Some are impressed with my running (plodding). Especially as i have 3 titanium rods in each foot. So I made a challenge on the parkrun app. That's 60k... or 8 hours plodding. You could donate 50p per km and the good men of Ukraine have a car to evacuate them if needed? donorbox.org/simpsonsukra...

If you have a spare quid or three (or precisely £30.86 - why not...) and you feel that the good people of Ukraine might benefit from it more than you might, I would be very happy to take it off your hands. donorbox.org/simpsonsukra...

I have a very niche question. Please send it to someone who knows the answer! I have just listened to a TV interview in Breton and was struck by how French the prosody was (and how un celtic, to my untrained ear). So my question is: has French interference of Breton caused this? Or did I imagine it?

@stephen-jones.bsky.social this is you, right?!

John Gallagher@earlymodernjohn.bsky.social · 7mo ago

I went to Germany recently and spent a lot of time explaining in what is now my very poor German that I used to be able to speak reasonably decent German until I had to learn Dutch

@superlinguo.bsky.social right up your street... if you'll still be awake!

Cate Hamilton@cateh.bsky.social · 9mo ago

Looking forward to welcoming Dr Gerardo Ortega to our Applied Linguistics seminar on Tues 27 January, 1-2pm GMT. All welcome online via: www.education.ox.ac.uk/event/the-ro... How do hearing adults with spoken L1 use existing knowledge of iconic gesture to acquire form-meaning links in signed L2?

Things have been super busy for AGES! But this morning I wrote a blog post about one of my favourite subjects: what dictation can tell us about listening skills! learninglisteninglanguages.blogspot.com/2026/01/list...

Here's a fun snippet I just wrote. Students translating audio input DO NOT come up with the same thing as they would if they were translating written input.

Working on the book with the best view in the world. Treating myself to the funnest chapter: I say bouteille d'eau they hear potato (but I won't call the whole thing off).

Where am I? @spsmith45.bsky.social in particular

I am working on a paper. Found this from a previous presentation I did. Never underestimate the ability of the pre-teen to force any kind of general knowledge into something they semi-understand!

While discussing with @theniceman.bsky.social about the new report on language-learning, it behoves me to repost this, where I argue that the obsession with 'usefulness' in the UK education system is a nail in the coffin of language learning. learninglisteninglanguages.blogspot.com/2025/07/no-t...

No to utility

This post isn’t about listening. It isn’t even about teaching French, specifically. It’s about teaching languages to students whose first la...

learninglisteninglanguages.blogspot.com

This will make all German teachers' hearts sing :)

All those interested in language-learning, at whatever level and wherever in the world: The Association For Language Learning Oxfordshire branch now has a LinkedIn page where we will keep you updated about all events - both hybrid and face to face. Open to everyone! www.linkedin.com/company/1079...

I'm learning BSL. Six weeks in and starting to say things

I told the kids - and some parents - that I would be leaving the school today. One child cheered (upsetting). But I also got this, and for once the positive feedback overrides the negative. Slightly redacted to avoid identification.

A recent post of particular interest to French teachers.https://frenchteachernet.blogspot.com/2025/06/insights-from-kedi-simpsons-phd-thesis.html?m=1

This is about language learning, but from a totally different angle. When we frame learning French / German / Spanish as important because it's useful for the future, we do everyone a disservice. And mostly it's not even true. learninglisteninglanguages.blogspot.com/2025/07/no-t...

I wrote about dictation again, based on my year 10 Germanists in the classroom today. I hope it is useful to some - and it's not just relevant to those teaching or learning German! learninglisteninglanguages.blogspot.com/2025/07/gett...

Getting dictatorial about dictation

My year 10 Germanists have their listening mock exam tomorrow, so they wanted to ‘do listening’ today. Poor sods not knowing this is my abso...

learninglisteninglanguages.blogspot.com

I've started to write a blog post! Just off to my BSL lesson; will finish it when I'm back, I promise! @theniceman.bsky.social @spsmith45.bsky.social

And this!

Institute of Languages, Cultures and Societies@ilcs.bsky.social · last yr.

“We’re at real risk of language education being accessible only to young people in the most affluent schools in England. This would be a disaster, shutting many young people out of essential education” : @cforsdick.bsky.social

This!

Yael Peled@ypeled.bsky.social · last yr.

Restricted access to language learning, and to developing language awareness, is a serious form of deprivation of multiple affordances, *especially* given the rapid rise of language technologies.

Don't forget to repost good stuff as you pass through! You won't get the dopamine hit of a notification when someone likes or reposts your repost, like you did on Twitter, so you need to actively make a conscious decision to remember to do it. We are the algorithm on here. #Bluesky

Told the y7s they would be starting Spanish next year. Lots of very happy faces. Brilliant to have enthusiastic dual linguists but what is it and Spanish that gets them so excited?

The fabulous @spsmith45.bsky.social has done a masterful job summarising my thesis in a super-accessible way. If you couldn't face the 100,000 words, and can't wait for the book (finished soon!), Steve's resumé is all you need. 🍷

Steve Smith@spsmith45.bsky.social · last yr.

New post: frenchteachernet.blogspot.com/2025/06/insi...

You know when you book a flight you get an indication of carbon footprint? I think it's time every AI interaction does the same. Do we really want to see a video of cats on diving boards or ask chat gtp to stop us doing the hard thinking if it's going to help kill the planet? (Alas probably yes.)

It's not quite 'caturday' and I can't think of a frog-related Sunday pun but double frog in the Simpson pond (dug early April) has made me happy.

My husband served @markhamillofficial.bsky.social breakfast in a small hotel in Yorkshire.

Bolt451 is the name of the scientist@bolt451.bsky.social · last yr.

Right folks. Feeling rather down at the moment so bringing back an oldie Please Quote this with your most minor celebrity interaction

I took this picture of my garden yesterday. Makes me happy.

OMG I just came home from the gym. I was squatting on the 15kg bar (plus plates, obvs) and noticed that the writing on the end of the bar called it a 'Ladies' Bar'. WTAF. Got cross. So cross I forgot to take a photo. The 20kg bar is not the 'Man's Bar' (or even the Gentleman's Bar). #everydaysexism

And this one...