Are you learning French in a Canadian context? Do you work with clients or colleagues in Quebec? In this episode, Roxane and Britta  talk about how the French language is used in Quebec, including topics like politeness and formality, what to expect at a 5 à 7, and some unique Quebec vocabulary. Join us, and practice your French listening skills, because this episode is in French!

This week, the guest host is Roxane St-Hilaire.  Roxane is pedagogical advisor at ACA, and she is also a French as a second language instructor. Roxane. She is finishing her masters degree in second language didactics and she’s interested in the use of technology in class, the development of intercultural competence and intergenerational relationships.

In this episode, Britta and Roxane discuss an expression in French, se faire passer un sapin. Do you know what it means and how to use it? Listen to find out! 

Visit us at lesbonsmots.ca to check out our blog and language learning videos, or reach out to us at ACA to discuss your language learning needs. 

Are you learning a language? It is a rewarding project, and one that takes time and effort. How do you stay motivated through the learning process? In this episode, our guest Corinna Mitchell-Beaudin shares her own language learning journey, and offers great advice about how to stay focused and motivated through all parts of the language learning process. 

Corinna Mitchell-Beaudin is an Executive Vice President and Chief Risk Officer at Farm Credit Canada. In this position, leads the team accountable for overseeing the management of enterprise, credit, market and operational risks at FCC. She has held a number of executive positions at FCC. Corinna has a bachelor of administration degree from the University of Regina, and she is a Chartered Professional Accountant, Chartered Accountant and a CFA Charterholder.

Our expression this week is staying the course. Do you know what it means and how to use it? Listen to find out!

Visit us at lesbonsmots.ca to check out our blog and language learning videos, or reach out to us at ACA to discuss your language learning needs. 

Whenever we learn something new like a language, making mistakes is part of the process. What is the difference between a mistake and an error in language learning? How do language teachers help learners correct their mistakes? Why don’t the people around us correct us when we make a mistake? Join Britta and Kelsey as they discuss these questions, and offer advice and suggestions to help us make the most out of our mistakes. Language teachers may also be interested to learn more about the effectiveness of different types of feedback in the language classroom. 

This week, our guest host is Kelsey Ulrich-Verslycken.  Kelsey fell in love with teaching English in 2013 when she moved to South Korea to teach English as a Foreign Language. Since then, she has worked as a teacher, a curriculum developer, an editor for EFL textbooks, and an assistant professor of English at a university in Seoul, completed her MA in Applied Linguistics, and is currently working with ACA and pursuing her PhD in Applied Language and Discourse Studies at Carleton University in Ottawa.

In our weekly recommendations, 

• Kelsey recommends forgiving yourself for making mistakes in the language you are learning. Try not to listen to your inner critic. 
• Britta recommends setting your digital assistant to communicate in the language you are learning. This will help you check your comprehensibility and pronunciation. Hola Siri! Bonjour Alexa!

Come check out our website, at lesbonsmots.ca. You can see our language learning videos, and read our blog posts on news, culture and language learning. We will also have our episode transcript available there. We’d love to hear from you at lesbonsmots@lesateliers.ca. 

Here is some of the research we used in preparing the episode, if you want to read more about the research behind error correction: 

Li, Shaofeng. (2010). The Effectiveness of Corrective Feedback in SLA: A Meta‐Analysis. Language Learning. 60. 309 - 365. 

Lyster, R. and Saito, K. (2010) Interactional feedback as instructional input: A synthesis of classroom SLA research.  Language, Interaction and Acquisition, 1(2),  276 - 297

Mai, Zhou. (2009). Cooperative Principle in Oral English Teaching. International Education Studies. 2.

Nassaji, H. Anniversary article Interactional feedback in second language teaching and learning: A synthesis and analysis of current research. Language Teaching Research 20(4)

Sheen, Y. (2006). Exploring the relationship between characteristics of recasts and

learner uptake. Language Teaching Research 10, 361–392.

English and French have thousands of words in common - how can you tell which words have the same meaning in both languages, and which ones are false friends, words which look or sound the same, but have different meanings? Join Britta and Kimberly as they explore some of the similarities, and deceptive differences, between English and French. This week’s episode tackles verb tenses, parts of speech, and some essential business vocabulary! 

This week’s guest host is Kimberly Lamontagne. Kimberly studied psychology at Bishop’s University, and is originally from Baie-Comeau. She’s been part of the ACA team for the past three years. Her bilingual background has made her passionate about the topic of false friends. 

You can find visuals for this episode on Facebook, linked here. 

In this episode: 

Kimberly recommends the Great British Baking Show (also called the Great British Bake Off)  in order to learn some of the cooking terms which come into English from French. 

Britta recommends using the long winter nights to pursue your language learning, either with an evening class, or by pursuing one of your hobbies in the language you’re learning. If you’re interested in taking evening classes with ACA, you can find out more here. 

Come check out our website, at lesbonsmots.ca. You can see our language learning videos, and read our blog posts on news, culture and language learning. We will also have our episode transcript available there. We’d love to hear from you at lesbonsmots@lesateliers.ca. 

Welcome to Season Two of Les Bons Mots! Join Britta and Taylor for a discussion of the business of language learning. How do successful organizations approach language training? Why does ACA invest in our instructors and our own made-in-Quebec curriculum? How has language training changed in the last decade, and what is next for language education and for ACA? 

This week’s guest host, Taylor ireland, is the president of ACA. Before he became president of ACA in 2009, Taylor travelled the world, worked as a second language instructor and studied finance. Find out how his experiences have shaped how ACA operates today. 

In this week’s episode, Taylor recommends the following resources for accessing business news in English: 

Business Insider

Inc. Magazine

CBC News | The National - CBC.ca

For those who would like to practice their English with a good comedy, Britta recommends the series Kim’s convenience, about a Korean-Canadian family living in Toronto. Taylor is planning to binge another great CBC series, Schitt’s Creek

Kim's Convenience - CBC.ca

Schitt's Creek - CBC.ca

Come check out our website, at lesbonsmots.ca. You can see our language learning videos, and read our blog posts on news, culture and language learning. We will also have our episode transcript available there. We’d love to hear from you at lesbonsmots@lesateliers.ca. 

Explore language teaching with the Les Bons Mots Team, and get to know the creative team behind this project! What are some of the classroom activities we love to use? What challenges do our students face? What is our best language-learning advice, and what has teaching languages taught us? 

This week’s guest hosts are Lauren McIntosh and Nathan Elliott. Lauren has been teaching since 2014 and has taught English as a Second Language for the last three years.  She has a Master's degree in Linguistics from UWO and has recently finished her Ph.D. on communicative disorders in Alzheimer's Disease. Nathan has a Ph.D. in English Literature and has worked as a professor in Georgia in the US, on the island of Newfoundland, and in Montreal. Nathan has published creative non-fiction, fiction, research, and performed with the Montréal storytelling group Confabulation. Both Lauren and Nathan are part of the teaching team at ACA.

In this episode: 

Lauren recommends The Good Place, a charming comedy that she and her students use for present perfect practice. 

Nathan recommends the book Say Nothing by Patrick Radden Keefe, and if you are in the mood to hear colloquial English, the classic animated series The Simpsons.

Come check out our website, at lesbonsmots.ca. You can see our language learning videos, and read our blog posts on news, culture and language learning. We will also have our episode transcript available there. We’d love to hear from you at lesbonsmots@lesateliers.ca. 

Do you attend meetings in French, or do you hope to attend them soon? Our French instructors and guest hosts Zoé Moamadi and Nicole Wirtz are here to help you, with some useful phrases to help you people who are learning French to participate in meetings. This week’s minisode is in French! 

Our guest hosts this week are Zoé Moamadi and Nicole Wirtz. Zoé has a master’s degree in visual arts from University Mark Bloch in Strasbourg, France, and has taught French to adults and teens. Nicole is from Belgium, and she has master’s degrees in sociology and adult education. She has taught French in private, university, and government contexts. Both Zoé and Nicole are French teachers at ACA. 

In our weekly vocabulary section, we look at a false friend, the verb rester/rest. Learn the difference between these words in English and French! 

Come check out our website, at lesbonsmots.ca. You can see our language learning videos, and read our blog posts on news, culture and language learning. We’d love to hear from you at lesbonsmots@lesateliers.ca. 

Are you learning French and intrigued by all of the differences between English and French? Our French language instructors, Nicole Wirtz and Zoe Moamadi, break down some of the key differences that students of French encounter. Join us, and practice your French listening skills, because this is the first French language episode of Les Bons Mots! 

Our guest hosts this week are Zoé Moamadi and Nicole Wirtz. Zoé has a master’s degree in visual arts from University Mark Bloch in Strasbourg, France, and has taught French to adults and teens. Nicole is from Belgium, and she has master’s degrees in sociology and adult education. She has taught French in private, university, and government contexts. Both Zoé and Nicole are French teachers at ACA. 

This week, Nicole recommends practicing your listening skills by watching short videos like Hélène se promène. Zoé recommends listening to Sympathique by Pink Martini, a fun song to practice your vocabulary and listening to. 

Come check out our website, at lesbonsmots.ca. You can see our language learning videos, and read our blog posts on news, culture and language learning. We’d love to hear from you at lesbonsmots@lesateliers.ca. 

Is that vegetable a courgette or zucchini? Are you looking for the lav or the restroom? Join Britta and Jeff as they discuss  regional varieties of English and the differences in some essential categories such as greetings, thank yous, washrooms, food and clothing.

This week's guest host is Jeffrey Smale. Jeffrey is a member of the teaching team at ACA, and since obtaining his CELTA teaching certificate has taught in Brazil and Quebec. He has learned some Russian, Bulgarian, German, Chinese, and more Portuguese, and is now learning French.

If you're interested in learning more about regional differences within Canada, here is a fun series of infographics which show some of the variety of Canadian English. 

For our vocabulary of the week, we look at the phrasal verb, “to wash up.” It's used differently in different parts of the English-speaking world!

You can find our blogs, videos and episode transcripts at lesbonsmots.ca Do you have questions or ideas for future episodes? Would you like to know more about language learning at ACA? We’d love to hear from you! You can reach us by email at lesbonsmots@lesateliers.ca.

Join Britta and Jeff as they discuss bilingualism, an important subject in the world of language learning. What does it mean to be bilingual? What are some of the misconceptions about bilingualism? They also discuss the physiological, social and financial benefits of bilingualism! 

Jeffrey Smale is a member of the teaching team at ACA, and since obtaining his CELTA teaching certificate has taught in Brazil and Quebec. He has learned some Russian, Bulgarian, German, Chinese, Portuguese and also French. 

In preparing this episode, we used information from a number of sources:

Bilingualism and Multilingualism by Jean-Marc Dewaele

Statistics Canada Linguistic diversity and multilingualism in Canadian homes:https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/as-sa/98-200-x/2016010/98-200-x2016010-eng.cfm

CBC https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/census-wednesday-language-1.4231213

BBC:https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20160811-the-amazing-benefits-of-being-bilingual#:~:text=He's%20right.,language%20%E2%80%93%20South%20Africa%20has%2011.

Francois Grosjean: https://www.francoisgrosjean.ch/myths_en.html

Economic Advantages of Bilingualism (Canada): https://www.caslt.org/files/learn-languages/pch-bilingualism-lit-review-final-en.pdf

Psychology Today; https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/hide-and-seek/201807/beyond-words-the-benefits-being-bilingual

This week, Jeff recommends lyricstraining.com for a fun way to practice listening using music. Britta recommends trying a crossword puzzle to practice English vocabulary and general knowledge too! Here are some puzzles for different levels of English learner: 

Beginner and intermediate crossword puzzles for language learners: 

https://www.esolcourses.com/content/exercises/crosswords/crossword.html

http://iteslj.org/cw/

https://games.usatoday.com/games/easy-crossword/

Advanced crossword puzzles: 

https://www.nytimes.com/crosswords

Come check out our website, at lesbonsmots.ca. You can see our language learning videos, and read our blog posts on news, culture and language learning. We will also have our episode transcript available there. We’d love to hear from you at lesbonsmots@lesateliers.ca. 

Join Britta and Chris to discuss how we can use technology to optimize language learning. Our hosts also provide you with suggestions for many great websites and apps (including ACA’s own online learning platform, Mindi) you can use to build your skills in many different languages. 

This week's guest host is Chris Ashton. Chris is an ESL Teacher at ACA and also a Psychology teacher at an English-speaking college in Quebec City, where he gives lectures on the development of language and first language acquisition. 

In the show, we discussed a lot of resources - here they are! 

ACA's online learning platform, Mindi

For reading, vocabulary and listening practice: Breaking News English,  News in Levels and CBC Learning English

For writing and grammar, take a  look at university websites: Gallaudet University, the Purdue Online Writing Lab and the University of Victoria ELC Study Zone

For pronunciation in many languages: Speechling

For general practice and vocabulary: Duolingo and Memrise

For better translation: Linguee For phrasal verbs, https:Using English

Other reputable sources for language practice: Frantastique (for French) , BBC Learning English (for English) 

For our vocabulary of the week, we look at the expression “to get down to business.” 

You can find our blogs, videos and episode transcripts at lesbonsmots.ca Do you have questions or ideas for future episodes? Would you like to know more about language learning at ACA? We’d love to hear from you! You can reach us by email at lesbonsmots@lesateliers.ca.

Join Britta and Chris as they talk about the stressful parts of language learning. What makes learning a language so stressful? What can we do as language learners (or language teachers) to reduce language-learning anxiety? Our hosts explore these questions in detail, and provide practical advice for ways to make language learning a positive, motivating experience.

This week's guest host is Chris Ashton. Chris is an ESL Teacher at ACA and also a Psychology teacher at an English-speaking college in Quebec City, where he gives lectures on the development of language and first language acquisition. 

In the show, we discussed 

• the sociocultural theory of language learning. Bonny Norton’s article Identity and Language Learning: Back to the Future was a useful resource in preparing for this episode. Alan Firth and Johannes Wagner are often referenced as pioneers of this theory as well, particularly their article On Discourse, Communication, and (Some) Fundamental Concepts in SLA Research
• Life in Pieces, Chris’ recommendation for a comedy featuring short segments which are great for listening practice. 
• Britta has been learning French by watching Le Meilleur Pâtissier and recommends it for other French learners who love cooking! 

Come check out our website, at lesbonsmots.ca. You can see our language learning videos, and read our blog posts on news, culture and language learning. We will also have our episode transcript available there. We’d love to hear from you at lesbonsmots@lesateliers.ca. 

Are you working on making your English pronunciation sound more natural? When you listen to people speaking English, does it seem like they are speaking too quickly? If you answered yes to either of these questions, this episode is for you. Learn about how words in spoken English are connected. In this episode, Britta and Clémence discuss how some sounds change, appear, or even disappear when people speak English. They also share practical tips on how to understand spoken English, and how to use connected speech to improve your English pronunciation. 

This episode’s guest host is Clémence Grison. Clémence is part of the teaching team at ACA, and has a bachelor’s degree in English literature along with a master's degree in English studies, and a master's degree in journalism. She’s taught ESL in France and Quebec, and has a deep understanding of the difficulties of mastering pronunciation in a second language.  

Our expression this week is to speak out of turn. Listen to find out what this expression means, and some of the situations where you can use it. 

Do you want to read more about connected speech? Here are a few articles for further information: 

• Connected Speech (teachingenglish.org) 
• 5 Features of Connected Speech (eslbase.com) 

Visit us at lesbonsmots.ca to check out our blog and language learning videos, or reach out to us at ACA to discuss your language learning needs. 

Join Britta and Johnson to tackle some of the key questions language learners have about verb tenses. From the challenge of choosing the correct auxiliary verb and  the difficulties of learning irregular verbs and phrasal verbs to learning the infamous subjunctive, Britta and Johnson offer practical advice to anyone struggling to talk about time in a new language.

This week's guest host is Johnson Bresnick. Johnson is the Director of Learning & Development at ACA, and has worked at ACA since 2011. He has also taught ESL and had extensive experience in curriculum development. He has a background in Linguistics and is researching acquisition of grammar in second language learners. 

In the show, Britta mentions some mnemonic devices to remember the auxiliary verbs used in the passé composé in French. Here are links to a couple of examples. 

https://www.frenchcircles.ca/dr-mrs-vandertramp/

https://acupoffrench.com/french-grammar/auxiliary-verb-etre/

You can find our blogs, videos and episode transcripts at lesbonsmots.ca Do you have questions or ideas for future episodes? Would you like to know more about language learning at ACA? We’d love to hear from you! You can reach us by email at lesbonsmots@lesateliers.ca. 

Join Britta and Johnson as they talk about verb tenses, and specifically, the present perfect. What makes this tense challenging?  When is  it appropriate to use it? We take a deep dive into this tricky verb tense. Our hosts discuss some tips to help you gain confidence in using this verb tense.

This week's guest host is Johnson Bresnick. Johnson is the Director of Learning & Development at ACA, and has worked at ACA since 2011. He has also taught ESL and had extensive experience in curriculum development. He has a background in Linguistics and is researching acquisition of grammar in second language learners.  

In the show: 

• Johnson recommends a good courtroom drama to practice the present perfect and other tenses, such as The Good Wife. 
• Britta recommends Duolingo, an app for language practice. It’s free, and offers a fun way to build your vocabulary and language skills. 

Come check out our website, at lesbonsmots.ca. You can see Lauren’s video covering the use of the simple past and present perfect tenses, and read Nathan’s blog posts on news, culture and language learning. We will also have our episode transcript available there. We’d love to hear from you at lesbonsmots@lesateliers.ca. 

Join Britta and Clémence as they answer some common questions about pronunciation and discuss strategies for improving pronunciation, no matter what language you are learning! They talk about learning how to produce new sounds, how to practice them, what minimal pairs are, and more!

This week's guest is Clémence Grison. Clémence is part of the teaching team at ACA, and has a bachelor’s degree in english literature along with a master's degree in English studies, and a master's degree in journalism. She’s taught ESL in France and Quebec, and has a deep understanding of the difficulties of mastering pronunciation in a second language. 

You can find our blogs, videos and episode transcripts at lesbonsmots.ca. Do you have questions or ideas for future episodes? We’d love to hear from you! You can reach us by email at lesbonsmots@lesateliers.ca. 

Join Britta and Clémence as they talk about pronunciation! What makes pronunciation so difficult? How important is it? How can you improve your pronunciation? Our language teachers offer you information and advice to help you improve your pronunciation as you learn languages. This week’s episode takes a dive into English and French pronunciation.

This week's guest is Clémence Grison. Clémence is part of the teaching team at ACA, and has a bachelor’s degree in english literature along with a master's degree in English studies, and a master's degree in journalism. She’s taught ESL in France and Quebec, and has a deep understanding of the difficulties of mastering pronunciation in a second language. 

In the show: 

• We mention Gretel Kahn’s essay for CBC about her accent, and how her feelings about it changed. You can read or listen to it here. 
• Clémence recommends Likewise, a website and app which offers suggestions for everything from books and movies to restaurants and places. She likes it because the recommendations come from other users, not an algorithm. Check it out here. 
• Britta recommends Ted.com, a website that offers videos with excellent support for language learners. You can watch videos on thousands of topics from experts around the world and use subtitles in many languages as well as interactive transcripts to improve your understanding. 

Come check out our website, at lesbonsmots.ca. You can see Lauren’s video on the “th” sound, one of the trickiest sounds in English, and read Nathan’s blog posts on news, culture and language learning. We will also have our episode transcript available there. We’d love to hear from you at lesbonsmots@lesateliers.ca. 

Why are you  learning another language? Is it for fun? For love? For professional reasons? There are a lot of reasons people choose to learn a language, and a lot of benefits to be gained from the experience. In this episode, our guest is Pierre-William Plante, a Solutions Specialist at Coveo. If you want practical advice about how to improve your language skills, and why it is worth the effort, this episode is for you! 

Pierre-William talks about his experience learning English, primarily as an adult, and some of the expected (and unexpected) benefits that come from working in your second language. He also shares practical advice for how to improve your second language in formal and informal ways, and even offers some tips about making small talk in English. 

Our expression this week is the icing on the cake. Do you know what it means and how to use it? Listen and find out, and hear what the equivalent expression is in French! 

Visit us at lesbonsmots.ca to check out our blog and language learning videos, or reach out to us at ACA to discuss your language learning needs. 

Are you looking for a new position? Are you going to be interviewed either fully or partially in English? This week Jenni and Britta talk about what kind of questions you can expect to hear in an English-language job interview, and how to answer them. They share advice about answering wildcard questions, which verb tenses to use, key vocabulary to highlight your skills, and how to prepare for success before the interview even starts. This episode is essential listening for job seekers! 

This week’s guest host is Jenni Campbell. Jenni has a Human Ecology degree from the University of Manitoba and a language certificate from the University of Laval. She has been with ACA for ten years, and has extensive experience doing curriculum development.  She also does hiring and recruiting for ACA here in Quebec and across Canada.

Our phrasal verb of the week is take on - do you know how to use this phrasal verb to talk about employment? Listen and find out! 

Visit us at lesbonsmots.ca to check out our blog and language learning videos, or reach out to us at ACA to discuss your language learning needs. 

Welcome back to season three of Les Bons Mots!

Have you ever lived in a second language environment or been immersed in one? Do you increasingly use your second language at work? This experience is the focus of the first episode of season 3 of Les Bons Mots.  In this episode, we are excited to speak to David Thibodeau, who is a radio producer for CBC/Radio-Canada, Canada’s national broadcaster. He talks about what it has been like for him and his family to move from Gatineau, Quebec to Vancouver, British Columbia - from a French-speaking environment to an English-speaking one. 

David talks about how his confidence in using English has increased, how he has improved his language skills, and shares some advice for anyone who is considering a move to a second-language environment, or looking to use their second language more than before. 

Our phrasal verb of the week is pick up - do you know how to use this phrasal verb to talk about learning? Listen and find out! 

Visit us at lesbonsmots.ca to check out our blog and language learning videos, or reach out to us at ACA to discuss your language learning needs. 

Is it there, their or they’re? Why is the verb tear pronounced differently than the tears we cry? Do I have to pronounce the ‘b’ in doubt? English and French are full of words that sound the same, but have different meanings, words that are written the same, but have different pronunciations, and silent letters! In this week’s episode, Britta and Clémence help you to understand some of the homophones, heteronyms and silent letters that can be challenging for language learners. 

This week’s guest host is Clémence Grison. Clémence is part of the teaching team at ACA, and has a bachelor’s degree in english literature along with a master's degree in English studies, and a master's degree in journalism. She’s taught ESL in France and Quebec, and has a deep understanding of the difficulties of mastering pronunciation in a second language.  

In this episode: 

Clémence recommends a podcast called Word Bomb, which is a deep exploration of a different English word in each episode. The words they choose are important and timely, and they go beyond the dictionary to contextual them. 

Britta recommends the highly entertaining book about the English language, The Mother Tongue: English and How it Got that Way, by Bill Bryson. If you are curious about how English became the language it is today, a lot of the answers may be found in the history of the language, and this book is anything but dry. 

Did you know that the preferred term for policeman is police officer? A postman is now a mail carrier, and a stewardess is a flight attendant. If a fireman is now a firefighter, is a fisherman a fisherfighter? Join Britta and Johnson in the second episode on our series on the evolution of English. They discuss the naming of professions through the ages, and how the names for different jobs are evolving as the workforce changes and becomes more inclusive.

This week, our guest host is Johnson Bresnick. Johnson is the Director of Learning & Development at ACA, and has worked at ACA since 2011. He has also taught ESL and had extensive experience in curriculum development. He has a  background in Linguistics and is researching acquisition of grammar in second language learners.

In this episode: 

Comedy is a great way to engage with the language you are learning, and this week, Johnson recommends the Baroness von Sketch show. It features four amazing women and comedy which approaches awkward, everyday situations with humour. Here’s a link to one of their sketches so you can give it a try! 

Britta recommends the History Chicks podcast, where two women discuss the lives of important women throughout history in an engaging that is anything but dry. They provide a nuanced view of their subjects, correct misconceptions, and do it an entertaining way.  

Did you know there are three ways to pronounce the -ed ending in English? Does thinking about syllable stress and word stress make you feel...stressed? This week, Britta and Clémence demystify some of the mysteries of English and French pronunciation, and help you to make yourself understood when speaking these languages. This episode is essential listening for language learners! 

This week’s guest host is Clémence Grison. Clémence is part of the teaching team at ACA, and has a bachelor’s degree in english literature along with a master's degree in English studies, and a master's degree in journalism. She’s taught ESL in France and Quebec, and has a deep understanding of the difficulties of mastering pronunciation in a second language.  

In this week’s episode: 

Clémence suggests searching out video of Steve Ballmer’s “Developers!” chant for a fun way to remember the syllable stress on that word! Also, Season 10, episode 13 of Friends features Joey "learning" to speak French, with comic results. For another fun example of syllable and word stress, check out the scene from My Fair Lady, where Eliza Dolittle masters the phrase, “The rain in Spain falls mainly on the plain.” 

This week, Clémence recommends The History of Swear Words, though only for adult listeners! It’s an interesting and well-researched program about the history of swear words in English. 

Britta recommends two great language resources for people learning French in Canada. The Banque de dépannage linguistique and the Grand dictionnaire terminologique provide excellent definitions, explanations, and usage examples focused on how French is used in Quebec. 

Sharent, deepfake, slow-walk… are any of these words new to you?  One of the most enjoyable parts of learning a language is learning new vocabulary we can use in our daily lives, at work and at home. Every year, more new words are added to English language dictionaries as well! Join Britta and Johnson as they discuss these new words, which reflect world events, social movements, and what people are saying on social media or in the business world. 

This week, our guest host is Johnson Bresnick. Johnson is the Director of Learning & Development at ACA, and has worked at ACA since 2011. He has also taught ESL and had extensive experience in curriculum development. He has a  background in Linguistics and is researching acquisition of grammar in second language learners.

In this episode: 

We discuss new words added to the Oxford English Dictionary (OED). The BBC has an article on some of the additions to the OED as well.  Some of the new additions the the Merriam Webster Dictionary can be found here. Reader’s Digest magazine also covered some of the funnier words of the year. 

When we talk about deepfakes, Johnson mentions a deepfake produced by Channel 4 in the UK to raise awareness of this phenomenon, and starring… the Queen? 

Johnson recommends the Collins Cobuild Dictionary, a great dictionary for English language learners.  Britta recommends exploring social media in the language you are learning so that you can stay up to day with new words in the language you are learning.