US college students are showing less interest in English-speaking destinations such as Great Britain and Australia and more in China, India and Brazil as they study abroad, Associated Press has reported. Britain remained the most popular study destination last year, according to annual figures released by the US's Institute of International Education. But the number of US students studying in Britain and Australia declined slightly, even as the number of American students abroad rose 8 per cent overall to 205,983 in 2005. The growth came in non-English speaking European countries and in Asia. China is now the eighth most popular destination for American students, attracting nearly 6,400 last year, up 35 per cent from the year before.
Museum celebrates history of 'Englisc'
英国拟建造英语历史博物馆
A NEW museum focusing on the history and growth of the English language is being planned in the UK, EL Gazette has reported. The museum will be set up in Winchester, England. It has the working title of "The Englisc Experience", an homage to the Anglo-Saxon King Alfred who drew together early versions of the language and called it "Englisc". The Winchester Councillor Frederick Allgood said, "An English language museum is an excellent idea as it is the second most popular language in the world and the way the Chinese are learning it may become the most popular one day."
Japanese turn to Yahoo! for words
日本调查发现在线外语词典受欢迎
A RECENT survey reported by japan.internet.com, which is the leading Internet and IT network in Japan, revealed that the Yahoo! dictionary was the most commonly used among Japanese, according to ELT News. Some 62.2 per cent of participating voters stated they did use online dictionaries, either for looking up Japanese words or for translating foreign languages. Some 58.7 per cent of the sample had used the Yahoo! dictionary. Coming in second was the goo dictionary, with 40.3 per cent. The excite dictionary came in at number three with 28.2 percent.
