Latest news
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More pupils do not speak English
One in eight pupils at primary schools in England speak English as a second language, official statistics show.
(BBC News, September 29th, 2006)
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Can schools manage migrants?
What happens when an area finds itself part of the revolution in migrant workers arriving from Eastern Europe?
(BBC News, September 28th, 2006)
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Language book helps police forces
A new phrase book is designed by a Herefordshire man to help police officers communicate with foreign nationals.
(BBC News, September 27th, 2006)
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Universities in languages drive
A campaign to encourage more people to study languages at university is being launched in England.
(BBC News, September 26th, 2006)
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Do Britons lack je ne sais quoi?
Foreign language skills are declining in the UK, prompting a drive to encourage more students. So why are we bad at learning lingo?
(BBC News, September 26th, 2006)
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Vilnius launches 'language buses'
An EU scheme to teach people foreign languages while they travel is starting in Lithuania's capital, Vilnius.
(BBC News, September 20th, 2006)
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Metaphors can be dangerous: use sparingly, or they blow up in your face
What is wrong with the following sentence? "Rabbit Angstrom trotted down the alleyway holding his jacket like an envelope." When I first read it, I was genuinely baffled. But envelopes don't wear jackets, I thought. Oh no, what the author means is that Rabbit is carrying his jacket in the same way as he'd carry an envelope.
(The Telegraph, September 18th, 2006)
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A new rung in the languages ladder
At last, some encouraging news about modern foreign language teaching. A new approach to it - being pioneered by the Oxford and Cambridge and Royal Society of Art (OCR) exam board - has had considerable success in encouraging children at primary school to start learning the subject.
(The Independent, September 14th, 2006)
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Rethink on school language study
Ministers are reportedly rethinking their decision to make language study in England optional from age 14.
(BBC News, September 14th, 2006)
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Posh profanities will leave you feeling sworn out
If you are of the view that swearing is both big and clever, I commend to you Big Ron Manager on Sky One, where the liberal use of the F word makes Goodfellas look like Bob The Builder.
(The Guardian, September 11th, 2006)
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Hospital launches language pack
The Royal Hospital in Belfast launches a multi-lingual admissions for patients who do not speak English.
(BBC News, September 11th, 2006)
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Texts 'do not hinder literacy'
Pupils who text-message may not be at risk of becoming poor readers and writers, researchers say.
(BBC News, September 8th, 2006)
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Are African languages important?
Swahili, Yoruba and Somali are now available to read on the internet based encyclopaedia, Wikipedia. Will this help preserve African languages?
(BBC News, September 7th, 2006)
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Bilingual Welsh sign stumps Scots
A building company apologises for putting up a bilingual sign in Aberdeenshire in English - and Welsh.
(BBC News, September 6th, 2006)
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'First' websites for sign users
Two websites, thought to be the first of their type in Scotland, aim to improve web access for sign-language users.
(BBC News, September 5th, 2006)
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