English for Wizards

We're off to see the wizard

By John Moore

『オズの魔法使い』に関するイラストやリンクが載った The Wonderful Wizards of Oz のサイト

Some people are still wondering why this column is called "English for Wizards." Well, isn't that better than "English for Dummies"? Don't worry, even some of the greatest wizards in history were actually humbugs.

That word - humbug - will immediately remind sharp readers of "The Wizard of Oz." When I asked Peter if he knows this story, he said, "Uh, sure. That's the one with the, uh, man made of straw, and the other man ... the metal man." He did not remember the words "scarecrow" or "tin," but at least he found a detour around such vocabulary gaps, which is an important skill for all language-learners.

The Wizard of Oz is a hugely popular story that has added a magical flavor to many English words. No one can say "There's no place like home" without sounding like Dorothy, the story's main character. Oz is no ordinary story. It's a horse of a different color! There are actually more than 40 Oz books and a dozen or more movies. There is even a country named after the Wizard of Oz. Can you guess it? (The answer is below.)

On the Internet, there are thousands of Oz sites. Where to start? Well, it's always best to start at the beginning. Try going to The Wonderful Wizard of Oz Website (www.eskimo.com/~tiktok/), and then just follow the yellow brick road. This is a very long Web page. Scroll down and enjoy all the fancy pictures and cartoons. There is an FAQ, an events calendar, lesson plans for teachers and lots of links to more sites.

If you want to read the original Oz books online, you can. Just go to ClassicReader.com (www.classicreader.com/
booktoc.php/sid.3/bookid.123/). Or if you'd rather study the script of the original 1939 movie, go to www.westol.com/~wizardoz/script.htm.

Maybe this is too much for some English students to read. No problem. You can also enjoy an online Oz picture book at www.geocities.com/Hollywood/
Theater/5119/oz.html, or a very short version of the story with cute icons at www.geocities.com/Hollywood
/Hills/6396/ozstory.htm.

And if you don't like reading at all, you can watch video trailers of the film by going to the Internet Movie Database (http://us.imdb.com/Trailers?0032138).

So which country was named after the Wizard of Oz? It's the strange and wonderful land of Australia, of course, which some people pronounce "Oz-stralia" or simply "Oz."

Shukan ST: May 2, 2003

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