The Yorkshire Historical Dictionary has recently been published online by the University of York. The dictionary collects together more than 4,000 Yorkshire terms and is the life-long work of historian Dr George Redmonds, who died aged 82 in August 2018. The Yorkshire dialect dictionary is a fascinating insight into not only the changing vocabulary but also the culture, history and people of the region. Continue reading
There are some words in the English language that famously can’t be rhymed with any other words. These are called refractory rhymes. Some of the words most commonly thought to be without any rhyming partners include: orange, purple, silver, month and circle. But are all these words really without a rhyming friend?
There are actually some obscure words in the English language that do rhyme with these troublesome nouns and adjectives. Read on to find out more about perfect rhymes and discover which crafty words rhyme with the seemingly impossible orange, purple, silver and month. Continue reading
St David’s Day falls on 1st March each year. This special day has been celebrated since the 12th century and although it is not a national holiday in the UK, it is regularly marked with celebrations.
Saint David is the patron saint of Wales and the Feast of St David commemorates the day he died in 589 AD. On Saint David’s Day it is traditional to eat Welsh foods and celebrate Welsh culture.
This is an ideal time to explore all things Welsh in the EFL classroom, introduce students to Welsh culture and learn some new vocabulary. Join us in exploring the Welsh flag, national symbols, language, accent, foods and traditions for a fun St David’s Day EFL lesson! Continue reading
Linguistics experts at Glasgow University and Edinburgh’s Queen Margaret University believe that a natural change is happening in the Scottish accent. It seems that the distinctive Scottish rolled ‘R’ is slowly disappearing as young people soften the letter so much that it has become almost inaudible. The rhotic or tremulant consonants have always been a distinctive part of the Scottish accent but are they going to vanish for good? Continue reading
