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Does language shape thought? Like all the best debates, the argument over whether thought controls language or language controls thought is ultimately unprovable.

Some thoughts about the argument put forward by Steels and MacWhinney, in contrast to that put forward by Chomsky and Pinker.

Understanding the language of other people is essential to understanding the culture of that people. It is hard to understand the beliefs, attitudes, values, and world view of a people without understanding their language and the nuances of how that language is used. Imagine you see people go by a certain rock and seemingly walk out of their way to avoid it. Suppose they believe an evil spirit resides there. How could you possibly know that without being able to ask and understand their answer?

A collection of thoughts, comments and articles regarding issues and discussion points that have been raised in the UsingEnglish Forum. Each issue has links to related discussions and polls to be found on our forum so that you can read up on what other people have had to say on these points, and of course you can add your own opinions to any or all of them.

The following Questions are explored in this article: What are tasks? What is the role of a focus on form in language learning tasks? Where do tasks come from? What is the relationship between communicative tasks in the world outside the classroom and pedagogical tasks? What is the relationship between tasks and language focused exercises?

'Striving to make Language and Culture part of the Solution.'

About Cockney Rhyming Slang and a discussion on whether splitting infinitives is wrong.

This service covers free, full text, quality controlled scientific and scholarly journals. We aim to cover all subjects and languages.

The award-winning service of ESL Magazine, the print magazine for English as a second or foreign language educators!

Articles written by Niu Qiang, PhD and Martin Wolff, J.D about English language teaching and learning in China.

A sophisticated phonetic spelling system that can be used to teach the sounds of standard English and foreign languages to native speakers of English.

A guide to forecasting the popularity of the English language in the 21st century. By David Graddol, The British Council

Asian and American Gestures - Body Language and Nonverbal Communication

The Global Language Monitor (GLM) documents, analyzes and tracks trends in language the world over, with a particular emphasis upon Global English.

Electronic Journal of the Department of English at the University of Helsinki

The keyword is the Hindi word “jungle” which is used in preference to the English word “forest.”

Reproduction of The International Phonetic Alphabet (Revised to 1993, Updated 1996)

Our aim is to further research on bilingualism as it occurs in Japan. We also promote mutual support among our members through our bi-monthly newsletter, academic publications, and an active email list. Parents in international marriages, people who communicate in more than one language, and teachers of multilingual students all take advantage of the practical and theoretical information available via our group.

How can it be that a conversation between two Jamaicans needs translating into English? Jamaicans have a language all their own, a language partially based on, but very different from English.

Welcome to the World's #1 Language Education Publication!

The Language and Gender Page provides information and resources about language and gender studies, an interdisciplinary field with connections to anthropology, cultural studies, education, ethnic studies, linguistics, literary studies, psychology, sociology, and women's studies, among others. This page is meant to help students, scholars, and interested laypersons orient themselves to this large and ever-expanding body of work.

Mini-essays about human language in its endless kaleidoscope of aspects, such as the social, the mental, the historical, the structural

The Rhetorica Network offers analysis and commentary about the rhetoric, propaganda, and spin of journalism and politics, including analysis of presidential speeches and election campaigns.

I've noticed that when I do expert work on the meanings of words, courts and attorneys tend to be less impressed with my qualification as a professor of linguistics than with my august -- and let it be said, largely empty -- credential as chair of the usage panel of the American Heritage Dictionary.