Varieties of English

Interviews

In this section we will listen to a number of interviews with people who are using the English language as their mother tongue, as an official language of their country, or as a working language.

These interviews are broken up into areas of interest.

Find an interview of interest to you. After listening to the interview try to answer the accompanying questions. Click on the yellow buttons to call up the relevant exercise.

1. Local Government (U.K.)

 

Iris Smith (retired) introduces herself in the opening part of her interview on her work as an Independent Councillor for the Council of the Borough of Bournemouth. (48")

 

 

 

 

 

 

Iris talks about how common it is for people to stand for election as Independent Councillors. (1’52”)

 

 

 

 

 

2. Developing Country Issues (Southern Africa)

 

Peter Hiscock (Australia) talks about his project to introduce the Tagasatsti tree into Southern Africa. Here he is explaining some of the benefits of the tree.(2’05”)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Abigail Lattis (USA), a Peace Corps teacher working in Botswana, talks about the advantages and disadvantages of her students studying for the British external GCE qualification. (2’04”)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Carol Edgington (U.K.), a British Council teacher also working in rural Botswana, talks about her experience of promoting group work in a local primary school. (1’33”)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Councillor David Maine (Botswana) introduces himself. (30”)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Councillor Maine talks about the responsibilities of the council in the development of the district. (1’29”)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Richard White (U.K.), a development consultant, talks about the difficulties the Bokaa dam development scheme would cause for the local population, in terms of the loss of high quality arable farming land. (1’02”)