Interpreting People's Body Language

Learning how to interpret body Language is a very useful skill when it comes to interacting with people. Movements and gestures are part of human communication. Subconscious movements are what comprise 93% of human communication. Speech accounts for only 7%. You can predict a person's thinking process or mood when you know how to interpret body Language. These actions are mostly subconscious. They can be a reaction to a situation or a biological response. Facial gestures, hand movements and posture are analyzed in kinesics, the study of human movements in communication. These physical expressions are used to support a statement or relate an idea.

When conversing with people, there are signs to watch out for. These signs may denote a negative attitude. These negative responses can be analyzed as discomfort when the person being analyzed is being untruthful or uninterested. Body Language gestures to look out for are eye positioning, posturing and hand gestures. Too much eye contact and the absence of may denote discomfort. Too much attention may signify a lack of trust. This lack of trust makes the person give their full attention. Leaning away also signifies distrust. This action means that the person wishes to move away. Scratching the jaw or touching the lobes of the ear is a sign of disbelief.

Body Language is also used to signal a level of comfort and intimacy. A distance of eight feet or more denotes a public distance. This type of distance is used in public functions such as watching a movie or listening to a lecture. This is used in large groups of observers. Four to eight feet denotes a social distance. Newly introduced people maintain this distance. Close enough to socialize, but not too close to signify association. Friends are distanced one and a half feet to four feet away. This signifies a level of trust. Distances shorter than those are reserved for people intimate to the person. Family, close friends and lovers are allowed this distance. This area of closeness signifies intimacy and a higher level of trust.

These are some signs to look out for when talking to another person.Remember, what people say may be different from what they are really feeling or thinking. It's easy to lie or be insincere, so never rely on their words alone. You can use your knowledge of body language to your advantage and become successful in your career, relationships, and whatever endeavour you may have that involves interacting with people.

Myths of Sign Language Debunked

Myth One: Sign Language is just gestures. It's not a Language at all.

There is evidence that early humans started communicating in gestures. Later, the gestures developed into a proto Language and then a full-blown Language. Spoken language could have been developed in a similar fashion. For example, different grunts could mean different things. Then the grunts could have developed into more refined syllables used in a proto-language. Then finally, a full-blown spoken language could have developed. There could have been too many words to deal with and as a potential result, structure could have imposed on the words to be able to handle the multitude of words. At which point do grunts become words of a spoken language? At which point do gestures become signs of a sign language? There are too many grunts to assert that spoken language does not exist. Similarly, there are too many gestures to assert that sign language does not exist.

Myth Two: If sign language is iconic and photographic, then it couldn't be a language.

This kind of reasoning is illogical. According to research, iconic signs are still too abstract for non-signers to figure out. Only the most basic signs like EAT, DRINK, and SLEEP appear to be universal. There is no valid reason why a language couldn't be both iconic and abstract. English has some iconic, phonographic words, like the sounds that animals and things make, for example, cock-a-doodle-do, moo, woof, chime, ring, tick-tock, etc. That doesn't make them any less of a word than other words of English.

Myth Three: Sign language has no order or structure. For example, SVO order does not exist in American Sign Language (ASL).

There is research that found evidence of both order and structure in sign language. The structure and ordering of signs appear to follow the structure and ordering of words when there is a minimal use of space around the body to express concepts in parallel. There are various ways to use space to express more than one concept at a time. For example, a different group of signs called classifiers dictate the structure and ordering.

Myth Four: Sign language has a direct one to one correspondence to spoken language.

English has many words that mean the same thing. One sign in ASL can represent all these English words with essentially the same meaning, for example, beautiful, gorgeous, good-looking, etc. can all be signed with one ASL sign BEAUTIFUL. At the same time, different signs in ASL, like bipedal-RUN, quadpedal-RUN, OPERATE, MANAGE, COMPETE, etc, can represent the different meanings of the English word "run."

In addition, translations between ASL and English are not straightforward because of the use of space to express multiple concepts at the same time. This is akin to foreign language translations when words don't directly translate between each other.

Myth Five: Sign language is slower than spoken language.

Research has found that the use of space and other cognitive shortcuts in ASL make it comparable in speed to English. It is not slower or faster. It is just different.

Myth Six: Sign language is completely separate from spoken language.

There is a general trend to emphasize that sign language is completely separate from spoken language. I found evidence to the contrary. It is more likely that spoken language concepts, meanings, and cognitive structures influence the signed language. For example, in English, adjective come before nouns being described. This is apparent in ASL. In Spanish, adjectives come after nouns being described. This seems apparent in sign languages originating in Latin America.

Also, vocabulary concepts and idioms developed separately in sign language could be borrowed into spoken language by bilinguals. For example, some ASL interpreters say CHA and PAH! Another example is that the ASL idiom of TRAIN-GONE was published as a title of a Book, Train Go Sorry: Inside a Deaf World, by Leah Hager Cohen. Yet a final example is the ILY sign, used around the world by both hearing and deaf people as a virtually universal gesture.

Myth Seven: Sign language should be eradicated.

Sign language represents cultural knowledge, similar to the languages of the Native American Indians. It also has its advantages. The Navajo code talkers used their native language to communicate vital war plans during WWII. In a similar fashion, people can communicate in signs where spoken communication is not desired, practical, or feasible. For example, signs could be used in covert operations underwater or in outer space. Audio technology is needed to support spoken language in these situations and using it could blow their cover.

Tips About French Language Courses

Learning a new Language is not an easy feat and it gets harder as you get older. French Language courses can be a huge advantage to anyone who is interested in learning this vernacular. If you want to learn French for any reason, whether it is to help with a job, or to be able to travel and know that you will be able to converse with the local citizens, then French courses are the ticket.

French is one of the most spoken Languages around the world, after English, so deciding to learn it is a great choice. Now you just need to figure out which program is the best for you.

Now that you have decided to learn how to speak French, you will need to decide on the type of French courses to take. Learning this great Language in a classroom environment works very well for some people. Learning in a group and having a teacher available to help you with any questions you might have or to help you understand the correct pronunciation of words is a great advantage. However, this is not an option for everyone.

For those who cannot attend a classroom setting, there are many other resources available. Today, it is possible to purchase language courses on CDs or DVDs. This type of course allows the individual the benefit of being able to access the program whenever they choose.

It is also very useful when looking to review a lesson that you may have not understood very well. Language CDs and/or DVDs can be the ultimate language teacher simply because of the availability of the program.

Learning to speak French can be daunting, yet another great resource that can help you is the plethora of online courses. If you search the internet, then you can find many ways to learn French online that will be fun and helpful. The internet is full of schools that are accredited to teach languages courses.

You just need to research them and find the one that is going to fit your needs the best. Many of them don't have a strict timeline for you to follow, like traditional schools do, and this is ideal for a working person. French language courses that are taught online also let you study at your own pace, so there is no pressure to keep up with other students.

While we would all love to be able to learn French in France, unfortunately, this isn't always possible. But what you can do is find a program that defines the French language in a way that is easy to understand and to learn. Do some research, decide which of the many French language courses will work best for you and then enjoy learning your new patois.

Increasing Scope of Hindi Language

In the market place, demand for those who can use Hindi Language for better communication is much more. Nowadays most advertisements are made in Hindi. Hungry kyaa, Ye Dil Maange More, Yehi hai Right Choice baby! and many similar phrases have become the choice of the multinational companies like Coke and Pepsi for advertising their products.

The Language of media is becoming more inclusive of Hindi words. Several FM radio channels have opened new avenues for Hindi presentation. In fact, there is big demand for those who can creatively use Hindi Language for communications.

Tips for Self Improvement in Hindi Language

1. Have self confidence in your Hindi language creative abilities and keep on improving it.

2. Make maximum use of common usage Hindi words which are popular and regularly in use.

3. Link Hindi literature with political, social and economic conditions prevailing at the time of its writing. You will develop better logical reasoning abilities in this manner.

4. Increase your Hindi vocabulary by reading Hindi newspapers and magazines.

5. Learn to use Hindi on computers, internet and other communication devices.

HindiLearner.com can help you learn Hindi language.

The website provides Hindi language tutorials that follow a communicative approach to learning Hindi and uses a methodology for gradually and consistently developing Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening skills in the Hindi learner.

Language Learning - An Ongoing Process

Language learning is an ongoing process that never seems to end.  Even in your first Language, doesn't it seem like you're always discovering new ways of communicating that make your interactions better and more enriching?

We never stop learning.  For longtime English speakers, like me, for instance, there are always new words to pick up, old skills to remember and familiar concepts to see in a new light.  The more we learn, in fact, the deeper the pool of learning that seems to lay before us.

Even if you've already gained a decent amount of facility in a second Language, we always recommend keeping your old materials for it.  That's because, if you want to get better, you'll always need to continually learn, whether by taking new advanced courses or refreshing on old lessons.

A comprehensive Language learning software is one of the best materials you can use to aid in the process.  Filled with lessons and exercises for students of all levels, they offer potential use, regardless of what point you are in with your current development.

Fluency

If language facility is an ongoing process, when do we become fluent?  There are varying levels of fluency.  Just because you are fluent in a language, it doesn't mean you can stop learning.  Native French speakers are probably fluent by the time they're eight or nine.  Yet, that doesn't mean their skills in the vernacular can't further mature, does it?

It is better to enhance yourself more in learning a language.

Why Learn French - 5 Good Reasons to Learn the French Language

Why learn French when there is such a variety of foreign Languages to choose from? While being able to speak any foreign Language has its obvious advantages like the ability to travel to more countries and communicate with more people, knowing the French Language has its own benefits. So why learn French? Here are 5 excellent reasons that should motivate you to study it.

Why learn French: number of French speakers in the world
It is not just in France and in Quebec that the French Language is used: it is the official language of 32 countries spread over all 5 continents and is also spoken as a second language in many more places. There are 70 member countries of the International Organization of La Francophonie and 200 million French speakers all over the planet. This is largely due to the fact that France has been one of the main colonizing nations throughout history and a lot of foreign nations kept French as their main language after gaining their own independence back. Examples of French speaking countries, besides the obvious ones, are Haiti, French Guyana and many African countries such as Chad, Madagascar and Niger. In addition, this language is also used as one of several languages in some European countries such as Belgium and Switzerland. Even in the U.S. Cajun French, a derivative of the French language, is still spoken in some parts of Louisiana.

Why learn French: more job opportunities
With those 200 million French speakers and many more wanting to learn the language, there are many more job opportunities that are open to people who can speak it. The tourism and travel industries need French speakers; knowing this language means you can be a French teacher, get a job as a translator or an interpreter, and given the fact that the bulk of American imports and exports are made with countries whose official language is French, being able to speak this language can help you getting promoted or hired by many multinational corporations.

Why Learn French: Official language of international organizations
While English is the main language of many international organizations, French is also used as official language of the United Nations, NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) and the European Community, to name just a few.

Why learn French: social advantages
Not only it is the language of romance, but knowing some French undeniably has some social advantages. When people know you can speak French, they are more inclined to think of you as an intelligent person than someone who can only speak English. Knowing how to speak French is useful when traveling or meeting people from other countries as this language may be the only way to communicate between you and the other person, even if this person's first language is not French.

Why learn French: cultural advantages
Lovers of literature should be able to read the works of their favourite French authors in their original versions: it just does not make sense to have to read the English translation of Victor Hugo's "Les Miserables" or "Les Fables" of La Fontaine. Likewise for classic movies: why watch a dubbed version of "Belle De Jour" when you can listen to the beautiful Catherine Deneuve speak French?

There are many reasons why a person should choose to learn a language other than his or her own native language. If you are still undecided on which foreign language to study, think of how widely the language is spoken throughout the world, its cultural influence and economic relations. Then instead of asking the question: "why learn French?" maybe you should ask yourself: "why not learn French?"

Communicative Strategies in a Second Language Learning

The communicative approach does not emphasize error correction; rather it emphasizes fluency and meaning or in more concrete terms, getting the meaning across. In the communicative approach, learners are introduced to a variety of conversational contexts, yet the target Language speakers are limited. There is also a limited time frame of classroom learning in these contexts yet second Language learners are not always encouraged to place emphasis on accuracy right away in the beginning.

What comes to mind therefore, are the five proposals for classroom learning according to Lightbrown and Spada. This article will focus on the two more talked about ones that have implications for learning and teaching. The ideal classroom learning situation evolves around both accuracy and meaning. The proposals of 'say what you mean and mean what you say,' which is based on an interactionist's view in that a negotiation of meaning and modified input, are the basic components of teaching methodology where the learners are encouraged to pursue clarification and confirmation questions in order to negotiate meaning. There is no emphasis on accuracy or form. The 'Just Listen' proposal does not encourage performance as it relies solely on comprehensible input through listening and reading skills. The proposal is idea for the silent learners who learns and communicates via the material within himself or herself. The criticism behind the proposals of 'Just Listen' and 'Say What You Mean' state that comprehensible levels of input and meaningful interaction are not enough to bring the learner to high levels of accuracy of second language learning.

The Behaviorist proposal however works differently in that it is based solely on accuracy and form with litle or no negotiation of meaning; therefore, it is redundant to conclude that the behaviorist proposal is successful for creating a balance between fluency and accuracy. Its teaching methodology rests on preventing errors before they become fossilized thus learners are encouraged to repeat and repeat with little emphasis on meaning.

The final proposal of 'Teach what is teachable' places a high emphasis on the learner learning the structures according to his or her internal syllabus and the order of second language acquisition. Within the frameworks of classroom proposals for teaching are the elements of content based words behind a communicative oriented input where the learner has to decode language but does not have to break the language. (code breaking) One of the main assumptions behind negotiation of meaning within the communicative approach is that learners should reach high levels of intelligibility and that they are capable of being understood in various contexts. In decoding, the main aim is on fluency and not on accuracy. Learners do not have to produce; the focus is on making use of content words, background knowledge in order to negotiate meaning. In code breaking on the other hand, the emphasis is on production where a learner is encouraged to use the forms correctly.

These proposals when connected to a language monitor model provide important implications for teaching a second language. In the monitor model, a learner who does not monitor his/her speech, shows developing level of competence whereas a learner who monitors his/her speech according to the target forms will eventually reach higher levels of second language accuracy.

Best French Language Software - The 4 Best French Language Software Packages Reviewed

Learning French is not as tough as you think, if you use the right course for your budget and learning style. Here are the 4 best French Language software packages available.

#1 Tell Me More French

Tell Me More is a relatively new player in the Language learning game, but made a big splash when they adopted speech recognition software to their package. Tell Me More French is one of the best French language software suites because of this feature and also because of the amount of content within; over 300 hours of French learning material. However Tell Me More language courses in general target intermediate to advanced speakers, with this course being no exception. This course it not for beginners. Another drawback is the interface, it's been designed in a frankly bizarre way that is by no means intuitive. Tell Me More is the best French language software for intermediate learners and above, beginners and people with a low tolerance for confusing interfaces should stay away.

#2 Rosetta Stone French

Rosetta Stone is another big player in the language learning field, they have also incorporated speech recognition software into their program. Rosetta Stone courses depend on word association, with pictures appearing and the relevant word in the target language appearing. It works because there is a sense of immersion involved, with no translation whatsoever, you are really made to think. Rosetta Stone is definitely one of the more expensive courses around, so it may not be the best French language software for a beginner.

#3 Michel Thomas French

Michel Thomas is different to the above courses, with no written text or actual reading at all, this course is focused exclusively on making you SPEAK French. This has definite advantages in that if that's all you want to do, then Michel Thomas will take you there faster than another course that involves reading and writing, and of course the opposite is true also. I put this course here because for some people it's going to be the best French language course for them.

#4 Rocket French

Rocket French is another new course which has elements of Michel Thomas and a few other courses in it. The audio section is just like Michel's and there are some software games and other learning devices. Overall for beginners Rocket French is probably the best French language software they can get, it's easy to figure out, affordable and it's quite entertaining, all of which are very important for beginners.

What Language Is This Text?

HA! LOL!

Have you ever wondered what the sender is trying to say and you cannot make heads or tails out of the text message?

One way to check is visit a website called URBAN DICTIONARY that has a ton of these abbreviations and ideas about what a Language of a particular text message could be. Another way is to text back the sender and ask them to explain some terms in the message.

The one thing I did notice about text messaging is that 99% of the time, the text abbreviation is in some form of English translation. LOL or "Laugh out Loud" is a popular three-letter acronym that is used in all kinds of Languages, so that is one of the more popular text abbreviations. New abbreviations come out everyday, and could cause confusion until they become popular.

For example, "SMH" which means "shaking my head." This abbreviation was actually asked about on Google searches 12,000 + times a month. So many people have been using SMH, but many people do not know what it means. So you can see easily that the Language is not perfected, nor will it ever be. The popularity of certain text acronyms and how fast they take on a definition of their own, is really an amazing study. I may do an article about that in the future.

But for now, we know that when a text message arrives, many times the reader does not understand the text itself. Obviously not all the time, but I have had to ask a friend, what does that mean? What Language is that? Is that English? Is that an acronym? I then "Google it" and find out that it's a text language that people are using.

Also some text lingo becomes less popular over time. Take the three letter BFF for example. "Best Friend Forever" was really popular a few years back, I believe it has died off since, and may become extinct in the future. Imagine that someday we will be testing the lifespan of certain popular text acronyms and how fast they grow to how fast they die out.

Back to Urban Dictionary for a second. I am not sure if that website started out determining what certain text language means, but many have turned it into a dictionary, more or less, for cell phone text message jargon. Naturally you will find other words on the website, some nice, some pretty dirty, but these are words that people basically made up. I've even had a word I used allot, that is not a normal English word, and put it on urban dictionary, gave the definition and used it in a sentence, and it was approved. If you are wondering, that word was "cozed." look it up! LOL

So as texting becomes more and more popular, more and more text language will be born. The mind of a person who can figure out three letters and turn that into the right phrase will do well, those without a mind for that, will have a harder time, but like any language, some pick up a second and third language faster than others.

Here are a few examples, of 2, 3 and 4 letter texting phrases that I just made up, see if you can guess what they mean:

TYYT
CYT
GOTE
GF
SSDD

These are probably good examples of something you may see when asking a friend, "what does that mean"?

Let me give you the answers, at least this is what was in my mind when I made them up:

TYYT = Talk To You Tomorrow
CYT = See You Tonight (the C is short for see)
GOTE = Going Out To Eat
GF = Gone Fishing
SSDD = Same Stuff Different Day

So there you have it, the answers for my made up text lingo. Make your own up and send them to friends. You could possibly make the next big text word!

Integrating Language and Science Instruction

Introduction

In the traditional teaching instruction, students with poor English are normally placed in low-ability groups, because it is believed it difficult for them to learn how to respond to the higher level classes with more complex demands. Integrating Language skills with science instruction has become an alternative to traditional instruction. In the integrated approach, teachers held high expectations for their students and deliberately promote critical thinking skills which help them succeed in academic courses.

The science process skills-including observing, predicting, communicating, classifying, and analyzing-are similar to Language learning skills-seeking information, comparing, ordering, synthesizing, and evaluating (Short, 1991). These skills are important keys to integrating science instruction with Language acquisition. Motivating and engaging students to speak, ask questions, learn new vocabulary, and write down their thoughts comes easily when they are curious, exploring and engaged in science or science inquiry. Integrating literacy activities within teaching of science helps clarify science concept and can make science and more meaningful and interesting to the student.

Research suggests that increased student participation and peer interaction enhances the students' Language better that teacher-directed activities (Ruddell, 2004). For instance, teacher can use cooperative learning jigsaws where students become experts on topics through texts that they read or listen to, take notes on, and teach to peers. Using cooperative learning method gives integrated teachers an opportunity to encourage interdependency among group members, assisting students to work together in small groups so that all participate in sharing data and in developing group reports.

Instructional Strategy

Unfortunately, today many classroom teachers who teach either science or language do not think science and language are interdependent (Short, 1991). Language teachers do not address the language needs of the students within the framework of the subject matter's objectives. They may think teaching content subject matter is not essential. Similarly, the content teachers may not understand language issues, nor be prepared to use English as a Second Language (ELL) methods for which they might have little or no experience.

The integrated approach is required for both language and science classrooms to bridge the gap that has often separated these two disciplines. Students can improve language proficiency through science instruction as either the background or theme of lessons. For example, once a science topic has been discussed and students have shared their knowledge of it, pertinent vocabulary may be taught. Later, certain concepts such as grammar rules or writing processes can be examined through the vocabulary or the application activities that are planned (Sherris, 2008).

Reading and writing activities and content-area instruction can be integrated in one lesson or unit, or the approach can form the basis for an entire curriculum. Even though the extent of implementation may vary widely, the underlying principles and procedures remain the same. An instructor takes first an objective from a content area curriculum, such as science, and determines the kind of language students need in order to be able to accomplish that objective. As a teacher helps students develop the science process skills of inquiry, language process skills or language learning strategies are simultaneously being developed. Two fundamental characteristics of the learning process, transfer and language dependence, frame our understanding of critical issues in teaching and assessing English learners in the science classroom (Short, 2002).

The integrated approach focuses on the fostering of thinking skills and the student-centered method of the instruction. Integrated teachers utilize a variety of teaching methods such as inquiry-based learning, cooperative learning, brainstorming, cooperative learning, hands-on, interactive activity etc.

Instructional strategies that can be used in an integrated classroom include increased use of visuals, demonstrations, and graphic organizers; the development of thinking and study skills; and the use of pre-reading and pre-writing activities. By providing opportunities to use language in meaningful contexts, teachers can facilitate their students' transition into mainstream courses (Crandall and Peyton, 1993).

Integrated teachers need to pay attention to the science to be learned, the language skills required to learn it, and the reasoning abilities needed to be manipulated. When necessary, for example, they should provide explicit vocabulary instructions or model activities to the whole class before breaking into small groups. Teachers should encourage students to conduct independent research, but provide support students solicit assistance from each other. Through this approach, science teachers become sensitive to language problems that exist in their current textBooks, supplementary materials and teacher talk, and recognize other potential problem that their students may experience. The approach also helps language teachers as well, through a variety of methods used to introduce authentic and relevant science into classroom (Short, 2002).

Integrated lesson planning skills

Each integrated lesson should have a language and science component and the goal for the teacher should be to develop academic achievement and language proficiency simultaneously. To prepare clear science and language outcomes, teachers should draw on a variety of resources that include standards of knowledge and skills in a science area, language proficiency standards, prior student performance assessments, and available course materials. For example, a science teacher would prepare an integrated science and language lesson by first examining the science standards to determine the concept and skill to be learned, then selecting learning objectives, tasks, and materials appropriate to the students as determined by assessments of student performance.

To address the practice of integrating reading, writing, listening, and speaking, teachers must identify and work with students on two sets of discourse skills-one specific to a subject area, the other more generalized. Teachers then provide opportunities for students to improve all four language components-reading, writing, listening, and speaking-across a variety of text types, including some specific to their subject area and others that are generic (Aronson, et al 1978). Some examples of discourse that are content-area specific are experimental studies, community surveys, and interviews. Those that are generic include summary, comparison, and outlining.

For instance, in planning to teach motion, a teacher might construct the following possible outcome statements:

Students will be able to observe and calculate speed and acceleration of a moving object, discuss different methods of measuring the distance, and write a summary of each method. Calculate, discuss, and write are the descriptive verbs that determine whether a particular outcome addresses the knowledge and skill of a science area or specific language functions. Observing and calculating the speed and acceleration describe science outcomes, whereas discussing and writing about the methods used to compare types of distance measurement describe language outcomes related to the science. Integrated teachers should consciously attempt to sort the descriptive verbs used in standards documents and course materials into separately identified language and content outcomes.

According to Sherris (2008), the integrated lesson plans have at least two key benefits. First, the teachers clarify for themselves the separate content and language objectives of the lesson, which can improve their delivery of the instruction. Second, if these objectives are both explicitly presented and subsequently reviewed within each lesson, students become aware of the separate content and language goals, which may help them direct and monitor their own learning.

Students also develop the ability to carry out other content related tasks, such as lab experiments, creative scientific calculations, and historical inquiry. They solve problems, evaluate solutions, and collaborate effectively with one another in these activities through the use of appropriate academic language.

Integrated Lesson Plan

Lesson planning is critical to both a student's and a teacher's success. For maximum learning to occur, planning must produce lessons that enable students to make connections between their own knowledge and experiences, and the new information being taught (Rummelhart, 1995). In effective instruction, concrete content objectives that identify what students should know and be able to do must guide teaching and learning. For English learners, however, content objectives for each lesson need to be stated simply, orally and in writing, and they need to be tied to specific grade-level content standards (Echevarria and Graves, 2004). As with content objectives, language objectives should be stated clearly and simply, and students should be informed of them, both orally and in writing.

The integrated science lesson plan guidelines ( see attached table) describes the teaching phases in integrated lesson plans and the most effective science lessons for ELL are those have language and content objectives. As students gain both science process and English language skills, they will be able to examine independently scientific explanations and use logical reasoning to communicate. Higher-order thinking skills, such as articulating predictions or hypotheses, stating conclusions, summarizing information, and making comparisons, can be tied to language objectives.

Body Language and Love - When Body Language Means Love

If you are watching his body Language, what moves mean that he is in love with you? How do body Language and love go together? Are there certain movements to indicate that he has fallen for you?

If you study someone's body Language, you can learn a lot about them and their intentions. Body language and love go hand in hand as there are certain moves that mean he has fallen for you hard. Here is a look at some classic body language signs that he is in love with you.

He Looks at You

If you catch a guy looking at you more than twice, chances are that he really likes you. Anything less than two looks and he may just be scanning the room, but if you catch him repeatedly making eye contact, he is into you. If you catch this type of body language, then make a move and go up to him. This is actually one of the safest moves you can make because you will eliminate any risk since his body language indicates love from the beginning.

Leaning In

If a guy's body language includes leaning in close to you, then he has fallen for you. When a guy does this, he is normally within eighteen inches of your face and in your personal space. Of course, you probably won't mind this invasion of your personal space since you know the guy is in love with you and you probably will want to get closer to him as well.

Change of Tone

Body language and love can also mean the way that he changes how he talks. Studies show that when you are attracted to a person, you tend to change how you converse. For example, most people will slow down their speaking pattern about 25% from how they normally talk. In addition, people will also use a softer voice when talking to someone they are attracted to. This is likely because they want you to hear every word he has to say.

Touching

A classic sign of body language and love is if he keeps touching you while having a conversation. He may put his hands on yours or touch your arm several times. However, pay a lot of attention if he puts his hand on your shoulder. This can be a sign that he would like to go even further because the movement is similar to that if he cups your breast.

Dilated Pupils

While he is talking to you, pay close attention to his eyes. If his eyes begin to dilate, this is a classic sign of being into you because they will do this in order to take in more information. In addition, notice the color of his cheeks. If he starts to glow, this is also a sign of attraction because the blood starts moving faster and the cheeks begin to take on a rosy look.

There are plenty of body language indicators of love if you just know where to look and pay attention as you do so.

The Language of Texting

The Language of texting has become a world full of abbreviations and acronyms, three letter's making up entire concepts. This is something the military has done for years. Let's look at some military acronyms and you can see that the difference is very small.

CONUS stands for continental united states, GMT stands for Greenwich Mean Time, REF is short for reference and ETA is estimated time of arrival. There are tons more, but these are some of the big ones.

In the civilian world, this has become a way of life. A whole new lingo if you will. So what are some of the pro's and con's of texting? Well, let's look at the con's first.

Some say it makes for a faceless world. A world where emotions are not emotiocons or (happy faces, sad faces etc) and this has taken the place of regular writing and adding exclamation points or question marks.

Maybe this is why very soon, cursive is no longer going to be taught as a way of writing the English Language, it's all going to be three, four, five letter acronyms on a cell phone or keyboard.

On the Pro side of texting, some say its a great way to communicate because you can "think" about your response, you can also send massive responses to groups of people for special occasions and reminders, and in my case, send in your order at Subway while my wife is on line to get a sandwich.

It's also a quiet way to communicate in the movies or in a place where you should not be talking. Of course

being in places like church or synagogue is not recommended to text back and forth, but if there is a semi-emergency, texting can be a good thing in extreme cases, when you cannot leave right away.

So what do we have with texting. Shorter words, sentences dumped into letters, gestures and characters making up a feeling and maybe punctuation. Punctuation should always be used in any form, as it does give a good meaning to the text message. Pauses, comma's, periods, exclamations and so forth, gives a tone to your text. What you do not want to do when texting, is use a tone, that is read wrong at the other end.

Unfortunately this happens way too often.

So, without controversy, the debate of the usefulness of texting and the Language of texting remains. But really, is there going to be a debate. I cannot fathom the fact that in just a few years, texting has become popular. I honestly thought it would die out, laterally, who likes typing anyway?

Do not teenagers love to talk on the phone, at least that is what we thought. Well, the movement of texting had caught me by surprise. In one way, it is ruining good solid English in our younger generation, on the other hand, with computers, this is the wave for the future.

The question is, technology or proper use of prepositional phrases? What do you think is more important. To me, they seem to be at war with one another. To others, they seem to go hand in hand, and yet, to others, texting seems to work for all nationalities, bringing in the tower of babel per say, and we all know what happened in that story.

Do not get me wrong, texting has its good points, but a good old fashioned cup of coffee, talking to friends, co workers, or family, face to face, beats any text, any day, hands down.

Online Spanish Language Course

Anyone can learn to speak Spanish. There are different online Spanish Language courses available and you can enroll in a course that will teach you to learn and read Spanish fast and easy.

Good online Spanish Language courses have intensive audio programs that guide students in the various aspects of the Language such as grammar and vocabulary. In the beginning you will be taught basic vocabulary and correct sentence structure. Later on, you will be taught more complex words and phrases. They also have drills and exercises that help students retain and fully understand lessons. By the end of your chosen course, you will be able to construct sentences and use them in the right situations. This means you will be able to communicate effectively in Spanish with anyone.

What's best about online Spanish Language Courses is they allow students to study the language anywhere they please. It also means they can continue their studies even if they have to travel. You can also study at your own time and move forward at your own pace. You can also supplement the online course with lessons from other materials. This will make the lesson more personalized. In the end, taking an online course can be cheaper and more effective than taking classes.

The downside is, unlike in a class, you won't have that many people to converse in Spanish with, unless of course, other members of your family or your work colleagues speak Spanish.

Many online courses are interactive and provide quizzes and exercises so you can practice. If you combine these exercises with practice, you will learn to speak Spanish in no time. You can practice by reading, watching and listening to Spanish materials. There are many materials available in the market such as dictionaries, audio tapes, magazines, Books and others.

Who Invented Sign Language?

Sign Language does not have an actual creator but instead has evolved over time with influences from different cultures. Many countries have their own versions, just like verbal Language has evolved into different dialects depending on the region. While early man was probably the first to use basic signs and gestures to convey meaning, several people have been credited for refining particular versions of their country's signing language.

France:

Juan Pablo de Bonet published the first sign language Book in 1620 which contained a manual alphabet system. The pictures of hands in the Book formed shapes which represented various speech sounds. De Bonet based his Book on the writings of Girolamo Cardano, an Italian physician who invented a code to teach the deaf. Cardano's work had gone unused; however, until De Bonet published his work. Up until then, deaf people were assumed to be slow and incapable of rational thought, but as sign language became popular, the deaf were able to communicate and become functional members of society.

Abbe Charles Michel de L'Epee founded the first free public school in Paris for the deaf in 1755 and taught using a standard sign language he created. L'Epee observed deaf children from all over the country when they came to attend his school, and piecing together their many variations of signing, he created his standard language system using finger-spelling, gestures, and hand signs. L'Epee's standard eventually became the recognized French sign language and is used in France and all over Europe.

America:

American Sign Language is derived from French signing due to a European named Laurent Clerc opening the first American school for the deaf in Hartford, Connecticut in 1817. Clerc taught French signing in Europe and was brought to America by Thomas Hopkins Gallaudet. Together they opened the school, and when children from around the country attended, the children brought their own versions. Combining the children's rural variations and Clerc's French signing, the American Sign Language was born.

Some people argue that the large deaf community of Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts had the greatest influence on American signing. Hereditary deafness became prevalent in the 17th century which caused the community to develop its own brand of signing. Children from this community then attended Clerc's school and brought this version of signing. The Martha Vineyard's version has been traced to County Kent in the South of England where it was used in woodland areas.

The one unifying theme of all formal sign language development seems to be founding a school and bringing together children from all regions of a country to establish the unified language. However, when deaf children are not taught a formal version, they will make up their own signs at home with similar patterns and structures to the standard versions.

How to Decode Body Language - Shy Men

Would you like to understand the body Language of shy men?

Recognize that shy men may have more trouble making eye contact than outgoing people. Looking down more often at the floor is common.

Another component of the body Language of shy men is related to this. Perhaps a shy man will make eye contact intermittently. For example, he may make eye contact briefly, then look away for moment when trying to think of the next thing to say.

The common tendency of the person he is talking to is to also look away in the same direction, as if trying to figure out what he is looking at!

He is not looking at anything! It may simply be harder for the shy man to gather his thoughts quickly, and he may look away in order to concentrate on what he is going to say next. Your best course of action is to maintain a very steady eye contact, and don't be distracted if he looks away for a moment.

This is a common experience in the TV courtroom of Judge Judy. She will frequently say to a plaintiff, "Don't look over there, look at me!" The reason she does this is that she wants to look into the eyes of someone to determine if he is being honest.

But you are not in a courtroom. You are having a hopefully pleasant conversation with someone. So you should not get distracted if a shy guy you're talking to does not make constant eye contact, at least not at first.

You simply need to know how to decode body language of shy men.

The simple fact is, that you have to overcome some shyness yourself in order to talk to the shy guy. This is because shyness is "catching." What this means is that being around a shy person can sometimes make you feel a little shy yourself, just as being around an angry person can make you feel upset or being around a depressed person can make you feel depressed.

Also, be sure to remember the other person's name! It is easy to forget someone's name after only one conversation, but it definitely helps express interest in another person if you can address him by name the next time you see him.

We all feel shyness at times, so it is good for all of us to examine ourselves and to work at overcoming our own shyness as well.

Pascal Programming Language

Pascal programming Language was created in late 1960s by a Swiss computer scientist Niklaus Wirth. It is based on the ALGOL programming Language and named after the French mathematician Blaise Pascal. Initially, it was intended to teach computer programming because it encourages structured programming and using data structures. This is how the famous "hello world" program looks like:Program HelloWorld (Output);
begin
Writeln ('Hello, world!');
end.

Definitions for data types and structures are simple and clear. Language provides an orthogonal and recursive approach to data structures. You can declare arrays of arrays (multidimensional arrays), arrays of records, records containing arrays, file elements can be records, arrays, records containing arrays of records, etc. Some examples:
Type

TDay = 1..31;
TMonth = 1..12;
SimpleArray = Array [1..1000] of Integer;
2D_Array = Array [1..1000, 0..3] of Real;
Friend = (Barbara, Alice, Rebecca, Laura);

DateType = Record
Day: TDay;
Month: TMonth;
Year: Integer;
end;

Var Birthday: Array [Friend] of DateType;
The first major milestone in Pascal history was Turbo Pascal. Based on the compiler written by Anders Hejlsberg, the product was licensed to Borland, and integrated into an IDE. It was also available on the CP/M platform, but the biggest success Borland achieved with Turbo Pascal for DOS. Borland continued the tradition of successful Pascal compilers with Delphi. Delphi is a visual rapid application development environment using Object Pascal as programming Language. There is also an open-source compiler available: Free Pascal. It is a 32 and 64-bit compiler for various processors like Intel x86, Amd64, PowerPC, Sparc and ARM. Pascal is also used for development of embedded systems. Compilers are available for microcontrollers like 8051, AVR and ARM.

In 1983 the language was standardized as IEC/ISO 7185. In 1990 an extended standard was created as ISO/IEC 10206. The ISO Pascal is somehow limited because it lacks some features like strings and units. The most known and used syntax is the Borland Turbo Pascal syntax which added necessary features to fill the gaps in the ISO standard. There is also a derivative of Turbo Pascal known as Object Pascal (used in Borland Delphi) which was designed for object oriented programming.

Today, Pascal is still popular in various areas but not that much it was decades ago. It was replaced mainly with C which is available for almost any platform. Nevertheless, there is still a large community that finds Pascal programming language an excellent choice. It is easy to learn and easy to read. If you give your identifiers meaningful names you can read the program almost like a plain English text. Therefore it is very easy to transfer any algorithm into program. In addition to this the language is not case sensitive which is another step closer to English language.

There are endless debates and comparisons of Pascal and C programming languages. Some favor Pascal, other like C. There is no winner. Both languages are used to describe an algorithm. It is up to the programmer to choose his preferred language.

Body Language and Love: The Silent Connection

What is the connection between body Language and love? Can you tell how someone feels by their body Language? And can you show someone how you feel through yours? Communication between two people is a complex process that involves all our senses. Don't just use conversation to show a guy you care, or to figure out whether he cares for you. Body language and love have an amazing connection and power. Take a look at how you can use this connection in your own life:

Posture and body position.

Just the way you hold your body when you're around the one you love says a lot. Your body tends to lean in toward the other person. Your body space diminishes. While you may normally have a large body comfort zone, you can't get close enough to someone you love. And when there is anger or hurt between partners, the surest sign is found in the sudden distance between their two bodies. People in love even unconsciously mimic each others' body position; e.g., crossing their legs in the same direction or touching their face at the same time. The connection between body language and love is found in every line of your body when you are with the man you love.

Touch.

A touch between two lovers can be as light as a brush of fingers against a cheek, or it can be as passionate as the deepest kiss. Your earliest love connection is found in your sense of touch. Before your other senses even fully developed, you recognized and craved your parents' gentle touch. Too often, adults forget to touch except when their touching has a sexual intent -- too bad. Recent research has found that the more you kiss your partner, the more intimate you feel. The connection between body language and love is found in each touch that passes between you and the man you love.

Eye contact.

If you really want to know what someone is feeling, just look into his eyes. The expression in a person's eyes and the amount of eye contact he displays provide universal emotional clues. The more casual a relationship, the less people look into each others' eyes, and, conversely, the more deeply and lengthily you look at someone eye to eye, the deeper the undercurrent of emotion that lies between you. The connection between body language and love is found in the deep concentration of the loving gazes you exchange with the man you love.

Facial expression.

In addition to your eyes, the rest of your face also speaks to that silent connection between you. Your smile, in particular, conveys the warmth you feel when in a loved one's presence. A happy expression is also relaxed and looser, without frown lines and pinched lips. We have all heard the expression: "Her face lighted up when he walked in the room." If you've ever seen it happen, you know that it's true. Maybe it's all the endorphins your body releases when you're around someone you're attracted to, but your face does seem to glow. The connection between body language and love is found in the beaming and relaxed face of the man you love.

Now that you understand how body language communicates love, be more aware of what your own body is saying. The silent connection between body language and love creates powerful opportunities for true communication with the ones you love.

Cognitive-Academic Language Proficiency

Separating achievement and Language as distinct psychological constructs allows us to contrast the learning situation of majority Language (children in the U.S. who already know English) and minority language children in school. While majority language children have the single objective of mastering academic content (math, social studies, science, reading, etc.) in school, language minority children have two objectives they must meet to be academically successful.

Like majority language children, they must master academic content; but unlike children in the majority, they must also learn the language of instruction at school. Bilingual instruction allows these children and youth to keep up academically while they take the time needed to master English.

Also, in the course of developing children's knowledge of school subjects, bilingual education provides background knowledge that serves as a context for children to better understand the presentation of new academic subject matter in the second language and also helps them make inferences about the meaning of new words and grammatical structures they encounter in the new language.

An alternative to the BICS/CALP (Basic Interpersonal Communication Skills/Cognitive-Academic Language Proficiency) distinction was introduced by Kellie Rolstad and Jeff MacSwan in an effort to avoid some of these pitfalls. They argued that once children have learned English sufficiently well to understand content through all-English instruction, they have developed second-language instructional competence (SLIC). Unlike CALP, SLIC does not apply to native-language development and does not ascribe any special status to the language of school.

Also, while CALP appears to equate cognitive and academic development, SLIC simply denotes the stage of second-language development in which the learner is able to understand instruction and perform grade-level school activities using the second language alone, in the local educational setting. Children who have not yet developed SLIC are not considered cognitively less developed; they simply have not yet learned enough of the second language to effectively learn through it.

The SLIC concept thus avoids the implication that a child is deficient and still allows us to stress the need for children to continue to receive interesting, cognitively challenging instruction that they can understand during the time needed to achieve second-language competence. There is little doubt that James Cummins's BICS/CALP theory has been a useful tool for practitioners in assessing where their students are in their linguistic development. At base, however, the construct remains a theory with little empirical evidence of its existence.

This does not invalidate the contribution; several other important theories have remained unproven while serving as important bases on which to build additional research. Nonetheless, while critics have applauded the original intent of the BICS/CALP distinction, they have argued that certain refinements are needed to avoid some unintended negative consequences. By distinguishing between academic achievement and language ability and between first- and second-language development in school-aged children, we might be better able to characterize the language situation of linguistic minorities and their achievement in school.

7 Language Learning Tips

Learning a foreign Language can be a daunting task. But when we break it down, it's really a numbers game. How much time you are putting into it and how many words do you know? In most cases, you will require a few hundred hours of study time and overall 2000-3000 words of active vocabulary to be conversational with any hope of one day being actually fluent.
Once you learn it to that point, it pretty much becomes self-sustaining, if you maintain it and continue to use it.

This sounds like too difficult a task for someone who casually says "hey i'd like to learn spanish!" but the reality is, you can learn to speak a Language at a daily conversation level much more quickly if you apply a few additional techniques to
supplement your Language method or class. You can be functional with a lot fewer words and you can significantly reduce the number of hours necessary to learn the foundation of the Language.

Flashcards Pound for pound the single best and most efficient use of your time when learning a language. Ten
seconds of free time becomes a quick quiz - whip card number one out of your pocket "what is the spanish word for ... food? comida? flip the card over ... correct!" Two minutes is a major review session. Look at it this way - if you spent ten seconds on one word, for two minutes - that's twelve words in two minutes. Twelve words a day for five days a week is 3000 words in one year. All the words you need to be conversational in just two minutes a day. That doesn't account for grammar and pronunciation, but still - one year to learn all the vocabulary you need. Don't say you don't have time to learn a language. Remember this the next time you are on line at the bank or the grocery store, doctors office, waiting at a red light etc.

Read Once you have some basic understanding of the language, get some reading material. Here's the important part - something you are interested in. If you're into gardening then get a magazine or print out an online article on gardening in your target language. You'll be learning vocabulary and phrases that really interest you, and that will help you pick it up that much quicker.

Audio If your language method doesn't have an audio component then get one. If it does then get another one
anyway. Hearing the language is the most important aspect of learning if you intend to speak it. Give yourself opportunities
to use it during otherwise non-productive times like while driving or just relaxing.

Internet Radio Following the above advice, give yourself more (and free!) opportunities to hear your new language. Radio can expose you to new vocabulary and fresh content daily. Don't overdo it with your one audio cd. Mix up your audio with other sources, and constantly changing ones like music and internet news broadcasts from other countries. The more sources you have to hear from, the better.

Daily Contact This is probably the cardinal rule when it comes to learning languages. You must expose yourself to the language every day if possible. Studying ten minutes a day is better than cramming for an hour once or twice a week. Frequent review, even if only a few minutes, is essential. This is true for maintaining a language after you have learned it too. Long periods off are deadly.

Penpals Use the power of the internet to hook up with other people around the world who speak the language you are learning. They can help you immeasurably. You can help them with English and they can help you with your target language. There are plenty of free sites and forums to find people who will be happy to work with you.

Study With Others Studying and practicing with other people can give you instant feedback and interactivity that
you just can't get from a Book or even audio or software. Even if you only know very little, you will absorb it quicker and with more enjoyment than just studying alone. Ultimately, that's the purpose of learning a foreign language anyway - to
communicate with other people.

So, try applying some different techniques to your language learning regimen. You will probably find that you can add a few
techniques without requiring any more time from your already overtaxed schedule. You may find that you can actually use
less time studying as you streamline your learning process. Learn to learn more effectively and remember to keep your eye
on the goal whether you put a number on it or not.

What is the Easiest Language to Learn?

Did you ever wonder what the easiest Language to learn is? Maybe you are looking to learn another Language and haven't decided on which one. You don't want to get bogged down in something too difficult and you'd like a (relatively) easy time of it.

There are a lot of factors that make a Language easy or hard to learn. The factor with the greatest impact is what your native Language is - the language you grew up speaking. This will always effect how you learn languages. Other factors are - whether you have to learn a new alphabet or writing system, new grammar rules and strange new sounds to make.

It's really a combination of the actual characteristics of the language you want to learn and your own personal experience and learning skills. But if the majority of people agree that one language is easiest to learn, then it probably is. I have a survey on my website and most people seem to choose the easiest language based on what their native language is.

The majority of language learners whose native language is English choose Spanish as the easiest language to learn. Why? For one reason, Spanish is a very regular language. Once you know the rules of pronunciation, you can read almost any Spanish word and pronounce it correctly. And aside for a few new letters (that aren't very difficult), the alphabet is the same.

There are also many cognates between English and Spanish. Much of the vocabulary is familiar, either borrowed from one language to the other, or borrowed from the same source, like Latin.

Another key factor in why people feel that Spanish is easy to learn is the availablity of resources to learn with. The market is flush with products to buy, Books and movies are readily available, and the internet has lots of free resources to use. Combined with the fact that Spanish is one of the most commonly spoken languages in the world, it seems that Spanish is everywhere and is somehow easier to pick up.

There are other candidates for the Easiest Language to Learn such as French, Italian, Dutch and German. Esperanto is a popualar write-in candidate for the easiest language to learn, but Esperanto has an unfair advantage. It is a constructed language, it was designed to be easier to learn. In fact studies have shown that it is four to ten times easier to learn than other languages!

What do you think? Fill out the Easiest Language to Learn Survey and let me know what you think the easiest language to learn is!

Sign Language For Kids - 3 Simple Steps For Successfully Teaching Your Infant Sign Language

While learning sign Language for kids can be both a difficult and challenging endeavor, it can also be very rewarding. Learning to sign and can not only stimulate your babies brain, it can also let them communicate with you well before they are able to verbalize words.

Below I illustrate 3 simple steps to master sign Language for kids or infants.

1 - Use sign Language in context

When teaching baby sign language, it is very important to relate the word to the current situation. I would not recommend introducing any new signs to a baby if they have not seen a particular event in the recent past. One good example might be if you are reading a story to your baby and it has a cat in the story; this would be a perfect time to introduce the sign for cat.

2 - Use motivating signs

Try to use both a combination of practical and motivational signs when you start to introduce infant sign language. While it might seem like a good idea to introduce words like eat, drink or pain, be sure to use some motivational words as well. Some examples of motivational words are ball, teddy bear or play.

3 - Teach other family members or friends the signs

It is very important to show other family members or friends that will have consistent contact with your baby the signs you are trying to teach them. The more often your baby sees the signs and the correct times, the sooner they will learn and begin to sign back. Some childcare facilities are introducing sign language for infants. Be sure to check with your childcare facility if this is an option. If it is, make sure you are on the same page as they are and are using the exact same signs.

Sign language for kids can be a beautiful and fun learning experience for both mom and baby. If you become stressed out while you are trying to teach your baby, they will pick up on this. Just remember to have fun and be patient!

Which is the Easiest Language to Learn? Rating the 14 Most Popular Course Offerings

Which is the best Language to learn? Which is the easiest?

Two different questions, often uttered in the same breath. But that's okay, because there will be only one answer. Whichever Language you wholeheartedly choose to study will be both the best and the easiest. However, here's some help choosing.

The choices.

Here is the Modern Language Association's 2002 list of the most commonly studied Languages at university level in the United States. I have not included ancient languages like Latin, Biblical Hebrew, or Sanskrit, special purposes languages like American Sign Language, or U.S. heritage languages, like Hawaiian or Navajo since the choice of those languages follows a different dynamic:

1. Spanish
2. French
3. German
4. Italian
5. Japanese
6. Chinese
7. Russian
8. Arabic
9. Modern Hebrew
10. Portuguese
11. Korean
12. Vietnamese
13. Hindi/Urdu
14. Swahili

Difficulty, according to Uncle Sam

First, consider some cold facts. The U.S. State Department groups languages for the diplomatic service according to learning difficulty:

Category 1. The "easiest" languages for speakers of English, requiring 600 hours of classwork for minimal proficiency: the Latin and Germanic languages. However, German itself requires a bit more time, 750 hours, because of its complex grammar.

Category 2. Medium, requiring 1100 hours of classwork: Slavic languages, Turkic languages, other Indo-Europeans such as Persian and Hindi, and some non-Indo-Europeans such as Georgian, Hebrew and many African languages. Swahili is ranked easier than the rest, at 900 hours.

Category 3. Difficult, requiring 2200 hours of study: Arabic, Japanese, Korean and the Chinese languages.

Will you get a chance to practice this language?

Now, consider another important factor: accessibility. To be a successful learner you need the chance to hear, read and speak the language in a natural environment. Language learning takes an enormous amount of concentration and repetition, which cannot be done entirely in the classroom. Will you have access to the language where you live, work and travel?

The 14 most popular courses according to a combination of linguistic ease and accessibility.

1. Spanish. Category One. The straightforward grammar is familiar and regular. It is also ubiquitous in the Americas, the only foreign language with a major presence in the insular linguistic environment of the U.S. Chances to speak and hear it abound. It is the overwhelming favorite, accounting for more than fifty percent of language study enrollment in the MLA study.

2. French. Category One. Grammatically complex but not difficult to learn because so many of it's words have entered English. For this vocabulary affinity, it is easy to attain an advanced level, especially in reading. It is a world language, and a motivated learner will find this language on the internet, in films and music.

3. German. Category One Plus. The syntax and grammar rules are complex with noun declensions a major problem. It is the easiest language to begin speaking, with a basic vocabulary akin to English. Abstract, advanced language differs markedly, though, where English opts for Latin terms. It values clear enunciation, so listening comprehension is not difficult.

4. Italian. Category One. It has the same simple grammar rules as Spanish, a familiar vocabulary and the clearest enunciation among Latin languages (along with Romanian). Italian skills are easily transferable to French or Spanish. You might need to go to Italy to practice it, but there are worse things that could happen to you. It is also encountered in the world of opera and classical music.

5. Russian. Category Two. This highly inflected language, with declensions, is fairly difficult to learn. The Cyrillic alphabet is not particularly difficult, however, and once you can read the language, the numerous borrowings from French and other western languages are a pleasant surprise. It is increasingly accessible.

6. Arabic. Category Three. Arabic is spoken in dozens of countries, but the many national dialects can be mutually incomprehensible. It has only three vowels, but includes some consonants that don't exist in English. The alphabet is a formidable obstacle, and good calligraphy is highly valued and difficult to perfect. Vowels are not normally written (except in children's Books) and this can be an obstacle for reading. It is ubiquitous in the Muslim world and opportunities exist to practice it at every level of formality.

7. Portuguese. Category One. One of the most widely spoken languages in the world is often overlooked. It has a familiar Latin grammar and vocabulary, though the phonetics may take some getting used to.

8. Swahili. Category Two Minus. It includes many borrowings from Arabic, Persian, English and French. It is a Bantu language of Central Africa, but has lost the difficult Bantu "tones". The sound system is familiar, and it is written using the Latin alphabet. One major grammatical consideration is the division of nouns into sixteen classes, each with a different prefix. However, the classes are not arbitrary, and are predictable.

9. Hindi/Urdu. Category Two. The Hindustani language, an Indo-European language, includes both Hindi and Urdu. It has an enormous number of consonants and vowels, making distinctions between phonemes that an English speaker will have difficulty hearing. Words often have clipped endings, further complicating comprehension. Hindi uses many Sanskrit loans and Urdu uses many Persian/Arabic loans, meaning that a large vocabulary must be mastered. Hindi uses the phonetically precise Devanagari script, created specifically for the language. Predictably, Urdu's use of a borrowed Persian/Arabic script leads to some approximation in the writing system.

10. Modern Hebrew. Category Two. Revived as a living language during the nineteenth century, it has taken on characteristics of many languages of the Jewish diaspora. The resultant language has become regularized in grammar and syntax, and the vocabulary has absorbed many loan words, especially from Yiddish, English and Arabic. The alphabet has both print and script forms, with five vowels, not normally marked. Vowel marking, or pointing, is quite complex when it does occur. Sounds can be difficult to reproduce in their subtleties and a certain amount of liaison makes listening comprehension problematic. It is not very accessible outside of a religious or Israeli context.

11. Japanese. Category Three. Difficult to learn, as the vocabulary is unfamiliar, and the requirements of the sound system so strict that even the many words that have been borrowed from English, French and German will seem unrecognizable. With three different writing systems, it is forbiddingly difficult to read and write. Also, social constraints may impede useful interaction.

12. Chinese. Category Three. Whether your choice is Mandarin or Cantonese (the MLA survey does not make a distinction, oddly enough). It is the most difficult language on this list. It includes all of the most difficult aspects: unfamiliar phonemes, a large number of tones, an extremely complex writing system, and an equally unfamiliar vocabulary. Personal motivation is absolutely essential to keep the student on track. On the positive side, it is easy to find, since Chinese communities exist throughout the world, and Chinese language media, such as newspapers, films and TV, are present in all these communities.

13. Vietnamese. Category Three. This language belongs to an unfamiliar family of languages, but it does borrow much vocabulary from Chinese (helpful if you already speak Chinese!). It has six tones, and a grammar with an unfamiliar logic. It's not all bleak, however, Vietnamese uses a Latin derived alphabet. The chances of speaking this language are not high, though there are 3 million speakers in the USA.

14. Korean. Category Three. Korean uses an alphabet of 24 symbols, which accurately represent 14 consonants and 10 vowels. However, the language also includes 2000 commonly used Chinese characters for literary writing and formal documents. Speech levels and honorifics complicate the learning of vocabulary, and there is liaison between words, making them hard to distinguish. The grammar is not overly complicated and there are no tones. It borrows many Chinese words, but the language is unrelated to other languages of Asia.

The most important factor of all: personal motivation

The third, most important factor is up to you. The easiest language to learn is the one that you are most motivated to learn, the one you enjoy speaking, the one with the culture that inspires you and the history that touches you spiritually. It is useless to try to learn a language if you are not interested in the people who speak it, since learning a language involves participating in its behaviors and identifying with its people.

So, consider all three factors: motivation, accessibility and linguistic ease, in that order, and come up with the final list yourself. The bad news is that no language is really easy to learn, but the good news is that we humans are hard wired for a great amount of linguistic flexibility, as long as we know how to turn on the learning process. If the rewards and benefits of the language are clear to you, you will be able to get those rusty language synapses sparking in your head and start the words rolling. Bonne chance!

Why Do English and Foreign Language Teachers Really Give Tests?

Why Test?

You know how your learners dread to hear, "Next class we have a test on ..." Why, you can practically hear their groans of displeasure even now. Even teachers hate tests to some degree. There's preparing the test, administering it and then the meager efforts to try to prevent the almost inevitable cheating. It's a cat-and-mouse game of "catch-me-if-you-can". Who's "smarter", the teacher or the learners? So considering the fear and dread that both the learners and teachers have of testing, what is really the role of testing, evaluation and assessment in English Language Teaching? The following are key points in consideration of English and other foreign Language tests.

Did you know that:

o Students learn more in classes that use tests

o The connection between testing and increased learning is well-proven in research

o Students are more motivated in classes that use tests ...

o The classes in which students learn most and for which they study hardest are ones in which they are frequently and thoroughly tested... (Eggan - Kauchak, 1994)

o Students expect to be tested - adult students expect and respect formal testing and are challenged by it... (M. Thompson, 2001)

ASSESSMENT means judging learner's performance by collecting information about it.
There are basically two types of assessment, informal and formal.

INFORMAL ASSESSMENT is when we observe learners to see how well they are doing and then comment on their performance.

FORMAL ASSESSMENT is when we assess learners through tests or exams and give them a grade.

In addition, testing, evaluation and assessment in English and other foreign language teaching can also serve the interests of four distinctive groups; teachers, learners, the administration and parents in the case of young language learners.

FOR TEACHERS:

Testing, evaluation and assessment in English and other foreign language teaching can serve the interests of teachers in at least three major aspects:

- Evaluation of teaching and didactic methods

- Evaluation of learner language competencies

- Teacher accountability to the administration and parents: i.e., are objectives being met?

FOR LEARNERS:

Testing, evaluation and assessment in English and other foreign language teaching can serve the interests of learners in three principal aspects:

- Demonstrate knowledge

- Diagnostic to point out areas of weakness or inability

- Promote study

There are five key Assessment categories (ref. Cucchiarelli, Panti, Valenti, 2000):

- Placement assessment

- Formative assessment

- Diagnostic assessment

- Summative evaluation

- Self- assessment

In the next part of this article series we'll continue and consider each of these assessment categories in more detail. English and other foreign language teachers, your personal insights, observations, questions and comments on this topic will be greatly appreciated.

Why English Is an Important International Language

Many people ask why English is considered an important international Language in the world?

Why do many people want to learn English? If we want to answer these questions, we can find many things that make English such an important Language and we must learn it. English is one of the main Languages used in commerce and spoken by millions of people around the world. Many people try to learn and speak English to meet their needs in their work. We can find that many Languages are spoken in Europe, but English is the language that many people used to communicate with each other.

Many people around the world could not stand on without learning English. They can't mange their business or communicate with their clients without learning English. So that English is a global language that everyone should learn it as possible as he could.

Learning English and master its skills of reading, writing and speaking will help you succeed in your business and get your work well. You can contact your clients and communicate with them any time in an easy and active way.

You will never need to a translator to help you get in touch with your clients and help you to know what is going on. You will be able to contact your clients and mange your business without confusing. English is spoken by the majority of recognized democracies in the world, so knowing English can play into the role of political freedom in some countries.

English language enables you to get in touch with the latest world information and commercial news around the world. If you didn't start learning English yet, you should now start to learn it as possible as you can. You can learn it in an easy and active way on the internet. Learning English online becomes the most famous way to start learning immediately.

With the knowledge and skills that English offers, you will be able to understand more about the world around you as events occur. You will be able to see English television shows and hear radio shows with more insight to the stories and culture of those involved.

Why Language is Important

Imagine for just a moment that we developed a system of auditory symbols that also had visual conterparts, and let's say for example, that there was an auditory symbol that sounded like this: "ahh." This same symbol had a visual representation associated with it that we could reproduce for our eyes, and it looked like: "A." Furthermore, we all agreed that we would use this set of symbols according to a set of basic rules, whereby we could use them independently or in various combinations to express concepts and ideas. Finally, we agreed that the sole purpose of these symbols was so that we could share our thoughts with others, and conversely, that they could share their thoughts with us. Well, that is Language.

Language is the currency with we exchange ideas; thus, Language is the single, greatest skill an individual can, and should, master.

Language is complex and constantly evolving. There are over a quarter of a million words in the English language alone! Even this number excludes the roots and derivatives of words. Mastering a quality set of vocabulary to the point that we can always articulate what we want to communicate is a journey that will take most of us a lifetime. It is estimated that most people average between 12,000 to 20,000 words in their vocabularies, with college graduates learning about 20 percent more. But, language is much more than just words.

Words are not just representations of "things" that are concrete. Words are much more powerful that that when in the hands of we humans. Indeed, we have the propensity to want to talk about "things" that are abstract, intangible, unthought of and not even in existence. We humans like to talk about everything, and as you know, we're a gregarious lot!

That means words have to be able to convey anything and everything that the human mind can conceive. I am sure that your mind, like mine, is always talking, thinking, mulling, worrying, viewing the past-present-future, and fiddling with a multitude of ideas all at once. So, we are always finding ways to use our basic building blocks for language, words, to convey to others what is going on inside our "always turned on" minds.

Language is the fabric that allows cultures, with their shared sets of values, customs and history, to exist. It's the "glue" that holds societies together and allows for mankind to evolve, grow and prosper.

Language is also, at the end of the day, a mirror that allows us to understand what we are thinking and shed some light on who we are as individuals.

Language is the key that unlocks our mind.

Mandarin Or Spanish As a Second Language?

Learning a new Language is an exciting prospect. There may be a number of reasons why you may want to learn a new Language, such as for better employment prospects, for travel interests, etc.

If you are interested in learning a second Language but can not decide which one then read on as I will recommend two languages with many benefits.

Often people will decide which language they want to learn by the places to want to visit, and Spanish has been one of the most popular second languages for native English speakers. Native Spanish countries offer amazing holidays with different climates, delicious food, delightful scenery, and vibrant culture.

However in the wake of the increasing presence of China in the world Mandarin Chinese has become a highly demanded second language. Typically this has been from people of business who wish to develop good working relations with their Chinese business partners. But personal demand for Mandarin tuition has also increased, with rising popularity and prospects of travelling and working in Mainland China.

Which Language Should You Choose?

Here are a few facts and benefits about learning Mandarin Chinese and Spanish. Let us begin with Spanish.

Spanish is the native language of over 30 countries, by far the most widespread language besides English. There are over 500,000,000 speakers of Spanish globally, this includes native speakers and those as a foreign language. Over 85% of these are native speakers.
Spanish speaking countries have some of the most amazing travel prospects in the world. Spain, Mexico,
Morocco, Peru, Costa Rica, Cuba are all countries with thriving tourism and attracts millions of visitors each year.
Spanish culture is vibrant, something very contrasting to cultures in English speaking countries.
Spanish cuisine is unique and delicious.

So now you know some of what becomes open to you when you learn Spanish, let us take a look at what learning Mandarin Chinese can offer.

Mandarin Chinese is the official language of the Peoples Republic of China. It has a population of 1.3 billion people of which over 85% speak Mandarin Chinese as their mother tongue making Mandarin the most widely spoken language in the world.
China is fast becoming a superpower economically, this offers many business, employment and cultural exchange opportunities now and even more in the future.
China is a vast country with an ancient history (over 5,000 years of continuous civilisation) and unique heritage of art, philosophy, cuisine amongst many other things.
Chinese culture is vast and vibrant, each region has its specialities which differ completely from anywhere else.
Learning Mandarin is an investment in yourself. China is set to become the major player in the world economically, this is hard to doubt simply due to the size of the population. With the ability to speak Mandarin you are opening up lots of opportunity for yourself to travel, work, and experience China. And it represents the ability to communicate with over a billion people of the world!

So to summarize, there are benefits to learning both these languages. Which one you decide to learn is completely down to your preferences and interests. In my opinion Spanish is a language for a wider variety of travel over greater areas of the globe, but Mandarin is something which will give you better prospects for the future on top if that is what you are looking for.

If you are still not sure which language you want to learn then it is time to research some more. There are a variety of online courses available online for both Spanish and Mandarin Chinese. Spanish courses have been around for a long time but one really stands out - Rocket Spanish. Rocket Languages also offer Rocket Chinese which is also a great online course for learning to speak Mandarin Chinese.

Approachable Body Language

When we enter a room, our body Language makes the first impact than anything that we say. Therefore, appearing approachable can help us in our professional, romantic and social spheres of life. The art of reading the body Language of others as well as maintaining our own goes a long way in creating that all-important first impression.

Positive Approaches:

Use Open Body Language: Look at people in the eye when they speak, and lean forward to indicate interest. Face them with your arms uncrossed, and smile sincerely. However, if someone projects a closed body Language, it is a sign that you should give him or her space.

Make Eye Contact: When you meet someone, it is crucial that you make eye contact. When an individual refuses to make eye contact, it shows lack of self-confidence and trustworthiness. However, do not sustain contact for more than three seconds, as it could be perceived as staring.

Dress Appropriately: Depending on the group you are interacting with, make an effort to dress accordingly. Maintain a polished appearance and dress neutrally.

Facial Expressions: Try to show genuine emotions and transition from one expression to the other gradually. Sudden transitions can throw off your acquaintance and make people around you uncomfortable.

Show an Interest in Other People: Everyone likes to talk about him or herself. A good way to indicate an interest in other people is to ask them questions about their lives, interests and passions.

Converse Smartly: When talking in a group, avoid provocative topics. Let the conversation flow around more neutral and common topics. Do not isolate any individual by talking about a topic they are not aware of.

The above guidelines will help you appear more approachable. Most important of all, keep your emotions and intentions genuine and maintain a positive outlook throughout the meeting.