Natalislang
Spanish Courses in Santiago & Valparaiso, Chile

Description:

A brief anthology of the Latin American literature. In this course, some texts of poetry and tales which are representative of the American continent literature will be read and analyzed, considering their historic and cultural background.

Contents:

• Tales.
  • “El matadero” by Esteban Echeverría (Argentina).
  • “La mujer” by Juan Bosch (Puerto Rico).
  • “La gallina degollada” by Horacio Quiroga (Uruguay).
  • “Santelices” by José Donoso (Chile).
  • “El padre” by Olegario Lazo Baeza (Chile).
  • “Un día de estos” by Gabriel García Márquez (Colombia).
  • “El hombre” by Juan Rulfo (Mexico).
  • “Casa tomada” by Julio Cortazar (Argentina).
• Poetry.
  • “Todas íbamos a ser reinas” by Gabriela Mistral (Chile).
  • “Hombres necios que acusáis” by Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz (Mexico).

Description:

A brief review of some extracts of essays presenting the sociocultural context in Latin America since the beginning of the Independence to this day.

Contents:

• “Carta de Jamaica” (“A Letter about Jamaica”) by Simón Bolívar (Venezuelan, 1815).
• “Nuestra América” (“Our America”) by José Martí (Cuban, 1895).
• “La utopía de América” (“Utopia of America”) by Pedro Henríquez Ureña (Dominican, 1925)
• “Notas sobre la inteligencia americana” (“Notes about American Intelligence”) by Alfonso Reyes (Mexican, 1936).
• “Las venas abiertas de América Latina” (“Open wounds of Latin America”) by Eduardo Galeano (Uruguayan, 1971).
• “Culturas híbridas” (“Hybrid cultures”) by Néstor García Canclini (Argentinean, 1992)
• “El pachuco y otros extremos” (“El Pachuco and other extremists”) by Octavio Paz (Mexican, 1994).
• “Chile, ¿un país moderno?” (“Chile, a modern country?”) by Bernardo Subercaseaux (Chilean, 1996)

Description:

An overall description of the Chilean economic system and its current situation, pointing out the advantages and limitations which show how the current economic system works.

Contents:

• Socioeconomical issues.
• Economic system.
• Big businesses.
• Small and medium-sized businesses.
• Employment policies.
• Tax exemption (training).
• Taxation system.
• Retirement fund system.
• Poverty approach.
• Economic insertion in the continent and worlwide.

Description:

This workshop enables the student to know and have a wider insight about the history of our country. Learn about every single phase of the Chilean history in our classes; also, there will be an analysis of simple texts which will help the student understand the contents of every class. At the end of the workshop, there will be a discussion linked to a specific topic that may be interesting for the student.    

Contents:

• Discovery of America.
• Discovery and Conquest of Chile.
• Foundation and development of Santiago de Chile.
• Colonization in Chile.
• Robinson Crusoe.
• La Quintrala. 
• Independence.
• Patria Vieja.
• Spanish Reconquista (Reconquest).
• Patria Nueva.
• Development of the Republic of Chile.
• Salvador Allende’s Regime.
• Coup d’Etat in 1973.
• Augusto Pinochet’s Dictatorship and its consequences in the present day.
• History of Easter Island.

Description:

Throughout America, the aboriginal cultures have had a fundamental role in shaping our modern society. The purpose of this workshop is to look into the development of the most important indigenous cultures in Chile. It will also deal with the way indigenous people live nowadays, the problems they face, the influence in our current society and the way they have thriven. It will provide information about the other side of Chile behind the process of modernization, which the country has undergone lately.

Contents:

• * To be defined.

Description:

The student will be immersed in the “Chilean talk” by learning the most common slang words and idioms used by Chilean native speakers. This helps the foreigners understand the dialect used here.

Contents:

• Chilean idioms.
• Chilean slang phrases and words.
• Cliché phrases.

Description:

Every city has its landmarks. Cities are not only places for working and living, but also places to enjoy. Every city hides enticing places which tell us about its history and traditions. You will be touring round Santiago and you will have a gist of its history.

Places to visit:

• Barrio República (Republica Neighbourhood).
• Centro Cívico (Civic Centre).
• Barrios Brasil y Yungay (Yungay and Brasil Neighbourhoods).
• Barrio París-Londres (Paris-Londres Neighbourhood).

Description:

A review of the folkloric Latin American music by listening, analyzing and reading the lyrics of the most representative songs which deal with social issues in our continent.

Contents:

• * To be defined.

Description:

Have an insight on the institutions and the Chilean political system as a whole and the application of public policies in the main specific issues, visualizing the domestic and foreign challenges which are faced by our country, in order to fully reach the status of a developed country.

Contents:

• Social issues.
• Economic system.
• Political system and institutions.
• Educational system.
• Health system.
• Housing policies.
• Specific policies on poverty, drugs, abortion, and so on.
• Foreign politics (Free Trade Agreements, International Cooperation, and so on)
• Pending chanllenges and duties (social inequality, technological innovation, and so on)
• Goals established by the United Nations to be attained in the millenium.

Description:

This workshop teaches the main sounds of the Spanish language. The student will be able to improve his or her pronunciation and intonation through reading, listening and repeating.

Contents:

• Vowel sounds.
• Consonant sounds.
• Articulatory phonetics.

Description:

Contents:

• The Chilean family.
• Women in the Chilean society.
• Chilean business world and people.
• Chilean society: the social classes.
• Chilean traditions.
• Chilean people and their social meetings.

Description:

Films are among of the most complete artistic expressions. Through this art, we can see, hear, feel and be moved by a story. That is why films are able to bring us a full view of a culture, society or historical period. Our language school, Natalislang, offers its student this interesting workshop, which is about Chilean films. Find out about our history, culture, society and our funny slang and idioms through a fine selection of films made in Chile. During this workshop, some of the most representative Chilean films will be chosen and you will discover and talk about the historical, cultural and social changes which Chile has gone through along its history.

Contents:

• “Machuca” directed by Andrés Wood.
• “El chacotero sentimental, Todo es cancha” directed by Cristián Galaz.
• “Historias de fútbol, Alargue” directed by Andrés Wood.
• “Sub Terra” directed by Marcelo Ferrari.
• “Dawson, isla 10” directed by Miguel Littin.
• “La nana” directed by Sebastián Silva.
• “Largo Viaje” directed by Patricio Kaulen.