The Probabilistic Nature of English

Hi Everyone,

For a number of weeks I've been going on and on about the probabilistic nature of English. How when we teach something like "you are," we are only teaching the most probable form of the 2nd person (singular or plural) form of the present simple of the verb "to be." Standard English is what most speakers agree as the most probable form. There are other forms. Some people call those sub-standard, I prefer the term "non-standard" or "extra-standard"to avoid a certain condescension on less probable forms. All forms should be welcome and all forms have a place--after all language is something we should all feel free to play with. It is one of our inalienable rights!! To demonstrate this point I have added a video this week by the late, great Frank Zappa.

Frank Zappa - You Are What You Is
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Accents of English

Hello

One of the things I love the most about the English language is the fact that it is an "open source" language. That is, no one owns it...no one governs it. It just is. Despite this, the language has not disintegrated. Even as it fragments, grows and evolves around a core of language that people recognise as "good" or "proper" or even "standard" English. Nevertheless, varieties emerge and die out and the language becomes stronger. Some of those new variations make their way to the mainstream, others don't. In that sense, I often say English is a probablistic language. What I mean by this is that there is a given probability of hearing or reading something in English. So-called "standard" English would be the most highly probable, then other variations would have a greater or lower probability. This probablistic nature also changes with place and time. The word "groovy," would have a very high probability in certain circles in the 60s and an extremely low probability today.

All of this is to introduce this week's video which celebrates many different English accents. As you watch, notice how Amy's facial expressions and attitude change with the different accents. Is there one or more that you particularly like? Tell me about it in the "comments." For now, enjoy the video and have a great day!

The New World Hero

Here is an example of someone we can look up to and admire! The Swedish people consider this person the new world hero. Watch the video and see if you agree with their choice:

I've noticed the video is clipped just follow this link to see the video fully!

GrVj - Extreme Sports

Hello, This week we started a unit on extreme sports in the Gr Vj class. Well, sports don't get much more extreme than what this guy is doing in this video. DO NOT TRY THIS AT HOME!!! Hope you enjoy the video!

Video - Descente de cote en BuggyRollin

Guy Fawkes--The Gunpowder Plot--Bonfire Night

I was very surprised today when my students told me that they didn't know about Guy Fawkes Day, especially considering how much importance their state schools place on British culture. Here is a video recounting the story of the Gunpowder Plot, which happened in 1605 and is still celebrated today. Find out how English people still celebrate the events of 5 November 1605. You can also watch the related videos. Bonfire Night is a lot of fun in England!

A 50-Word Halloween Story by Grade Vj

Ghostbusters save the Matrix

The day before Halloween, Neo had killed some bad people. On Halloween night their souls returned to haunt the crew of the Matrix. Gabriel, the newest crew member, noticed his colleagues were very scared. So he called the Ghostbusters, who came to save the day. Thank God for the Ghostbusters.

Spring Fête--2009 (May 8th)

I'd like to thank everyone who participated and everyone who attended what was perhaps one of our most successful editions of the annual CAFLI Spring Fête. The change in venue was certainly worthwhile and not only for the acoustics. Because the ESTV is smaller than our former auditorium it felt like there was a packed house, the atmosphere was cozier and things ran more smoothly and swiftly. I found it to be a truly pleasurable evening and experience.

I'd like to thank Drª Isabel Duarte, in particular, for her help in the arrangements and Eng.º Carlos Silva, who couldn't have done more to help make the evening a great success. In fact, we truly felt at home at the ESTV (Escola Superior de Tecnologia de Viseu)...so allow me to express our deepest gratitude and appreciation!

May next year's Spring Fête outshine even this one. Our students, their friends and families and the CAFLI staff deserve it!

Thank you all so very much from the bottom of my heart.
Fernando Almeida

Below are just a few pictures to commemorate the evening: