Exploring the Roots and Quirks of English: A Workshop on the Development and Evolution of the English Language

Workshop for Teachers of English

Partly because of its origins, English has one of the largest vocabularies of any language in the world. But how did English develop and where did all the words come from? Why is the spelling often so different from the pronunciation? In this workshop we will look at the way English developed as a language: we will look at the Germanic origins of English and the influence of French, as well as the contribution of other languages. We will look at some of the unusual features of English: why there are so many similar words and synonyms and why English spelling seems to be so illogical. Although not directly concerned with teaching itself, this workshop will give you insight into the language you are teaching and it may also help you deal with some of the questions students ask about English!