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
Why do Americans and Brits have different accents?
According to this author, “it is the standard British accent that has drastically changed in the past two centuries, while the typical American accent has changed only subtly”.
Teen takes ‘idiotic’ language war to YouTube
Quebec teenager Xavier Ménard fell foul of the state’s strict rules on company names when he tried to launch his own graphic-design company. They said the name he and his partner had chosen — Wellarc — sounded too English. He retaliated by taking to the Internet — in French.
Language change and slang
On on or in the Internet
David Crystal wonders which preposition to use before ‘Internet’. And if you had to read the title twice, you’re not alone.
Language teaching and resources
Learning English in today’s multiethnic classrooms
There are more than 5 million children in classrooms across America whose primary language is not English. Yet according to Professor Claude Goldenberg of Stanford’s Graduate School of Education, there is surprisingly little research on the best ways to teach them.
Books, science, dictionaries, words and languages
Publicising a novel – the problems
First time novelist Anakana Schofield considers what it means to be a writer these days, and suggests that those who wish to write should start by reading more.
Cat word of the month: Ginger
This is a fascinating post that starts out on the etymology of the word ginger and then wanders off down all kinds of byways. There’s even a recipe…
Cartoon
Using a sledgehammer to crack a nut?
This cartoon uses the well-known idiom to comment on the conviction of Bradley Manning for espionage.
Video
George who?
It won’t have escaped your notice that a male child was born in the UK recently. Here’s a short video showing how one popular tourist attraction is doing its bit to celebrate the new arrival.
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