As languages develop and change, students need to learn these innovations but also benefit from learning the foundations as well. Abbreviations used in text messages are becoming more prevalent, so the need for proper education in languages is becoming more important. Text lingo has its detractors, such as journalist John Humphrys, who has said this new way of communicating is ‘wrecking our language.’ The ambiguity of text speak can be illustrated by the abbreviation LOL, which can mean ‘lots of love’ or ‘laugh out loud.’ This is a prime example of how important traditional education is in the fast-paced world of language development.

A good language teacher will be able to combine tried and tested methods with more modern approaches to learning. As well as taking part in classroom learning, students can discover more about how their chosen language is changing by reading contemporary books. The vocabulary and sentence structure can be compared with novels from earlier periods, to understand how the language has developed over the centuries.

As well as reading, foreign language students should watch current TV shows. Thanks to the internet, you don’t even need to be in the country itself to tune in to local programmes. However, by taking classes in the mother country, such as taking English courses in London, you will get a much better feel for how the language is developing by being amongst local people. Schools like UIC London offer a range of English courses as well as European and Asian languages too.

Via EPR Network
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