Language Articles

Immerse Yourself In The Greek Language And Culture

(category: Language, Word count: 788)
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The Greek language is over 3,500 years old, though it has evolved through the years. Over 15 million people worldwide speak Greek. It is the official language of Greece and Cyprus, and is spoken natively by immigrants living in many countries around the world. The Greek alphabet is considered the first real alphabet, and was a predecessor of the Latin alphabet, and eventually our own alphabet. The Greek language is one of history and passion, and is an ideal representative of the people who speak is fluently. If you are interested in learning a second language, consider Greek.

Learning the Greek language might seem intimidating. The alphabet doesn't look exactly like the English alphabet. The word pronunciation sounds totally different as well. But there are several ways you can go about learning it, and several benefits to doing so. One option is to attend college, and study the language extensively. You have the choice of studying the Ancient form of Greek, or the Modern language. Learning Ancient Greek is useful if you plan to study Ancient Greek art, archaeology, literature, or history, and you intend to pursue this scholarly field. Earning a college degree in Modern Greek will provide you with a thorough written and conversational knowledge of the language that is spoken today, and gives you career options down the road. Having the ability to speak more than one language can have many advantages for you professionally. If you are fluent in the Greek language, and have some expertise in another field such as law, medicine, or business, you can be certified as a foreign language translator. This stimulating career prospect is one that offers you several options. As a certified translator, you can work full-time for a foreign language translation firm, translating business documents, web pages, and other types of communication for global corporations or for small firms looking branch out. You can also do freelance translation work, where you have the ability to be your own boss, and make your own schedule and set you own workload. Yet another career opportunity open to you as a bilingual professional is to teach English as a second language to Greek students in Greece. By knowing English and Greece, you will be able to live and work in Greece, and have no problems communicating there.

Another means by which you can learn the Greek language is by enrolling in an accelerated course that is available online. By learning Greek in this way, you will gain knowledge of a very basic foundation of the language. Learning Greek through an accelerated online course is a rather quick and convenient way to learn a second language. It is ideal for you if you are interested in traveling to Greece, and you want to be able to communicate in a basic way with the residents there. You will find that you will enjoy your travels much more if the stress of a communication barrier is not there.

An ideal option for learning the Greek language is through an immersion program. This is a perfect option for students who are looking to study abroad for a semester, or for bold travelers looking to experience Greek culture in a new and exciting way. You will not only learn the Modern Greek language, but you experience the vibrant and historic Greek culture. Learning Greek in Greece, where our own language and history has its origins, you will learn the language quickly and easily. You will learn the conversational and informal styles of the language by interacting everyday during your adventure with people who are native Greeks, who probably won't be willing or able to communicate in English. You will be absorbed into the dazzling everyday life of the Greek people, its sights, sounds, and smells. You will gain knowledge and appreciate the storied Greek culture: the history, the art, the architecture, the food, and the people. As a part of the immersion program, you will attend courses in which you will learn the Greek alphabet, how to read, and how to write in Greek as well. Learning the Greek language as part of an immersion is a superb way to experience a new culture.

Learning the Greek language, though seemingly intimidating, can have many benefits for you. Knowing a second language gives you the potential to further develop you career by working abroad, or as a translator. Learning the Greek language will make you a better traveler as well. You will be able to communicate with the Greek people, and you will enjoy your adventures in Greece so much more. Learning Greek is a great way to open your eyes to a new (and ancient) culture. www.foreign-languages-school.com

Learn English

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If you want to boost your confidence in your work life or social life, then pay close attention.

Because you're about to discover a surefire technique to learn English, at home, with your kids and family.

Best of all it's easy and fun-filled. You'll soon begin to amaze your colleagues and friends.

Let's get started:

Learn English

The motto of success in today's competitive world is to learn English. Sounds like a simplistic solution, doesn't it? I can almost visualize you shaking your head in disbelief and wondering if success can depend on a language and one's expertise in it. Let me convince you however, at the very outset, that if you aspire to make a difference to yourself and the people around you, you have to learn English.

English for most people around the world is a second or at times a third language and it is only natural to feel lost in the maze of this language. This is a problem that needs to be given due consideration, keeping in mind the vital importance that English occupies in today's global world. English is one language that is used in communication of any kind, be it social, political or work related. In this scenario, why do you want to feel left out? Wouldn't it be much better if you could learn English and feel confident and good about yourself?

At this point, you might have a lot of doubts in your mind. You might not be very sure about the possibilities of learning English and how to go about it. Well, all I can tell you is how I learnt English and reached a point where I feel great about sharing my experience with others.

I joined EN101 which proved to be the answer to my ardent prayers. They provide the kind of hand-holding that one can only dream of but rarely find. The best part about learning English online with EN101 is that learning doesn't seem a difficult task at all. On the contrary, you can have a lot of fun in the process of mastering English. One of the problems I had was with the pronunciation of English. So many words can be misleading if you go by the spellings and you never know when you have fallen into a pitfall and made a fool out of yourself. Of course, there is no earthly need to take such an extreme view but if you look at it from another angle, what use is knowledge of any language if it doesn't serve the purpose of communication?

Well, if you learn English with EN101, you won't face this problem. In fact, one of the best features of EN101 is that it facilitates with expert audio voices pronouncing each word articulately to reach you, so that you are never confused about how to use words. Again, if you are the conscious type and feel embarrassed about exhibiting your ignorance in front of others, EN101 is ideal for you as it is an online service where you can learn from the privacy of your homes and achieve the maximum benefits. Thus, EN101 not only helps you learn English online but it also sees to it that you learn English from home in a comfortable and relaxed manner.

EN101 has 4 modules that are divided keeping in mind the strengths and weaknesses of the student. These modules have been devised after a lot of research and ensure that you are adept in every field of life where language comes into play. After going through this, you won't find yourself tongue-tied in social situations groping for the right word but will be able to converse with ease and grace. You might not even think of English as a second language after enrolling with EN101, but come to look upon it as a first language.

Another great idea would be to enroll your kids with EN101. The Learn English for kids program at EN101 is truly a fun experience for kids. Quizzes are taken at regular intervals so that the kid is stimulated and motivated to do better.

If all of this is not enough, with EN101, you can learn English not only in English but also in your native Arabic, Korean, Mongolian, Hungarian, French, Spanish, German, Netherlands, Romanian, Indonesian, Estonian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Latvian, Italian, Lithuanian, Turkish, Chinese, Simplified Chinese, Hebrew and Japanese. Whew! Quite a list, isn't it?

I think all I need to say further is that by not enrolling at EN101, you are missing the opportunity of a lifetime. So, go ahead and grab the bull by the horns. Be a master of English.

Now, for a limited time only, Learn English Free From EN101!

Go to http://guarantee101.en101.com

Or: http://guarantee101.en101india.com

Click on Learning Center.

The Username is marinabay and the guest Password is guest

1. Simply begin to Learn English.

2. Select 'Chinese', 'Spanish' or 'Latvian' from the top menu if you like to learn these other languages.

(Please feel free to pass this info by email on to anyone you think can use this.)

P.S. Don't forget that as well as now being able to learn English (Chinese, Spanish

and Latvian) you can also "earn while you and others learn". When you enroll and

share En101 with others we pay you a commission to "spread the word".

See http://guarantee101.en101.biz

Or http://guarantee101.en101india.biz for full details.

P.P.S. If the guest password has expired please email me at marinabay_sg@yahoo.com for a new one.

Please note that I will be changing the guest password a few times every month.

http://www.learn-to-speak-english.com

Learning The Russian Language

(category: Language, Word count: 649)
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The Russian language is the most commonly spoken language in Europe. It is a Slavic language whose roots can be traced to Sanskrit, Greek, and Latin. Though not as internationally prominent as its days as the official language of the former Soviet Union, it is still the official language of such countries as Russia, Belarus, and Kazakhstan. Russian is a language of dignity, but can seem intimidating to learn. If you have considered learning a second language, the Russian language will prove to be a challenging yet rewarding achievement.

As a student of the Russian language, you have several alternatives by which you can learn it. If you choose to study Russian at the college level, and receive your degree in it, you will acquire an expertise in the language that can provide you with several career opportunities. With a degree in Russian, one career option for you is as a foreign language translator. Foreign language translation firms employ people who are fluent in many different languages, including Russian. Coupled with knowledge in another field (such as law or medicine), you would have the opportunity to work to bridge the gap between English-speaking and Russian-speaking business contacts by translating websites and documents for them. Another career opportunity would be as a teacher of English as a second language in a Russian-speaking country. After receiving your teaching certification, you could work for a language school in Russia teaching students how to speak, read, and write English. With a solid knowledge of Russian, you would be able to work and live alongside native Russian speakers with ease.

If you are interested in learning the Russian language for travel purposes, you can opt to enroll in an accelerated course online. You can learn basic Russian at your own pace, and you will feel more comfortable when you travel to Russian speaking countries if you know how to communicate you basic needs (such as asking for directions) to Russian residents. If you have the time and the financial resources, another option is to learn the Russian language by enrolling in an immersion program in Russia. An immersion program lasts anywhere from two to six weeks. By doing this, you will not only learn the Russian language, but you will also experience the Russian way of life. You will become part of the life and culture, and you will learn the language quickly, despite your uncertainties. Through intensive group and individual training, you will learn the conversational and colloquial styles of Russian. You will interact on a daily basis with people who are native speakers of the Russian language, and you will have no choice but to communicate with them in their native tongue. You will be captivated by the everyday life of Moscow or St. Petersburg. You will grow to understand and appreciate the Russian culture: the history, the art, the culture (the ballet!), the architecture, the food, and the people. You will attend courses in which you will learn the Russian alphabet, and learn how to read and write in Russian as well. Learning the Russian language in an immersion program is an exciting way to broaden you horizons and vacation all at the same time.

By learning to speak, read, and write the Russian language, you have the potential to one day embark on a career as a foreign language translator, providing an invaluable service to global corporations. You can live abroad and teach English to Russian students, while experiencing a new culture. Learning Russian will make you a more sophisticated traveler as well. You will be able to show more appreciation, and enjoy the Russian culture more when you can communicate with the residents. By learning the Russian language, you have the knowledge of another language, another history, another culture, and your scope of the world will be broadened just a little bit more. Russian Language

5 Reasons Why You Should Learn A Foreign Language

(category: Language, Word count: 637)
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During the modern age, with globalization at its height, knowing one or two secondary languages has become more than a simple feat of high class and intelligence but also a strict requirement in many occasions. Whether it's for professional, social or personal reasons, learning at least one foreign language is a must for anyone that wants to keep his or her head up high in today's society. Let's take a focused look on 5 of the main reasons that should turn you towards learning a foreign language.

1.Professional Requirement

This is probably the main reason for which one would learn a foreign language. Many professions require the knowledge of at least one or two foreign languages, depending on the field of the job. Most jobs may ask that you know an international language such as English, French, Spanish or German or a business-specific language such as Chinese, Japanese, Russian and so forth. If you're a native English speaker you may have it a bit easier, since English is the main international language (and one that is present the most often in job descriptions) but knowing a secondary might also prove vital.

2.Social Bonus

Yes, knowing a foreign language (or more) is definitely a social bonus. There's definitely a steep hill to climb between being presented as someone that doesn't know any foreign language whatsoever against being presented as a polyglot. Another case when knowing a foreign language can be literally a social blessing is when meeting a foreigner whose language you can speak. They'll be extremely impressed by your ability to talk with them through their own native tongue, although you're on home grounds and this fact can single handedly create a great impression around you. If the foreigner happens to be part of a business meeting, this impression can turn to a successful business partnership, bringing you both professional and social satisfactions.

3.Family Communication

It's often the case where a couple formed out of persons of diverse nationalities understand each other through a commonly known international language such as English. However, they'll soon want to start learning the other person's mother tongue, not only for a better communication, but also out of respect for them.

4.Personal Satisfaction

Learning a foreign language is one of the highest intellectual goals that one could have, on a personal scale. Think about a difficult puzzle, or math problem that takes months if not years of constant studying in order to be solved. The process of solving it may be a hard, arduous one but the yell of joy at the end is well worth it. It's the same case with learning a foreign language: the learning process is not easy and you'll have many small issues and problems to tackle along the way. You'll have to focus on various aspects of the problem, such as spelling, grammar, reading, pronunciation and so forth. If you keep the problem in sight however and if you don't lose interest in it, the chances of solving it are extremely high and the intellectual fulfillment that you get at the end is incomparable to anything else.

5.Keeping Your Mind Healthy

It's been scientifically proven that by learning a new language, the process stimulates your brain in such a way that it will make you more keen on understanding and learning other subjects, including "real" disciplines such as math, physics, chemistry and so forth. Learning a new language requires the memorizing and understanding of several thousand new words and concepts, which offers your brain a good training for future occasions where memorizing is a must. After studying a foreign language you'll have better results with studying for exams, with information assimilation and generally, with keeping your mind healthy and "active" even at older ages.

Learning Spanish Part 9 Learning Spanish Through Cultural Immersion

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In my last article I talked a little bit about the benefits of learning about Spanish / Latin American culture and how it can help you with your Spanish language studies. I then went on to talk about my early experiences of trying to communicate in Spanish to the locals of Tijuana in Mexico. It was at this point that I realised that learning Spanish was probably going to take a lot longer and require more effort than I had previously anticipated!

In this article I want to talk about the benefits of learning Spanish through direct exposure with native Spanish speaking people. If you had to, you could probably learn the Spanish language without ever picking up a Spanish textbook! It might take a very very long time but eventually through direct contact and social interaction with other people who already speak the language it could be done. The basic human desire to communicate would prevail.

Learning Spanish through mimicking how someone else speaks the language will mean that you end up speaking Spanish in exactly the same way as they do! On the whole this might not be a bad thing but you don't want to pick up any bad language habits or speak in an incomprehensible accent. On the other hand you do want, to be able to understand what native Spanish speaking people are saying and you also want them, to be able to understand what you are saying! In this sense a little bit of mimicking is probably a good thing.

Not being understood is a common frustration that many students suffer when trying to communicate with native speakers of Spanish. A lot of the time the Spanish spoken may be 100% grammatically correct and yet people still do not seem to understand it. This may be because the Spanish is spoken in an accent that is completely foreign!

Trying to communicate to a native speaker of Spanish, wherever it might be in the world makes you realise just how important pronunciation is! Not only do you need to know new Spanish words, you must also make sure that you know how to pronounce them correctly. I mentioned in one of my early articles how important it is to routinely do this early on in your studies. Of course if you are in another country and people don't understand you, this will force you, and therefore train you, to speak clearly and correctly right from the start!

As I travelled through Mexico I really tried to speak to as many locals as I possibly could. Don't shy away from communication in Spanish just because you know it is going to be a struggle. The more practical experience you can gain from both speaking and listening the better.

My early conversations with people were only very basic ones. Mainly because if I attempted to show someone that my level of Spanish was better then it really was then I knew I would be shooting myself in the foot. If people think you can communicate well, then they are far less likely to make an effort to speak slowly and clearly. In the beginning this is exactly what you need people to do!

Typical conversations that I would have with people were mostly about asking for things in a shop or restaurant, asking for directions to a place I wanted to visit or talking about journeys. Immersing myself in the country I was in meant I had to talk about these things just to survive. They were also the types of conversations that were short and not very complicated! I would prepare myself for the entire experience before hand. I knew exactly what I was going to say before saying it and I knew what types of answers I was likely to get from people.

A lot of the time I would deliberately ask people questions that I already knew the answers to, just to see if they would understand what I was saying and whether or not they would give me the answer that I was expecting. I would also ask the same question to lots of different people to see if they would reply in the same way. Then I would try and get the same information out of other people but I asking the same question in a slightly different way. The great thing about asking different types of questions is that you only have to alter them slightly to be able to adapt them to another completely different type of situation.

A lot of the time I didn't understand the answers to many of my questions but at least this gave me the opportunity to ask the person I was speaking to, to repeat what they had said. Even if I had understood what someone had said I would sometimes deliberately ask him or her to repeat it just for practice!

This type of practical exposure is a great way of getting yourself started. It not only gives you first hand practical speaking and listening experience but it also builds your confidence in preparation for more complicated conversations that you will have as time progresses. Exposing yourself to native Spanish speakers is also great because it shows you that the Spanish you are learning actually works. You can use it and people understand it. This acts as a great confidence booster and gives you added incentive to improve and better yourself.

In total I spent about a month in Mexico and after a while I was able to have very basic conversations with people. A lot of what I said to people was in broken Spanish however. At this point I wasn't really able to structure my sentences properly and I knew that I was saying things that were grammatically incorrect. One of my biggest problems was that I was trying to structure sentences in the same way that I would have structured them in English and a lot of the time it simply didn't work!

It was at this point that I decided it was time to get back to some serious studying. I needed to learn more about Spanish grammar. Being able to communicate in broken Spanish was a good start but I wanted to do much better! In my next article I want to talk about some of my experiences at a Spanish language school I went to in Antigua, Guatemala.

Get Published New Guide Gives Advice From The Pros

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Have you ever wanted to write a book? Whether you have a great idea for a cookbook, a science-fiction novel or children's story, transforming it into reality requires a lot of discipline and some good insider advice.

The American Association of Publishers and Publishers Weekly report as many as 150,000 new titles are published annually in the United States. Yet, 90 percent of the half-million books written every year remain unpublished. Most aspiring authors are desperate for guidance on how to get their work into the right hands. It may be your most difficult writing assignment yet, but a great query and proposal will make an editor eager to read your manuscript.

Pulling this off with panache requires more than writing talent, an intriguing manuscript and the desire to become a best-selling published author. You should know how to navigate through the crowded publishing marketplace.

Long-time publishing industry insiders and nationally known authors Rick Frishman and Robyn Freedman Spizman have written "Author 101: Bestselling Book Proposals: The Insider's Guide to Selling Your Work." The book is the first volume of a series of how-to guides for aspiring authors under the banner of "Author 101."

The book educates authors on how to produce a winning book proposal, from idea conception to effective marketing strategy development, and provides tips from the pros who know the literary business inside and out.

Readers will learn: errors that most new authors make; what editors wish authors knew; book titles that grab an editor's attention; techniques to promote the book and increase sales; how to find and work with an agent.

The series kicks off with the "Get Published, Get Publicized" contest to give readers a unique opportunity to become published authors. One aspiring author will win a book-publishing contract and $20,000 to spend on publicity.

Learn The French Language

(category: Language, Word count: 636)
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The French language is spoken by 130 million people around the world. The language is the native tongue in countries like France, Switzerland, Haiti, and parts of Canada. And many Americans in the states of Louisiana and Maine are native French speakers. French is also an official language of many organizations including the International Olympic Committee and the United Nations. If you are interested in learning a second language, either for professional reasons or just for personal enrichment, consider French. Long considered one of the most beautiful spoken languages, French is a language that implies class and distinction. Learning the French language will be an asset in your career, and will enhance your experience if you travel to French-speaking nations.

If you intend to learn the French language, you have several options from which to choose. You can attend a college or University and earn your degree in French. Earning a college degree in French will provide you with a sound expertise of formal French, both written and conversationally. With a college degree in French, you will most likely be fluent in the language. If you are already established professionally, and feel that learning French would be an advantage to you career, you can also enroll in accelerated courses in the French language online, which will offer you the opportunity to gain knowledge of a very basic foundation in the language. Learning the language in this manner will be a relatively quick and highly convenient way to learn a second language. There are many online colleges and learning centers that provide accelerated programs in French, as well as many other languages.

Of course, if you have the time and the means, another option is to learn the French language through an immersion program. In this manner, you will not only learn the French language, but you will also experience French culture. Learning French in France, where the language has its origins, you will plunge yourself into the life and culture, and you will learn the language quickly and with surprising ease. You will learn the conversational and idiomatic styles of the language. You will interact on a daily basis with people who are native speakers of French, and who won't necessarily be willing or able to communicate in English. Therefore, you will be compelled to try to communicate with them in their own tongue. You will be absorbed into the everyday life of France. You will grow to understand and appreciate the French culture: the art, the architecture, the food, and the people. You will attend courses in which you will learn how to read and write in French as well. Learning the French language through immersion is an ideal way to go.

Being fluent in more than one language has many advantages professionally. If you are fluent in the French language, you can be certified as a foreign language translator for example. This is a challenging career opportunity that offers you many options. You can work full-time for a foreign language translation firm, translating important business documents or web pages for global corporations. Or you can do freelance translation work, making your own workload, and setting your own schedule. Another career opportunity is to teach English to students in French speaking countries. By knowing English and French, you will be able to live and work in one of many countries whose native tongue is the French language.

Learning to speak, read, and write the French language gives you the potential to further develop you career by working abroad, or to embark on a new career as a translator. Learning French will enhance your travels as well. Learning the French language is an intellectually and personally enriching achievement that will open your eyes to a new culture. www.foreign-languages-school.com

Writing Japanese What Is Kanji Hiragana And Katakana

(category: Language, Word count: 510)
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The Japanese language is so fascinating. The tonal qualities of the language is quite unique and the inherent politeness of the Japanese people is translated well into its language which is in turns elegant and stylish and drips with respect.

Japanese writing is also a very elegant script and it has evolved from its original Chinese script beginnings to become something that is intrinsically Japanese. There are actually different types or ways of writing Japanese characters and it has been a source of confusion for people who are not familiar with Japanese culture or for students of Japanese culture who have not yet fully researched the intricacies of the Japanese written language.

The three ways of writing Japanese characters are Kanji, Hiragana, and Katakana, with another version called Romaji being used for special purposed.

Kanji

The word kanji is a Japanese derivative of the Chinese word hanzi, which translates to "Han characters". The word Han pertains to the Han Dynasty and is also the name that the Chinese use to refer to themselves.

Using Kanji would mean employing between 5000 to 10000 Chinese characters. This meant that writing in this form was very difficult. In 1981, the Japanese government, as a measure to simplify how Japanese is written and read, intrduced the j?y? kanji hy? or List of Chinese Characters for General Use. The list includes 1945 regular characters and 166 special characters that has a use only for writing people's names. All official documents, as well as newspapers, textbooks as well as other publications only use this form.

Hiragana

Chinese characters are considered as the source for Hiragana syllables. Hiragana - which means "ordinary syllabic script" - was referred to originally as onnade or "women's hand" because women used this form the most. Men are known to write in Kanji and Katakana. But usage of Hiragana evolved through the centuries, and by the 10th century, it was being used by both men and women.

The earliest versions of hiragana had diverse characters that represent the same syllable. The whole system was simplified however in order to make it easier to use by establishing a one to one correspondence between the written and spoken syllables.

Katakana

The Katakana "alphabets" have a very storied history. It was taken from abbreviated Chinese characters that were used by Buddhist monks. They used Katakana in order to illustrate the correct pronunciations of Chinese text back in the 9th century. Initially, there were so many different symbols used just to represent one syllable that it became quite confusing. But through time, it became more streamlined. Katakana was initially thought of as "men's writing" but over the centuries it has been used to write onomatopoeic words, foreign names, telegrams, and non-Chinese loan words. Katakana contains about 48 syllables.

There is also another script used in the Japanese language called Romaji. It is basically used to write the Latin alphabet into Japanese characters, especially for English or Latin alphabet-spelled words that do not have a direct Japanese translation.

Cockney Rhyming Slang

(category: Language, Word count: 852)
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Sir Winston Churchill once observed that Americans and the British are 'a common people divided by a common language' ...

Never was that as true as when describing the Cockneys.

You've certainly heard their accent, made famous in everything from movies based on Dickens and George Bernard Shaw novels to computer-generated gekkos telling real gekkos how to go forth and sell car insurance. The Australian accent has its roots in Cockney culture, as they comprised a large percentage of prisoners who were shipped there by the British when they viewed the Land Down Under as an ideal penal colony. Cockneys are the crafty characters from east London who admire those among their lot who can make a living simply by 'ducking and diving, mate,' which is their version of wheeling and dealing on a working-class level.

To be a 'true' Cockney, one must be born 'within the sounds of the Bow bells.' That's a reference to the St Mary-le-Bow Church in the Cheapside district of London 'proper.' Their sound carries to a distance of approximately three miles, which defines the Cockney digs better than any zoning ordinance could do.

The term 'Cockney' first appeared in the 1600s, but its actual origins are vague. Its first known reference was related to the Bow bells themselves in a period satire that gave no reason for the association.

Some believe that 'Cockney' came from the second wave of Vikings, known as the Normans. These were descendants of the Northmen ('Norman' was the French word for 'Viking') who settled in that part of northern France that came to be known as Normandy when King Charles the Simple ceded it to the Vikings in exchange for ceasing their annual summer sackings of Paris. William the Conqueror was a Norman, and when he took England in 1066, a considerable amount of French influence permeated the Anglican language.

Normans often referred to London as the Land of Sugar Cake, or 'Pais de Cocaigne,' which was an allusion to what they saw as 'the good life' that could be had by living there. Ultimately, this gave rise to a term for being spoiled, 'cockering,' and from there, Cockney was a short derivative away.

Cockneys are famous for dropping the 'H' from the start of words and infamous in the mind of every grammar teacher for their coining the word 'ain't' to replace the formal contraction for 'is not.' However, their most unique feature is their distinctive and catchy rhyming slang.

Legend has it that, during the course of their 'ducking and diving,' they would occasionally run afoul of the law. It was not uncommon for groups of Cockneys to be transported together to and from custody and courtroom, obviously in the company of policemen. So that they could speak openly to each other and deny the officers any ability to understand what they were saying, Cockneys devised a word/phrase association system that only the truly-indoctinated could follow. This became known as their rhyming slang.

It's simple, really. For example:

Dog-and-bone = telephone

Apples-and-pears = stairs

Troubles-and-strife = wife

So, if a Cockney wanted you to go upstairs to tell his wife that there's a phone call for her, he'd ask you to 'take the apples and tell the trouble she's wanted on the dog.'

As a general observation, their technique is that the second word of a rhyming phrase is the link between the 'translated' word and the first word in the rhyming phrase, which becomes the word used when speaking. Sometimes, though, to emphasize the word, the entire phrase might be used. Thus, if you are absolutely exhausted and want to make a point of it, you would exclaim, 'I'm cream crackered!' This is because 'knackered' is an English term for being tired; cream crackers, incidenally, go well with tea.

There are even dictionaries for Cockney rhyming slang, from pocket versions tailored for tourists to online listings. Two good sites for the latter are London Slang and Cockney Rhyming Slang. As with most slang, its vibrance is cause for constant expansion and/or modification of terms, so the Cockney rhymes are always a work in progress.

One note of caution: nothing sounds worse than a visitor attempting to over-Cockney their speech. If you're thinking of touring an East End market or pub and want to pay your respects by using the local vernacular, be prepared with a few simple terms and deploy them with a smile only when the occasion permits. Otherwise, not being sure if you're 'taking the Mickey' out of them or just ignorant, the Cockneys will most likely view you as a 'right Charley Ronce' and turn away.

Given that 'ponce' is common English slang for a fool - which had its origins in describing a 'fancy man,' now known as a 'pimp' in modern times - you may first need a 'British' translator to tell you what word the Cockney was using. By that time, you'll no doubt agree that Churchill wasn't 'alf Pete Tong (ie- wrong).

In fact, he didn't even need to refer to another country in order to be right.

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