English

Mispronounced in 2024: Kamala, Shein, and the espresso we all got wrong

Most mispronounced words in 2024: Sabrina Carpenter's hit single 'espresso' and VP Kamala Harris leaves public tongue-tied as most mispronounced words in 2024

Lawyers must learn paying proper salaries to youngsters: CJI Chandrachud

Lawyers must learn to pay proper salaries and emoluments to the youngsters who enter their chambers to learn, Chief Justice of India (CJI) D Y Chandrachud has said In an interview with the All India Radio, Chandrachud said the legal profession is a difficult one where the foundation laid in the initial years keeps the young lawyers in good stead throughout their careers. "There are always ups and downs in a profession. Initially, the amount you make at the end of your first month in the legal profession may not be very high," the CJI said. So it is important to encourage the first timers to hang in, put in the hard work, and be sincere in what they do, Chandrachud said. "Equally, our structures must change as well. For instance, lawyers must learn how to pay proper wages, salaries and emoluments to the young lawyers who enter their chambers," he said. "Youngsters come to their chambers to learn. They also have a great deal to share, so it is a two-way process of absorption and sha

Rare first edition of Indian Constitution sold for Rs 48 lakh in auction

The rare edition of Indian Constitution, which contains printed signatures of its makers, including Dr BR Ambedkar, is one of only 1,000 copies made by the Survey of India Offices in Dehradun

Arundhati Roy awarded UK's Pen Pinter Prize for her 'unflinching' writings

Booker Prize-winning author Arundhati Roy, currently facing the threat of prosecution over historic comments on Kashmir 14 years ago, was on Thursday honoured with the prestigious Pen Pinter Prize 2024 for her unflinching and unswerving writings. The prize, established in 2009 by the charity English PEN, defends freedom of expression and celebrates literature in memory of Nobel-Laureate playwright Harold Pinter. Roy expressed her delight at being named this year's winner amid an incomprehensible turn the world is taking. I am delighted to accept the PEN Pinter prize. I wish Harold Pinter were with us today to write about the almost incomprehensible turn the world is taking. Since he isn't, some of us must do our utmost to try to fill his shoes, said 62-year-old Roy. The renowned author, who won the Booker Prize for her debut novel The God of Small Things', was chosen by this year's judges Chair of English PEN Ruth Borthwick; actor and activist Khalid Abdalla; and writer and musici

Fascination with English-medium schools no less than suicide: NCERT chief

NCERT Director D P Saklani has lamented that parents remain fascinated by English-medium schools even though many don't have trained teachers, saying it is "no less than suicide" as government schools now provide quality education. In an interaction with PTI's editors at the agency's headquarters here, the chief of the National Council for Educational Research and Training (NCERT) said the practice of cramming content in English has led to knowledge loss among children and distanced them from their roots and culture. "Parents are obsessed with English-medium schools, they prefer to send their children to such schools even if there are no teachers or they are not trained enough. This is not less than suicide and this why the new (national) education policy has stressed upon teaching in mother tongue," he said. "Why should teaching be matrabhasha adharit (based on mother tongue)? Because till then we will not understand our own mother, our roots, how will we understand anything? And .

English will now be a 'foreign language' in standard 11, 12 in Maharashtra

The subject structure for classes 11 and 12 states that students can choose eight subjects, including two languages, environmental and physical education, and four subjects of their preference

Winter 2024 anime season: Top anime releases to watch this January

The top anime series is going to be released in the winter 2024 season comprising the latest interesting series and sequels this January

Building India's own ChatGPT faces challenge of data on languages

Efforts to build large language models, the backbone of AI chatbots, based on the country's needs are gathering pace

Kannada, English among subjects to be taught in madrasas: CM Siddaramaiah

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday said Kannada and English along with Maths and science will be taught for two years on an experimental basis in the registered madrasas for two years. "Children studying in waqf properties and registered madrasas run by waqf institutions will be taught continuously for two years in Kannada, English, Science, Mathematics on an experimental basis and other subjects and will be made to write SSLC, PUC and graduation exams through National Open Schools. An order has already been issued in this regard," Siddaramaiah wrote on X. The CM made the announcement sharing the message of Revenue Minister Krishna Byre Gowda, according to which, the initiative will be carried out first in 100 madrasas.

BJP calls tribals vanvasi, asks them to shun English: Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said the Bharatiya Janata Party calls the tribals 'vanvasi' instead of 'adivasi' as it does not want them to "dream big". Speaking at a campaign rally here ahead of the second phase of assembly polls in Chhattisgarh, he also hit out at BJP leaders for asking the tribals not to learn English while sending their own children to English-medium schools. "BJP used the term 'vanvasi' (forest-dweller) for adivasis. There is a huge difference between 'vanvasi' and 'adivasi'. You must have seen the video where a BJP leader urinated on a tribal man," the Congress leader said, referring to an incident from the BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh. That incident reflected the BJP's mindset, Gandhi alleged. "The term 'adivasi' has a deep meaning. It expresses your rights to 'jal, jungle, zameen (water, forest, land)'. 'Vanvasi' means those who live in the jungle. The BJP calls you vanvasi, we call you adivasi. The BJP snatches your rights, we give you rights. We h

NEP will address challenges in teaching-learning English: Jitendra Singh

The Technology & Bharatiya Bhasha summit aimed to facilitate a smooth transition from the current education system to one rooted in 'Bharatiya' languages, to better align with the vision of NEP 2020

Rekhta Foundation, British Council foster cross-cultural poetry parallels

Event celebrates similarities between English and Urdu poetry

US citizenship test set to change, to affect those with low English skills

The US citizenship test is being updated, and some immigrants and advocates worry the changes will hurt test-takers with lower levels of English proficiency. The naturalization test is one of the final steps toward citizenship a monthslong process that requires legal permanent residency for years before applying. Many are still shaken after former Republican President Donald Trump's administration changed the test in 2020, making it longer and more difficult to pass. Within months, Democratic President Joe Biden took office and signed an executive order aimed at eliminating barriers to citizenship. In that spirit, the citizenship test was changed back to its previous version, which was last updated in 2008. In December, US authorities said the test was due for an update after 15 years. The new version is expected late next year. US Citizenship and Immigration Services proposes that the new test adds a speaking section to assess English skills. An officer would show photos of ordin

In plain English

Do grammar rules really matter in the diverse and evolving landscape of languages or are grammar purists wrong in judging those with a limited command of the English language?

Gitanjali Aiyar, Doordarshan's legendary voice in English news dies at 71

Gitanjali Aiyar, who lived in Delhi and was one of the first English newsreaders on Indian television, passed away on Wednesday afternoon from a brain haemorrhage. Her career with DD spanned three dec

Jaishankar seeks support to make English 3rd official language of SCO

Jaishankar said that India has initiated an unprecedented engagement with SCO observers and dialogue partners by inviting them to participate in more than 14 social-cultural events

Allow students to write exams in local languages: UGC to universities

The University Grants Commission has asked universities to allow students to write exams in local languages even if the course is offered in English medium, according to Chairman Jagadesh Kumar. It said that higher education institutions play an important role in preparing textbooks and supporting the teaching-learning process in the mother tongue/local languages. The commission stressed that it is necessary to strengthen these efforts and "promote such initiatives as writing textbooks in the mother tongue/local languages and encouraging their use in teaching, including translating standard books from other languages". "Therefore, the commission requests that students in your university be allowed to write the answers in local languages in examinations even if the programme is offered in English medium, and promote translation of original writing in local languages and use local language in the teaching-learning process at universities," it said.

'Need to pay attention to regional languages, no conflict with English'

Acclaimed Hindi writer and International Booker Prize winner Geetanjali Shree feels that there is a need to pay attention to regional languages, which have no conflict with English as a medium of literature. She also emphasised on "direct translation" of various literary works into regional languages. "It is not a debate about English versus others. English is useful for historical reasons. We should not dislike the language. We have to make other languages stronger and must be paying attention to regional ones which are languishing," Shree told PTI at the Spanish pavilion in the 46th International Kolkata Book Fair on Saturday. The 66-year-old writer is the first Indian author to win the prestigious International Booker Prize for her Hindi novel 'Tomb of Sand', a family saga set in northern India about an 80-year-old woman who travels to Pakistan to confront the unresolved trauma of her teenage experiences of Partition and re-evaluates what it means to be a mother, a daughter, a ..

Rewriting the lit fest script

The criticism that Indian literature festivals prioritise English to the detriment of other languages has sparked off much soul-searching among curators

Here's how Oxford zeroes in on its word of the year as people vote for 2022

As OUP leaves the word of the year to a people's vote, here's how the process works