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After a brief discussion with our newest employee in the Languagelab office, Michael of “Brisvegas”. We have discovered the diversity of the Australian version of English. There is not a very noticeable difference in accents across Australia (probably because it is a very new country) yet the amount of words that have been made slang, make a very interesting case study.
Australia Slang, Aussie Slang, or Strine as it is sometimes called, is a reflection of the harsh Australian land, and the no-nonsense “lets get on with it” attitude of the Australian people. So a lot of corners are cut both with what they say and how they say it.
Some examples include:
G’Day : hello! (Short for good day)
Chrissie : Christmas
Ace! : Excellent! Very good!
Spit the Dummy : get very upset at something
Greenie : environmentalist
No dramas : same as ‘no worries’
Rip snorter : great, fantastic
Sanger : a sandwich
Spag bol : spaghetti bolognese
Veg out : relax in front of the TV (like a vegetable)
Brisvegas : Brisbane, state capital of Queensland
For more slang please visit here. (please note, there is some bad language on this page.)
Hi English City Students,
I hope you received my invitation about the Eye of Providence Exhibition opening on the 29th of June. If you want to attend you need to RSVP to the invitation and you will get a ticket to come.
To help you prepare for the exhibition I have put together some vocabulary and suggested questions you could ask the artist.
Going to an exhibition opening:
Have you ever been to an exhibition opening before? It is a very interesting and fun activity where you get to meet the artist, gallery owners, art buyers and collectors and friends.
Here are some things to think about:
• What are you going to wear to the event – smart or casual?
Go to Donatella’s shop and get something for the occasion.
• Is it important to be punctual?
Ask Millie about etiquette and punctuality.
Millie is in Conversations Café every day 7am-9am PDT (3pm-5pm UK time)
• Do you need to research the artist before you go to the opening?
Look online and see if you can find any of the artist’s work.
• What kind of questions do you want to ask the artist or other people?
Talk to other students in English City and prepare some questions together.
Questions to ask other students:
• Have you ever been to an exhibition opening before?
• Do you know any art galleries? Are there any in your city?
• Were you interested in photography when you were young?
• In your opinion, is photography an important part of culture?
• Can you tell me the name of a photographer you know?
• Is photography a great importance in your daily life?
Questions to ask the artist:
• What inspires you?
• How long have you been an artist?
• What country are you from and what languages can you speak?
• Do you think your cultural background influences your work?
• You can visit this link for more ideas on photography questions
Asking open ended questions:
To keep the conversation going longer you can ask other students an ‘open ended question’. This is the opposite of a ‘Yes or No’ question.
• “Why did………”
• “Can you explain…….”
• “How does……..”
• “Please describe ………”
• “Tell me about a time when……”
Vocabulary to help you:
• Abstract– art that is not realistic, though it can be based on
• something real.
• Composition – the arrangement of the elements in a work of art. More simply, where an artist arranges things in their photographs.
• Docent – a museum guide who usually works for free.
• Frame – the support element that surrounds a work of art usually made of wood or metal.
• Portrait – any form of art expression that features an animal or a person as its main subject matter.
• Realistic– a style of art that shows places, events, people or objects as the eye sees them.
• Still life – a composition featuring inanimate objects such as flowers or food or vases. Objects in a still life cannot get up and walk away by themselves.
• Two dimensional – artwork that is flat and measured only by height and width. Two-dimensional art is sometimes called “2-D.”
• Three dimensional- artwork measured by height, width and depth. Three-dimensional art is sometimes called “3-D.”
You can visit this link for more detailed vocabulary on describing photographs:
http://nuovo.com/southern-images/analyses.html
There is also a lot of vocabulary here and it is translated into French.
We hope to see you at the exhibition on Tuesday 29th June, please rsvp to me if you want a ticket for the exhibition.
Jessie Teacher
Dusan Kochol, 'Eye of Providence' Photographic Exhibition
Languagelab is delighted to invite you to the opening of Dusan Kochol’s photographic exhibition ‘Eye of Providence’ in English City on 29th June at 4pm UK time.
Please see the attached invitation. Eye of Providence is currently showing in Warsaw and Kochol also has an exhibition in Oxford. The event will be held in English City.
Guests will include artists, art collectors, gallery owners and the academic staff and students of English City. This is a unique opportunity to take part in a cultural event, meet the artist and discover how using technology can bring an artist’s work to a wider and more diverse audience.
If you would like to attend the opening exhibition please RSVP by email, and I will give you further instructions on how to get online and attend.
We look forward to seeing you in English City for this unique and special event.
The students had great fun in Jazz’s Business English classes at the bank. The students were asking a bank teller for money and a bank manger for a loan. Check out the pictures!
Hi Students!
Sorry I have not written for such a long time. We have been very busy with new students and also with IATEFL the conference.
This is the long awaited TR Parkin presentation on ‘Cutting Edge Technologies in Genetics’. TR is a Japanese student in English City and he has done a wonderful job giving this presentation to his student friends.
Enjoy watching and if you would like to give a presentation in English City go to www.languagelab.com and sign up !
TR Parkin Languagelab Student Talks about Genetics from Languagelabdotcom on Vimeo.
Hi Students,
Just a quick update for you. Languagelab have been very busy presenting at ‘Going Global’ and also today at ‘Game Based Learning’.
What do you think of using games to learn things? Have you ever used a game to learn ? Do you have any suggestions for great learning games?
Let us know your thoughts !
See you soon in English City,
Jessie Teacher
Hi Students,
Do you know about networking in English? Are you confident enough to speak to people from different countries in an informal situation? Pete Sharma is a Social Networking expert and has just written a new books on how to help students with this task.
If you would like to come and meet Pete and ask him some questions in a chat show event sign up for a study plan at Languagelab and come and join in!
Where ? English City Theatre
When? March 8th, 6:30pm UK time (10:30am PST)
See you there,
Jessie Teacher
Hi Students,
Just a quick post to tell you a little about the DUCKLING project at Leicester University. Recently at Languagelab we had a team from Leicester University come in and watch our classes. These were all teachers from different countries who wanted to learn more about teaching in virtual worlds.
Here is a video of a presentation they made in Southampton last week.
Hi Languagelab students,
This week we are talking about different cultures and crocodiles.
Watch this video below and answer the following questions:
Questions:
1. What countries does the speaker mention?
2. What is the system for streets in your country?
3. What do you think is the most unique thing about your culture?
4. Which cultures are most similar and most different to your own?
Shaun the crocodile man.
Shaun, 30, keeps 24 crocodiles and alligators in the semi-detached home in Oxford he shares with fiancée Lisa Green, 29, and children Billy, six, Louie, four, and eight-month-old Shania.
Joiner Shaun has even erected a purpose-built enclosure for his unique pets which include endangered Black Caymans, Cuban crocodiles and a Chinese alligator to keep the reptiles at a constant 25 degrees.
Shaun has now raised £100,000 in just two years to create Britains first crocodile zoo so his house can be restored to normality.
Shaun is still hunting for a 5,000 sq ft location big enough to house all his prehistoric beasts but in the meantime, his family home retains a tropical feel.
“They are amazing animals but not cheap to keep as pets. Just feeding them with rodents and fish costs £8,000 a year,” Shaun said.
“I have been interested in crocodiles since I was a little kid and once I started reptiles at 17 it just snowballed.
By the time I was 25 I had my dangerous animals licence and I was looking after crocodiles and alligators.”
All of Shauns children have grown up surrounded by snappy brothers and sisters and have inherited Shaun’s fascination and fiancée Lisa has also adapted to life in the wild.
Shaun added: “The crocodiles have always been around since before the children were born, so it is very normal to them.”The children like to go in and look at them and they have no fear at all.
“Lisa helps out with the crocodiles which is great.”
“They are part of the family and she has known about my love of reptiles since day one, so she wasn’t shocked.” But despite the animals being very well behaved, Shaun’s neighbours have still yet to pop round for a peek but are pleased to have their very own predatory neighbourhood watch. Shaun added: “The neighbours all know the crocodiles are there, but they have never wanted to come around and see them.
“People think these animals lie in rivers waiting to attack the next human walking past, but there is a lot more to them.”
Questions:
1. How long has Shaun kept crocodiles?
2. What types of crocodiles does Shaun keep?
3. How much does it cost per year to feed them?
4. What do they eat ?
5. What is Shaun looking for?
6. What do you think of keeping crocodiles as pets?
See you next week and don’t forget to come to our event tomorrow evening at 6:30pm UK time (10:30am PST), Jeremy Harmer will be talking to our students.
Bye bye,
Jessie Teacher