The three major varieties of English
With the aid of actual, topical examples, facts, photos and illustrations the course will cover;
1. Australian
- A concise guide to Australian English summarised in 30 minutes.
- Australian English is emerging from the shadow of its two older and larger relations to conquer the world of second language learners and having an irreversible impact on British and American. What can we learn from this?
- Why almost everything that you thought you knew about Australian English is wrong.
2. American
- The 411 about American English summarized in 30 minutes.
- A pictorial analysis of the presidential election and how English language usage has changed as a result.
- The language of gender equality and LBTQ+ words and terms.
3. British English
- How the impending Brexit from the EU has contributed new words and what the linguistic consequences may be for English in Europe. Plus other new, significant words such as the ‘gig economy.’
Also, as in recent years, new words and terms and the words of the year from the three major varieties of English.
Additionally, by request from teachers, an update on the etiquette of e-mail and social media communications in English.
The course is based on research carried out over the past six months. 96½% of the material is new and has not been presented before. There will also be some short but informative vocabulary quizzes and opportunities for you to get answers to your questions.
Course material. There is a set of notes to accompany the course.
The course is given in English.