Didn’t realise English was banned in French universities in the first place. Latest from The Telegraph: Plans to ease a ban on the use of English in French universities will be debated on Wednesday with unions threatening to strike in protest at a measure some claim will turn French...
Interesting article in Guardian where modern foreign language teachers share their expertise and tips on how to inspire students to continue with language learning beyond beginner level. Jane Driver, Head of Languages at Hinchingbrooke School. It’s no good putting on a languages day at the end of year 9 if we want our...
We all know that kids can learn languages quicker than adults. But did you know that even unborn babies can learn languages? Talk about starting young… Check out the latest discovery from a Swedish-American team of researchers. “We showed that the foetus during the last ten weeks of the pregnancy...
I’m not a huge follower of Masterchef, but did come across an episode where Raheel the vegetarian couldn’t face up to butchering a duck. I’m usually one to stand up for minority groups, especially those who face discrimination. Around the world, there are many people groups who do not...
Interesting incident at the Parnell library (behind our Euroasia Parnell campus) today. Chinese lady walked up to counter with granddaughter, wanting to return a book. She said this in Chinese but obviously the Kiwi librarian had no clue what she was on about. Chinese lady asked granddaughter to translate....
Why do some people save more than others? Germans save 10 percentage points more than the British do (as a fraction of GDP), while Estonians and Chinese save a whopping 20 percentage points more than Greeks and Indians. Economists think a lot about what drives people to save, but...
Fascinating research on how words are “born”. Deb Roy studies how his own son acquires language and use new words. In an effort to understand how children learn words, he wired his home with bird’s-eye view cameras and microphones for three years to collect data on his son. The home...
It’s not surprising that if you’re a working woman, New Zealand is the place to be. The Economist compiled a “glass-ceiling index” to show where women have the best chance of equal treatment at work. It compares five indicators across 26 countries: the number of men and women respectively with...
Language reflects the underlying culture. In a Western context, the family typically refers to the nuclear family – father, mother, sister, brother. Your father’s brother is your uncle. So is your mother’s brother. Did you know in the Chinese language there’s a lot more fine-tuning: Uncle (Father’s older brother)...
