Diversity in the English Language

Early in the year I attended an awesome wedding in palm springs, where I had a ton of fun (see above). The couple were not only super gorgeous, but they were super thoughtful in their planning. Michael is a university friend of my husband, and is from England. He was marrying Dana Flax, who is an American. One of my favorite things are the wedding was a small translation booklet to help the British and American guests understand each other! This small, beautiful book, was in a goodie back we received when arrive at the hotel. Basically the couple are awesome (see more evidence below).

When returning to school, one of my fantastic colleagues, Helen Shayne, asked me to work with her ESOL class. She was doing a unit on the diversity in the English Language, and knows that I know a lot of British Slang, (and often take delight in explaining the origin of certain phrases and words). I also only realized when working in an international school, that i do not pronounce my last name, Dutton, correctly!  I use a glottal stop when pronouncing my last name (and 'Harry Potter' - much to my dad's disappointment). As soon as she asked for help with this class, I knew the wedding booklet would be perfect. I've put together many of the pages into a Google Slide, with permission from the creators (mega-babes seen above). Please feel free to use this with your students too! (Link to presentation).

Sometimes I hear my accent slipping and I have noticed that check out people in supermarkets no longer notice my accent... Which means I am getting an American Twang! In an attempt to not lose my accent or vocabulary, I have started listening to the short podcasts called "The English We Speak". Every week they put out a 2-3 minute podcast exploring a different British Phrase or piece of slang. I believe this could also be a great resource for exploring the diversity in the English language, or even for Americans visiting the UK!  You'll see that it is actually a mixture, so does include some slang spoken in other English speaking countries too. Check out some of what they have covered below: