• koi no yokan  - the sense you get when meeting someone that the two of you will fall in love
• bakku-shan – a woman who looks pretty but only from the back
• boketto – to gaze into the distance without thinking
• arigata-meiwaku - when someone does something for you that you didn’t want them to do, and having to express gratitude for the act
• tatemae & honne – what you pretend to believe & what you actually believe

* yoko meshi (literally, a meal eaten sideways) refers to the stress induced by speaking a foreign language!

Can you think of any English words which don’t translate into the language you’re learning?

You’ll find me with a pile of kanelbullar (Swedish cinnamon buns)!

Thirteen year old Arvind Mahankali spelled the word “knaidel” to beat 11 other contestants and go on to win the high profile competition. However, Jewish linguists say that the preferred spelling is actually “kneydl,” which refers to a small amount of unleavened bread, alternatively known as matzo balls.

The competition result will be upheld as the Spelling Bee uses Webster’s Third New International Dictionary, published by Merriam-Webster, as the official spelling of all words used in competition.

Rindfleischetikettierungsueberwachungsaufgabenuebertragungsgesetz (meaning ”law delegating beef label monitoring”) was first introduced in 1999 in the state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania in north west Germany, as the government looked to halt the spread of mad cow disease. The word is no longer in use as European union regulations have changed, and indeed was used so little that it never made the dictionary! Instead, the acronym RkReUAUG was more commonly employed.

The German language is renowned in linguistics for the use of compound words. These are known in German as Bandwurmwoerter (tapeworm words.)

The longest word now in the German dictionary is the 36 letter Kraftfahrzeug-Haftpflichtversicherung, which refers to car liability insurance.

Some letters in German can be substituted for two letters in the absence of a German keyboard, which can make a word longer. These letters are ß (ss), which is no longer in common use in Germany, Ä (ae), Ö (oe), and Ü (ue). Indeed, I have used the longer version in this very text! Bandwurmwoerter can also be Bandwurmwörter.

Watch the trailer below!

The City Council will initially investigate whether it can put the bilingual signs up to highlight local amenities. If this proves successful, Cornish language may appear on future signage.

The decision was taken at a council meeting earlier this month, where a motion was also proposed to investigate the instigation of a Cornish Language Policy.

Truro is the administrative capital of Cornwall and home to the highest number of Cornish speakers in the county. The Councillor is looking to give the city more of a Cornish identity. It is widely agreed that the move will stimulate tourism.

Cornish is protected by government legislation under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages.

Mr Andrews said

“To ensure that the Welsh language thrives in the twenty-first century and that Welsh speakers are fully able to participate as digital citizens, we must make Welsh language technology and digital media readily available.

We cannot allow the Welsh language to be left behind by the latest technologies, and should instead use these digital resources as a way of demonstrating that the language is a relevant, modern, and creative medium.

I am encouraged to see that there is an active community of Welsh speakers who are working hard to develop more Welsh language digital content such as apps, games and digital versions of papurau bro [Welsh language newspapers].”

As someone who didn’t learn anything about grammar at school, (compound sentences, anyone?) these were very helpful to me, even if just to learn what I’m actually applying in my everyday use of the language. My favourite is the homophones game. Some of the games are very basic, but it never hurts to refresh your skills… you might learn something new! Also, knowing how to use correct grammar in your own language is key to learning another language and how it works.

The incorrect sentences in Rebecca’s exam are as follows:

If there is not enough rainfall this month there will be a drought.

As he was the chief of the tribe the final decision was his.

These same sentences had appeared in an earlier part of the exam on grammar – and had featured the commas.

A spokesperson for the government’s Standards and Testing Agency said that using commas in complex sentences is ‘a matter of choice,’ which begs the question, why is it featured on an exam?

London Literature Festival

When? Monday 20 May 2013 – Sunday 8 September 2013

Where? Southbank Centre, London

Highlights include: Launch of this years’ Poems On The Underground, Audrey Niffenegger (The Time Traveller’s Wife) discusses her work as an author, poetry readings from Sylvia Plath’s final manuscript, Ariel. 

Hay Festival

When?  Thursday 23 May – Sunday 2 June 2013

Where? Hay-on-Wye, Wales

Highlights include: Interview with the winner of the International Man Booker Prize 2013, lecture on illustration for the greatest chilren’s writer, Roald Dahl, by Quentin Blake; as well as a host of workshops and readings

Latitude

When?  Thursday 18 July – Sunday 21 July 2013

Where? Southwold, Suffolk

Highlights include: Poets Carol Ann Duffy and Murray Lachlan Young,  and journalist Germaine Greer and screenwriter Jeremy Dyson headline the spoken word and literary stages respectively.

Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Writing Festival

When?  Thursday 18 July – Sunday 21 July 2013

Where? Harrogate

Highlights include: In honour of the 60th anniversary of Ian Fleming’s Casino Royale, 15 authors will be hosting a Bond themed murder mystery dinner; crime writer Ruth Rendell will be interviewed by Jeanette Winterson.

The Telegraph “Ways With Words” Festival

When? Friday 5 July – Monday 15 July 2013

Where? Dartington Hall, Devon

Highlights include: Author Tony Hawks will be discussing the difficulties of transforming books into films; and Tracy Chevalier (Girl With a Pearl Earring) will be lecturing on her new historical novel, The Last Runaway, which was published earlier this year.

Click the links to find out more information and buy tickets!