Sometimes teachers talk about words that are old-fashioned, or dying-out, like the use of ‘shall’ for the future, or ‘lavatory’ instead of the more common ‘toilet’. However, the opposite may also happen: a student asks about a word that is too new for the teacher to know.

Well, professor David Crystal is one of the leading experts in the English language, and he recorded a series of short podcasts talking about some of the most innovative pieces of language today. This BBC production can be useful for learners who want to keep up-to-date with the trends of the English language. It may also work for teachers who have not moved from Catalonia in some years.

The podcasts are very short, not more than two minutes, and are accompanied by a trasncript of the recording, which makes it strongly advisable for listening practice. This here, is his comment on the use of the word ‘e-‘.