The very term – English as a foreign language – is ironic. English has long since been the overarching global language. But English was a foreign language originally. Or, more correctly, it begged, stole and borrowed from multiple other languages.
James Nicolls famously summed this up when he said:–
“We don’t just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.”
Questionable beginnings. But that didn’t stop it becoming the world’s Lingua Franca. This refers to a language that’s universally acknowledged and taken on by other nations that have different native languages.
In the Days of the Year description of English Language Day, it alerts us to a sting in the tail, warning that the English language:-
“…also stands as one of the most complicated languages to learn as a second language (with Japanese standing toe to toe with it for this inauspicious award).”
We’re very aware of this at La Academia. We’ve got a time-honoured track record in teaching English as a foreign language to clients and customers from around the world.
We teach any language in the world to native English speakers. And we’re just as experienced in doing it the other way around, for:-
- Business – Companies with overseas staff send their people to learn English as a foreign language at our Manchester school. Or we provide in-house and/or online lessons.
- Footballers – Premiership and other league football clubs enlist our help with confidential private tuition for new team members who need to learn English as a foreign language when they relocate to join a UK team.
- Individuals – People who have immigrated to the UK from other countries enrol on our courses to learn English as a foreign language from scratch or to improve their existing levels of fluency.
Interested in learning English as a foreign language? We’d love to help. Simply get in touch.
T – 0161 491 1444
E – info@laacademia.co.uk
Sources –
English Language Day, Days of the Year
https://www.daysoftheyear.com/days/english-language-day/