takibari

It just occurred to me, perhaps the subjects in the study are actually in committed relationships (as you defined) and were asked probably to participate in the speed dating activity. After which the said participants were asked to maintain communication with the participants of the research through instant messaging. the more likely they were to be together three months later, irrespective of how happy they said they were in their relationships at the time. = Ergo, even though the participants in the research were supposedly in HAPPY relationships (with people outside the speed-dating activity), they still were drawn to the stranger/speed-dater in the research whose use of function words were a similar match to theirs. If the results of this research were to be replicated, I can't help but think how funny it is and a bit scary for couples in committed relationships - as theirs could just end because there comes a stranger who happens to use the same FUNCTION words with high frequency as their partner. If this were to be the case, so you guys need to be careful with your use of "the, him, as, be," etc. (After all, these are really things we use unconsciously, haha!)

... was standing a few steps away and stealing glances at me. Oddly, I ...

You have an interesting site there. Love the article on R2D2. Although I haven't watched the latest Star Wars movie, I absolutely love the franchise. Saw all 6 episodes and R2D2 and C3PO are two of my favorite characters. They're just so endearing. But between them, I love R2 more.

I'm never good with languages! I even failed my Communication I class, haha! But cruel destiny put me in a line of work that deal mostly with writing, grammar, coherence, etc.. However, I'm pretty decent with Math. I love Algebra, Trigonometry and Calculus. Not so with Geometry, Physics, and Chemistry though.

My takeaway from the research is that attraction seems to be greater between two STRANGERS who use the same language. At least, since the subjects used were of participants in a speed dating activity. The subjects didn't have a relationship with each other. As to whether common language use is predictive of successful partnership, I didn't think the research covered that. In a follow-up study, Pennebaker compared the language used by 86 couples in committed relationships via writing samples from instant messages. He found that the more their function words matched, the more likely they were to be together three months later, irrespective of how happy they said they were in their relationships at the time. Although I'm a bit confused with the above; 86 couples in committed relationships and they are likely to be together three months later? By committed relationship, did the researcher actually mean the speed daters maintaining communication thru instant messages? That's committed relationship? Obviously, I'm confused. LOL! (Or I'm misunderstanding the whole thing, haha!)

You're quite right. There are a lot of Tagalog words that are almost the same as Spanish. First thing that comes to mind is "How are you?" = Kumusta = Como esta? It's definitely easy to learn Tagalog, actually. As to us mixing Tagalog and English writing, well - that's because English is a SECOND language to us. It's not just in schools that we use English. If you go outside, English is widely used. Signs on the streets, notices on public places are almost always done in English. It's highly common to hear English words used in daily conversation (Ex. What's your ORDER? = Ano pong ORDER nila?) / Where's the nearest restaurant? = Saan ang pinakamalapit na restaurant dito?) Generally, it's a common comment by foreign tourists who have visited the Philippines that foreigners need not be scared with the language barrier when coming to the Philippines. They say, if the first person to your right doesn't speak English, chances are high that the person to your left speaks English.

Yeah, that was the price of colonization to us. Nevertheless, it also has some good side. Because of our history of being under so many countries (Spain, Japan, America) - we have become what we are now - including the English language being a second language to us now.

Hi @Mameha! Not stupid at all. If you see the picture above of 'baybayin', that's our ancient writing system. It mainly uses symbols. However, due to our being colonized by Spain, the use of 'baybayin' somehow fell into disuse. If you recall, we were under Spain for 300++ years, and so we took on the use of the Latin alphabet as taught by the Spanish during their reign in our country. So generally, the Abakada alphabet is generally an indigenized Latin alphabet of the Tagalog language. It only uses 20 letters: Aa, Bb, Kk, Dd, Ee Gg, Hh, Ii, Ll, Mm, Nn, NG/ng, Oo, Pp, Rr Ss, Tt, Uu, Ww, Yy Although now, the modern Filipino alphabet makes use of the original 26 Latin alphabet and the Spanish Ñ and the Ng digraph of Tagalog. So, 28 all.

Own passion and interest are indeed great sources of motivation to learn new languages. Those alone can make you choose to spend time for learning the target language. As mentioned by some here, nobody really picks a language to learn at random. Our reasons may be varied and those reasons may spell the difference on how focus we are to studying the language. But as for those that just have to learn the language out of necessity and not so much for passion nor interest, learning entails more extra effort. Thus, maintaining the motivation to keep at learning may just be difficult compared to those with the innate passion.

I think you should not let fear get in the way of your teaching Clara whom you described as precious and most eager. True that you had your own set of experiences on how people reacted to your pronunciation and such. But do try to remember that the language isn't your first language, and while we can aim for perfection - target languages being our second language only, then there's bound to be some limitation. The important thing is you manage to convey your message the right way. Also, from what I understand, your Clara already knows and speaks Malagasy. Her problem is in recognizing her own language in the written form. I guess what I'm saying is when you say certain words in your own accent, your Clara being a native speaker could easily recognize the word you're trying to say. Just be gentle with yourself, you'll do fine. The more you focus on what you lack, the more it will hinder your teaching. Anyway, I found these online: http://mylanguages.org/learn_malagasy.php http://ilanguages.org/malagasy_vocabulary.php

Indeed patience is important when teaching a second language to a non-native speaker. I guess it helps also that you yourself has the passion for learning new languages. If you have this passion to learn new languages, you can certainly emphasize what the new learner is going through in learning the new language. You yourself go through the same process when you were just learning a new language. With your experience, you are able to extend some help to the student. Not only that you can come up with ways to improve your teaching methods.

Thank you very much! I'm just proud of how our language Tagalog (also called Filipino) has evolved over the course of our history. Haha, it's not just our language that was preserved because of the writings of Dr. Jose Rizal. Actually, his writings spurred many Filipinos then into a revolution that freed our country from Spain. Prior to us being occupied by Spain, our country already has its own system of writing called 'baybayin.' It's totally different from the Tagalog that we know now today. Sadly, the ancient Filipinos didn't write on permanent things then, (mostly on leaves, bamboos) - so, these writings weren't preserved. There is a popular belief that the Spanish burn our ancient manuscripts, but many historians negate this claim. Anyhow, this was how the baybayin was supposed to look like: (Source: Ang Baybayin: The Ancient Script of the Philippines)

WoW! That's a good one. I highly recommend that you pick up Letters to a Young Poet. It contains his 10 letters to a 19-year old poet which he mentored through these letters. He talks about how it is to be an artist and with thoughts on life. Amazing book for me, really.

This is a tough question primarily because in one way or another the books you read somehow change you in a way. This is my lame excuse as I'm trying to recall which among the many that had a great impact on me. OK, here's my list, not necessarily in order of its impact: The Prophet - Kahlil Gibran - It talks about different topics in life - love, marriage, joy and sorrow, etc. Letters to a Young Poet - Rainer Maria Rilke - It's a collection of ten letters by the author to Franz Xaver Kappus, a 19-year-old officer cadet at the Theresian Military Academy in Wiener Neustadt - The poet talks about how it is to be an artist and a person. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS! The Bible - Word of God - I've read countless of books before, but could never get pass the Book of Genesis. Then 3 years ago, something just happened and I managed to read the whole thing. It changed me. (This will have to be No. 1 though I said my listing is in no particular order.) The Screwtape Letters - C.S. Lewis - It's a fictional writing of a 'devil uncle' to his 'apprentice in training nephew'. It's a satire, and you'll have a lot of laughs (at least it had that effect on me). It makes you aware of how temptation works and what the devil uses to promote sin. Who Moved My Cheese - Spencer Johnson - It talks about to deal with change in work and life. It's a very easy read since it's written in a parable style, but the book has full of insights.

I found this one: http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/spanish/cool/ - The MP3 however is purely Spanish words and expressions. Just an audio listing of said words/expressions. However, there there's a separate text file that can be downloaded explaining the words in English. Oh, I guess this won't work for you as you mentioned that you need it for hiking purposes. But I guess, there are those who might benefit from it, too. I just thought to share anyway as there might be others who'll find it useful (especially beginners).

The Philippines being a country with more than 7,000++ islands have many native languages. These languages are greatly influenced mostly by our trading partners within the Pacific and Asian regions, such as Japan, China, Borneo, Sumatra, Thailand, Cambodia, and other islands in the area. Our national language today is Tagalog. This language has traces of Bahasa Indonesia and Malayan influences. But there was a point in our history where Spanish and English become our national language, too. Not surprisingly, there are words in our language that are of Spanish and English origins, too. Note that although we were under Spain for more than 300 years, the Spanish language did not flourish in the country except among the elite circle (the Friars mostly). While there was order to make Spanish the country's official language - the Friars then (priests) were sluggish in teaching Castilian to the locals as they enjoyed the power they had over the natives. Tagalog, which wasn't an official language during that time, came to light again because our national hero (Jose Rizal) started to write in this language and about the language itself (grammar etc.). So, I guess the very beauty about Tagalog is the many influences it had to become what it is now.

When I was working for a Korean company I had a chance to do language sharing. There was a friend of the company's boss who only know 'action English'. Meaning, his English was very limited and he would just act things out in order for me to understand. At first it was too difficult for me to do, but eventually I learned how things worked. So each day during lunch I would meet up with him and I try to teach him a bit of English. In return, he gives me the equivalent Korean words. However, this only lasted for a month or so since the Korean moved his place of business and we no longer had the chance to meet after that. Anyway, I learned a few things from him and he did the same for me.

It was so long ago that I read Shakespeare. While I enjoy his works, I had difficulty reading them. Anyhow, my favorites would have to Hamlet and Othello. Other than these, I love his sonnets the most and Sonnet 116 is my favorite: SONNET 116 Let me not to the marriage of true minds Admit impediments. Love is not love Which alters when it alteration finds, Or bends with the remover to remove: O no; it is an ever-fixed mark, That looks on tempests, and is never shaken; It is the star to every wandering bark, Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken. Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks Within his bending sickle's compass come; Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks, But bears it out even to the edge of doom. If this be error and upon me proved, I never writ, nor no man ever loved.

I'm a big Kwon Sang Woo fan. So the ones I can recommend are those with him in it. My two favorites are Queen of Ambition - a 2013 TV Series and Bad Love (2007). I also enjoyed watching the following: Cinderella Man Temptation I mostly watched them in YouTube with English subtitles.

Oh, I clicked on this topic about to suggest a link, only to find out that what you have posted is the very online resource I had in mind. Naver.com is like the go to website for Koreans as it practically contains everything. Anyway, I'll just add this link instead: https://www.zkorean.com/english-korean-dictionary

Will it make sense if I say that the most challenging part in learning a foreign language is to keep the motivation going? Anyway, in trying to learn Korean, I get frustrated with having to memorize the vowels and the consonants. Hangul letters are just lines, squares, and circles/curves, and yet I had the most difficulty retaining them to memory. But then again as mentioned by someone here, it's the beginning that's the hardest.

I just downloaded it and tried. It's cute. I like the background music/sound. But I'm afraid I just became the worst shepherd ever! Let's just say in playing the game, several lives of sheep got wasted. Oh, it just occurred to me, were you making word play when you thought of developing this game? This is cheesy, but as soon as I hit the post/reply button; two words came to mind: JUMP SHIP - you know the American slang for when you leave your job, or to move from one situation to another. So, I thought, oh yeah - JUMP SHEEP!!! after all he's a language enthusiast.

No problem. I probably wasn't thinking clearly at that time, too, haha. But I'm positive when I made the comment, I was thinking about my former boss's instructions to our developers then. Anyhow, no biggie. I appreciate the consideration.

Yes, I get that there's always google translate and I recognize that it will require a lot of work and perhaps some funding, too. When I made the suggestion, I was thinking along the lines of keeping people on the site. My former boss, when he developed programs, his main requirement was always for developers to think of ways to make people 'stay' on the page. I don't know about program-speak or developer-speak, but his idea is hinged on making people stick to the site, and not just bounce off.

Both American and English Literature has its own appeal. But truthfully, I don't distinguish between them. To me, literature is literature be it American or English. But I must admit I have more trouble with English Literature primarily of the language. But that goes without saying that the books authored by English writers are definitely powerful that they remain relevant to these days. The same thing is true, I think of American Literature.