Eddie Izzard on the Wonders (and Laughs) of Bilingualism

Language isn’t just words, it’s social and cultural.  In education, teaching language (and through language) means taking time to understand students’ cultural backgrounds and not dismissing what kids know simply because they can’t express it–yet.  It also means setting aside traditional assumptions of teaching literacy, like downplaying oral skills in favor of written ones.  Watch this clip from British comedian Eddie Izzard for a comic illustration of how layered and laugh-worthy language can be.