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Categories
- Did you know? (30)
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The Speech Accent Archive
I can’t stop browsing the Speech Accent Archive, which documents the voices of non-native speakers of English. (via The Morning News) A valuable resource for actors and ESL instructors alike. (SUZANNE)
Tags: accents, english
September 25, 2008
Endangered languages
Did you know that almost 50% of the world’s languages might be extinct by the end of the century? ... More
Tags: endangered languages, Maori, newsletter
September 19, 2008
Dear diary …
In many of our book/audio and online courses we encourage learners to keep a Language Journal, because this can really be a great tool, at any level. The best thing about a journal is that it allows you to do so many things at once.... More
Tags: language journal, newsletter, tips
September 19, 2008
Guess and check dining in Japan
My eyes carefully scanned the row of triangular sushi snacks arranged on the refrigerated shelf of the Japanese 7-11. Two days before, I had tried the one whose wrapping sported a red border and a Chinese character that looked like a radiator. It had turned out to be stuffed with some sort of small, orange fish roe. I’ve never been a fan of roe, and that day, I learned to stop buying sushi with red-bordered packaging.... More
Tags: hiragana, Japan, Japanese writing, kanji, newsletter, story, sushi
September 19, 2008
The Ugliest English Words in the Italian Language
We’ve heard plenty about the French being up in arms over the growing influence of English on their language; now, it seems the Italians are showing resistance as well. As testament to their dissatisfaction with a new vocabulary, Italians recently voted for the ugliest English words that have seeped into the Italian vernacular.
The results judge the ugliest imports to be ‘weekend’, ‘welfare’ and ‘OK’, followed by ‘briefing’, ‘mission’, ‘know how’, ‘shampoo’ and ‘cool’. The worlds of business and politics contribute many of the alien words, from ‘question time’ to ‘premier’ and ‘bipartisan’.(SUZANNE)
Tags: English, Italian
September 15, 2008
Peter K. Austin’s Top 10 Endangered Languages
I’m not sure how it’s possible to list your “favorite” endangered languages. Around these parts, depending on who you’re talking to, you can find us discussing Sercquiais on a Tuesday, Istro-Romanian on a Wednesday, and by the time Thursday rolls around we’re trying to figure out whether or not Lenape is extinct (alas, it is). Peter K. Austin, however, seems to have a better sense of his own preferences, as he was able to compile his Top 10 Endangered Languages for The Guardian. (Via.) (SUZANNE)
Tags: endangered languages
September 4, 2008
