Welcome to English as a Second Language podcast number 674, Threatening Other Countries.
This is English as a Second Language podcast, episode 674.
I'm your host, Dr Jeff McQuillan, coming to you from the Center for Educational Development in beautiful Los Angeles, California.
Our website is eslpod.com.
Go there to download a learning guide for this episode.
In this episode, we're going to hear a conversation between Tanya and Emilio about threatening other countries, when two countries are having difficulties, shall we say, and might even, in fact, start fighting each other.
Let's get started.
Did you see the news today?
Canada has been doing military exercises near the Canada-US border.
I think they're trying to send us a message.
They're just saber-rattling.
They think we're amassing weapons near the border, and they're posturing.
I don't think they're just posturing.
How can you say that?
All of this military aggression makes me nervous.
If Canada decides to attack, we would have no choice but to retaliate.
Things could escalate very quickly.
That's why I'm well prepared.
Well prepared?
How?
Haven't you seen me building my underground bunker?
I'll be safe there if Canada, or anyone else, strikes.
An underground bunker?
Yes, and if you ask nicely, I'll save a place for you.
Tanya begins by saying to Emilio, did you see the news today, the news reports or the newspaper?
Canada has been doing military exercises near the Canada-US border.
Military exercises are one way that...
The military, the army, and the navy use to train.
It is sort of like a fake war.
They test their systems to make sure that everything is working, that their soldiers know what to do, and so forth.
Sometimes it's called a war game, in fact.
The border... is the line that divides two countries or states or provinces.
It's a geographic line that separates two pieces of land.
In the dialogue.
Canada is apparently mad at the United States and their military is.
Their army and navy is doing military exercises near the border.
Tanya says, I think they're trying to send us a message.
To send someone a message means to make sure that the person understands exactly what you're thinking, and without necessarily saying it directly to them.
So we're communicating something, but it isn't necessarily in words.
Emilio says they, meaning the evil Canadians, are just saber-rattling.
A saber, S-A-B-E-R, is a large sword that's sharp that you could kill someone with.
To rattle R-A-T-T-L-E is to make a noise.
Often, when you have pieces of metal in that are next to each other, they may make a noise like this.
That wasn't a saber.
Those were actually the pens that I have in this blue cup I keep here next to my microphone.
That has a lot of pens and pencils and that sort of thing.
I guess you could use a pen to kill someone.
Possible.
Anyway, saber rattling is an old expression that means a certain country is trying to demonstrate or show someone else that they are militarily powerful.
So they may do military exercises or they may do things that show their military inaction.
That's saber-rattling.
Emilio says they, the Canadians, think we're amassing weapons near the border and they're posturing.
To amass A-M-A-S-S means to collect or gather as many items of a certain thing as And put them all in one place.
I have amassed several pens and pencils in my blue cup here on the desk.
A weapon is something that will hurt you, something physical, typically.
A tool, if you will, for hurting someone.
A knife, a gun, that sort of thing.
A pen.
So Canada thinks the U.S. is amassing weapons near the border.
And the Canadians in response to this are posturing.
To posture P-O-S-T-U-R-E as a verb means to present yourself in a certain way, to convey a certain impression on the other person.
It's often used in the negative sense of someone who's trying to be something they're not, or someone who perhaps, is doing this for no good reason.
Tanya says, I don't think they're just posturing.
They're not just acting this way.
They really are angry. because everyone knows Canadians can get very angry.
Emilio says Canada is no real threat.
A threat is a risk, something that can cause harm or damage.
Emilio says no one in the government wants to bear the responsibility of violating Canada's treaty with us.
To bear B-E-A-R just like the animal.
The responsibility means to admit when something has gone wrong and accept the consequences.
Another expression we might use is to be held accountable.
So no one in the government wants to bear the responsibility, wants to have the responsibility of violating or breaking, not following, Canada's treaty with us.
A treaty is a formal agreement between two countries to do something or not do something.
The Treaty of Versailles ended World War I.
The SALT, or Strategic Arms Limitation Treaty, helped reduce the number of nuclear weapons between the United States and the then Soviet Union.
Tanya says, how can you say that?
All of this military aggression makes me nervous.
Aggression is when someone is angry or mad and actually does something about it.
Military aggression would be when the military is showing their power, is showing their strength because their country is angry.
She says, if Canada decides to attack, we would have no choice but to retaliate.
To attack means to begin a fight or a battle.
Usually, it's something between two armies, but it could be between two people.
He was attacked by a dog last night.
The dog tried to bite him.
Or she was attacked by the mean cat that was in the neighbor's yard.
These, of course, are our real threats, cats and dogs.
But going back to our story, I'm kidding, of course.
Going back to our story, Tanya says we would have no choice if Canada decides to attack but to retaliate.
When we say we have no choice but to do something, we mean we have no other option.
We must do this.
In this case, we must retaliate.
To retaliate means R-E-T-A-L-I-A-T-E, means to do something bad to another person after he or she has done something bad to you.
It's similar to another word, revenge.
Retaliate usually is related to someone trying to hurt you, someone trying to hurt your country, and you then attack them back to defend yourself.
Tanya says things could escalate very quickly.
To escalate – E-S-C-A-L-A-T-E – to involve more people, to move something to a higher level, to make it more serious, to make it bigger, perhaps.
So when two countries start fighting with each other, sometimes the violence can escalate.
They kill five people and then you kill 10 of their people and they retaliate and kill 25 of your people.
That's escalating violence.
It's getting worse and worse as we go forward in time.
Emilio says, to this possibility of escalation, the noun of to escalate.
That's why I'm well prepared.
I'm ready, Emilio says.
Tanya asks him, well prepared?
How?
How are you well prepared?
Emilio says, haven't you seen me building my underground bunker?
Underground is something that is below the ground in the earth.
A bunker, B-U-N-K-E-R, is a strong, safe place where you are protected against some military attack.
You are underground.
So an underground bunker is a place where you could be safe if you were attacked or your country was attacked.
That's the idea.
There were some people, especially back in the 50s and 60s, that built bunkers in their houses because they were afraid of a nuclear attack on the United States.
I'm not sure if the bunker would have helped very much.
Anyway, Emilio says, I'll be safe there in my bunker if Canada or anyone else strikes.
To strike here means to hit someone or to attack someone, to send a bomb.
That's an example of striking here.
There was a movie, one of the Star Wars movies The Empire Strikes Back, meaning the Empire attacks after being attacked.
Tanya says, an underground bunker?
Emilio says, yes, and if you ask nicely, if you're nice to me, I'll save a place for you.
So that's what some people are doing preparing for Canada's attack on the United States.
Now let's listen to the dialogue, this time at a normal speed.
Did you see the news today?
Canada has been doing military exercises near the Canada-US border.
I think they're trying to send us a message.
They're just saber-rattling.
They think we're amassing weapons near the border, and they're posturing.
I don't think they're just posturing.
Canada is no real threat.
No one in the government wants to bear the responsibility of violating Canada's treaty with us.
How can you say that?
All of this military aggression makes me nervous.
If Canada decides to attack, we would have no choice but to retaliate.
Things could escalate very quickly.
That's why I'm well prepared.
Well prepared?
How?
Haven't you seen me building my underground bunker?
I'll be safe there if Canada, or anyone else, strikes.
An underground bunker?
Yes.
And if you ask nicely, I'll save a place for you.
Our script writer would never attack anyone.
That's because it's the kind and wonderful Dr. Lucy Say.
From Los Angeles, California, I'm Jeff McQuillan.
Thank you for listening.
Come back and listen to us again on ESL Podcast.
English as a Second Language Podcast is written and produced by Dr. Lucy Say.
Hosted by Dr. Jeff McQuillan.
Copyright 2011 by the Center for Educational Development.
