Millions of English-Speaking Students Fail to Attend Class in Cameroon

Millions of school children failed to attend classes in English-speaking areas of Cameroon when the school term began recently. Schools opened after the government released many of the jailed leaders of protests in Cameroon’s English-speaking areas. The protests were called to direct attention to what some people see as the strong influence of the French language in the country. Cameroon has two official languages: French and English. Many English-speakers believe they are discriminated against by those who speak French.  Those sounds are coming from a classroom at the Ntamulung bilingual high school in Bamenda, Cameroon. The teacher taught 20 children on the first day of school. At least 70 students were expected in the classroom. Schools have been closed in the English-speaking northwest and southwest areas of Cameroon since November. That is when lawyers and teachers called for a strike to stop what they believe is the overuse of the French language. After leaders of the strike were arrested, pressure groups called for their immediate and unconditional release before the new school term. Last week, 55 of the 75 protesters were released, while charges against them were dropped. Observers said their release was an important concession to the strikers’ demands. They said it could lead to new talks on ending the crisis. However, separatist groups are asking for President Paul Biya to release 20 other protestors, and to call back those who escaped into exile. They also want him to order the removal of 5,000 soldiers from the English-speaking areas before they will agree to restart negotiations. Finnian Tim is a reporter. He was released from jail after seven months. He says the detainees want to see schools reopen. “We were pleading with our brothers to stop whatever thing they were doing, because what they were doing, like ghost towns, was not helping us in any way...” The government sent officials to the English-speaking areas in an effort to persuade parents to send their children back to school. Fu Calistus is the Secretary of State in the Ministry of Industries, Mines and Technological Development. He visited northwestern Cameroon. “The state cannot sit and fold its hands and see people being prevented from going to school. Such a state becomes an irresponsible state in the eyes of the world community. If you prevent someone from going to school, it cannot be accepted.” President Biya reacted to the strike by announcing reforms. These include a new common law division at the Supreme Court and the appointment of the first English-speaker to lead the judicial bench of the court. But he has said that he will not take part in talks that threaten national unity.  I’m John Russell. Moki Edwin Kindzeka reported this story from Cameroon for VOANews.com. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted his report for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   concession – n. the act of giving up or admitting something plead – v. making an emotional request for something ghost – n. the spirit of a dead person fold – v. to bend; to put one part of something over another We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, or visit our Facebook page.  

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Six Differences Between British and American English

For VOA Learning English, this is Everyday Grammar. There is an old saying that America and Britain are “two nations divided by a common language.” No one knows exactly who said this, but it reflects the way many Brits feel about American English. My British friend still tells me, “You don’t speak English. You speak American.” But are American and British English really so different? Vocabulary The most noticeable difference between American and British English is vocabulary. There are hundreds of everyday words that are different. For example, Brits call the front of a car the bonnet, while Americans call it the hood. Americans go on vacation, while Brits go on holidays, or hols. New Yorkers live in apartments; Londoners live in flats. There are far more examples than we can talk about here. Fortunately, most Americans and Brits can usually guess the meaning through the context of a sentence. Collective Nouns There are a few grammatical differences between the two varieties of English. Let’s start with collective nouns. We use collective nouns to refer to a group of individuals. In American English, collective nouns are singular. For example, staff refers to a group of employees; band refers to a group of musicians; team refers to a group of athletes. Americans would say, “The band is good.” But in British English, collective nouns can be singular or plural. You might hear someone from Britain say, “The team are playing tonight” or “The team is playing tonight.” Auxiliary verbs Another grammar difference between American and British English relates to auxiliary verbs. Auxiliary verbs, also known as helping verbs, are verbs that help form a grammatical function. They “help” the main verb by adding information about time, modality and voice. Let’s look at the auxiliary verb shall. Brits sometimes use shall to express the future. For example, “I shall go home now.”  Americans know what shall means, but rarely use it in conversation. It seems very formal. Americans would probably use “I will go home now.” In question form, a Brit might say, “Shall we go now?” while an American would probably say, “Should we go now?” When Americans want to express a lack of obligation, they use the helping verb do with negative not followed by need. “You do not need to come to work today.” Brits drop the helping verb and contract not. “You needn’t come to work today.” Past Tense Verbs You will also find some small differences with past forms of irregular verbs. The past tense of learn in American English is learned. British English has the option of learned or learnt. The same rule applies to dreamed and dreamt, burned and burnt, leaned and leant. Americans tend to use the –ed ending; Brits tend to use the -t ending. In the past participle form, Americans tend to use the  –en ending for some irregular verbs. For example, an American might say, “I have never gotten caught” whereas a Brit would say, “I have never got caught.” Americans use both got and gotten in the past participle. Brits only use got. Don’t worry too much about these small differences in the past forms of irregular verbs. People in both countries can easily understand both ways, although Brits tend to think of the American way as incorrect. Tag Questions A tag question is a grammatical form that turns a statement into a question. For example, “The whole situation is unfortunate, isn’t it?” or, “You don’t like him, do you?” The tag includes a pronoun and its matching form of the verb be, have or do. Tag questions encourage people to respond and agree with the speaker. Americans use tag questions, too, but less often than Brits. You can learn more about tag questions on a previous episode of Everyday Grammar. Spelling There are hundreds of minor spelling differences between British and American English. You can thank American lexicographer Noah Webster for this. You might recognize Webster’s name from the dictionary that carries his name. Noah Webster, an author, politician, and teacher, started an effort to reform English spelling in the late 1700s. He was frustrated by the inconsistencies in English spelling. Webster wanted to spell words the way they sounded. Spelling reform was also a way for America to show its independence from England. You can see Webster’s legacy in the American spelling of words like color (from colour), honor (from honour), and labor (from labour). Webster dropped the letter u from these words to make the spelling match the pronunciation. Other Webster ideas failed, like a proposal to spell women as wimmen. Since Webster’s death in 1843, attempts to change spelling rules in American English have gone nowhere. Not so different after all British and American English have far more similarities than differences. We think the difference between American and British English is often exaggerated. If you can understand one style, you should be able to understand the other style. With the exception of some regional dialects, most Brits and Americans can understand each other without too much difficulty.  They watch each other’s TV shows, sing each other’s songs, and read each other’s books. They even make fun of each other’s accents. I’m Jill Robbins. And I’m John Russell. And I'm Claudia Milne. Now it’s your turn. What style of English are you learning? Why did you choose it? Write to us in the comments section or on our Facebook page. Adam Brock wrote this article for VOA Learning English. ______________________________________________________________ QUIZ ________________________________________________________________ Word in This Story   collective noun – n.  a word which refers to a collection of things taken as a whole. auxiliary verb – n.  a word used in construction with and preceding certain forms of other verbs, as infinitives or participles, to express distinctions of tense, aspect, mood, etc modality– n. expressing ability, necessity, possibility, permission or obligation. lexicographer – n. someone who writes dictionaries inconsistency – n.  the quality or fact of not staying the same at different times exaggerate – v. to think of or describe something as larger or greater than it really is  

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Kenya to Hold New Presidential Vote Next Month

  Kenya’s electoral commission said Monday that the country will hold a new presidential election on October 17. Kenya’s Supreme Court announced last Friday it was dismissing the results of the August 8 presidential election. The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) said in its announcement that current President Uhuru Kenyatta and opposition leader Raila Odinga will be the only people on the ballot for next month’s vote, along with each candidate’s running mate. The IEBC has asked the Supreme Court to release a detailed ruling of its decision to dismiss the election results.  They said they need such information to identify which areas need improvement for managing the new election. In last month’s election, President Kenyatta was declared the winner. He was said to have beaten Odinga by 1.4 million votes. Odinga and his opposition party, NASA, rejected the results and appealed to the Supreme Court for a new election. Odinga and his party also said Tuesday that they would prefer the new election take place on October 24 or 31. They say there needs to be enough time to fix problems with the IEBC. "We are saying that we are not ready to participate in elections on the 17th of October without legal and constitutional guarantees because you cannot do a mistake twice and expect to get different results," Odinga said. Odinga also said he believes “a number” of electoral officials should be removed from their positions or arrested. They should not be permitted to take part in another round of elections, he said. "As far as we are concerned, it is not the date, the day," said Odinga. "It is the preparations for these elections which is more important for us, that there must be proper preparations. It must deal with all irregularities which were committed....beginning with the people who committed them, and also rectifying those irregularities." An IEBC official told VOA they would provide a response soon. The Supreme Court said in its ruling Friday that the electoral commission was responsible for "irregularities and illegalities" in the managing and communication of results during the first election.  However, the Court did not order specific action for electoral officials. Chief Justice David Maraga told the electoral commission that, under the constitution, it had 60 days from the ruling to organize a new vote. The full judgment of the court must be released within 21 days of the ruling.   I’m Phil Dierking.   This story was originally written by Jill Craig for VOANews.com.  Phil Dierking adapted it for Learning English using other media. Ashley Thompson was the editor.  Do you think Kenya should have a new election?  We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.   _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story    rectify - v. to correct (something that is wrong)​ specific - adj. special or particular​ running mate - n. the person who runs with someone in an election (such as an election to choose a new president) and who is given the less important position (such as vice president) if they are elected​  

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September 6, 2017

A look at the best news photos from around the world.

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World Leaders Consider Answer to North Korea’s Latest Nuclear Test

  North Korea’s latest and sixth nuclear test has brought strong reactions from its neighbors and the United States. But Russia and China question additional moves. On Tuesday, South Korea announced that it plans to expand its own missile abilities. South Korea said it has reached an agreement “in principle” with the United States to increase the payload of its missiles. An agreement reached in 1979 limits the payload and distance of South Korean missiles. The agreement limits South Korean missiles to a payload of 500 kilograms and a distance of 800 kilometers,  according to Reuters. U.S. President Donald Trump and South Korean President Moon Jae-in spoke about the change during a 40-minute telephone discussion. In addition, Trump said early Tuesday on Twitter that the U.S. would permit the sale of “sophisticated military equipment” to Japan and South Korea. Nations consider latest North Korean nuclear test At the United Nations, the U.S. has said it will offer a new resolution targeting North Korea. However, Russia and China are questioning whether additional restrictions will improve the situation. After North Korea carried out a long-range missile test in July, the UN placed strong sanctions on the country’s economy. The bans on North Korean exports were aimed at cutting North Korean exports by one billion dollars. North Korea carried out its latest nuclear test as leaders of major developing countries -- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (or BRICS) -- gathered in Xiamen, a China’s city on the Taiwan Strait. On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin said, at the BRICS meeting, increased sanctions would not help. He said such measures would not cause a change in leadership in North Korea. Putin warned of a “global catastrophe” if military tensions continue to increase on the Korean Peninsula. Leaders attending the BRICS meeting condemned the nuclear test. But Chinese president Xi Jinping did not mention the incident at the end of the meeting. Later, at a regular briefing, a foreign ministry spokesman called the situation “highly sensitive and complicated.” He called on both sides to avoid increasing tensions. Concerns about stability of North Korea Bruce Bennett is a defense expert with the Rand Corporation research group. He told VOA that the two nations are unwilling to place additional sanctions on the North. “They are reluctant because they just don’t know how unstable North Korea is.” Bennett said that China worries about a crisis on its border. He said China may consider the North too unstable to increase sanctions. China has also directed state media to control online discussion of the North’s activity, according to Radio Free Asia. The U.S.-based China Digital Times reported that, “All websites are banned from deliberately hyping related topics.” Explosion is largest test yet by North Korea North Korea’s nuclear test on September 3 was its sixth and by far the most powerful. The country said the device was a hydrogen bomb, a more powerful kind of nuclear weapon. The explosion was detected as an earthquake reported to be magnitude 6.3. The test was estimated to equal 100,000 tons of the explosive TNT, or 100 kilotons. On Sunday, a North Korean diplomat attending a UN conference on disarmament in Geneva suggested that North Korea may have another test planned. The official said North Korea is prepared to send “more gift packages” to the U.S. South Korean media reported that North Korea may be moving a long-range missile into position. And South Korea’s defense ministry has warned that the North could launch a missile at any time. Dan Sneider is a visiting scholar with Stanford University’s Walther H. Shorenstein Asia-Pacific Research Center. He said it is not hard to understand why North Korea continues its testing activities. He said the North’s weapons programs have become too important to the country’s leaders to negotiate away for economic gains. I’m Mario Ritter.   Mario Ritter adapted this story for VOA Learning English from VOA news reports from Steve Herman, Richard Green, Bill Ide, VOA News and Reuters. Hai Do was the editor. ________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   payload –n. the amount of material that a vehicle can carry sophisticated –adj. highly developed or complex sanctions –n. measures taken to force a country to obey international laws usually by limiting or stopping some form of trade with other countries overwhelming –adj. very great in number or effect unstable –adj. likely to change easily or at any time hyping –v. to talk about in a way meant to cause people to get excited or outraged   We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page.

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September 5, 2017

A look at the best news photos from around the world.

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Should English Teachers Explore Cultural Topics in Class?

  For VOA Learning English, this is the Education Report. If you are standing in front of an iceberg, it might look like the largest thing you've ever seen. But, you're still only seeing the small part above the water. About 90 percent of the iceberg is below the water. The same idea relates to culture, explains Amy Melendez. Melendez teaches English and trains English educators in the Washington, DC area. She works at a number of schools, including Northern Virginia Community College and Georgetown University. She says many students – and teachers – mistakenly think culture is just the things that are easy to see, like food, music, clothing and holidays. But, she says most culture is represented in what cannot be seen: people's expectations, beliefs and values. So, she brings lessons about this into the classroom. She teaches learners how to understand and value cultural differences and communicate more effectively with people from other cultures.   Like Melendez, Michelle Stabler-Havener is an English educator who has taught intercultural communication. Currently, she is a doctoral candidate at Teachers College at Columbia University in New York City. Both Melendez and Stabler-Havener explain that the subject of cultural understanding is a natural fit in language teaching. They note that language and culture are inseparable: words and expressions have cultural origins. They also say cultural tolerance helps learners feel safe in the classroom. Stabler-Havener explains: "In other words, they don't have to worry that people are going to criticize who they are or the things that they value most and believe in…this gives students the freedom to focus their energy on learning the language without having to be so concerned that these things that are so important to them are going to be questioned." Out of the comfort zone Ironically, providing this sense of safety often involves exploring subjects that pull learners out of their comfort zones. One tool both Melendez and Stabler-Havener find especially useful in the classroom is critical incidents. A critical incident is a short description of a situation in which a misunderstanding or conflict took place between people. The problem may be caused by cultural differences or some kind of communication failure. It is the students' job to discover what happened and why. And, they are asked to come up with as many reasons as possible – other than reasons based on stereotypes. Melendez gives an example of a critical incident she has used from a book called Tips for Teaching Culture*. "You have two students who are working on a project. And, the student is supposed to be sharing the book with the other student. And, it's time for one of the students to leave for class. And, the older student who had checked out the book grabs the book, gets up and leaves because it's time for him to go to his next class. The other student – he's left a little bewildered (thinking) 'Why is leaving? Why is he taking the book?' You know, 'We were sharing this book.' In another part of the incident, too, with that one, the younger student had come late." Another favorite tool of Melendez is digital storytelling. Digital stories are short movies that combine photos, video, animation, sound, music and words. Melendez says digital stories encourage healthy conversations around cultural myths. For example, last summer, she trained a group of Panamanian teachers. Through one teacher's digital story, she learned that the person believed Americans were cold, emotionless people. This led to a productive class discussion about cultural differences in how people greet one another and their ideas about personal space. "I think a lot of intolerance comes from the unknown. So, trying to make the unknown known, I think, is really important, even in a language classroom." As many teachers know, classrooms can be unpredictable. At any given time, a student may say something to accidentally hurt or embarrass another student from a different culture. To lessen this problem, Melendez has her students vote on rules for shared respect. And, they are asked to follow these rules throughout the course. Stabler-Havener says students can also practice respect by the way they use the language. For example, they can express possibility by saying, "Maybe this is what is happening" instead of saying, "This is true for every person in this culture." And, they can show respect for others' opinions with language like, "I see your point but..." rather than "As we well know..." To teach or not to teach Before exploring sensitive cultural subjects with a class, Melendez and Stabler-Havener say teachers can spend time examining their own cultural biases. Melendez says uneasy situations or subjects will probably arise in class whether or not English language teachers decide to explore the iceberg of culture. And, if a teacher chooses avoidance, they may be left unprepared. She says a website called Tolerance.org offers some useful resources for teachers, including web-based trainings. Stabler-Havener says, in addition, teachers can go hear experts speak about intercultural communication. She adds that it is a good idea for teachers to decide before teaching a class whether they will share their own opinions with students about sensitive topics. "Are the students who disagree with you going to feel somehow maybe disempowered or concerned that, because they don't share your opinion on a topic that might affect them in the class?" And that's the Education Report. I'm Alice Bryant.   Alice Bryant wrote this story for Learning English. Caty Weaver was the editor. *Tips for Teaching Culture by Wintergerst and McVeigh _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   iceberg – n. a very large piece of ice floating in the ocean lesson – n. an activity that you do in order to learn something intercultural communication – n. communication between individuals or groups of different linguistic or cultural origins tolerance – n. the act of being willing to allow or accept something comfort zone – n. a place, situation, or level where someone feels secure and comfortable stereotype – n. an often unfair and untrue belief that many people have about all people or things with a particular characteristic grab – v. to quickly take and hold someone or something with your hand or arms bewildered – adj. very confused myth – n. an idea or story that is believed by many people but that is not true greet – v. to meet someone who has just arrived with usually friendly and polite words and actions bias – n. a tendency to believe that some people, ideas, etc., are better than others that usually results in treating some people unfairly

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Trump Administration Ends ‘Dreamer’ Immigration Program

  The Trump administration is moving to end a program that protected 800,000 young, undocumented immigrants in the United States. Many of the immigrants were children when they entered the country illegally with their parents. President Donald Trump approved the move, but it was Attorney General Jeff Sessions who announced the change in policy. "We cannot admit everyone who wants to come here," Sessions told reporters on Tuesday. "All cannot be accepted." He added that limiting immigration "means we are properly enforcing our laws." The administration is ending a five-year-old program that former President Barack Obama created through an executive order. The program was known as Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), but the young immigrants also became known as “Dreamers.” DACA gave the immigrants legal permission to work, study and serve in the U.S. military. It also prevented them from being sent back to their home country. In a statement, the president said he does not believe it is right to punish the young people for the actions of their parents. But he added, “As I’ve said before, we will resolve the DACA issue with heart and compassion – but through the lawful democratic process.” Trump accused Obama of going around Congress to put the program in place through executive order. He noted that DACA faces legal tests in several states. He said the Justice Department had advised him the program was “unlawful and unconstitutional” and not likely to be successfully defended in court. All new DACA applications will be stopped. But officials said people currently in the program will not be affected until March 5, 2018. Existing permits that end before that date can be extended and will be honored for up to two years. Trump said the extended “wind-down” now puts the program’s future in the hands of Congress. “I am not going to just cut DACA off, but rather provide a window of opportunity for Congress to finally act,” his statement said. Several Congressional Republicans had urged the president not to cancel DACA. Paul Ryan, the Speaker in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives, released a statement on Tuesday. It urged lawmakers to work for a solution for the “young people who came to this country through no fault of their own.” Ryan said he hoped the House and Senate can find a permanent legislative fix to the problem. He also called for new legislative discussions on border security and other immigration issues. Former President Obama criticized the decision as “cruel” and “self-defeating.” Obama defended his approval of the program, noting he waited years for Congress to act on immigration reforms, but they did not. Responding in a statement on Facebook, Obama said he believes the Trump administration decision was political, and not made for legal reasons.   “Whatever concerns or complaints Americans may have about immigration in general, we shouldn’t threaten the future of this group of young people who are here through no fault of their own, who pose no threat, who are not taking away anything from the rest of us,” the statement said.   Demonstrators marched in several U.S. cities to protest the decision. In Denver, Colorado, hundreds of teachers and students gathered outside Metro State University. Some carried signs reading, “No borders, no nations, no racists, no deportations.” Protests were also held near the White House, outside Trump Tower in New York City and in downtown Los Angeles. I’m Bryan Lynn. Bryan Lynn wrote this story for Learning English. His story was based on reports from VOANews.com, the Associated Press and Reuters. George Grow was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. _____________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   compassion – n. a feeling of sympathy for others expire – v. no longer be valid wind down – n. end gradually fault – adj. be responsible for or deserve blame for something cruel – adj. unkind, mean  

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Celebrity Baby Announcements Make News

  This is What’s Trending Today. Two recent baby announcements involve famous names. News media reported last Friday that tennis star Serena Williams gave birth to a baby girl. Williams did not provide the child’s name to the media. On Monday came news that Britain’s Prince William and his wife Catherine are expecting their third child. An official statement said Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, is being cared for at Kensington Palace in London. Friday was a big day for the Williams family. Serena’s sister Venus Williams was set to play at the United States Open Tennis Championships in New York. At the same time, news came out that Serena had a baby girl. The baby weighed a little more than three kilograms. Her father is businessman Alexis Ohanian. Venus told a television reporter about her baby niece just before she played on Friday. Many people used social media to congratulate Serena Williams and wish her a fast recovery. One of them was Williams’ coach Patrick Mouratoglou. He wrote: “I am so happy for you,” and “I wish you a speedy recovery … we have a lot of work ahead of us.”     Singer Beyonce used Instagram to congratulate Serena. Venus Williams won her match on Friday. With the victory, she moved on to the U.S. Open women’s quarterfinals. Serena Williams has said she plans to return to tennis in 2018. She last played in January, when she won the Australian Open. On Monday, Kensington Palace announced that Catherine was pregnant with her third child. The announcement read: “Their Royal Highnesses, The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, are very pleased to announce that The Duchess of Cambridge is expecting their third child.”   William and Catherine have two children: four-year-old Prince George and Princess Charlotte, who is two. The palace also said Catherine is experiencing severe “morning sickness.” The condition forced her to withdraw from an event she planned to attend Monday afternoon. Morning sickness is when a pregnant woman has nausea and may vomit several times a day. It can be dangerous for the woman since she is at risk of dehydration, but it is not usually a problem for the baby. And that’s What’s Trending Today. I’m Dan Friedell. Dan Friedell adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on a story by the Associated Press. George Grow was the editor. What do you think of the baby news? We want to know. Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.   ___________________________________________________________ Words in This Story   coach – n. a trainer; someone who trains someone else nausea – n. the feeling you have when you think you are going to be sick to your stomach vomit – v. to expel food or liquids through the mouth because you are sick dehydration – n. the state of not having enough water in your body

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Mesh Networks Keep Americans Connected During Natural Disasters

  Natural disasters like earthquakes and powerful storms can be a threat not only to human life, but to telecommunication systems. When telecommunication networks go down, communities are unable to communicate with each other. But the United States has a system to help Americans get re-connected through wired or wireless technology. It also can provide important information in an emergency. It is called mesh networking. Mesh networks spread connectivity over a number of nodes or connection points that communicate with each other. The first such network was developed for military purposes. Daniela Perdomo is head of goTenna, a company that specializes in mesh networking. It creates products that use low-frequency radio waves to send text messages and Global Positioning System (GPS) information. The company’s latest product is the goTenna Mesh, a mesh networking device that works independently of traditional cell phone networks. Joshua King is lead developer at Commotion Wireless, which creates software products for mesh networks. King said one good reason for mesh networks is that if one connection goes down, others take its place. "A mesh network can potentially route around any kind of damage, if there is another path for the traffic to go," he noted. If at least one network point is connected to the internet, the signal can be shared. If there is no internet connection, a mesh network can still operate to provide emergency information and basic messaging services, like texts. Greta Byrum is director of the Resilient Communities program at the New America research center. "The idea is to make telecommunication systems more modular, more distributed. So that even if centralized points fail, you would still have working telecommunications in different areas." King and Byrum attended a recent gathering, called Sneakercon, at Columbia University in New York City. They and other attendees met to discuss the building of offline networks in local communities. "I think it's important for thinking about the future of utilities and telecommunications, because we're finding more and more that centralized systems just don't make sense." Byrum and others teach communities how to build their own mesh networks with everyday equipment. "[It's] about community control, community power,” she said. “People start thinking about things like telecommunications sovereignty — who controls the internet, who controls what we say online, who benefits from it, who gets the data?" Daniela Perdomo agrees that people should be more involved in issues of connectivity. "Why can't we empower people to create their own connectivity? And create more of a people-powered, bottom-up network as opposed to a heavy infrastructure top-down network?" I’m Jonathan Evans.   Tina Trinh reported this story for VOANews. Jonathan Evans adapted her report for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. ______________________________________________________________ Words in this Story   infrastructure – n. the basic equipment and structures that are needed for a country, area or organization to operate offline – n. not connected to a computer, a computer network, or the Internet sovereignty – n. a country's right to govern itself low-frequency – adj. radio waves with frequencies much lower than the signals normally used in communications equipment route – n. a path or line of travel

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Explainer: Net Neutrality

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