The top 10 mispronounced words in English made by foreign learners

LetThemTalk has been busy recently recording some English grammar and pronunciation videos. Here is on we recorded on the streets on London in April 2014. We had a list of difficult words to pronounce. In the video are our top 10 most mispronounced words in English as made by non-native English speakers (EFL), We are pleased with the results which are quite funny.

Homeless in Paris

Don't Smile
Originally uploaded by malias.

A question that always puzzles me is why, in France and Paris in particular are there so many homeless people. France has one of the best welfare systems in the world and the taxes each individual has to pay is phenomenal.

Despite the arrival of Sarkozy France is still the most socialist of the western democracies. London on the other hand is a bastion of captialism with relatively low taxation and fewer safety nets for the poor. And yet there are far more homeless people in Paris than in London. On every street, on the metro, by the canal, in the parks they are everywhere. I can't explain this paradox. I hope someone else can.

Paris is an exciting place to live but what I know is that it's far more difficult to make a living here than most other places (especially London which is most familiar to me). If for example you have to rely on a salary as an English teacher (professeur d'anglais Paris) from a language school as many ex-pats do, it's difficult. At the end of the month your net wage doesn't go very far.

First Eurostar to St Pancras from Paris

Arrival at St Pancras
Originally uploaded by malias.

Yesterday (14th November 2007) I took the very first Eurostar from Gare du Nord to the new St Pancras station. The journey to London now takes only 2 hours 15 minutes. In fact it is now quicker to get to Paris from London than it is to Liverpool or York.

The only problem was a transport strike on the French side so of the channel. I left my house an hour earlier than I would do normally, anticipating a long walk to Gare du Nord. As it happened I managed to get a Metro within 2 minutes (bloody French unions you can't even rely on them to have a proper strike these days)

So I had to kill an hour in Gare du Nord before entering the Eurostar terminal which is not easy.

The Eurostar train was full of journalists and train spotters. Half the seats were empty (I suspect that some people were not as lucky as me in overcoming the transport strike).

On arriving at St Pancras we were treated to large crowds and music from the London Philharmonic Orchestra. As I left the terminal I was give a Sun newspaper "Welcome to England" pack which contained: tea bags, Mr Kipling's mince pies and Walker's crisps. It made me want to get on the next train back to Paris.

The highlight of the journey though was St Pancras station itself. Spectacular and beautiful after it's £800 million refurbishment.

It was truly magnificent, which is more than I can say for the mince pies.

The New Piccadilly Closing Down

New Piccadilly
Originally uploaded by malias.

The old style English cafes that you once found all over London are a dying breed. One of the few remaining was The New Piccadilly in Denham Street.

This interior has remained virtually unchanged sinced the 1950s even the menu is the same, offering hearty Anglo-Italian food at reasnable prices. To be honest I never thought the food was particularly good however, I was still sad to find out that it is closing its doors for the last time on September 23rd 2007.

Happilly there are a few of these old style cafes left in London. So if you're in London and you would like to try something different to the bland franchised chaines that you find everywhere then try one from this selection. Plonk yourself down at a formica table and enjoy your meal (and a cuppa).

Just don't expect anything fancy.

Eurostar Frequent Traveller

I’ve been travelling backwards and forwards between Paris and London every fortnight or so for the last 4 years and except for about a dozen journeys by plane I’ve always taken the Eurostar. Here are some calculations I’ve made.

Over the last 4 years I’ve taken approximately 220 journeys on the Eurostar and I’ve spent around 10,000 Euros.

I’ve spent about 620 hours on board the train which equates to 26 full days.

I’ve been awarded 3 free tickets because the train was more than an hour late and Eurostar was to blame. (it’s been late several more times but Eurostar were, or claimed, they were not responsible).

I’ve travelled first class on 8 of the journeys.

I’ve missed 3 journeys to my carelessness.

On one occasion I was unable to complete my journey between Paris and London due to a fire when passengers were removed from the train in Ashford and had to finish the journey on local trains.

I once caused a security alert when I passed a small kitchen knife through the x-ray machine.

I know now that it is not permitted to take knives on the Eurostar.

I’ve had three arguments on my journeys, or rather in the terminals. In Paris; once with a French Eurostar official and once with an American tourist. In London; once with a French immigration policeman. On each occasion these individuals were acting in an unreasonable way (yes they were, honestly!).

I’ve been stopped and questioned by British immigration officials about 10 times. I’ve been stopped and questioned by French immigration officials twice (one of these times led to an argument).

I’ve never been stopped by custom officers.

I recognise many of the Eurostar staff, shop assistants and officials and am on nodding terms and even speaking terms with a few of them. I know the best way to get the cheapest tickets online; I know the passenger announcements by heart in both English and French. And needless to say I’m extremely familiar with the landscape between the cities.

I invariably read a book on the journey but I still sometimes get bored. So if you see me on the voyage please come and say hello.

London, The Seventh Largest French City

Guess where I am?
Originally uploaded by malias.

Here is a picture of the seventh largest French city. That's right it's London. The French have crossed the channel in their droves to take advantage of Britain's great climate and wonderful cuisine. That's my opinion although everybody else seems to think that it is low taxation and full employment that has brought an estimated 300,000 Frenchies to London.

Now Sarkozy has been elected will our European cousins gather up their fine wines and smelly cheeses and take a one way ticket on the Eurostar back to Paris? Not just yet.

Meanwhile whenever I get depressed about my poor French and bad accent I have now found a new source of comfort; Tony Blair's message to the French people in French following Nicolas Sarkozy's election.

Surely I can't sound that bad in French. Can I?

Wong Kei London

Wong Kei
Originally uploaded by malias.

Some people tell me how rude waiters in Paris are I tell them that's nothing they should try Wong Kei's in London's Wardour Street.

It's become a London institution not for its food but rather for the abusive staff to such an extent that people go there just to experience the rudeness of the waiters. It's one of the must-do things to tick off the list on your trip to the capital; visit the British Museum, have your photo taken in Trafalgar Square and get insulted by the watiers at Wong Kei's.

The last time I went there was a few years ago with a group of friends. As soon as we entered and before uttering a word the waiter pointed skywards and said abruptly "upstairs!". We reached the first floor the waiter there looked us up and down disparagingly for a second and then pointed to the corner "you sit there". We didn't argue.

Friends of mine have got off far worse. Someone once complained that the food they had ordered was taking rather a long time to arrive. "If you want fast food go to McDonald's". No arguing with that. And I heard the story of an elderly woman finding it hard to walk asked to sit downstairs rather than upstairs the waiter replied. "This is a restaurant not a hospital".

I'm told that what they say about the customers in Cantonese is far worse. I don't speak Cantonese. Probably just as well.

Antony Gormley Exhibition London

Nude Horizons
Originally uploaded by malias.

I arrived in London on the Eurostar on Tuesday afternoon from Paris and as it was a beautiful day I decided to walk into central London. On crossing Waterloo bridge I came across the erection of a statue right in the middle of the bridge. I got chatting to a woman passing by and she pointed out other identical statues strategically placed on top of building on the London skyline and all visible from the Hayward Gallery.

It's part of an exhibition by Antony Gormley which will take place for the next three months. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/6614487.stm.

It's quite striking and if you are in London I'd recommend that you go and have a look. Even if you don't want to look be assured that they'll be looking at you.

La Defense Paris

The Giant
Originally uploaded by malias.

If there was a vote for the most ugly building in Europe I'm sure that the Montpanasse Tower would come very high up on the list (London's Centre Point would be in the top three too but that's another story).

It was built between 1969 and 1972 a monolithic mostrosity in the heart of Paris which so traumatised Parisians that skyscrappers were banned from the city soon afterwards and from then on Paris' business district was concentrated in La Defense a few kilometres west of the city.

La Defense is Europe's biggest purpose built business zone. Last week I decided to pay it a visit - the first time I've been there during working hours. It was a surprisingly pleasant place with its vast concourse without any cars surrounded by a clump of shiny skyscrappers piercing the skyline.

The day I went there seemed to be a great number of young Italian tourists at La Defense. However, If you're only in Paris for a few days, frankly, I wouldn't bother going. You're better off hanging around the left bank or wandering around the Marais but if you do find yourself in Paris for several months then go and have a look.

You might be pleasantly surprised.

Losing Touch

A college friend of mine who has lived in Italy for many years recently visited me in Paris, he told me that on a recent trip to London he didn't understand a lot of things that (the kids) were saying. Words like Chav and Chavette (pictured above) and bling were unknown to him. It took me ten minutes to explain what a hoodie was, he didn't know that pants referred to anything but the undergarments worn by men and thought that a wag was something a dog's tail did.

I'm frequently in the UK but even I was confused on hearing that gay had taken on the meaning of worthless or of poor quality as in "your mobile phone is so gay". And when I had to phone my local bank I was redirected to a call centre far away. It had been bangalored!

I Like London But

An umbrella for Two
Originally uploaded by malias.

I'm exasperated. It happens again and again here in Paris. Whenever I say I'm from London they reply with one of these three things.

1. London is so expensive
2. It's always raining in London
3. The food is terrible.

I have to fight my corner and try to refute these indefatigable truths in the best way I can (though I fear I fight a losing battle)

1. London is expensive though it depends what you do. Transport and housing are move expensive but I regularly pay 6 or 7 Euros for a pint of lager in Paris up to double what I pay in London. Also the museums are free, the parks are free then prices in restaurants are about the same.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_depth/4669400.stm

2. It actually rains more over the year in Paris than in London - not that anyone will believe me but here are the stats.

http://www.worldclimate.com/cgi-bin/data.pl?ref=N51W000+2100+03772W

http://www.worldclimate.com/cgi-bin/data.pl?ref=N48E002+2100+07150W

3. The people who say this are usually the ones that have either never been to London or when they do they rarely stray from the fast food places and chain restaurants in the West End.

I guess I should calm down and not take it so personally. I need to relax more. I think I'll go for a walk. Now where did I put my umbrella.....?

Wifi in Paris

This is my recently acquired Belkin Skype wifi phone. It works on wifi hotspots. It's not a mobile as it doesn't use telephony. The advantage of a phone like this is that I can use it anywhere in the world and wherever I am I can receive calls on the same number (and I don't have to pay termination charges) . What's more I can contact anyone on the Skype network for free.

I tried it out in Paris and have been surprised to discover that on almost every street somewhere there is an open network. If it catches on mobile phones could become under threat from these. However, I tried it in London and didn't have so much luck. Most networks were secured and even in the pubs and cafes you had to pay for access. Ho hum!