Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

We wish all of the Kantalk users Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

In the coming year, we hope you’ll make more new friends in the Kantalk community and bring your language skills to the next level.

Learn from The Weather Channel

Mark Twin used to quip that everyone talks about weather but nobody does anything about it. Learning to talk about weather is what every English learner should do something about.

The best place to start is The Weather Channel. It talks about weather all day long and has the videos available in its website. You may feel sorry for those reporters in the fields, who usually had to shout to the camera in the middle of a hurricane or snow storm. They are quick to the points, though.

Besides learning all the weather-related terms, you’ll also get to know a lot about the geography of the U.S. That’s the bonus.

When Economy is Down, Study English

That’s what the South Koreans do. Here is the report from The Korea Times: Biz Downturn Ignites English-Learning Fever.

Learn from Teacher Jennifer

If you are not the student of Jennifer yet, you should be now.

Jennifer is an ESL teacher in the U.S. She has produced over 100 short videos, covering the topics in pronunciation, slang, grammar, vocabulary, and common mistakes. Each of her short lessons is concise and clear. All of the videos are available at her YouTube channel.

It’s not just her generosity of sharing them for free, but also her passion in teaching that will give you the best ESL education.

The Queen of England Says…

Immigrants must ‘earn right to stay’ in Britain, reported by Telegraph. Here is an excerpt:

Foreigners’ attempts to take British citizenship will be set back if they commit crimes or fail to learn English. The measures are part of what ministers say will be a “firm but fair” immigration system.

The Queen’s Speech set out plans for a Borders, Immigration and Citizenship Bill that will alter existing rules on granting British nationality.

Learn from Yahoo Music

For an adult learner, one of the best ways to speak another language well is to sing it.  Even when  the lyrics may not resonate sometimes, the rhythm and tune can still work like a magic.

Yahoo Music brings you thousands of the music videos, covering almost every possible genre. Pick the singers you adore, or select the types of the songs that please you ears. Sing along daily; while in the shower if you want.

Music has that kind of power, because language itself, when in a speaking form, is a fine piece of music.

Nine in ten European pupils study English

The European Voice reported that:

“Overall, some 90% of European pupils learn English at some point in their primary or secondary education, and in 13 countries it is a mandatory first foreign language. According to the study, published today by Eurydice, an inter-governmental educational network, even when a choice of other languages is provided, pupils and their parents tend to favour English.

The increase in the use of English was particularly marked in primary schools, a development that is part of a broader trend to introduce compulsory language classes at a younger age. In Germany, the number of children who learn English before the age of 11 has tripled in the past five years. In Bulgaria, the number has doubled, and a trio of southern states – Greece, Italy and Portugal – recorded a 20% increase over the period.”

For the details, read the article here.