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English language learning is everywhere these days: books, classrooms, TV, magazines, Starbucks… and of course, online. To all those out there learning English, you are not alone, and there’s strength in numbers. Tell us what you want, when you want it, and if you want fries with it (well, we can’t do the fries… at least not yet, let me ask the tech people).

English is a relatively young language, but is coming along fast. Though Mandarin is still the most spoken language in the world, English is number 2 or 3, depending on the stats used. But the difference in the number of native speakers and those who’s mastered English as a second language is interesting to note. See here for more details.

If you’ve been learning English for many years and are still frustrated that you can’t speak as well as you want, have no fear - many of us at Englishpod share this experience too (learning everything from German to Arabic). We’ve spent many years studying with books, memorizing vocabulary, and having teachers embarrass us with questions that we can’t answer. However, in the past ten years new approaches to language learning have been developed, and the past 2 or 3 years has seen an explosion in technologies able to help people to take advantage of these new methods.

Take advantage of these new tools! Englishpod is just getting started, as is the whole industry of podcasting. However, we’re adding tools that we think will add to your learning experience and improve the results, and as more people use these new methods and technologies, the better we’ll understand how to help those users.

Good luck, and get learning,

Kris Fedorak/Team Englishpod

“If I have seen further it is by standing upon the shoulders of giants”. In this much cited quotation, Sir Isaac Newton credited his scientific breakthroughs (which included the theory of gravity) to the work of those that had gone before him in the field of science. Fast forward 300 years to the world of podcasting and social media and the same holds true for EnglishPod. We owe much of the credit for our success to the work of pioneers like Adam Curry, Dave Wiener in the field of podcasting, and countless others working in open source technologies and social media. A big thank you to all.

EnglishPod also benefits from a close relative that works in the same business, albeit with a completely different focus - ChinesePod. The ChinesePod service has been around for more than 6 months and has built up a loyal following of Mandarin learners around the world. Spend a little time on the ChinesePod.com website and you will soon see just how much EnglishPod has in common. Good ideas are hard to come by. When we find one we make sure it gets passed around.

ChinesePod has recently been getting a great deal of recognition in the media as a leader in the language podcasting industry. You can read the latest article here published by Slate magazine. Like any good family member, EnglishPod is very, very proud and just a little jealous. Afterall, Mandarin is the language of China, but English is language of international commerce. I think a little bit of rivalry will make things interesting. As they say in hockey “the gloves are off”. Who’s side are you cheering for?

Matt Park / Team EnglishPod

EnglishPod has been going for about 2 months and the results so far have been very encouraging. We have gradually built up a loyal audience of English learners from around the world. And the feedback we have received from our listening audience has help greatly improve the product. Actually, we view EnglishPod as a community where students and teachers can come together and explore a common interest - learning English.

We are using social media like podcasts, blogs and wiki’s to interact with our audience, and provide places where our audience can interact with each other. Sometimes the conversations on our website stay close to the topics presented in our lessons, and other times they go in completely different directions. Regardless, people are discussing, people are communicating, people are learning English, and that is truly something very exciting.

Podcasts and social media will revolutionize the way people learn languages, a notion that has already seen some traction in cyberspace. Search Google or iTunes for “English Podcasts” and you will find a growing list of podcasts to help you learn the language. A few worth mentioning are New York English, English Feed and ELTpodcast. And for those of you interested in learning Mandarin Chinese you can check out ChinesePod

Language training podcasts like EnglishPod are important but they are certainly not the only podcast resources available to English learners. Virtually every major media outlet in the English speaking world has started offering podcasts. You can listen to the news, interviews, documentaries and much, much more. I will blog about some of my favourite podcasts in the next day or two. What English language podcasts do you listen to regularly? How are you using podcasts to improve your English communication skills?

Matt Park / Team EnglishPod

This resource lists many of the common problems that English learners make. I’d recommend you take 10 minutes to read through all the examples.

Tip #3: Create sample sentences!
Your goal, as a language learner, is to develop the ability to communicate in a wide variety of situations. A great way to practice this is to write sample sentences for each of the new words you learn. You should try to use the new word in as many different situations and locations in the sentence as possible. Once you run out of sentences, try Googling the word to find other samples in English language websites. Here are some examples of sample sentences.

New Word: wireless

1) The wireless network is broken.
2) Our office is wireless.
3) I need a product that provides very fast wireless connectivity.

And a Google search reveals lots more sample sentences.

Tip #2: Learn relevant things!
When you are learning English, it is much easier to remember language that is related to your job, life, interests, etc. And, because these things are related to you, they will be far more useful. So, don’t waste time trying to learn words that you will never use, or discussing things that don’t interest you. Instead, focus on what you need or like. You will have far better results.

Here are some suggestions for learning activities that will be highly relevant:

1) See if you can translate your resume into English.
2) Keep a diary in English, and use it to describe your life. You will find you will need to use a dictionary to learn new words, and because these words are related to your life you will remember them better.
3) Regularly read an English language website or blog about one of your hobbies. Because it interests you, you will have greater motivation and better retention of new vocabulary.

If you have any other strategies for relevant learning, I’d love to hear them in the comments section!

We get many e-mails at EnglishPod asking for advice on how to learn English. Over the next few weeks we will publish a series of tips and suggestions to help you learn English effectively.

Tip #1: Use what you learn to communicate!
Communication is not only the purpose of language training, but also a powerful learning technique. Every time you use what you learn for real communication you will improve your fluency and ability to remember words. Real communication happens when you share any kind of information with another person. It doesn’t matter if you are speaking with a native speaker or another learner. Therefore, for example, instead of reciting words to remember them try to use them in real English conversations. Also, if you have questions about the language, try discussing them in English rather than your native language. Make a habit of using every available opportunity to practice. Finally (and very importantly), don’t worry about the accuracy of what you are saying. Making mistakes is a necessary part of language learning. As long as you have plenty of sources of correct input (such as English websites, EnglishPod, books, magazines, native speaker friends and colleagues etc) you will be aware at some level in your brain when you make mistakes, and over time they will become less frequent. However, if you don’t practice in the first place, this process won’t occur.

Last year “Podcast” was identified as the Word of the Year by the authors of the New Oxford American Dictionary. As one might expect the words nominated for the title reflect current developments in Amercian popular culture. By comparison, the Word of the Year selected by the dictionary people at Merriam-Webster was “Integrity”. The American Dialect Society voted “Truthiness” the 2005 Word of the Year.

Here is a list of some of the other words that were in the running for the Awards:

Bird flu, Internally displaced person, Improvised explosive device, Lifehack, Persistent vegetative state, Reggaeton, Rootkit, Squick, Sudoku, Trans fat, Refugee, Contempt, Filibuster, Insipid, Tsunami, Pandemic, Conclave, Levee, Inept, Katrina, Intelligent design, Cruiselex, Patent troll, Muffin top, Pinosaur, Flee-ancee, Man date, Pope-squatting, Reverse logistics, Holiday tree, Metrospiritual.

Has anyone come across an English “Word of the Year” that was selcted by a company or organization outside of the United States? I think this would make for a very interesting comparision. My guess is that there would be significant differences.

I know it is a little early but what words would you nominate for the 2006 Word of the Year?

More information about the Awards I mentioned in this post can be found here.

LINKs
American Dialect Society
New Oxford American Dictionary
Merriam-Webster

Matt Park

As many of you have no doubt already noticed, there has been a lack of activity on this Blog. That will change this month. Interest in EnglishPod has grown steadily over the past few weeks and we are now going to dedicate more resources (people) to interacting with our community. That means more posts, more lesson comments, and a faster response to the emails you send to global@englishpod.com.

There has never been a better time to get involved. Please send us your questions and comments. And get ready for the new and improve EnglishPod.com.

Matt Park / Team EnglishPod