UR

Hi class!

Here you can watch the UR clip once again if you want to.

Idioms

This is a bit off the Global English topic - but still pretty useful, and funny.

Remember the idioms from last class?

Here is another one from the BBC website:

Malaysian English

Here is another clip. If you follow the link to Youtube's website you will also find a transcript of the the different scenes.

Clip

Here is a clip with an example of West African English. It's Nigeria's former finance minister.

Updates to the right!

I have updated the tool bar on the right.

Loads of links for each group and a common list with exciting links!

Do you want to see more of the slightly over expressive woman and learn more about the IPA? Here are some links:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlSeYt6PN6s

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4Q1QN-SFCM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ergntBoeAHM

19 January

Hi everyone!

On Tuesday's class I briefly presented some key terminology to language studies such as:

Standard English
American English
British English
Sociolect
Dialect
Variety
Pidgin
Creol

The groups came together for the first time. The topics for each group are:

History & Terminology
Caribbean English
Indian English
Malaysian English
African English.

Then, you carried through an individual exercise with the following captions:

- My experience and view on English as a global language
- Me view on the portfolio topic.

I have read all of your texts and you will receive a response on Thursday!

Welcome NV09c!

Our first class was dedicated to an inspirational writing exercise and a brief presentation of three different definitions to the concept of culture. We did some planning as well.

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The writing exercise was accompanied by TV on the Radio's Family Tree and Eddie Vedder's Society. The topic was "In my dreams", and you were free to write anything that came into your mind from those three words. We will get back to those texts later!

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We had a discussion about culture as:

1. a general process of intellectual, spiritual and aesthetic development
2. a particular way of life
3. artistic activity.

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We agreed on dividing the semester into three different chunks where the first one is about English from a global perspective. The second period of the term is dedicated to creative writing and the last third of the term going to be focused on oral skills. This is the sketch that we agreed on right now, but there can always be changes along the way.