This post contains a selection of links related to language and words in the news. These can be items from the latest news, blog posts or interesting websites related to global English, language change, education in general, and language learning and teaching in particular.
Feel free to contact us if you would like to submit a link for us to include, or just add a comment to the post, with the link(s) you’d like to share.
Global English
Map: Six Decades of the Most Popular Names for Girls, State-by-State
There will always be people out there picking weird names for their kids, but when you look at the choices that make their way to the top you’ll see that Americans tend to play it safe.
Language change and slang
10 British Slang Expressions You Will Hear When Visiting London
If you’re planning on visiting London in the future, you might just want to familiarise yourself with some British Slang expressions that are very commonly used by the British.
Because as a Preposition
In the future, “Because NOUN” might fade away like other language fads, but on the other hand, it might become at least as acceptable as, say, “graduated high school.” As David Weinberger wrote in his blog post, “I think there’s a good chance it will stick, because efficiency.”
Books, science, dictionaries, words and languages
Eloping in Brighton
Elope is a lovely word, especially if you leap into an elopement with an interloper. There are a whole bunch of lope-words spread around the languages of Northern Europe and they all mean pretty much the same thing: a stride, a run, a jump, a leap, a bound.
Dude!
Back in 1883 “dude” would have been Word of the Year. No question. How do we know? It’s thanks to Barry Popik and Gerald Cohen, in the latest issue of Comments on Etymology
Language teaching and resources
Infograph lesson 11: The Mediterranean diet
This pre-intermediate infograph lesson looks at interesting facts about the Mediterranean diet.
Halloween resources
To help you teach your students all about Halloween, we’ve brought together a wide range of resources, including worksheets, lesson plans and interactive materials.
Video
Folger Shakespeare Library’s collection going fully digital (02:22)
Next month, the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC will release a series of apps that will broaden access to thousands of original books and manuscripts from Shakespearean England.
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