I've frequently been asked to put on a summer course for
people unable to attend the various lectures I give to schools, literary
festivals, and the like, and an opportunity has now arisen to do so. The
Ucheldre community arts centre in Holyhead (the name means 'high town' in Welsh) is
having a fund-raising campaign, and I've agreed to present a weekend in
support. I paste below the flyer that has been produced for the event, which
includes contact details.
David Crystal Summer Weekend on the English
Language
For anyone interested in the English language and how it
works
Saturday and Sunday 19-20 August 2017
David Crystal presents a series of his talks on the
structure, use, and history of the English language in this two-day event, to
be held in the Ucheldre Centre, Holyhead, Anglesey, North Wales. See www.ucheldre.org for the setting.
Day 1, 9.30 - 5.00
Language Structure - talks (including
Q&A) on the structure of English, pronunciation, punctuation, grammar,
spelling, and vocabulary.
Saturday evening is free, with the option of booking for
dinner at the Ucheldre Centre and an evening musical concert.
Day 2, 9.30 - 5.00
Language Variation and Change - talks
(including Q&A) on accents and dialects, the internet and texting, child
language acquisition, the future of Englishes, language play and literature,
and original pronunciation (with particular reference to Shakespeare).
Cost: £150 a day, to include buffet lunch, coffee and tea
Early Bird booking by 1 June 2017, £125 a day
Reserve a place by contacting
boxoffice@ucheldre.org
phone: (+44) 1407 763361 (10 am - 5 pm weekdays, 2 - 5 pm
Sundays)
post: David Crystal Summer Weekend, Ucheldre Centre, Mill
Bank, Holyhead, LL65 1TE, UK
On receipt of your reservation, you will be sent a
registration form which will include a place to inform the Centre of any
dietary/access requirements and whether you want to take up the dinner/concert
options, as well as details of local accommodation, restaurants, and (if you
want to bring family members) a list of Anglesey attractions.
Places are limited, so early booking is advised.
Nearest airports are Liverpool or Manchester; direct train
service (3-4 hours) from London Euston; by road, at the end of the A55; ferry
from Dublin.
The Ucheldre Centre has free wi-fi.
9 comments:
But saturday and sunday are not 19-20 march
That is indeed true. The dates mentioned are in August.
Brilliant! Will attendees receive a certificate on completion of the course?
Oh yes, for anyone who needs one.
People have been asking me who this weekend is aimed at. My immediate reacrion is 'anyone with an interest in the English language'. But actually, the idea was first prompted by requests from two types of teacher. Those having to teach A-level English language who never had the opportunity to get a systematic grounding in the subject (often, literature specialists who have had to get involved). And primary-school teachers wanting to get to grips with the linguistic issues underlying the SPsG tests they now have to carry out. I've therefore selected topics that relate to areas of the curriculum I'm most often asked to addrress when I make school visits.or do in-service courses. Having said that, I think every one of the topics on the two days are ones I've talked about at various literary festivals over the years, so I know they have a broader appeal. I'll be as interested as anyoen else to see who actually comes along to the weekend. I hope the participation will be diverse, as sharing of experience is always a value-added at events like this.
Will you be doing others at other times?
I hope so, but it'll depend on how this one turns out. It'll partly depend on numbers, and whether the people who first asked for a weekend like this actually come along. At the moment, there's only limited signs of this happening, though things may change this month.
humans have been asking me who this weekend is aimed toward.
See later posting for 2018 days. They are in response to enquries for such days coming mainly from teachers of English, either as a mother tongue or as EFL, but at the first of these days earlier this year about half the people present were people who had no professional interest but who were simply interested in the language. They are not for English language learners.
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