Talk about English - Webcast

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Virtual worlds Thursday, September 13, 2007

Language from the programme

virtual
In its original meaning, this means 'almost the same as'. The adverb virtually, meaning 'almost', is more common:

'If you want some cake, hurry up - it's virtually all gone'

For the modern meaning, see the Word Facts below.

to replicate
to do something again or copy something

'Some people try to replicate their appearance in Second Life'

to evade
to avoid doing or saying something you should

'Addiction to games can lead to people evading their responsibilities'
'Don't evade the question!'

wish fulfilment
To do something that makes you feel like your dream has come true, even though it hasn't really

'Barry's hired a sports car for his birthday. It's just wish fulfilment really, but there's no harm in it'
'For a lot of people, having a wedding is just an exercise in wish fulfilment'

Catherine highlighted a few challenges for English learners who want to try Second Life or a multiplayer game like World of Warcraft:

• There is often a lot of specialist vocabulary or jargon to learn quickly. Be careful how you use this language in everyday life!
• You need good general language skills to communicate with other users naturally
• You might need good keyboard skills to type quickly. People don't like having to wait for a response!

However, these virtual worlds also present a good opportunity for many learners because:

• You can meet other people to practise English with
• You can make friends and have fun
• There is an increasing interest in using Second Life for educational purposes

Word Facts- Virtual worlds

Download the Virtual Worlds Word Facts mp3 (861 K)

Download the Virtual Worlds Word Facts pdf (18 K)

A lot of people use films, literature and – nowadays - computer games to help them forget about their lives. We call this escapism.

‘I hate watching really serious, depressing films. For me, going to the cinema is a form of escapism’.

‘I love reading. I just think it helps me escape from all my worries about work and the family’

You might hear the phrase pure escapism, which emphasises that a thing or an activity is very different from real life – much more enjoyable!

‘Of course it’s a dumb movie, but I enjoyed it. There was loads of action… it was just pure escapism really.’

Nowadays, more and more people are using computer games and interactive websites, where they can create characters and move them around. We call these computer characters avatars and we call the places virtual worlds.

Indeed, the word ‘virtual’ is now used to refer to anything that exists in a game or on the internet but not in real life.

‘Martin told me yesterday that he has a virtual girlfriend, which doesn’t surprise me at all because he could never get one in real life!’

Notice that we say in real life, or in the real world, in contrast to life in a virtual world.

So that’s escapism, pure escapism, to escape from real life, avatar, virtual and in real life.

Of course, it’s not just adults who like to escape from the real world. Some children imagine new friends to play with and places to go to. We can call these imaginary friends, make-believe friends or made-up friends and we call the places make-believe worlds or fantasy worlds.

‘Charlie’s ever so imaginative – he has dozens of imaginary friends, and they all live in this incredible make-believe world called Catland’.

But when people say that an adult lives in a fantasy world, this is generally not a compliment! It means that that person is deluded - that he or she has some very mistaken ideas about the world.

‘I can’t believe Mark thinks we can finish this work by Thursday! He’s living in a fantasy world!’

So that’s imaginary friends,make-believe friends or made-up friends, fantasy worlds and the phrase living in a fantasy world.