Thanks “If your emotional abilities aren’t in hand if you don’t have self-awareness if you are not able to manage your distressing emotions if you can’t have empathy and have effective relationships, then no matter how smart you are, you are not going to get very far.” – Daniel Goleman Language teachers often work in the dark, with little understanding of the object of their efforts and often lacking a clear understanding of key constructs such as ‘communication’. Language as one of the most important and fundamental aspects of and tools in research. We use language in order to communicate our thoughts and feelings. The centuries have been filled with remarkable people who have done amazing things. I’d like to give thanks to a few of the many men and women whose pioneering work underpins the modern English Language. The following individuals are a selection of those responsible for some important firsts in English Language Learning. Otto Jespersen, in full Jens Otto Harry Jespersen, (born July 16, 1860, Randers, Den.—died April 30, 1943, Roskilde), Danish linguist and a foremost authority on English grammar. He helped to revolutionize language teaching in Europe, contributed greatly to the advancement of phonetics, linguistic theory, and the history of English, and originated an international language. Robert James Dixson (May 23, 1908 – February 1, 1963) was an American writer who simplified and adapted some classic works of literature, that were later published in their new version, and wrote a number of books about the English language, specially crafted for the foreign-born. Daniel Goleman (born March 7, 1946) is an author and science journalist. For twelve years, he wrote for The New York Times, reporting on the brain and behavioral sciences. His 1995 book Emotional Intelligence was on The New York Times Best Seller list for a year-and-a-half, a best-seller in many countries, and is in print worldwide in 40 languages.