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- Written by Steve Bannister
Covid-19 and the English Language
How has the English Language changed?
It was the year of coronageddon. People locked down, nervously sipping quartantinis to pass the time. The reproduction rate remained perilously high and PPE stocks dwindled. Zoom fatigue set in as people listlessly imagined when things would return to normal—unless, of course, the covidiots spoil it for the rest of us.
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- Written by Jenna Ottley
Lost in Translation
Can one marketing campaign mean the same in all languages and all cultures?
Many global companies have tried to run the same campaign in multiple countries and failed. For example, the name Coca Cola, when they tried to break into the Chinese market, ended up with a product that meant “Bite the wax tadpole”: not exactly the ideal drink. They soon learnt their mistake and changed the Chinese characters to mean “Happiness in the mouth”.
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- Written by Chris Kunz
English Pronunciation
Why learn about the latest trends in British English pronunciation?
This article fits within the context of the importance of English pronunciation in the 21st Century and the urgency to pronunciation training as evidence shows there is a threshold level of pronunciation for non-native speakers of English.
Estuary English, or should we say the “Standard British Pronunciation Model” these days, is certainly pushing its way into our discourse hard and fast enough to start referring to Received Pronunciation as a model from “the good old days”.
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- Written by Arnold Augustijn
New opportunities for language learning
A shared perspective
The global pandemic presents unprecedented challenges to societies and economies around the world but it also offers up new opportunities for language education. While there is no denying the inevitable stresses and strains placed on us all, both as educators and learners- the closure of the schools has also provided the opportunity, perhaps like never before, to reflect and innovate.
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- Written by Steve Bannister
Learning English as a Second Language
Do you want to know what the top 10 tips are?
English is a fun language to learn but getting good at it can also feel a bit scary. With a vocabulary of over 750,000 words and spelling that can be tricky at times, mastering the English language can be daunting. You needn't worry though, just a few hundred words and learning the basics will get you by and as your confidence grows you'll soon get the hang of it. Give it time and you will soon be speaking the "Queens English"- or at least be able to make yourself understood!
Like all things in life though- if you really want to be good at speaking, reading and writing English as a foreign language you will need to put some serious effort in. It's an investment worth making, English is the world's most popular second language and is used in business in many parts of the world.
To help you on your learning journey we asked some teachers of English as a Second language what their tops tips are for learning English. Here are just a few of them: