Salvador Sabral’s victory for Portugal in the Eurovision Song Contest this year is the first time that a non-English Eurovision song has won the coveted crown since 2007. Salvador performed Amar Pelos Dois (Love For Both) at the Grand Final in Kiev to an enraptured crowd. One of the most interesting elements of the singer’s performance was that the bossa nova was entirely in Portuguese, written and composed by his sister. Continue reading
The English language has spread around the world so dramatically since the Second World War that there are now more non-native English speakers than native English speakers. The number of English speakers has risen from 400 million to 1.5 billion over the past 70 years. English dominates many conversations between speakers of other languages, simply because it is the only language many people have in common. But will the dominance of English fade after Brexit? Continue reading
The celebrations will start soon to mark the European Day of Languages! This annual event is all about celebrating other cultures through language learning.
Since the Council of Europe in Strasbourg initiated the special day in 2001, the European Day of Languages has been celebrated every year on 26th September and throughout the week with a range of events organised across Europe.
From international conferences and TV programmes to language clubs, games, talks and home celebrations, everyone can get involved – teachers, students, universities, schools and individuals.
Decorate your house with flags, cook up some tasty food, open your phrase books and check out the special events taking place near you as we get ready for this multi-cultural and multi-lingual day! Continue reading
