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English Language

English CD-ROM
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Where does English come from?
The English language belongs to the Anglo-Frisian group within the western branch of the Germanic languages, a sub-family of the large family of Indo-European languages.

How many people speak English?
There are 322 million native speakers of English, although the number of people who speak English with at least some degree of proficiency totals many millions more and extends to every corner of the globe.

In how many countries?
The language is spoken in the United Kingdom, Ireland, USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and of such newly independent countries as the Bahamas, Jamaica, Barbados, Grenada, Trinidad and Tobago, and Guyana.

It is the official language of more than a dozen African countries, as well as of various British dependencies such as British Honduras, Gibraltar, Hong Kong, and numerous islands in the Caribbean, and the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans.

English Culture

A spot of Culture
For some, the mention of England conjures visions of a 'green and pleasant' fabled land, cream teas, cucumber sandwiches, village fetes and traditional pubs. Certainly, a feature of English culture is a nostalgia for the rural past, reflected in the development of the suburbs, and in the popularity of gardening, fishing, and walking.

English Art
Literature
The English literary heritage is incredibly rich and is a formidable contribution to the Western literary canon. The works of Chaucer, Shakespeare, Charles Dickens and Jane Austen, among leagues of others, have been read, studied, acted out and enjoyed, both in England and across the world for years, and doubtless, will continue to be for years to come.

English Music and Dance
Music in contemporary England is extremely diverse, though pop music dominates the mainstream music charts. Many famous rock and pop bands and artists have emerged from England, including the likes of The Beatles, The Rolling Stones and David Bowie.

Morris dancing dates from the 15th century, when it was an important part of spring rituals in Britain. The dancers wear white trousers, shirts, and hats, all brightly decorated with bells, rosettes, and ribbons.

English Food and Drink
Classic English combinations of fish n' chips, bangers and mash (sausages and mashed potatoes) and eggs and bacon (usually for breakfast) are served up in most traditional English pubs, restaurants and cafes.

Other traditional English meals include the 'Sunday roast', either roast beef, lamb or chicken with roasted potatoes, vegetables and Yorkshire puddings (a batter mixture baked in the oven to make crispy 'cakes'), or the pie - filled with steak and kidney or apple, for desert. The English also favour their beers and ales.

English Attractions
London: England's capital city can be a daunting place - it is huge, hectic, noisy, crowded and clogged with traffic. Yet it's a cosmopolitan, exciting, vibrant and beautiful city. The underground system and London buses make it easy to explore the range of historic buildings and monuments, museums and galleries, parks, theatres and nightlife.

Canterbury Cathedral: This impressive and evocative cathedral is the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury. After the martyrdom of Archbishop Thomas Becket in 1170, the cathedral became the centre of one of the most important medieval pilgrimages in Europe, a pilgrimage that was immortalised by Geoffrey Chaucer in the Canterbury Tales.

Oxford: A university town, the college architecture, green meadows and golden spires make it a beautiful town to explore. It's filled with a sense of history and tradition.

About Talk Now! Language CD-ROMs
This is an excitingly different language learning series. Talk Now! uses games and quizzes as a basis for making the learning process fun, easy and relaxing. There is no better way to teach an old dog new tricks and this fun element of the program means that your fears are forgotten as you absorb words and phrases without even realising you are learning them.

Talk Now! is the world's best selling language learning CD-ROM series for beginners, used by more than three million people to date. It's ideal for travellers, holidaymakers, business people, schoolchildren, students and families.

Anyone over 10 years of age will find the disc indispensable for improving listening, understanding and spoken language skills. There are nine topics: first words, food, colours, phrases, parts of the body, numbers, time, shopping and countries.

The games and quizzes included on the disc ensure that users have fun whilst using the disc, without realising that they're learning. The "intelligent" software feature remembers words you get wrong and targets your weak points.

"This is an excitingly different language learning series. Talk Now! Uses games and quizzes as a basis for making the learning process fun and relaxing." - PC Answers

"I bought your Learn Malay CD today - I've only just begun, but I wanted to say how much I am enjoying it. I studied Malay from a book all day yesterday, making some 25 pages of notes on grammar and vocab, but I remember more from your CD from just an hour!" - James Bryce