LANGUAGE TEACHING/LEARNING VIA RADIO: ENGLISHEdwin Samuel, the sonof Herbert Samuel, the first High Commissioner of Palestine, 1920-1925, developed a series of 24 weekly talks, two series of 12 talks each, entitled "Let's Speak English". They were broadcast on PBS from 1937 to 1939. He gave the talks under the pseudonym of the President of the "Brighter English League." Following the broadcasts, a set of four booklets were printed, each with transcripts of six of the previous broadcasts, plus the outlines of each program. The outlines, a one-page list of the vocabulary/phrases that would taught in each broadcast, could be bought separately by writing to the "president" before each broadcast, to make learning easier.Initially 4 broadcasts were planned, but these proved so successful that the number of programs was increased to 12. What later became the first series of weekly lectures was broadcast by PBS on Wednesday evenings from 9:00 pm till 9:15 pm. The first broadcast in the series was aired on December 15, 1937. The eleventh lecture in the series was scheduled to be broadcast on February 23, 1938. Unfortunately on that day, Edwin Samuel's taxi was involved in a serious car accident in which his driver was killed and his wife and his sister-in-law were all injured. The program was back on the air, a week later, March 2, on a new time of 9:30 pm till 9:45 pm. and the last of the twelve lectures was broadcast March 9, 1938. A new series of 12 weekly 15-minutes broadcasts , scheduled for Monday evenings, started on June 5, 1939. The last talk of the series was broadcast on August 21, 1939.
|
![]() |
![]() Jerusalem Radio, June 9, 1939. p3. To the Editor, "Jerusalem Radio", POB 1073, Jerusalem.
I wish to join the Brighter English League
My full name is: ........................................................ My full address is: ....................................................
Please send me "Jerusalem Radio" for six months for which I enclose 190 mils
Please send me "Jerusalem radio" for six months and two new booklets \called "Let's Speak English on publication, for which I enclose 270 mils.
Delete whichever is unnecessary.
|
![]() Advert: Jerusalem Radio, June 9, 1939. p4.
A limited number of copies
"Let's Speak English"is still available.Price 50 mils per copy.
Apply to:
|
It took on a different level when PBS teamed up with the British Institute's Ian Catford, at the end of 1944.
Radio Lessons in English
A series of broadcast lessons in English to be given over the PBS on Thursdays from 9:00 to 9:15 pm started last week [Thursday, December 28, 1944]. These broadcasts are designed not as substitutes for organized classes or for local teachers, but to help groups, especially in rural areas, where English-born teachers are not available. They will therefore be devoted primarily to spoken English and English idioms. The British Council will provide written material for use of teachers and classes and will assist with suggestions for the use of coming broadcasts. Teachers and others interested in making use of these broadcasts should apply to Mr. J. C. Catford, British Institute, Rothschild Boulevard, Tel Aviv.
This was followed up by a second series of 15-minute weekly series entitled "Double Your Vocabulary" (in Hebrew: Anglit Miduberet אנגלית מדוברת). The first lesson was Monday December 17, 1945. After three weeks the producers realized that the listening public still needed to physically see the vocabulary list in front of them while listening to the broadcast, much like the outlines of "Let's Speak English". So starting on January 28, 1946, Lesson #7, the short outline was published in Hagalgal a week or two before broadcast. The difference was they were aiming at a non-English speaking audience, so the vocabulary list included Hebrew translations. In some cases quite archaic terms. For example the word "bank was translated as safsal (ספסל) while a clerk was translated as Lavler (לבלר). The last lesson published was Lesson no 25 (May 27, 1946) but there were two more lessons scheduled. The last lesson broadcast on June 17, without any published list. Ian Catford returned to Britain. Catford would later become an internationally renown phonetics expert and teacher.
|
![]() |
![]() |
![]() |
Let's Speak English series
|
First Talk: Pronunciation
9:00 pm - 9:15 pm Wednesday, December 15, 1937 RADIO ANNOUNCER: We introduce this evening the President of the Brighter English League in the first of his four* talks on the English language. These talks are intended primarily for those who already know English but who would like to perfect their grammar, their pronunciation and their idiom. We hope that the talks will also provide entertainment for our regular listeners to the English programmes. * The program was experimental. It was intended originally to give only four talks.
Second Talk: Vocabulary
Third Talk: Verbs
Fourth Talk: Idiom
Fifth Talk: Spelling
Sixth Talk: Adjectives
Seventh Talk
Eighth Talk
Ninth Talk
Tenth Talk
Eleventh Talk
Eleventh Talk
Twelfth Talk
END OF FIRST SERIES OF BROADCASTS
|
NEW SERIES
First Talk
Second Talk
Third Talk
Fourth Talk
Fifth Talk
Sixth Talk
Seventh Talk
Eighth Talk
Ninth Talk
Tenth Talk
Eleventh Talk
Twelfth Talk
|
Radio Lessons in EnglishPalestine Post, January 7, 1945A series of broadcast lessons in English to be given over the PBS on Thursdays from 9:00 to 9:15 pm started last week [Thursday, December 28, 1944]. These broadcasts are designed not as substitutes for organized classes or for local teachers, but to help groups, especially in rural areas, where English-born teachers are not available. They will therefore be devoted primarily to spoken English and English idioms. The British Council will provide written material for use of teachers and classes and will assist with suggestions for the use of coming broadcasts. Teachers and others interested in making use of these broadcasts should apply to Mr. J. C. Catford, British Institute, Rothschild Boulevard, Tel Aviv.
|
English by Radio אנגלית על ידי רדיוThursday, December 28, 1944 9.00 pm: English by Radio Lessons in spoken English, by Ian Catford of the British Council. Lesson 1.
Thursday, January 4, 1945
Thursday, January 11, 1945
Thursday, January 18, 1945
Thursday, January 25, 1945
Thursday,February 1, 1945
Thursday, February 8, 1945
Thursday, February 15, 1945
Thursday, February 22, 1945
Thursday, February 29, 1945
Thursday, March 8, 1945
Thursday, March 15, 1945
Thursday, March 22, 1945
Thursday, March 29, 1945
Thursday, April 5, 1945
Thursday, April 12, 1945
Thursday, April 19, 1945
Thursday, May 3, 1945
Thursday, May 10, 1945
Thursday, May 17, 1945
Thursday, May 24, 1945
Thursday, May 31, 1945
Thursday, June 7 , 1945
Thursday, June 14, 1945
Thursday, June 21, 1945
Thursday, June 28, 1945
Thursday, July 5, 1945
Lesson#7: Word Lists
Lesson#8: Afternoon Tea
Lesson#9: Shopping
Lesson#10: A cheerful Partner
Lesson#11: The Quiet Life
Lesson#12: Electricity and Us
Lesson#14: Hard Times
Lesson#15: The Englishman Abroad
Lesson#16: Important Jobs
Lesson#20: No News is Good News
Lesson#21: Education
Lesson#22: If Music Be the Food of Love
Lesson#23: A Day in the Country
Lesson#24: In a Royal Garden
Lesson#25: One Thousand Words
The English classes broadcast on Radio Jerusalem every Monday evening by Ian Catford will stop on the 17 June [1946] on the occasion of Mr. Catford's travels to England.
We hope to resume the series soon.
השעורים לאנגלית המשודרים ברדיו ירושלים בכל יום שני בערב על ידי איאן קטפורד ייפסקו ביום, 17
אנו מקוים לחדש את הסדרה בקרוב.
|