If you are a language teacher, you probably already use mind maps to help your students learn vocabulary. These mind maps are sometimes referred to as “vocabulary networks” or “word maps”. One popular use of such mind maps is organising vocabulary groups, e.g. your central theme is “food” and your sub-themes are “meat”, “fruit”, […]

The beautiful language of Latin has been undergoing an incredible revival of interest lately. Why has this formerly moldy language acquired a new luster?
What constitutes a “revival of interest”?
Last year 148,000 students applied to take the National Latin Exam, according to their website (www.nle.org). In North Carolina there was a 156% increase in the number […]

What is it with the French and their fear of the English language? Every couple of years or so there is an ugly backlash against l’anglophonie that crops up like a nasty patch of herpes simplex, and everyone starts scratching at it. Official proclamations are made about how they must protect themselves against the insidious […]

I must warn you that I’m not an expert on slang. What I’m going to offer is my best estimate of the meaning to some of the slang that’s you may hear daily. If a friend tells you that I got the meanings wrong or that I’m not quite accurate, that may be true. However, […]

To continue with Chinese pronunciation…
1. Consonants
There are 24 consonants in pinyin which are pronounced a lot like in English.
b, p, m, f, d, t, n, l, g, k, ng, h, j, q, x, zh, ch, sh, r, z, c, s, y, w
Chinese pronunciation of Consonants
b as in boy
p as in pine
m as […]

Many people hesitate to try and speak in a foreign language . This might be because they don’t want to feel foolish, are worried about how they will sound, are scared of sounding silly and so on. As a result they remain resolutely monolingual during any trip abroad, preferring […]

Resources are a tool every teacher uses daily in order to enhance the learning environment, motivate students or assist in student comprehension. Resources can be basic materials such as worksheets, presentation materials (PowerPoints, etc.) or even online learning via the web. Deciding which resources to incorporate into the school or classroom take […]

There is an increasing amount of English language learners represented in our schools for whom a unique approach to developing literacy is necessary. The development of literacy by English language learners (ELLs) includes all of the challenges implicit for English speaking children literacy attainments, and is additionally compounded by a diversity of linguistic, cognitive […]

Yokoso!
Welcome to my Japanese Lessons.
Have you ever watched an old Japanese samurai movie on the late show? Chances are you thought that everyone was always angry at everyone else and spent a lot of time yelling in monotonous staccato tones. I felt the same way. It was all unintelligible blabber, not a real language. Well, […]

In a previous article entitled, “6 Ways You Can Develop New English Language Skills or Learn New Information”, we talked about several different ways to acquire new skills or develop foreign language proficiency. To continue the concept, here are three more great ways you can continue to learn and grow as a student, teacher or […]