WASHINGTON (AFP) - – A 4.4 million year old skeleton of a female "ground ape" shows signs of the first stage of human evolution better than anything seen to date, according to research out Thursday in the journal Science.

The fragile remains of the small creature, first discovered in 1992 in Ethiopia's Afar region and determined to be a new species in 1994, is the earliest known skeleton from the human branch of the primate family tree, scientists say.

Research into the Ardipithecus ramidus, nicknamed "Ardi," provides new insight into how hominids -- the family of "great apes" that includes humans, chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans -- may share a common ancestor.

A team of scientists from 10 countries participated in Ardi's discovery, and 11 reports on research into the find are published in the special issue of Science.

"So this new evidence, coming as close as we've ever come to that last common ancestor really allows us to infer what that creature was like," said Tom White of the University of California at Berkeley, who collaborated on the study.

Los Alamos National Laboratory geologist Giday WoldeGabriel, who led the field geology investigations and sampling of ancient lava and ash used to determine the age of the fossilized remains, hailed the "fascinating and important discovery" of "mankind's oldest relatives."

The scientists estimate that when she was alive, Ardi weighed about 50 kilograms (110 pounds) and was 1.2 meters (four feet) high.

Before Ardi's discovery, the earliest well-known stage of human evolution was Australopithecus, a small-brained, bipedal "ape man" species that lived between four million and one million years ago.

The most famous remains belonged to "Lucy," a 3.2-million-year-old set of fossils found in 1974 some 72 kilometers (45 miles) north of where Ardi was discovered.

After Lucy's discovery, researchers expected earlier hominid remains to show a chimpanzee-like anatomy demonstrating genetic similarity between humans and chimps.

But the Ardipithecus ramidus fossils do not support that hypothesis, said White, a professor at Berkeley's Human Evolution Research Center and Department of Integrative Biology.

"In fact, this creature is a very interesting mosaic... neither chimpanzee nor human," he said, noting that the fossil's hand is "even more primitive" than a chimp.

While the chimpanzees have very broad front teeth because they are fruit eaters, the Ardipithecus is "much more of an omnivorous creature," noted White.

"It turns out that frugivory (fruit eating) evolved along chimpanzee lineages," he said.

Fresh-water springs and small patches of dense forest made up Ardi's woodland home, according to the researchers. Palm trees grew along the forest edges and grasslands extended into the distance.

Researchers also found fig and hackenberry tree remains at Ardi's site, as well as snails, owls and parrots, small mammals including mice and bats, and a variety of other animals including porcupines, hyenas, elephants, giraffes and several types of antelope.

Ardi had a chimp-sized brain even though its face was smaller than a chimpanzee's. It had smaller incisors, and small canines, especially among males, according to White.

Grandma, 76, continues to takes lessons
Age need not be a barrier to learning to speak English well, and Madam Lo Khuen Neong, 76, is proof of this.

'I love to learn and I think it's very important to speak English well, especially when my 12-year-old grandson stays with me five days a week,' said the retired bus conductor.

She has spoken Mandarin and Cantonese for most of her life, but started taking English lessons seven years ago.

She joined the Women Learning English (Wish) programme, an adult literacy programme run by the Society for Reading and Literacy, one of the partners of the Speak Good English Movement.

'I wanted to learn proper English so that I could pass the good habit to my grandson,' Madam Lo said.

Despite having only Primary 5 education in a Chinese school, she now speaks grammatically correct English, even if a little haltingly.

She practises what she learns each week by volunteering as a cook at an old folks' home and communicating in English with those she helps, as well as with her fellow volunteers.

She also goes to the Marine Parade library regularly to borrow books on English.

'When I first started, I mixed up simple terms. I would say 'Come and eat your Milo' instead of 'drink', but I think I have improved,' she said with a laugh.

She has also mastered the past and present tenses.

Not one to rest on her laurels, she will continue to take English lessons.

She said: 'My grandson used to correct me, but now I can correct him and teach him a thing or two. I want to keep on improving.

When Mr Raymon Huang first came to Singapore from Indonesia in 1937, he could not speak a word of English.

But, spurred by the belief that clear communication is all important, he read voraciously and listened religiously to the BBC.

Mr Huang went on to become a teacher of English, history and geography at Rangoon Road Primary School.

Now 83, and a retiree, he has been passing on his excellent command of English to his four children and 11 grandchildren.

'Although I was taught by local teachers, it was the colonial era, and they had very good English and clear pronunciation,' he said, explaining his own crisp diction.

'I told my children to listen to the BBC at least once a day and asked them to make reading a habit so that they would learn good English,' he added.

His daughter, academic Shirlena Huang, who is in her early 50s, also picked up good English.

'My father would play Scrabble and games like Word Power with us, and we all read constantly,' said Dr Huang.

Her teenage son, Tan Kian Yang, 17, and her niece, Abigail Huang, 21, both learnt the importance of English from their parents.

Said Kian Yang: 'When we were little, my mother fined us each time we used Singlish. To this day, every time there is a family gathering, we are corrected instantly by aunts and uncles if we make mistakes.'

Still, the 'third generation' does occasionally lapse into Singlish.

Kian Yang said: 'We do use expressions like 'lah' and 'lor'. I don't think our English is as good as our grandfather's. He speaks it well so effortlessly.'

While Mr Huang says his grandchildren speak 'acceptably good' English, he notices that today's younger generation often uses poor English.

He said: 'I think Singlish is great and there's a place for it, but many young people today are careless with their grammar and diction. It is not helped by the fact that they use shortcuts on the Internet and in text messages.'

Shuli Sudderuddin

Oct 4, 2009
Revamping how English is taught

Various steps are being taken in schools, but some still feel standards have slipped
By Shuli Sudderuddin
English language lessons need not be boring, if pupils can be hooked from young.

Teachers can use an array of tools to teach it, including riddles, poems and stories.

And, from next year, there will be more 'explicit instruction of grammar' from Primary 1.

In its response to questions from The Sunday Times, the Ministry of Education (MOE) said it aims to get pupils to communicate effectively in English at the end of their primary and secondary studies.

Education Minister Ng Eng Hen had said last month that, from next year, there will be a curriculum change at Primary 1 and 2, and at Secondary 1 Express and Normal (Academic).

'The new English Language (EL) syllabus will focus on developing oral confidence, grammar knowledge and a love for reading to anchor EL learning especially in the early years,' an MOE spokesman said.

Its key elements will include a greater focus on oral communication using show-and-tell, debates, speech and drama and oral presentations, and emphasis on systematic and explicit instruction of grammar.

In 1981, the EL syllabus departed from rigidly taught grammar, while from 1991, grammar was introduced in a more contextual way.

A review in 2001 saw the return of more explicit teaching of grammar, though not with the depth of the new syllabus for next year.

Now, primary and secondary school teachers are given a list of grammar conventions and starter words for pupils to learn.

While this list states at what level each convention must be explicitly taught, and at what stage it must be revised and reinforced, teachers have the flexibility to teach the conventions when they feel their pupils are ready.

For example, at Primary 2, pupils are expected to use the stress patterns and rhythms of English appropriately and pronounce words clearly.

At Primary 6, EM1 and EM2 pupils will need to know and use connectors to show cause-and-effect, reason or choice and adjectives, adjectival phrases and clauses.

Associate Professor Lubna Alsagoff, head of English language and literature at the National Institute of Education (NIE), which trains teachers, said those who apply to teach English will have their qualifications taken into account when assigning English Language as one of their teaching subjects.

She added: 'We have different programmes of study. Depending on the programme they enrol in, the pre-service preparation can be between one and four years.

'They take English Language as a teaching subject, and must complete courses to fulfil this requirement.'

Beyond the classrooms, the Speak Good English Movement was launched in 2000 to encourage Singaporeans to recognise the importance of speaking Standard English.

Mr Goh Eck Kheng, chairman of the movement, said: 'There was an increase in the use of English as the language most frequently spoken at home in 2005, compared with 2000.'

But despite the various steps taken inside and outside the schools, some people feel that the standard of English in Singapore has deteriorated.

Retired English teacher Ellen Toh, who is in her early 50s and was a teacher for more than 20 years, applauds the return to explicit grammar instruction.

'The standard of English has greatly deteriorated. One reason is that there is next to no firm grounding in grammar,' she said.

Dr Wu Siew Mei, director of the Centre for English Language Communication, National University of Singapore, noted that other varieties besides the standard variety of English have evolved.

She said: 'The nature of digital and Internet communication encourages quick responses and the conveying of key information.

'This has affected the shape of language, specifically spelling and sentences that are incomplete or ungrammatical.'

However, there are others who say English has not deteriorated but merely evolved.

Mr Yee Tong, 35, director of tuition centre School of Thought, which coaches about 800 students a year in English and the General Paper, said: 'I don't feel it has deteriorated.

'Instead, students now use an Internet-based language which works in that context but which others may not understand or may misunderstand as bad English.

'If students are taught more complex thoughts and content at a younger age, their language abilities will also be elevated,' he said.

Many schools have taken the initiative to tailor their own English programmes outside the set curriculum.

Canossa Convent principal Christina Teo and her team of teachers have created an oral skills programme that includes drama skills.

She also gets her pupils to read Little Red Dot, a children's news magazine published by The Straits Times.

Mrs Clara Lim-Tan, principal of CHIJ (Kellock), said its annual Speak Good English Fortnight makes pupils aware of such 'taboo' phrases as 'pass up your books'. (It should be 'hand in your books'.)

She said: 'We have achieved a commendable record of 100 per cent passes for PSLE English Language for more than 10 years.'

Teachers and experts agreed that the education system plays only a part - albeit an important one - in inculcating good English.

Said Ms Toh: 'I think the school is only a small part of it. In this generation, students have few role models - even the music they listen to may not contain good English.

'Parents should reinforce what is taught by�speaking Standard Singapore English�with their children at the right time. They should also show their children that the ability to code-switch is admirable. There is nothing shameful about Singlish.'