7
Aug
2009
Learning a second language
Learning a Second Language
There are many benefits to learning a second language. Being bilingual, or in other words being able to use two languages with nearly equal fluency, has the advantage of increased job opportunities, cultural awareness, ease of communicating while travelling, and gaining perspective on the mother tongue. Studies actually show that the earlier children learn a second language the better their cognitive abilities. It makes it easier to learn another language later on as they have already grasped the concept that things can be labelled in more than one way (i.e. in different languages).
Bilingual or multilingual speakers actually outnumber monolingual speakers throughout the world, whether through having parents from different language backgrounds, communities without a dominant language, compulsory foreign language education at school, or the increasing need to be able to communicate across cultures in our globalised world. Many jobs actually require a second language.
Bilingualism
There are several types of bilinguals depending on the balance between the competence of both languages. Compound bilinguals are usually fluent in both languages and equate words and phrases in both languages to the same concept (i.e. having two words for the same concept). For coordinate bilinguals, each word in each language has its own concept or association. Both coordinate and compound bilinguals are highly proficient in both languages, though one may still be dominant over the other.
Even if a child learns both languages since infancy through having bilingual parents, it is likely that overall their language ability may be less adequate not having developed neither one nor the other sufficiently. In other cases, one language may be used in certain contexts (e.g. school, work, or shopping), while the other language may only be used other particular contexts (e.g. home or travel). It is very rare for a person to be equally capable in two languages and be highly proficient in both, and exceptionally rare for a person to be so with more than two languages.
24
Jul
2009
Studying in Queensland
Queensland, Australia
Queensland is a northern state of Australia, bordered by New South Wales to the south, the Northern Territory to the west, the Pacific Ocean to the east, and the Torres Strait to the north. As the second largest state there is significant variation in climates across it, from tropical to the north to temperate along the coast, and cooler inland. However as most of Queensland’s population lives in the southeast (Brisbane, Toowoomba, Ispwitch, the Gold and Sunshine Coasts) they experience two main seasons: a warm and dry winter followed by a hot, humid and wet summer. The capital of Queensland is Brisbane, and its principle industries are tourism, cattle grazing, mining and agriculture (sugar cane, bananas).
Why study in Queensland?
Queensland is a great place to studybecause it offers more than an academic experience. If you are coming to Australia to study English, Queensland offers some spectacular sights and experiences that will enrich your studies. These include the Daintree Rainforest, the Great Barrier Reef, the northern tropical islands, and the world-renown beaches of the Gold Coast. The Daintree Rainforest is located at Cape Tribulation and is the largest tropical rainforest in Australia. It is also a Heritage listed site because it is home to the largest range of planets and animals in the world, as well as being the oldest rainforest in the world.
The Great Barrier Reef is also a Heritage listed site that you can explore on a glass-bottomed boat or by scuba diving or snorkeling. It is the world’s largest coral reef system, located in the Coral Sea and composed of over 2900 reefs and 900 islands. Queensland also covers many of the Torres Strait Islands. Other World Heritage listed areas in Queensland include: the Australian Fossil Mammal Sites at Riversleigh in the Gulf Country and Fraser Island.
30
Jun
2009
CAE- Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English
CAE
The Cambridge Certificate in Advanced English is an examination that tests a candidate’s English abilities for work or study purposes. There are many benefits to taking the CAE including its wide recognition by businesses and academia, convenience of location (it is available across 127 countries), and its availability (exams are generally held twice a year). A preparation CAE course will equip candidates with valuable language skills at a Level C1 of the CEFR (Common European Framework of Reference for Languages). Furthermore, it is valid for life and gives you confidence to use English in actual situations.
Is CAE the right test for you?
The CAE is for those who can - in English- read quickly enough to succeed in an academic course, understand complex opinions, produce clear and well-structured pieces of text, use English flexibly in social situations and effectively in business situations. As the name of the Certificate implies the test is aimed at those with an advanced grasp of the English language in all its forms - speaking, writing, reading and listening.
CAE test format
In contrast to other test papers such as TOEFL and the IELTS, the CAE paper has five components. The first section deals with reading skills (1.25 hrs) which requires the applicant to understand a wide range of texts include fiction and non-fiction books, journals, magazines and newspapers. The second section tests the applicant’s writing abilities (1.5hrs) through producing 2 pieces of writing in different formats (such as a report, essay, article, proposal, etc). This is followed by a component that tests the applicant’s use of English grammar and vocabulary through a serires of different tasks. Then there is the listening component (40 minutes) that tests understanding across different verbal texts (eg lectures, radio broadcasts, conversations, and speeches). Finally there is a 15 minute speaking exam which you undertake with another candidate to test your skills in different types of interaction.