The proposed English Language Bill assumes a problem. In reality, English dominates public life while many heritage languages struggle to survive.
Articles on English langauge
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The word ‘meekness’ might seem old-fashioned – and not a positive trait. But understanding its original meaning can identify an important virtue.
This now-extinct tongue was probably spoken somewhere in Eurasia as many as 8,000 years ago. But how do we know Proto-Indo-European must have existed?
Expressions can tell us a lot about the ways our language has developed over centuries.
New Zealand’s bilingual children often lose their mother tongue by the time they leave school. But there are fears that use of English-based decoding in structured literacy will hasten this decline.
Academic literacy is a mode of reasoning that aims to develop university students into deep thinkers, critical readers and writers.
In this area, much of the work of being educated is only indirectly tied to the schooling experience.
Languages don’t have a beginning that can be compared to the birth of a living being.
Hundreds of years ago, people spoke Old English – but it is very different to English today.
The word ‘evil’ sends a clear message – or does it? There are deep tensions in what the word means, and what it can accomplish.
The Scripps National Spelling Bee highlights the richness of the English lexicon by picking some tough entries with foreign roots.
It’s hailed as one of the greatest works of fiction to emerge from Africa. But Things Fall Apart was written in English, sparking debate about the colonisation of language.
The Voting Rights Act offers language assistance for voters with limited English proficiency. What can we learn from an Idaho county’s experience offering foreign-language ballots?
Children in the early stages of learning to read should be given decodable books to practise and generalise their developing alphabetic skills.
It was a rocky beginning for English spelling. Then things got worse.
Is British English being swallowed up by American English – or are both versions simply following the same path to a more informal language?
Research shows babies begin to learn language sounds before they’re even born. What about babies who hear two languages from birth? Can a baby brain specialize in two languages?
Those who don’t want Stellenbosch University to make English the main language of instruction have invoked South Africa’s Constitution - but the assumptions underlying their arguments are false.
Whether it’s ethnicity, gender or publishing firm, the Man Booker must do more to correct its poor track record.
English songs from the US and the UK are typically taught to kids around the world. With English now a language of many cultures, why not incorporate songs from the world?
Top contributors
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Distinguished Professor and H F Oppenheimer Chair in Human Rights Law, Stellenbosch University
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Professor of Linguistics and English Language, Lancaster University
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Research Scientist, University of Washington
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Associate professor, George Mason University
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Research Associate, Idaho Policy Institute, Boise State University
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Lecturer in English, City St George's, University of London
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Distinguished Professor Faculty of Law, Stellenbosch University
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PhD Candidate, Sessional Academic, Edith Cowan University
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Honorary Fellow, Macquarie University
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Professor of Linguistics, Monash University
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Professor of Contemporary Jewish Studies and Linguistics, Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion
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Professor of Medieval English Literature, University of Bristol
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PhD student, University of East Anglia
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Associate Professor in English Language and Linguistics, University of Portsmouth
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Senior Lecturer, University of East Anglia