Archive for December, 2010

Dec 22 2010

Languages of London’s schoolchildren

Published by STAR translation under Languages

Forty one per cent of state school pupils in London speak another language besides English – up from 33% ten years ago, according to new research published by the Institute of Education and CILT, the National Centre for Languages.

Six experts from the fields of demographic research, linguistics and social policy have compiled a unique new publication which literally maps the languages spoken in London schools on to their individual boroughs and wards, providing a fascinating perspective on the complex nature of London as a global city. Comparisons with earlier data show which languages have changed most and how communities across London are evolving.

Multilingualism is on the increase; with almost all the languages recorded having more speakers now than ten years’ ago.  Forty two languages are now spoken by more than 1,000 pupils across London (up from 25) and 12 languages spoken by more than 10,000 pupils (up from 8). Only four languages have declined in numbers: Gujarati, Panjabi, Greek and Chinese – all established communities. The languages which have seen the biggest numerical increases are Somali, which has more than doubled in ten years, Tamil, Polish and Albanian.

The book comes with important background information about each language, and analysis to help policy-makers, planners, or those working in public services to make best use of the data.
Professor Richard Wiggins, who led the research at the Institute of Education, said: ‘Our research shows that language data can provide us with a richer understanding of population diversity.  We can use it together with other information to help make better sense of the city we live in, and to develop more effective social and educational policies.’

Teresa Tinsley, for CILT, the National Centre for Languages, said: “All the major languages of the world are represented in London, including most of those with more than 10 million speakers worldwide, yet most of us would be hard pressed to name more than a few dozen. We want to draw attention to this vast intellectual and cultural resource and stimulate a debate on how it can be developed and used for the benefit of all Londoners.’

‘Language Capital, mapping the languages of London’s schoolchildren’ by John Eversley, Dina Mehmedbogovic, Antony Sanderson, Teresa Tinsley,  Michelle vonAhn and Richard D Wiggins.

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Dec 02 2010

Language Learning Project

Published by STAR translation under Translation

The search is on for the most innovative language learning projects in the UK with applications now being invited for next year’s prestigious European Language Label. The competition recognises and celebrates new ways to inspire and motivate language learners at all levels and schools, colleges, adult education, business and community projects are all invited to take part.

This year, the Europe-wide award highlighted all sorts of wonderful initiatives, from a primary schools project in Devon where pupils combined language learning with PE to a project where local businesses enabled pupils to use their language skills in a real-life business situation. This year’s focus for the awards is on languages that can be used in a career and on language learning in the community.

Kate Board, Chief Executive of CILT said: “Language learning is important to our future as global citizens and for the UK to be able to compete in the global economy. This award is a fantastic way of encouraging language learning and showing others how much fun it can be. I am continuously impressed by the exciting and innovative projects languages students come up with”.

To qualify for a European Language Label award, projects must provide an inspiration to others, be replicable, and involve any language other than English. Shortlisted projects will be visited by a panel of expert judges, who will compile a list of the ones they found most innovative and effective. Winners will attend a prize-giving ceremony in July at the new European Commission offices in London, where they will be able to display and share their projects.

There will be special prizes available, including the annual Mary Glasgow Award of £2000. You can find out about all of last year’s winning projects and download an application form from www.cilt.org.uk/label

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Dec 01 2010

Lay vs. Lie

Published by Ciara under Better English,Education

The incorrect use of “lay” instead of “lie” is becoming increasingly common, but no less humorous. Unfortunately it seems that no one told Bob Dylan the correct usage.

-To lie means to recline.

-To lay is to put or place, and it is always followed by an object.

Remember, you lie in bed and a hen lays eggs. The past tense and past participle can cause problems, however.

To lie

  • The present tense of lie (to recline) is lie or lying. I am lying on the beach. I lie on the beach.
  • The past tense of lie (to recline) is lay. Yesterday, I lay on the beach.
  • The past participle tense (have, has, had) of lie (to recline) is lain. I have lain on the beach for  hours. He has lain on the beach for hours. He had lain on the beach for hours.

To lay

  • The present tense of lay (to put or place) is lay or laying. I am laying the clothes on the bed. I lay the clothes on the bed.
  • The past tense of lay (to put or place) is laid. Yesterday, I laid the clothes on the bed.
  • The past participle tense (have, has, had) of lay (to put or place) is also laid. I have laid the clothes on the bed. He has laid the clothes on the bed. He had laid the clothes on the bed.

So what about those song lyrics?

“Lay lady lay”- this is gramatically incorrect, although it has to be said “Lie lady lie” wouldn’t sound right.

“Lay all your love on me”- this is fine as the verb is followed by an object.

“As we lay”-  this is incorrect as the verb should be followed by an object. It is also the incorrect verb, unless of course the song is really about laying eggs.

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