This Interested Me

Came across this recent list, apparently from the Oxford Dictionary. Definately​ Goverment​ ... Seperate. ... Occured. ... Untill​ ... Recieve​ ... Wich​ ... Accomodate Pharoah  Publicially Some interesting changes from the list I used for this OUP post nearly a decade ago  here . The inclusion of 'wich' and 'untill' may alarm - 'pharaoh' not so much....

In his  Language Wars (2011) Henry Hitchins lists eight nations which do not have an official primary language. This number has now reduced to five, with Ethiopia, Somalia and Pakistan all nominating official languages. UK see here USA though 20 states now have an official language —  see here Australia 80 % speak English but not official Pakistan Urdu became the official language in 2015 Ethiopia Amharic, though there are more Oromo speakers  Somalia Somali and Arabic Eritrea Costa Rica Why these countries? (5 minute read) How many French Words in English?How did they get there? The English Language — Fun Facts & FAQ Teaching Pack  —  only £1.99

It has doubled over the last century . For language learners this poses an obvious hurdle ('why are there so many words!) but it also demonstrates the increasing internationalisation of the language.  All of the new verbs are regular and much of the vocabulary shared via the Internet.  In other words, L1 and L2 speakers share the same struggle to deal with the flood of new vocabulary

Henry Hitchings (yes, that's Hitchings not Higgins) has ruffled many feathers with his  The Language Wars: A History of Proper English . As his near-namesake in Pymalion/My Fair Lady points out, when one Englishman opens his mouth it sure to offend another one. Like David Crystal, Hitchings takes a relaxed view regarding the alleged decline in standard. He points out that bitter protests about the misuse of English have been a running theme since the 18th century. And the impact of texting on the writing habits of young people has been wildly exaggerated. Teenagers know that it's not wise 4u2 put emoticons in your job application letter. Nonetheless, it is striking is how the range of widely used formal vocabulary has narrowed dramatically in recent years. To take just one example, only a small minority recognise biblical references which would have been universally familiar fifty years ago. While it's true that the internet and other new spheres of activity have intr...

I like to print articles I find online but many of my students don’t. “It’s easier to read on the screen,” they say. “And printers are always breaking down.” True enough, though staring at a screen for extended periods is no fun either. Nor is wading through a sea of extraneous material like adverts, banners and buttons. One solution is PDF files – but they can be a chore to produce and involve downloads, special plug-ins and other complications. What is needed is something that cuts down the work for everyone. Here are a couple of free options: Readability  “a simple tool that makes reading on the Web more enjoyable by removing the clutter around what you’re reading.” (Source: Arc90.com) That’s a big claim, but it’s justified. Readability is becoming a standard option on most browsers - really easy to install, too. You can see how it works and download from here Evernote Clearly The new form of the old Readable App which had a small but devoted user base. If you ...

My daughter is very fond of jumping on unclear usage of personal pronouns: 'Who is she ?' she demands triumphantly, 'The cat's mother?'. Of course she learned this put-down from her parents - so no complaints. But as Jessica Love points out in this entertaining essay ,  pronouns are tricky customers.