E45 - A Short Story about Tulips and a Royal Baby.

Tulips everywhere, in yellow, red, pink, white, orange, and even purple and black. They line the streets and the canal. They attract hundreds and hundreds of people to admire them and post their beauty on Instagram. Where? Right here, in Ottawa, Canada, every May. It’s the annual Tulip Festival and it’s a sight to behold. 

The Tulip Festival in Ottawa has historical significance, and I’d like to share that with you today, to share some pride in my city and my country. We’ll take a brief look at what tulips are and where they originate (it’s not Holland), then we’ll explore the importance of tulips in Ottawa and its special tulip history (it involves a princess), and finally, we’ll wrap up by looking at flower festivals and their pros and cons in today’s social media landscape. 

In this episode, I draw your attention to connected speech specifically, the way that words are connected and sounds are reduced to produce new words.

As always, I encourage you to listen a few times, to transcribe 30 seconds of the podcast, and see if you can really hear these features of messy, spoken English.

Thanks for listening!

E44 - Julia Child: Breaking Bread and Barriers.

Who was Julia Child? Why is she important?

If you like to eat, cook, and enjoy cooking shows, join me on a journey into the world of Julia Child, the iconic figure who revolutionized American food culture.

In this episode, we learn about Julia's fascinating life story, from her privileged upbringing to her adventurous spirit that led her to discover the delights of French cuisine in post-war Europe.

We'll explore how Julia's passion for cooking led to a career that challenged societal norms and inspired millions through her bestselling cookbook, "Mastering the Art of French Cooking," and groundbreaking television show, "The French Chef."

We'll see that her life and legacy changed the world of food and cooking, and helped advance feminist goals (to a degree). She's had a lasting impact on future generations of cooks and food enthusiasts that I hope to champion today. Bon appétit!

Thanks for listening, Catherine xoxo

E43: The Elegance of English: A Conversation with Maria Glazunova.

The elegance of English.

I'd never thought of English that way, but my guest, Maria Glazunova, explains why English has such an emotional hold her on. It's a beautiful conversation we have for you today.

Maria and I talk about:

• her history with English: learning and teaching it

• burnout and how that led her to adopt a dogme approach to teaching

• how her book literally saved her life

• how she uses a reactive teaching approach with tech professionals

• how my Pronunciation course helped her better diagnose her clients' problems, and empowered her to teach pronunciation

Whether you're a learner of English, a teacher, or both, this episode is going to offer you plenty to think about, in addition, as usual, to lots of interesting language and messy, delightful, imperfect spoken conversational English.

And if what you hear from Mary about my Pronunciation for Teachers course makes you curious, be sure to contact me ASAP. The next course starts in May. Learn more about it here: Pronunciation for Teachers.

Be sure to follow Maria on LinkedIn:

linkedin.com/in/maria-glazunova

You can buy her book here: “How to reduce your time preparing for online classes and prevent emotional burnout.”

Thanks for listening!

E42: On turning 55 and how I feel about that.

In about a week, I'm going to celebrate my 55th birthday. I remember when I once thought that was old. Hahaha!!! In honour of my 55th birthday, I want to share some thoughts on aging, specifically aging as a woman:

• what it means to get old and look old (smashing the beauty myth!)

• the very real possibility of losing mental agility

• research that suggests age is a mindset, not a number

I believe to my core that getting older is not something we should take for granted: it’s a privilege and should be welcomed and celebrated. 

So come celebrate with me as I step through the door on my way to 60. I'm not rushing to get there, but I AM hoping to get there!  Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on all this :)

Oh, and this episode is chock-full of idioms and common collocations - listen for them. How many can you find? Which do you know? Which ones can you use this week in your language practice?

Thanks for listening, Catherine xoxo

Transcripts are available in my newsletter.

Thanks always to Amos the Transparent for the theme music. They have a few new songs coming out soon, so follow them on Instagram for details about that. I'm excited! 

Please share the podcast and spread the knowledge!

Thanks for listening,

Catherine