Discussion Groups / British English / May 2007

Hello. I'm searching some place in internet, where i can find people -
native english speakers especially from UK, to chat with them to
improve my english language skills. Do you know anything like that?
(It's not neccessary to get into sth like english lang training

I am writing a thesis within Information Retrieval.
In the thesis I am evaluating retrieval within different ways of
organizing document representations in spaces (axis systems).
I have a number of different types of such ways to organize document

This might not be the correct forum, but it's the best I can think
of....
I'm arguing about something, and am being superficially defeated not
on the subject matter, but through tactics.  I don't mind losing if

It struck me ub readin a UK article this evening that, these days, to
say 'protest against' is somewhat tautological (or similar) for a prtest
is alawys 'against' somethin, in which case the version often used in
the USA, simply 'protest' (as a verb) is more logical even though ...

Balderdash and Piffle, BBC2 14 MAY 2007 23:20-23:50
A co-presentation by popular poker pixie Victoria Coren
featuring special-interest guest researcher Jo Brand who
worked as a psychiatric nurse prior to tackling the rather

Into which conjugation/tense should these expression fall?
"By then, Diane WOULD HAVE swum 2 miles"
"By then, Diane SHOULD HAVE swum 2 miles"
"By then, Diane COULD HAVE swum 2 miles"

I encountered the term 'mackerel snappers' while watching TV last night.  It was
used in a way that seemed to make it similar in meaning to 'god botherers'.
I can manage to see a link between 'mackerel' and the old fish symbol but
'snappers'?  I am not sure what that would mean in ...

HISTORY DOCUMENTARY: Balderdash and Piffle
On: BBC 2 North (102)    
Date: Friday 11th May 2007 (starting this evening)
Time: 22:00 to 22:30 (30 minutes long)

I have two questions which my dictionaries don't answer me concerning
a car:
1. The device in a car which controls the velocity, so the driver
don't has to use the accelerator pedal, how do you call it (in German

I am a learner of English and I have a doubt about the pronunciation
of the word "azure" (the colour)?
All the dictionaries I've checked list /'AZ@(r)/ as the recommended
pronunciation but I've asked two English people and they say they'd

I'm reading Black Fly Season from Giles Blunt, there is a Word I
didn't found in any dictionary: skin-popping. Can anybody explain this
word for me, I'm a native german speaker?

My name is Lorenzo Crescini. I am a Captain of the merchant  Navy now
on retirement.
When I was a secular missionary in an African leprosary, I wrote  some
Flashes on the Holy Gospels  which helped a lot of people  by giving

When should I use the appropriate capitalised  or uncapitalised adjectives
or nouns (for example) "Chinese" and "chinese"? Or is it not correct to use
the uncapitalised form? I have seen in print books statements such as "Do
you speak chinese?"

Islam Is The True Religion
THE RELIGION OF ISLAM
The first thing that one should know and clearly understand about
Islam is what the word "Islam" itself means. The religion of Islam is