I’m not surprised that Talk Like Yoda Day exists. Over 40 years since his Star Wars debut (puppeteered and voiced by Frank Oz), Yoda remains a recognisable figure in pop culture. This is in part due to his distinctive and frequently imitated version of English.

What stands out about Yoda’s speech is his unusual word order. Think of some of his most famous lines: “Patience you must have, my young Padawan” and “Your path you must decide”. This is clearly not the typical English word order, but it’s not random either. Yoda’s word order mirrors the syntax of British Sign Language (BSL). By building your sentences like Yoda, you can master a key aspect of BSL grammar.

In Yoda’s sentences, the topic comes first. In linguistics, the topic of the sentence is the word or phrase that represents what the sentence is about. The other parts of the sentence provide extra details on this topic. Through a syntactic process called topicalisation, the topic is brought to the front of the sentence.

Topicalisation is uncommon in English, but can be used for emphasis. Generally, English sentences follow this word order: subject then verb then object. For example: Anna (subject) ate (verb) a biscuit (object). What is the topic of this sentence? In fact, it could be any of those sentence elements. It depends on which information the speaker thinks is most important.

If the speaker wishes to place emphasis on what they have chosen as the topic of the sentence, topicalisation is a useful tool. Consider the difference between these two sentences:

The biscuit was eaten by Anna.

It was Anna who ate the biscuit.

In the first sentence, what was eaten is important. In the second sentence, who ate the biscuit is important.

Topicalisation is closely linked with question words – who, what, where, why and sometimes how. Each of these questions picks out a different topic. If you were asked, “What did Anna eat?”, it would probably feel odd to answer, “It was Anna who ate the biscuit”. This is because the topic of that response focuses on who, not what. Subconsciously, on a linguistic level, we understand what the topic of the answer should be, even though we may not be used to thinking about sentences in terms of topics.

There is an important difference between topicalisation in English and how Yoda structures his sentence. For Yoda, topicalisation only involves moving the topic; the rest of the word order remains intact. Yet, in English, we need some extra words to facilitate the topic moving. In English, it sounds much more natural to say, “Patience is what you must have, my young Padawan”, although this is very unlike Yoda.

Yoda and BSL

British Sign Language (BSL) is the primary or preferred language of the British Deaf community. There are around 151,000 BSL users, of whom 87,000 are deaf.

A common misconception is that BSL has the same grammar as English. BSL has its own syntax, separate from English and from other sign languages. BSL is what linguists call a topic-comment language. A sentence commonly starts with the topic and is then followed by further details that build on the topic, known as the comment.

No matter whether the topic is a subject, verb or object, it comes first. So, how can you sign the sentence “Anna ate a biscuit”? Using our question words as a guide, we can identify three possible topics: Who ate the biscuit? What did Anna do? What did Anna eat? For each of these scenarios, you sign the topic first, followed by the rest of the sentence:

BSL: Anna eat biscuit.

(Translation: “It was Anna who ate the biscuit.”)

BSL: Eat biscuit Anna.

(Translation: “What Anna did was eat the biscuit.”)

BSL: Biscuit Anna eat.

(Translation: “It was a biscuit that Anna ate.”)

As with Yoda’s English, in BSL, topicalisation elegantly rearranges the elements in the sentence, without the need for extra words. As well as a prominent position, topics can be marked with so-called “non-manual features”, such as a head nod or widened eyes during the topic sign, or a pause after signing the topic.

The topic-comment structure is a very important aspect of BSL grammar. Unfortunately, it is something that hearing learners can struggle to use consistently. In the worst case, you may feel tempted to give up and use English word order instead. But this isn’t BSL, and it could make your signing unclear and difficult to follow for a Deaf person.

Learning a language with a different grammar might seem difficult, but it is associated with many benefits for the brain, such as increased creativity and improved working memory. It is an opportunity to think about how to express your thoughts differently, which might develop your creative problem solving.

Language is also a powerful social and cultural tool for connecting with other people. In 2021, a survey by the Royal National Institute for Deaf People found that people who are deaf or have hearing loss are twice as likely to experience mental health problems compared to people without hearing loss. The survey reported that nearly 47% of respondents felt excluded in everyday life and 33% felt lonely. By learning some BSL, you are working towards making our society more inclusive of people who are deaf.

Rather than getting lost with verb or subject order, remember: talk like Yoda. Start with what is the most important part of the sentence and then provide details. As I’m sure the wise Yoda would agree, sign language learn you should.

Some of Tuchel’s biggest dilemmas have been in defence, where there have been injury and fitness issues.

Centre-back John Stones, in normal circumstances, would have been one of the first names on the England manager’s list.

When he accepted the job, Tuchel identified captain Harry Kane, Declan Rice and Stones as the key members of his leadership group.

The German, during the opening months of his reign, would stay in regular contact with the trio via text message – assuring them of how important they were to his plans.

A fully fit Stones is a nailed-on starter for England this summer. But the 31-year-old has made just four Premier League starts this season.

Central defenders Marc Guehi and Ezri Konsa look certain to make the plane to North America, while Harry Maguire’s international recall in March will increase the Manchester United man’s hopes of a place.

Beyond that; Jarell Quansah’s versatility could count in his favour, while Trevoh Chalobah and Fikayo Tomori were both included in the squad for March’s friendlies against Uruguay and Japan – but face an uphill struggle to make the final 26.

Levi Colwill, who has only recently returned from a long-term cruciate knee ligament injury, was included in Tuchel’s extended 55-man party for the tournament but is unlikely to make the full squad.

At right-back, all eyes – as ever – will be on whether Trent Alexander-Arnold makes the cut. On the face of it, the Real Madrid man should fear the worst.

He wasn’t included in the squad for March’s internationals despite Tuchel selecting more than 30 players in total.

Last year, Tuchel said Quansah – a central defender – was ahead of him in the pecking order, so it doesn’t necessarily look good.

That said, Tuchel has issues at right-back. Reece James, who is expected to start the tournament as first choice in the position, has endured an injury disrupted campaign.

Tino Livramento would also usually be selected. But the Newcastle full-back hasn’t played since mid-April because of a thigh injury.

The doubt over Livramento’s fitness, coupled with the expected exclusion of Arsenal’s Ben White – who is recovering from a serious knee injury – could yet open the door for Alexander-Arnold.

And with England anticipating the majority of the ball in their Group L matches against Croatia, Ghana and Panama, Alexander-Arnold’s strengths in possession may suit Tuchel’s side during the early stages of the tournament.

Tottenham’s Djed Spence could also be an option, having played four times under Tuchel.

Luke Shaw’s run into form has given Tuchel with a welcome headache as he finalises his squad. Nico O’Reilly’s outstanding form for Manchester City means he will almost certainly be selected, with Newcastle duo Dan Burn and Lewis Hall also hoping to get the nod.

The driver of the car was unharmed and no arrests have been made

A man has been taken to hospital following a crash on a road in a Cambridgeshire town. Cambridgeshire Police were called at around 7.54pm yesterday (Wednesday, May 20) to Lynn Road in Wisbech with reports of a crash involving a car and a motorcycle.

A 26-year-old man, who was driving the motorcycle, was taken to hospital with serious injuries. The driver of the car was unharmed. No arrests have been made but police are making enquiries into the incident.

Anyone who saw what happened, has dashcam footage, or was in the area around the time of the incident should go to the police. Anything can be reported through the force website quoting incident 474 of 20 May. If you do not have access to the internet, you can call 101.

A spokesperson for Cambridgeshire Police said: “We were called at 7.54pm to Lynn Road, Wisbech, following reports of a collision between a car and motorcycle.

“The motorcyclist, a 26-year-old man, has been taken to hospital with serious injuries. The driver of the car was unharmed. No arrests have been made and enquiries continue.

“Anyone who saw what happened, has dashcam footage of the collision, was in the area at the time or the moments leading up to it, can report it through the force website or by calling 101, quoting incident 474 of 20 May.”

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A surgeon was in a sexual relationship with a patient while prescribing her highly addictive painkillers under the counter. He claimed he was “blackmailed” into continuing the supply of drugs as he feared she would expose the relationship.

Dr Chirag Patel, a consultant neurosurgeon at University Hospital of Wales, qualified from an Indian university in 1994 and moved to the UK eight years later. He has worked at the hospital in Cardiff since 2015, his misconduct tribunal heard.

The panel was told Dr Patel first operated on the woman (Patient A) in February 2019, removing the damaged part of a disc in her spine, and then performed further surgery on her in August that year. The following month they began a sexual relationship. Full story here

Put 150g self-raising flour, 1 tsp baking powder, 30g good-quality cocoa powder, 150g soft light-brown sugar, 2 tsp instant espresso powder, 175g room-temperature butter, 3 lightly beaten large eggs, 1 tsp vanilla extract and 50g melted and cooled dark chocolate into a mixer or a food processor with a pinch of salt (or use an electric hand whisk – just make sure the bowl is big enough otherwise the ingredients will fly everywhere when you start to beat them). Beat or whizz everything together until combined. The mixture should drop softly off a spoon. If it’s too stiff, add 2 tbsp milk.

Its latest purchase concerns Oak Beck Way, which has a combined floor space of 9,710 sq ft and is located just one mile north of Harrogate town centre.

The acquisition adds a range of national and SME businesses including a Medivet veterinary practice, glazing installer Hallmark Windows, a mechanics and a tyre company to the national roster of tenant businesses.

Bradford Estates Property Director Chris Hodson said: “Our acquisition of the units at Oakbeck Way is a great fit for our investment strategy, combining our confidence in the existing Harrogate market together with exciting future opportunities driven by its location adjacent to national retailers and the continued growth of Harrogate along the arterial Skipton Road corridor. 

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“Bradford Estates has strong links with Yorkshire, with existing industrial and retail sites in Barnsley, Leeds and Sheffield, so adding a location in Harrogate to our portfolio works on a strategic management level.”

In total, the industrial company now owns 15 institutional grade estates across England and Wales totalling 430,000 sq ft. They have occupiers including popular brands Screwfix, Halfords, Crown Paints, Euro Car Parts and Plumbase, as well as many regional and local enterprises. Overall, the portfolio has an occupier base which exceeds 100 businesses.

Bradford Estates managing director Alexander Newport added: “We are delighted with the quality of our new industrial investments and are now underway with various value creating asset management initiatives to support our return to the investment market again in the near future.”

The main Bradford Estates asset is a 12,000-acre land holding on the Shropshire-Staffordshire borders used for regenerative farming, sustainable forestry, leisure, local housing, SME business space and real estate development.

Southampton admitted spying on Middlesbrough before the first leg of the play-off semi-final, along with Oxford United at Christmas and Ipswich Town last month.

When Saints hosted Ipswich on 28 April the two teams were in direct competition vying to finish second and earn automatic promotion. The game ended 2-2.

Southampton have no further right of appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The Championship play-off final will now go ahead at Wembley on Saturday between Hull City and Middlesbrough (15:30 BST kick-off), with a place in the Premier League on the line.

“A league arbitration panel has dismissed Southampton Football Club’s appeal against the independent disciplinary commission’s sanction following the admittance of multiple breaches of EFL regulations,” the EFL said on Wednesday evening.

Saints called the ruling “an extremely disappointing outcome”.

It added: “While we fully acknowledge the seriousness of this matter and the scrutiny that has followed, the club has consistently believed the original sporting sanction was disproportionate, a view that has been widely shared by many in the football community over the last 24 hours.”

Hull, meanwhile, are unhappy they will have to face different opponents at short notice, with owner Acun Ilicali suggesting the club could take legal action if they lose the final.

Ilicali told Sky Sports he was not happy with the situation, but there was no other option “in order to finish this mess”.

Former Manchester United star David Beckham was given a harsh wake-up call from his son

Former Manchester United star David Beckham has failed to convert all of his children into Red Devils supporters, with Romeo finally enjoying some football glory at his dad’s expense.

Romeo has been an Arsenal fan since childhood and this week got to enjoy the Gunners lifting a long-awaited Premier League title. The 23-year-old rang his father at 7am on Wednesday morning to remind him that the London club were league champions for the first time since he was a toddler.

“Someone has [been] waiting a long time for this day, years of torment from his dad [but now] he gets his moment,” Beckham Sr. wrote on an Instagram story, alongside a photograph of a young Romeo dressed in Arsenal kit. He had previously revealed his second-born son also phoned him the very instant the London side secured the title.

The former England ace posted two further photographs of his son in Arsenal shirts from years past, before cautioning that back-to-back titles won’t be easy. “Don’t get used to it mate, United will be back next year and sorry for the torment over all these years,” the 51 year old added. “Oh and thanks for the 7am call this morning [to say] ‘Dad I woke up a champion’.”

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Romeo shared a pair of his own photographs on his Instagram grid. One pictured him as a youngster wearing an Arsenal goalkeeper shirt and gloves, while the other showed the Bukayo Saka scarf he donned while celebrating the title victory this week.

Not everyone was in a celebratory mood, however. Phil Neville, who lined up alongside Romeo’s father at Old Trafford, fired back with a claim that “You’re a Man Utd fan Romeo”.

One of the major factors in Romeo’s decision to support Arsenal rather than his father’s old team is the impression former manager Arsene Wenger made on him during a visit to a match as a youngster. David told former team-mate Rio Ferdinand about the experience when he took his son to watch the North London club for the first time.

“We walked in, amazing seats. Sat in the director’s box,” he said. “Lunch was unbelievable before the game – it was like wagyu, full on, everything.

“So we walk in, I’m sat there and then Arsene walks in the room and he comes straight over to the table, introduces himself to Romeo, and he says, ‘Come with me son.’

“So he takes him down to the changing room, meets all the players, gives him a shirt, signed, takes him onto the pitch, walks him back up to the table and then gives him an Arsenal cashmere scarf, and that was it. It was done. I’ve tried to change his mind since but impossible.”

WASHINGTON (AP) — Senate Republican leaders are expected to abandon a proposal for $1 billion in security money for the White House complex and President Donald Trump’s ballroom on Thursday after members of their own party questioned the timing and the lack of detail in the Secret Service request.

Pressured by the White House, Republicans have tried to add the money to a roughly $70 billion bill to restore funding to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and the Border Patrol. But the security proposal met with backlash from some GOP lawmakers who are questioning the cost and how the taxpayer dollars would be used.

The bill’s text has not yet been released, but the Senate hopes to pass it this week and send it to the House before leaving for a weeklong Memorial Day recess. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., acknowledged “ongoing vote issues” on Wednesday as leaders tired to measure Republican support, as well as “ongoing parliamentarian issues” as they try to figure out what will be allowed in the bill under the chamber’s rules.

Sen. John Kennedy, R-La., said Wednesday that the bill would be “back to square one” without the security money because “the votes are not there.”

Sen. Thom Tillis, R-N.C., said the effort to add the security package to the bill was a “bad idea” and he does not think there is enough backing to pass it, even if the cost were reduced.

The wrangling comes as Democrats have criticized Republicans for trying to fund Trump’s ballroom when voters are concerned about basic affordability issues — and as some GOP lawmakers have grown increasingly frustrated with Trump. Several GOP senators have spoken out against the administration’s $1.776 billion settlement fund designed to compensate Trump’s allies who believe they have been persecuted, and many were upset by the president’s endorsement Tuesday of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton in the party primary runoff next week against Sen. John Cornyn.

“There’s always a consequence with taking on United States senators,” Thune said Wednesday. The president “obviously has his favorites and people he wants to endorse and that’s his prerogative. But what we have to deal with up here is moving the agenda, and obviously that can become slightly more complicated.”

Republicans could set parameters on Trump’s settlement fund

The “anti-weaponization” fund, part of a settlement that resolves Trump’s lawsuit against the Internal Revenue Service over the leak of his tax returns, has unexpectedly become one of the main complications in the bill. Democrats said they would force votes to block it or place restrictions on it.

Democrats have an opening because Republicans are trying to pass the immigration enforcement bill through a complicated budget process that requires a long series of amendment votes. Democrats are considering multiple amendments, potentially to block that new fund outright or to ban any payments to Trump supporters who harmed law enforcement officers in the Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the Capitol.

Those amendments, along with others, could pass as a growing number of Republicans have voiced reservations about the fund. So Republicans are now discussing their own last-minute additions to head that off, potentially placing some parameters on the settlement and who could receive compensation, according to two people with knowledge of the private discussions who requested anonymity to discuss them.

Thune — who said Tuesday that he is “not a big fan” of the settlement and doesn’t see a purpose for it —- said Wednesday that any new language potentially putting restrictions on the settlement is “a work in progress.”

It’s unclear how any Senate Republican changes would be received in the House, even as some Republicans there have also criticized the settlement.

House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., said Wednesday that the House will pass the bill “whatever form it takes.”

Tensions rise between Senate and White House

As Republicans challenged the settlement and parts of his agenda, Trump unloaded on the Senate in a social media post.

He urged Republicans to fire the Senate parliamentarian, Elizabeth MacDonough, who said over the weekend that parts of the $1 billion security proposal cannot remain in the ICE and Border Patrol bill. Trump also renewed his long-standing calls for the Senate to pass the SAVE Act, a Republican bill that would require all voters to prove U.S. citizenship, and to end the Senate filibuster.

Republicans need to “get smart and tough,” Trump said, or “you’ll all be looking for a job much sooner than you thought possible!”

While they have been loyal to Trump on most issues, Senate Republicans have resisted his repeated calls — even in his first term — to kill the filibuster, which triggers a 60-vote threshold in the Senate.

Hanging over the growing GOP rift is Trump’s surprise endorsement of Paxton. That intervention has Republican senators privately fuming that it could cost them their majority in November as they view the incumbent, Cornyn, as the better candidate in the November general election.

Secret Service request falters as Republicans want more detail

Under the Secret Service’s request, about $220 million would fund security improvements related to the ballroom. The rest would go for a new screening center for visitors, training and other security measures.

Tillis said the bill should not have included the other security improvements “because it’s just giving everybody the ‘billion-dollar ballroom.’”

Several other Republicans in the House and Senate have questioned the request, and senators left a briefing with the director of the Secret Service last week saying they needed a lot more information.

People “can’t afford groceries and gasoline and healthcare, and we’re going to do a billion dollars for a ballroom?” asked Louisiana Sen. Bill Cassidy, who lost reelection in his GOP primary on Saturday after Trump endorsed one of his opponents.

Left in the bill is the money for ICE and Border Patrol, which Democrats have blocked for months in protest of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement crackdown.

Democrats demanded reforms for the agencies, but negotiations with the White House yielded little progress. So Republicans are using the complicated budget maneuver called reconciliation — the same process that allowed them to pass Trump’s tax and spending cuts bill last year — to fund the agencies through the end of Trump’s term with a simple majority and no Democratic votes.

Still, passage requires signoff from the parliamentarian and unity from Republicans.

“We’re working on it,” Thune said as he left the Capitol on Wednesday evening.

___

Associated Press writers Lisa Mascaro and Stephen Groves contributed to this report.