Language Archives - Page 3 of 4 - Publishing Solutions Group

Diagramming Sentences: Pictures Worth a Thousand Words?

By Lori Becker|2018-10-25T15:04:38-04:00December 22nd, 2014|

In 1877, two professors at Brooklyn Polytechnic Institute, Alonzo Reed and Brainerd Kellogg, published a book entitled, Higher Lessons in English, wherein they offered an altogether new way of teaching students how to structure sentences. Termed sentence diagramming, this technique used a particular graphic layout to demonstrate the relationships between the various parts of speech. By configuring the individual parts of sentences in this visual [...]

The World at Their Fingertips: Exciting New Braille Technology

By Lori Becker|2018-11-08T13:24:40-05:00November 12th, 2014|

KONICA MINOLTA DIGITAL CAMERA Technology is at it again, folks. Exciting new advancements in GPS and mobile phone technology for the blind and visually impaired are in development and hitting the commercial marketplace. British company OwnFone launched the world’s first Braille mobile phone in Australia this year. Unlike most cell phones on the market today, this one offers a simplified design for its [...]

Hello, Hola, Bonjour, Ni-Hao, Ahlan Wa Sahlan

By Melissa Mui|2018-11-08T13:25:34-05:00November 7th, 2014|

Learning another language is a challenging yet fun task that many adults consider but don’t actually try. It often makes its way onto many New Year’s resolutions lists but is neglected just as quickly. With easy-to-use phone apps and other software tools, excuses are disappearing. New studies show that bilinguals have a serious advantage over monolinguals. In the past, being able to speak [...]

Time’s Up for Times New Roman

By Mallory Abreu|2018-10-26T15:48:13-04:00October 16th, 2014|

Time to move on, typography. There are better fonts out there for you than near-centennial Times New Roman.Times New Roman has endured a long lasting legacy since its first use in print in 1931. Designed by Stanley Morison as the body typeface for the British newspaper The Times, Times New Roman has since been adopted by publishers, teachers and writers of all walks alike. Yet [...]

Hypercorrection: A Millennial Paradox?

By Rachel Hill|2018-11-08T13:55:58-05:00October 2nd, 2014|

[Note: The first paragraph of the Slate article referenced here contains potentially offensive language, but we feel the remainder is worthy of exploration. Ed.] Ever wondered why you or others say amongst instead of among, or amidst instead of amid? Wonder no longer! The preference for these words is an example of a strange phenomenon in which Millennials, a generation of increasingly tech- and abbreviation-savvy individuals, are using erroneous [...]

Speaking of Speaking: The Hype Behind Hyperpolyglots

By Tess Klingenstein|2018-11-08T11:13:01-05:00June 19th, 2014|

I speak one language fluently, and that’s English. I can neither speak nor understand Hebrew, although I can read it. I recognize the occasional Latin vocabulary word, can hold a disjointed conversation in Spanish and know how to communicate the basics in American Sign Language, falling back on finger spelling if necessary. However, I often think how great it would be if I could [...]

Geo-Literacy: Encouraging Students to Develop a Global Perspective

By Liz Canon|2018-11-08T10:35:54-05:00April 22nd, 2014|

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) published the 2010 results of the geography portion of their National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) given to fourth, eighth and twelfth graders. The results revealed that nearly 30 percent of tested students were below the Basic knowledge level. The NAEP defines the Basic achievement level as “partial mastery of the knowledge and skills fundamental for proficient work at each grade.” In [...]

Internet Grammar: #Fail?

By Tess Klingenstein|2018-11-08T10:29:45-05:00April 3rd, 2014|

The internet has undoubtedly changed the way we speak. BTW (alternatively, beeteedubs) has crawled its way into my daily vocabulary. Yesterday, my friend ended her sentence with IRL; my puzzled look led her to explain: “in real life.” Last week, I made a joke to my fifty-five-year-old father, to which he responded: “LOL.” But the internet has done more than create everyday acronyms; it has changed [...]

Can You Spell D-E-F-I-N-I-T-I-O-N?

By Jessie Miller|2018-10-26T12:07:25-04:00August 27th, 2013|

Gladiolus. Antediluvian. Chiaroscurist. Kamikaze. Guetapens. Knaidel. What do these words have in common? They are all winning words from the Scripps National Spelling Bee, dating back to the first bee in 1925 (gladiolus) through 2013 (knaidel). For 85 tournaments, the spelling bee never included a vocabulary component—though contestants have always been allowed to ask for the meaning of a word during the competition. This year, a vocabulary quiz [...]

The Fate of Foreign Language

By Hayley Gundlach|2018-10-26T11:54:34-04:00July 16th, 2013|

If you have fond memories of your middle or high school foreign language classes, be sure to pass them onto your kids—and quickly—because the number of opportunities for them to gain the same memories through enriching language classes is steadily decreasing. Traditionally included in most core curricula starting in middle school and continuing through high school, foreign language programs are being reduced and [...]