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No idea what cuzzies, sweet as, wop-wops or wuss mean? Kiwi slang classes at Wellington Central library have been helping migrants tackle these kinds of words, without being too hard out.

Observations on British and American English by an American linguist in the UK. "England and America are two countries separated by a common language." - George Bernard Shaw (Blog)

Observations on British and American English by an American linguist in the UK. "England and America are two countries separated by a common language." - George Bernard Shaw (Blog)

A funny look at racial and ethnic stereotypes

A funny look at racial and ethnic stereotypes

More and more, English is a global language; speaking it is perceived as a sign of being modern. But - what do we lose when we leave behind our mother tongues? Suzanne Talhouk makes an impassioned case to love your own language, and to cherish what it can express that no other language can. In Arabic with subtitles. (Filmed at TEDxBeirut.)

More and more, English is a global language; speaking it is perceived as a sign of being modern. But - what do we lose when we leave behind our mother tongues? Suzanne Talhouk makes an impassioned case to love your own language, and to cherish what it can express that no other language can. In Arabic with subtitles. (Filmed at TEDxBeirut.)

Meri Nana-Ama Danquah left Ghana at the age of 6 to live in the US. In this essay she examines what it is like to grow up bicultural.

Eric Liu is an Asian American: "I never asked to be white. I am not literally white. That is, I do not have white skin or white ancestors. I have yellow skin and yellow ancestors, hundreds of generations of them. But like so many other Asian Americans of the second generation, I find myself now the bearer of a strange new status: white, by acclamation."

Eric Liu is an Asian American: "I never asked to be white. I am not literally white. That is, I do not have white skin or white ancestors. I have yellow skin and yellow ancestors, hundreds of generations of them. But like so many other Asian Americans of the second generation, I find myself now the bearer of a strange new status: white, by acclamation."

Eric Liu's essay examines the meaning of assimilation, and what it means to be a "banana", an Asian American who identifies as white.

Who is helped when we refuse to be accurate about rape? Certainly not rape victims. Last week, an Englishman was sentenced to five years in jail for raping a woman while she slept. As the judge put it, "She was a pretty girl who you fancied. You simply could not resist. You had sex with her".

Who is helped when we refuse to be accurate about rape? Certainly not rape victims. Last week, an Englishman was sentenced to five years in jail for raping a woman while she slept. As the judge put it, "She was a pretty girl who you fancied. You simply could not resist. You had sex with her".

This short documentary profiles the last fluent speaker of Wukchumni, a Native American language, and her creation of a comprehensive dictionary.

This short documentary profiles the last fluent speaker of Wukchumni, a Native American language, and her creation of a comprehensive dictionary.