THE Goethe Institute in Munich, Germany recently held a competition to nominate real German words that would most benefit English. "Fachidiot" was declared the winner. It literally means academics who are "idiots of their own subject", the institute said. "The difference is that a one-track specialist still notices what is going on around him, in the world which has nothing to do with university. A fachidiot simply does not, or not anymore," the institute said. The word beat out "kummerspeck", which translates literally to "grief bacon" but means "excessive weight gain caused by emotion-related overeating," Another runner-up was backpfeifengesicht, which means a face that makes you want to slap it.
Filipinos battle over class instruction law
菲律宾教师抵制英语授课法案
PHILIPPINE teachers will go to the country's Supreme Court to stop the implementation of House Bill 4701, approved in September. The bill is seeking to mandate the use of English as the medium of instruction in all subjects, except Filipino, in schools. Opponents say the bill is illegal as it violates the Constitution on the use of Filipino as the official language of communication and instruction. But some educators see the bill as a relevant policy to strengthen the competence of students. They said competence in English is one of the skills for students to be employed.
That's an interesting British name
英国公布最受欢迎的英文名字
THE latest list of popular names in England finds that Mohammed has passed such old standards as George and Joseph. The Office for UK National Statistics reports that 2,833 boys born last year in the country were named Mohammed. The name is 22nd on the list of most popular names while its variant spelling, Muhammad, ranks 44th with 1,422. This name is on the Top 50 for the first time. Jack remained the most popular boys' name for the 12th year in a row. On the girls' side, Olivia moved up three places to the top spot while Jessica, which was No. 1 last year, dropped to third. Imogene, Sophia and Anna were new to the Top 50 list for girl's name.
