenario de su fallecimiento en 1916 es motivo de repetir la
conmemoración.
El presente mensaje es para comunicárseles a los Amigos del Cementerio
Británico para que acudan si lo deseen al acto de conmemoración de dicho
diplomático.
La portada del ABC con fecha 11 de marzo de 1916 cuya fotocopia acompaña
el presente mensaje demuestra el prestigio de este diplomático tan
reconocido en su día por sus grandes calidades de estadista.

David Butler

 ----please send me a message if you want the mentioned photo (Lawrence)

Best Lawrence

tel: 606081813
philomadrid@gmail.com <mailto:philomadrid@gmail.com>
Blog: http://philomadrid.blogspot.com.es/
<http://philomadrid.blogspot.com.es/>
PhiloMadrid Meeting
Meet 6:30pm
Centro Segoviano
Alburquerque, 14
28010 Madrid
914457935
Metro: Bilbao
-----------Ignacio------------
Open Tertulia in English every
Thursdays at Triskel in c/San Vicente Ferrer 3.
Time: from 19:30 to 21h
http://sites.google.com/site/tertuliainenglishmadrid/
<http://sites.google.com/site/tertuliainenglishmadrid/>
----------------------------



from Lawrence, SUNDAY PhiloMadrid meeting at 6:30pm: The power of words
+ News