The Language Learning Specialists
Nat Kernewek in Kernow When I was back home the other week, I was surprised to see the Cornish language supporters out in force at several major Maytime festivals. Back in the day, you wouldn’t tend to see much Cornish language at a public parade. In fact, back in the day, you could easily come to Cornwall … Read more
We were disappointed recently to find that – somehow – we had missed National Tartan Day. I know! We’ll do better next year. Although you might think National Tartan Day is a Scottish endeavour, it actually stems from North America and seems to have developed into rather a massive Celtic festival. Which leads us to … Read more
It’s Easter, which for some of us means chocolate eggs or hot cross buns, but here at EuroTalk we’re celebrating with another tradition: egg tapping. It’s very simple, so you can do it from home: 1) Boil a load of eggs, one for each participant. 2) Decorate the eggs- This can be done in a … Read more
Last weekend, EuroTalk was in Glasgow for the Language Show Live. And – don’t tell our boss! – we almost didn’t come back. That’s because Glasgow is the best place in the world. Full stop. End of discussion. We loved it, and here are our reasons why: 1) Everyone is enormously friendly I know that … Read more
It’s not often you hear the Cornish language spoken in the streets of London. To be honest, it’s not often you hear it in the streets of Cornwall, although I promise it does happen, if you know where to look. But this weekend was an exception, because Saturday was St Piran’s Day, the national day … Read more
Yes, believe it or not, it’s National Toast Day today. Which got us all thinking, how important can toast possibly be? Turns out, if you look at the English language, it’s pretty important, as are all baked goods to the British mind. We pepper our conversation with references to bread, toast, cake and biscuits on … Read more
‘Some hae meat and canna eat, And some wad eat that want it; But we hae meat and we can eat, Sae the Lord be thankit!’ It’s January 25th, the night that no haggis is safe! Lock up your neeps and tatties, and hide the good whisky. The hungry hordes are on the way! In … Read more
Welcome to my family! My Grandma’s called Minnie, and my Granddad’s called Jack. Except, they’re not really. Because, in English, we have an eccentric tendency to distort names until they no longer resemble the original at all. My Gran’s actually called Mary and my Granddad, of course, is John. Now meet my Uncle Bob, cousins … Read more
Travel around the UK a bit and you’ll find that tea is not just known as ‘tea’: so ubiquitous is it that there are plenty of regional and affectionate names for our favourite drink. A cuppa, a brew, a cup of char, a Rosy Lee (Cockney rhyming slang), a builder’s will all get you the same … Read more
A social dilemma you’re bound to fall into at some point is whether or not to tip – and how much! Tip too little and you risk the waiter chasing you down the street shouting abuse; tip too much and you might gravely offend the staff. Tipping customs vary all over the world, between different countries … Read more