etymology (n) an account of the origins and the developments in meaning of a word.
Concise Oxford Dictionary.

Once limited to blasphemy, ‘bad language’ has evolved over many thousands of years to represent both the lowest and the highest forms of human expression. Such words can cause the greatest offence if used casually and repeatedly, at an inappropriate time or place, or in the wrong company. Yet often, a well-timed swear-word can make people laugh. Among friends, almost any word might be considered acceptable, while even the mildest of curses might be distressing if heard coming from the mouth of a child. Even something as simple as the type of voice a person has can affect how the word is received. Should a British Royal swear it might be considered witty, while the exact same phrase coming from an East-end garage mechanic might be interpreted as crude and base. And words that might once have been commonplace are nowadays considered entirely unacceptable.

Two nations divided by a common language.
Oscar Wilde.

With swearing, context is everything. Words that are in common use in the UK are indecipherable to American ears, and vice versa. It takes more than just a simple ‘bloody’ (a corruption of ‘By your Lady’, a religious exclamation from the Middle Ages’) to swear like a Brit. Most British swear-words have a history longer than that of the United States itself, evolving out of even older European languages such as Norse, High German and Latin (hence British phrases like ‘a stream of Anglo-Saxon’ or, most commonly, ‘pardon my French’). For instance, the word ‘ass’ in American-English, meaning buttocks or anus, evolved from the British word ‘arse’. Before WW1, people in southern English would pronounce the word ‘ass’, meaning donkey, with a long ‘a’, making it indistinguishable from ‘arse’ in spoken English. Considered only moderately vulgar in the UK, it can be put to a number of different, often contradictory uses… The phrase ‘can’t be arsed’ signifies apathy or a lack of enthusiasm, yet to ‘get your arse in gear’ means to become organised or to ‘hurry up. ‘Arse over tit’/'tip’, ‘arse over apex’, ‘arse up’ or ‘arse about’ are all phrases which describe a spectacular prattfall or clumsy action. The word ‘prattfall’, incidentally, also means ‘arse over tit’; ‘pratt’ being an old word for ‘arse’ that has come to lose its meaning over the years. The word ‘pratt’ is still, however, used to this day to mean a fool. A ‘Smart arse’ (signifying someone who is too clever for their own good) can be used either affectionately or to cause offence, while ‘Silly arse’ merely means a fool. To ‘arse about’ can also mean to play the fool. A ‘short-arse’, however, is someone with short legs.

A less-offensive term for ‘posterior’ in the UK is ‘bum’, which in America might referred to as ‘butt’. It made its first appearance in around the 14th Century, and was put to good use by Shakespeare: In Measure for Measure, Escalus asks Pompey what his second name is. ‘Bum, Sir’ replies Pompey. To which Escalus replies ‘Troth, and your bum is the greatest thing about you; so that in the beastliest sense you are Pompey the Great.’ (They don’t tell ‘em like that any more – thank goodness). However, in America the word as a noun has come to means tramp or hobo, while as a verb to mean ‘scrounge’ or borrow’.

Just for fun, one of my classic favourites Two Ronnies Swear Box

Source www.bbc.co.uk

Mobile users who speak a different language

Text messaging has now got its own dictionary to help new users, writes Jonathan Lambeth

If u wan2 undRst& tXt m$ges thN IMO u nEd a SMS DXNRE or no1 will think ur c%l. nuf Z.

If you didn’t understand the introduction, help is at hand. Genie, the mobile internet arm of mobile operator BT Cellnet, has put together the SMS DXNRE (that’s a text messaging dictionary, in case you’re not in the loop) which contains more than 300 examples of the new shorthand.

Text messaging, or SMS (short message service), is a new mobile phone language which has rapidly become one of Britain’s favourite pastimes. Walk along any high street, and you will find yourself surrounded by people giggling at their mobile phones as they receive the tenth text message of the day from their best friend.
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As the keypad of a mobile phone is difficult to navigate, text message groupies have developed a shorthand to make life a bit easier, as our table shows.

Marco Miranda, a 20-year-old barman chosen by Genie to edit the dictionary, said: “Text messaging has become the language of the ‘tech-rich, time-poor’ youth.”

Using the shorthand, it is possible to cut up to 50pc of the letters needed to write a sentence. Many of the terms originated in email and internet chat rooms, particularly the use of punctuation such as :*) which means drunk.

John Simpson, chief editor of the Oxford English Dictionary (OED), said: “Language is often tied in with social and cultural developments. It would be unusual for these terms to become part of the language, particularly for symbols to be incorporated into words. However, these terms are used in e-mail as well, so they might have more of a lifespan than we expect.”

He said a large number of commonly used words are already shortened versions of their original forms, such as OK, which has been around since 1839. However, the OED would need to see evidence of wider usage of the text message shorthand terms before they could be considered for inclusion.

If you are still confused by the introduction, here’s the translation: “If you want to understand text messages then in my opinion you need a short message service dictionary or no-one will think you are cool. Enough said.”

Source www.telegraph.co.uk

Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults (CELTA)
Teaching English to speakers of other languages can be a highly rewarding career, offering you the chance to live and work abroad. You will need an internationally recognised teaching qualification, and CELTA — highly regarded throughout the world — gives you the skills you need and will make it easier to get a teaching job anywhere.

What is CELTA?
CELTA is an initial qualification for people with little or no previous teaching experience and opens up a whole world of exciting teaching opportunities. Because it is awarded by Cambridge ESOL, part of the world-famous University of Cambridge, you can rely on its quality and recognition.

CELTA can also be taken as Module One of the Certificate in Further Education Teaching Stage 3 with the Certificate for ESOL Subject Specialists, which is a qualification for teachers who want to specialise in teaching English in Further, Adult and Community Education in England and Wales.

Over 10,000 people successfully complete a CELTA course each year.

How does CELTA relate to TEFL/TESOL?
‘TEFL’ or ‘TESOL’ are terms often used to describe qualifications for English Language teachers. CELTA, the best known and most widely taken initial TESOL/TEFL qualification of its kind in the world, was previously known as CTEFLA and the ‘RSA certificate’.

Who is CELTA for?
People starting a career in English Language teaching

You may be considering a career in English Language teaching and view CELTA as an entry into a good teaching position in another country, or you may be a graduate wanting a qualification that provides a sound basis in the fundamentals of language teaching practice and gives you the confidence to take control in the classroom.

People looking for a career change or career break

Increasingly, CELTA candidates are professionals either looking for a new career opportunity or wanting a short break in their existing career. Many seek the exciting opportunities of living and working abroad. Whether you wish to teach English for the short or long term, CELTA gives you the training you need to help you adjust to a dynamic and challenging new profession.

People teaching English without formal qualifications

CELTA can also be a useful qualification for teachers who have little previous formal training. CELTA sharpens your teaching practice, confirms your ability, and may even lead to internal promotion or a better teaching job.

People who want to work in Further, Adult and Community Education in England and Wales

CELTA is also Module One of a 2 module course leading to the following qualifications:

Certificate in Further Education Teaching at Stage 3
Certificate for ESOL Subject Specialists
These qualifications meet the UK government’s teacher training requirements for people who want to work in this sector.

What does CELTA involve?
You can take CELTA full time (typically four to five weeks), or part time (from a few months to over a year). Your chosen course:

teaches you the principles of effective teaching
provides a range of practical skills for teaching English to adult learners
gives you hands-on teaching practice
builds your confidence.
There are five main units of learning:

Learners and teachers, and the teaching and learning context
Language analysis and awareness
Language skills: reading, listening, speaking and writing
Planning and resources for different contexts
Developing teaching skills and professionalism.
You will be assessed throughout the course, with no final examination. An external assessor, appointed by Cambridge ESOL, moderates each course. There are two components of assessment:

Teaching practice

You will teach for a total of 6 hours, working with classes at two levels of ability. Assessment is based on your overall performance at the end of the 6 hours.

Written assignments

You will complete four written assignments: one focusing on adult learning; one on the language system of English; one on language skills; and one on classroom teaching.

To be awarded the certificate you must pass both components. There are three grades — Pass, Pass ‘B’ and Pass ‘A’.

Who recognises CELTA?
CELTA is accepted throughout the world by organisations which employ English Language teachers. The Cambridge CELTA has been accredited by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) at Level 4 on the National Qualifications Framework. Cambridge ESOL also works with international ELT organisations to ensure the acceptance of CELTA globally.

Am I eligible to apply?
Ideally you should:

have a standard of education equivalent to that required for entry into higher education
be aged 20 or over
have a standard of English which will enable you to teach at a range of levels.
Centres may still accept you if you do not have formal qualifications at this level but can demonstrate that you would be likely to complete the course successfully. Some centres may, at their discretion, accept applicants aged between 18 and 20.

How do I apply?
CELTA courses are designed by individual centres, based on specifications produced by Cambridge ESOL. They are available at over 286 approved centres in 54 countries, providing almost 900 CELTA courses every year.

Myngle

What is Myngle?

Myngle is the global language e-learning marketplace, where teachers and students from all over the world myngle, understand each other better and have fun – as they learn new languages and cultures. Myngle offers a solution by providing students and teachers in different locations with a complete online language instruction platform, containing all the tools needed for synchronous e-learning.

Myngle is ……..

……..FREE for students and teachers to sign-up and will provide an online environment for live one-to-one classes for basically any language and level from any type of teacher. You can choose your own teacher or student depending on your specific needs, availability and price! If you are a student you can try out a demo lesson with your selected teacher before you have to pay anything.

……..whether you are a complete beginner or require advanced conversational practice, Myngle will have a solution for you. And you can have or give these language classes from the comfort of your home at the times when you desire. Whether 1 evening class one week and 3 morning classes the following weeks, you decide! There will be no more need to find a native speaker near your home location and no more traveling time. No need for a classroom any more. Myngle also eliminates the need for face-to-face interaction between students and teachers.

The platform will be offered in 2 complementary models; MyngleMarket and MyngleTowns;

• MyngleMarket will be an open and free market exchange, where any skilled teacher will be selling language lessons (and related materials) to prospective students.
• MyngleTowns will be entities offering good quality foreign language education that meet a certain minimum quality standard. These could be schools offering their own content or groups of teachers who share the same methodology and pedagogical approach.

Myngle is unique……..

……..because it offers a complete proposal including e-learning tools, feedback mechanisms, and a community environment. Myngle changes the world of foreign language instruction from the traditional offline model to an interactive, fun and efficient online medium.

How Myngle can make the world a better place……..

…….. besides the fact that we believe Myngle is an excellent business model, we are convinced we have an excellent opportunity to make the world a better place.

First, since culture and language are so intricately connected, when students learn a new language, they also learn precious elements of its culture. We feel very strongly that this process will improve the understanding among people – at different levels.

Second, our business model is to a large extent based on giving people in the developing world the opportunity and the tools they will need to teach their native languages to students in rich countries. This outsourcing does not have an impact on jobs in the rich world, since the supply is not there to begin with, but can have a positive impact on the global income inequality.