EC acquires 3rd US school

NEW YORK, NY–EC, the Maltese-owned group of language schools, has acquired a well-established language school in Manhattan, New York. This is EC’s 8th school, its third in the US. EC’s first steps in the American market came with 2007’s acquisition in Boston and were soon followed by a San Diego acquisition earlier this year. The New York school, which will be full story

Downturn ‘could hit universities’

LONDON, UNITED KINGDOM–Universities could be in serious financial trouble if foreign students decide they can no longer afford to study in Britain. Many British universities rely on funds brought in by overseas students. But the British Council, which promotes education overseas, fears the economic downturn may deter international students from coming to the UK. full story

MSU English as Second Language Program Enrollment Largest of Public Schools in KY

MURRAY, KY–On a campus where international student enrollment is growing steadily, language barriers can seem daunting. However, Murray State University’s English as a Second Language program serves as an important transition program for international students attending the school. The ESL program emphasizes language proficiency in all skill and knowledge areas, full story

English learners increase

DUNCAN, OK–The number of students who are classified as English language learners is increasing, and while officials say they don’t know what’s causing the growth, testing shows the students are having success with the district’s support programs. Duncan Public Schools reports that the number of English language learners (ELL) has full story

Bill Sizemore jailed for contempt of court

PORTLAND, OR–Veteran ballot initiative activist Bill Sizemore was handcuffed and jailed Monday after a Multnomah County judge found him in contempt of court for a fourth time in his long-running legal battle with two Oregon teachers unions. Multnomah County Circuit Judge Janice R. Wilson ordered Sizemore jailed until he signed and filed federal and state tax forms that full story

Where are all those British collective plurals?

LANGUAGE LOG–I have some things to say about markedness, variation, and the role of habits in creating meaning. And I was planning to say them this morning, taking as a starting point the US/UK difference in verb agreement with collective nouns like government and committee that Geoff Pullum cited in his recent post “More on verb agreement as a judgment call“: full story

BRITISH COLLECTIVE PLURALS

LANGUAGE HAT–Most of us probably have a general sense that U.K. usage favors “the [group] are” where Americans say “the [group] is”; if you’re curious about the details, check out Mark Liberman’s post at the Log. He investigates committee and government, and discovers that the singular is favored overwhelmingly for the former and significantly for the latter; various full story