For those newly arrived in the United States, cultural norms can be difficult to understand. How do Americans decide what to tip? Why do Americans say “let’s get together sometime” and then not make further plans? What is “small talk” and why … Continue reading
Each month, we’ll look at phrases that will aid you in your travels around the world. This month, we’re focusing on English, so we’ll give you 10 phrases for getting around Great Britain, both for native and non-native English speakers. … Continue reading
Americans and Brits have shared a language for the entirety of America’s existence, but why do we have a hard time understanding each other sometimes? We might speak the language, but we each have very different vocabularies. (We’ve looked at … Continue reading
Immigration and language in the United States is a hot button topic. Some people believe that today’s immigrants are not learning English as quickly as those from earlier waves of immigration did. But research shows this to be a misconception. According to … Continue reading
Are your flat “a”s failing you? Or rather: are they falling flat enough? English pronunciation, and American English pronunciation in particular, can be tricky, but we’re here to give you some tips. The easiest way to practice your pronunciation is to … Continue reading
Idioms or idiomatic expressions are difficult to learn in any language. Taken literally, they often make no sense, but once they’re learned, they add a natural flare to a language that will make you sound more native. Just be sure … Continue reading
Today is the finals for the Scripps National Spelling Bee, where kids from all over the country wow us with their ability to spell all kinds of words you’ve never heard of before. For example: last year’s winning words? “Feldenkrais” … Continue reading
The 2017 Eurovision Song Contest final takes place in Kiev this weekend, and if you’ve never heard of it, you are missing a spectacle of performance, crazy costumery, and - yes - even linguistic interest like no other. The Eurovision Song … Continue reading
A recent BBC article titled Native English speakers are the world’s worst communicators reported on research that found that monolingual English speakers are generally worse than non-native speakers at communicating in international contexts. They introduce confusing language, misunderstand what others are … Continue reading
As immigrants arrive in the United States, they bring with them their language as well as their culture. Just as immigrants and their cultures have become part of the fabric of this country, so have some words from their languages, … Continue reading