Top Stories! 14th June

After the ‘Friends’ reunion that aired in May, many people are rediscovering their love of the globally acclaimed sitcom. But what might come as a surprise is that people all over the world, including celebrities like Jürgen Klopp and RM (the lead singer of Korean supergroup BTS) have used the show to improve their English. 

It’s even being used to help international students in the US. A teacher from Turkey designed lessons based on the pilot episode of ‘Friends’, because it’s highly relatable and the themes within the show “speak to everyone”.  “It’s really entertaining compared to other sitcoms and it addresses universal issues,” said Konus.

A primary school in New South Wales, Australia, is one of a growing number of schools to offer classes in Aboriginal languages such as Dhurga and Djiringanj that are in danger of becoming extinct. The weekly classes are taught to both indigenous and non-indigenous children, and are funded by charities and local government programmes. The principal of the school, Brendan Constable, believes that teaching the local Indigenous languages of the region was "hugely important" for the students.

"It allows all of our students to appreciate and respect what's happened in our past and understand where everybody comes from when they come to school," Mr Constable said.

Swear words and other more ‘vulgar’ expressions have been returned to the Ancient Greek dictionary after researchers from the University of Cambridge’s classics faculty spent over 20 years reading Ancient Greek to compile what’s been described as the most innovative dictionary of its kind. 

The most recent Ancient Greek dictionaries were compiled by the Victorians, who would use outdated or more modest terminology for certain words and expressions. The book features around 37,000 Greek words taken from approximately 90 different authors.

Foreign languages are to be introduced to Irish primary schools on a pilot basis. 

The ‘language sampler module’ will be targeted at pupils aged 8-12 in more than 100 schools, and will give schools the autonomy to choose the language they want to teach. The programme will also allow schools to secure a language teacher or even a member of the local community who is fluent in the target language.

The minister of education said “This exciting new initiative will provide pupils with opportunities to expand their experience with languages and also give them confidence in engaging with new languages.”