31 May 2026 #accents #phonetics #vowelsound
/iː/ (widely known in phonetics as the FLEECE vowel) is generally classified as a long, close/front, monophthong in Standard British English, and this is how it appears in dictionaries. But how far is this true?
In this video I explore how the sound behaves in different contexts including its surrounding sounds, its level of stress, and its variations in different accents throughout the UK and Ireland.
Some academics would go so far as to reclassify the sound as a diphthong to join the /eɪ,ʌɪ,ɔɪ/ group; I explore the pros and cons of this approach from a teaching perspective.
CONTENTS:
00:00 Introduction
00:45 Mouth Movements & Pronunciation
01:56 Length & Clipping
02:38 Is it a Diphthong?
04:37 Weak /i/
05:56 Accent Tour (UK & Ireland)
07:45 Summary & Tips for Learners
#phonetics #vowelsound #accents
[…]
It’s not just you. Sizes are hard.
Like… what size am I? In some brands I am a 12, in some I am an 8, I have even been—get this— a size 2.
But it’s not simply a matter of “Vanity Sizing.” Sizing is actually an incredibly complex art. And it relies on fit models, like Brit and Zac, who try on all your clothes before you do.
Brit Dunlop with the mannequin that shares her exact measurements for the standard size 4
In fact, their job is trying on clothes all day. (There’s always so much more that goes into clothing manufacture than I could ever imagine)
continue reading : https://articlesofinterest.substack.com/p/sizes
22 May 2026 #languagelearning #linguistics #english
Have you ever thought about how language shapes the way you think? I’ve been thinking about it a lot recently and wanted to share my thoughts! It’s particularly interesting between languages that are so different like Chinese and English, but I’d love to know what other details you have noticed in different languages.
[…]
16 Jun 2026 #LouiseBrown #IVF #TestTubeBaby
She was the first human being ever conceived outside the body — and today she lives a quiet, ordinary life in Bristol. This is the incredible true story of Louise Joy Brown, the world’s first test-tube baby, born in northern England in July 1978, and the doctors who refused to accept the word “”impossible.””
Before Louise, there was Lesley Brown, a working-class woman who spent nine heartbreaking years longing for a child she was told she could never have. Then two pioneers — gynecologist Patrick Steptoe and scientist Robert Edwards — changed medical history forever with a breakthrough called in vitro fertilization, or IVF. After 64 failed attempts, one July night changed everything.
Discover what Louise looks like now, the family she built, and how her single birth made roughly 12 million lives possible around the world today.
If this story moved you, leave a comment and subscribe for more documentary deep-dives into the moments that changed our world.
#LouiseBrown #IVF #TestTubeBaby #MedicalHistory #TrueStory
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msamba 