Learning English from The New Yorker and The Economist

Yohanna   Thu Sep 03, 2009 5:00 am GMT
My friend suggested that I read those two magazines to build my vocabulary and improve reading comprehension skills. Do you agree that it's a good idea?
K. T.   Thu Sep 03, 2009 5:21 am GMT
The Economist, maybe. I'm not sure about the New Yorker as I don't subscribe to it. You could try National Geographic or The Atlantic too.
choopie   Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:14 am GMT
The New Yorker is a very nice suggestion. It's the American magazine of choice of the intellectual. The Economist, um, I never liked it, plus its content is mostly financial commentary. It's damn boring.
Robin Micheal   Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:13 am GMT
The 'New Yorker' has a much more limited readership than 'The Economist'. Recently I went abroad and my partner bought a magazine at the airport. It was an American magazine and I was surprised at how difficult I found the vocabulary.

I particular remember 'tank up' to describe 'making heavy weight'. "Hilary Clinton should tank up her campaign." It just seemed a really odd expression at the time. I suppose it is a reference to American cars. "Shall we get a Datsun or a Volvo".

I deliberately used the word 'Datsun', why did they ever change that name?

"Shall we get a Nissan Micra or a Hummer?" "We live in Texas, so it is a no brainer."



One of the problems with American International magazines, is the same problem as the Baseball World Series; that they are writing to an exclusively American audience - in other words they are in American English.

The Economist is an English-language weekly news and international affairs publication edited in London.

"Edited in London"

So that is the big difference between The Economist and The New Yorker.
.   Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:18 am GMT
"The victors have an emotive name for it: seiken kotai, or regime change. It came in brutal fashion on Sunday August 30th when Japan, Asia’s richest democracy, dumped the party that has ruled it for almost all of the last 53 years and gave a huge win to one that until recently had little idea of how it would govern."

http://www.economist.com/world/asia/displayStory.cfm?story_id=14340843&source=features_box_main
.   Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:22 am GMT
New Yorker

Who will replace Diane Sawyer on “Good Morning America”?

"While pundits speculate on whether the ascension of Diane Sawyer to the anchor chair will alter the ratings war between ABC, NBC, and CBS, or whether two female anchors means that a glass ceiling has been shattered and women will be allowed to expose their wrinkles like men do"



Hold the front page !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
.   Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:24 am GMT
Sorry,

Notes on the day by the staff of The New Yorker.



http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/newsdesk/2009/09/ken-auletta-diane-sawyer.html
.   Thu Sep 03, 2009 9:35 am GMT
The Times

World News Section

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/


Japan's new First Lady 'went to Venus in a UFO'

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article6819688.ece


“While my body was sleeping, I think my spirit flew on a triangular-shaped UFO to Venus,” she said. “It was an extremely beautiful place and was very green.” Her first husband suggested that it was probably just a dream — but Mr Hatoyama, she insisted, would not be so dismissive. “My current husband has a different way of thinking,” she said. “He would surely say, ‘Oh, that's great!’”

On Tom Cruise

“He was Japanese in his past life, and we were together so when I see him, I will say, ‘Hi. It’s been a long time,’ and he will immediately understand,” she said.
choopie   Thu Sep 03, 2009 10:31 am GMT
The decision should be made by taking into account which variety of English Yohanna is focusing on.

If she's trying to master American English, I don't know why she should choose The Economist. It's an English magazine and to me it's definitely written in British English.

For international affairs, I'd go with Foreign Affairs.
stupid Frenchie   Thu Sep 03, 2009 3:20 pm GMT
What does "Hold the front page" means? Is it something like "yay!"?
guest   Thu Sep 03, 2009 4:42 pm GMT
I like the National Geographic suggestion. It's well-written, full of amazing imagery, and not nearly as political (i.e. not nearly as annoying) as the Economist or New Yorker.
Kelly   Thu Sep 03, 2009 8:08 pm GMT
My friend suggested that I read those two magazines to build my vocabulary and improve reading comprehension skills. Do you agree that it's a good idea?



..

nope hon,
stick to National Enquirer
Another Guest   Fri Sep 04, 2009 3:43 am GMT
What percentage of the New Yorker is actually coherent articles? Maybe ten percent? Most of it is either ads or paragraph-long items.

I think that "hold the front page" means "don't print the front page", in other words "This is really important, and should be put on the front page, so don't finalize the front page yet". And I think that it was used sarcastically.
Tom   Mon Sep 07, 2009 1:17 am GMT
Forget about New Yorker. Rambling articles full of literary phrases that are useless for a learner. You won't see these words anywhere else and you certainly don't want to use them yourself.

The Economist, on the other hand, is a great suggestion. They use a refreshingly simple writing style. I wish every magazine were so easy to understand. It doesn't matter it's published in Britain -- they have an international readership and they avoid British vocabulary.
Yohanna   Mon Sep 07, 2009 2:53 am GMT
Since making this thread, I took a look at both magazines. I found The Economist to be fraught with anglophilic prattle and gratuitous criticism of continental Europe. The New Yorker, on the other hand, was actually interesting, and I loved its use of language! I feel that all those vocabulary lessons I had to take have finally paid off. The cartoons are really funny too (unlike the politicized BS I saw in The Economist).