European Day of Languages 2011

Once again the Council of Europe has insisted that their celebration of languages should coincide with the beginning of our school year: Monday September 26th.

Now, we couldn’t let them down, could we?

The European Day of Languages (EDL) aims to celebrate the rich and diverse culture behind each and every language. Their website offers information about the purpose of the celebration, a calendar of events in different countries, a self-assessment language test, etc. Have a look!

If you like games –and particularly language games- try the different activities under the Language Fun section in the menu bar at the top. Here’s a sample.

• Self-evaluation game. Do you want to find out what your level of English (or any other European language) is?
• Language Treasure. What’s your favourite English or Spanish word? Check out other people’s choice and submit your own.
• Talk to me. How many European languages can you identify? And in which countries are they spoken?
• Memory game. Do you know your flags? Here’s a tough one for you.
• How many languages are spoken in London? Read about this and many other interesting Language Facts.
• And if you reeeeeally are into languages, don’t miss the ultimate Language Quiz. What do you know about European languages? Give this quiz a try and find out!

Enjoy!

What’s Your English?

The never-ending argument about what is ‘proper English’: is there such a thing as a standard, “proper” English? And if so, which? The RP of the educated minority in Southern England? How acceptable are the national varieties of the former colonies?

It is, of course, a very old debate. And the only way to take it seriously is through humour. And rap. Watch this:

If you find it difficult to follow, you may want to have a look at the script.

Intimate Strangers

When English photographer Susie Rea started one of her latest projects, ‘Intimate Strangers‘, she decided to reach out to the strangers she meets on her way to work every day, find out who they are and break the silence…  She points out that in today’s world we often know more and keep closer contact with people who live thousands of miles away than we do with the people we see every day, with our next door neighbours.

Haven’t you ever wondered about the lives of people you see every day but have never talked to? Send us your comments.

Will Chinese be the next international language?

Many people think so. As a matter of fact, young people everywhere are enrolling in Chinese language classes. And many parents are sending their children to learn Mandarin (Obama among them).

Some experts, however, think it unlikely. Here’s an interesting article from Newsweek Magazine.

English Is Here to Stay

Why learn Mandarin? China won’t make you speak it.

The data would seem to be in: China is poised to become the world’s economic leader within the next few decades. But there are those under the impression that this will mean a sea change in the world’s linguistic terrain as well. Certainly, any human being who seeks education, influence, or power should be learning Mandarin, right?

Wrong. The world’s de facto international language will continue to be English. The language spoken by the whole world will not be the one spoken in the country that runs it—a new and hybrid linguistic world order.

New Year’s Resolutions

New year’s resolutions? Yes, that’s right: all those things we promise to definitely do this year on January first, add I’ll start tomorrow… and end up promising again one year later. After all, promises are made to be broken.

Or maybe not: this year I will.

Check out some resolutions and choose ten you would like to make yourself.

The importance of pronunciation

There’s nothing wrong with having a foreign accent when we speak English. As a matter of fact, we all have an accent of some kind, even in our language. If you are, say, Argentinian, you’ll have an Argentinian accent; and if you are from Madrid, you’ll have a madrileño one. It’s very much the same thing when we speak a foreign language. If you are Spanish, chances are you’ll have a Spanish accent, right? As long as it is clear and intelligible and you can communicate effectively, it is a perfectly natural thing and nothing to be ashamed of.

Having said that, however, it is important to remember that pronunciation is one of the major factors when it comes to breakdowns in communication between speakers of different languages. Don’t worry if you don’t speak like a native. But do not underestimate the importance of good pronunciation. A strong Spanish accent may make you perfectly understandable to Spanish speakers (what’s more, even more so than a native speaker) but it may cause difficulties to speakers of other languages. Sometimes, great difficulties. And it is not just students of English who have that problem…

It can happen to him:

Or to him:

 

 

A challenging experience

We all have experienced situations in our lives when things were rough – sometimes, very rough. But if we can tell our story it means we survived. We may even be stronger for it. Or wiser. (Certainly older!)

Some of you wrote about your experiences. Here’s a few stories.