Where every child can dream of becoming a parliament speaker

In a recent interview, former speaker of the House of Commons, John Bercow, said he owed his “elocution” to his late father. Unlike most British prime ministers and parliament speakers, Bercow did not go to a private school and did not get his degree from Oxford or Cambridge. Yet many in or outside the parliament praise his wealth of English language vocabulary, with some MPs calling him a “glottologist”.

Eloquence and being articulate with words are key contributing factors to success in many careers, not just in politics or law. Being able to powerfully express your ideas and feelings projects an image of being educated and professional. It also helps convey your message clearly and correctly.

But what if someone does not have a father like Bercow’s, who taught him the precise use of English vocabulary, or has not gone to a private school or an Oxbridge university? For many, especially non-native speakers, mastering English vocabulary as did John Bercow may seem a far-fetched dream. It does not have to be.

Last week, we launched WordUp 2.0, the latest version of the English vocabulary learning app, that promises “the smartest way” to learn words. WordUp uses artificial intelligence to find and teach the words that matter most. It also creates a personalised, life-long learning map for each user. Most importantly, WordUp teaches words in context.

In order to identify the correct meaning of a word for each situation, WordUp taps into a treasure of engaging material from TV series, movies, music lyrics, news articles as well as quotations from famous writers or scientists. Geeks have found that the way a word is used in everyday colloquial language is best reflected in television or movie scripts rather than in books or essays.

In the new version of WordUp, our algorithm gives preference to sitcoms for example. Comedy series like Friends or The Big Bang Theory are not only popular with users but also contain everyday situations for which we need different words in order to correctly express ourselves. And you will be amazed by the range and depth of the vocabulary used even in comedy.

WordUp 2.0 now includes music lyrics to showcase an alternative context for the use of words. It also offers a revamped look, an improved “activity map” as well as better optimisation. Soon the app will personalise the examples it brings, based on the user’s taste. So, if you are using it, keep “liking” the material you prefer.

It is no coincidence, that in the same week we launched WordUp 2.0, its ingenuity was recognised by a prestigious awarding body. At UK Business Awards 2019, WordUp won a bronze medal as the “Innovation of the Year” competing with long-standing brands such as Virgin Trains.

“We were very happy that our innovation was recognised given that WordUp was released only recently,” says my colleague and our chief operating officer Lindsey Jessup. “It was an early accolade for a product that has a long journey ahead!”

“Word gap” is one of the societal inequalities that significantly affect future career prospects for children and young adults. This is when a child is exposed to a smaller number of words spoken in his or her environment, especially in the family, and is, therefore, less articulate as an adult. We want to help close this gap.

We will soon launch Junior WordUp, a version of our English vocabulary learning app for kids. This version will teach words that are suitable for a younger age range and also pulls examples of words from material that kids like. It is also “family-friendly” and does not teach any profanity or rude words. Our ambition is to bring Junior WordUp to the market in the next couple of months.

We want to think that every child in the UK or in the world, no matter which country they are, who their father is or where they are schooled, can dream of becoming a parliament speaker when they grow up — and speak as eloquently as they wish.