English US » Catalan | 44 [forty-four] | Going out in the evening

44 [quaranta-quatre] Vida nocturna

Is there a disco here	On hi ha una discoteca per aquí?
Is there a nightclub here	On hi ha un club nocturn per aquí?
Is there a pub here	Que hi ha cap bar per aquí?
What’s playing at the theatre / theater (am.) this evening	Què hi ha aquesta nit al teatre?
What’s playing at the cinema / movies (am.) this evening	Què fan aquesta nit al cinema?
What’s on TV this evening	Què hi ha aquesta nit a la televisió?
Are tickets for the theatre / theater (am.) still available	Encara hi ha entrades per al teatre?
Are tickets for the cinema / movies (am.) still available	Encara hi ha entrades per al cinema?
Are tickets for the football / soccer am. game still available	Encara hi ha entrades per al partit de futbol?
I want to sit in the back.	Vull seure al fons.
I want to sit somewhere in the middle.	Vull seure al mig.
I want to sit at the front.	Vull seure al davant.
Could you recommend something	Em pot recomanar alguna cosa vostè?
When does the show begin	Quan comença la sessió?
Can you get me a ticket	Em pot donar una entrada?
Is there a golf course nearby	Que hi ha un camp de golf per aquí?
Is there a tennis court nearby	Que hi ha una pista de tennis a prop?
Is there an indoor swimming pool nearby	Que hi ha una piscina coberta per aquí?

Genes influence language

The language we speak is dependent on our ancestry. But our genes are also responsible for our language. Scottish researchers have come to this conclusion. They examined how English differs from Chinese. In doing so they discovered that genes play a role, too. Because genes influence the development of our brain. That is to say, they shape our brain structures. With this, our ability to learn languages is determined. Variants of two genes are crucial to this. If a particular variant is scarce, tonal languages develop. So tonal languages are spoken by people without these gene variants. In tonal languages, the meaning of words is determined by the pitch of the tones. Chinese is included in the tonal languages, for example. If this gene variant is dominant, however, other languages develop. English is not a tonal language. The variants of this gene are not evenly distributed. That means they occur with differing frequency in the world. But languages only survive if they are passed down. In order to do this, children must be able to imitate the language of their parents. So they must be able to learn the language well. Only then will it be passed down from generation to generation. The older gene variant is the one that promotes tonal languages. So there were probably more tonal languages in the past than there are today. But one mustn't overestimate the genetic components. They can only add to explaining the development of languages. But there isn't a gene for English, or a gene for Chinese. Anybody can learn any language. You don't need genes for that, but rather only curiosity and discipline!