lingualbabe

Yes, yes and yes! I think lost languages should be revived simply because they're a testament of the culture and history of the people at their time. It always pains me that certain dialects die out just because we didn't pursue the time to preserve it. I wish more and more parents teach their children to be multi-lingual. If they have an older dialect, teach it along with the national language and the universal language. It's a great way to preserve history, their history, their heritage and their culture. And the more we let these languages die, the more we're allowing history to be lost as well. As others have said, these languages might also have certain implications. Ancient writings and books might have used this language. Maybe we can find certain writings on the walls of caves or pyramids using this language. And without preserving it, we'll never know their meanings. If I have all the time in the world, I would love to learn about ancient languages. It's one dream of mine, to learn at least one ancient language.

Well, the only exam I took of was the TOEIC, Test of English for International Communication. And I took the test because it was part of the requirements in my school. If you don't take it and pass, you cannot graduate, I think. Fortunately, I passed it and almost all the others in our batch passed it as well. We did have to pay for it, it was included in our tuition already. We also have a certificate for it and we can attach it to our CVs and resumes as well. However, this was a classroom-based exam since it was conducted in our school. As far as taking exams outside of school, I haven't done that. Like you said, it could look good in your CV especially if you're in the linguistics or language field. I do know other online employment require certain certificates as well. So if you're in that field, why not? It can make your resume stand out from the rest of the applicants that's for sure. But to be on the safer side, try to look first for employments seeking your certain language so that you won't waste money if you cannot find any job openings for it. I hope this helps, good luck!

We just travel to foreign countries, not actually live there. And most of the time it's just at five days, at the most it would be a week. But really, not more than that so it's not even enough time to converse with locals as much. However, we still do communicate with them, to ask directions, to haggle or to just know more about the place we're in. At times, it can be difficult especially in countries where English isn't spoken as much. Another problem would be the accent, we encountered this issue in China since it's quite difficult for us to understand what they're saying even though it's in English because of their supposed accent. I didn't have much problem in Korea though, almost all the people we conversed with know English. I do know Korean as well, so I was able to grasp a few words whenever we speak with non-English speakers. Plus, it's very handy to know a few basic phrases and words as well since at that time, I haven't mastered Korean as I have now. Japan is another issue since not a lot of people speak English there. However, most of them are helpful and they will point us to the right direction. They could actually understand us but they cannot respond in English.

I remember I had Korean and Chinese classmates in college. Hearing them converse in there native languages, it has helped me pick up some words as well. It also helps that I do watch Korean and Chinese series back then. That might also account for the ease of picking up the words that they say or phrases that they converse to. The downside is that you won't really know the true meaning of that word or phrase they say unless you search for it online or pick up a dictionary. The upside is, you can get acquainted to the language, you'd know the intonation, the pronunciation and lots more things. So I don't think listening to them converse in their language is a bad idea at all. I suppose that from shows you can also pick up words. That's what happened to me while watching Korean and Chinese series. As time passed by, I learned how to say "thank you," "goodbye" and "I love you" in those languages. It helps that most of them are romance series, lol. So over time, I was able to pick up a few words that are essential to learn in that language. Pretty cool, right? If you can find someone to help you, one that speaks that language naturally, that's great as well. If you're friends with someone who speaks the language natively, that's great too.

Wow, I didn't know about this, that scientists are actually studying and learning baby language. I'm a mother of a two year old boy and even up to now, I'd have to listen intently to understand what he is saying. He still says a lot of gibberish words but he can say about I guess, 40 to 50 words fluently already. But there's this gibberish phrases he says when he's pretending to read a book or a label, lol. For us, it's very cute but I don't actually know if he can communicate with other babies through this secret language. Kind of reminds me of the movie "Baby Geniuses" where babies communicate via their secret gibberish language. I think it's difficult right now to quality or even categorise this as a language. I guess more research needs to be done to even know if these gibberish and babbles actually translate to something. That could be groundbreaking as well, imagine that with just babbles and gibberish words, we can actually identify our babies' needs so there would be no need for crying when they're hungry or when their diaper is soiled. I do think it's just a temporary language. But as far as categorising it, why not? As long as it's proven that they do mean something when they babble this way or that way.

Here's some tips that I can give you, based off of my experience: Make sure that you're listening to a person that's interesting to you. Maybe a tutor that engages you into language learning. Even just a YouTube channel that makes you want to listen. If you have a preferred person for that, choose him or her because chances are, you'll be more inclined to learn if he or she is the one who's teaching. Listen slowly. There's actually some softwares that can help slow down the audio file so you can adjust it to your preference. I first used this for transcripts but then once I got into language learning, I figured it can work for that as well. You can hit rewind and play. If something isn't clear to you, just hit rewind and listen to it again. Make sure that you are in a quiet environment. I cannot concentrate whenever there is background noise so I try to learn a language at dawn or just any time that my son is asleep. Have a dictionary beside you. It can sure help in case you come across an unknown word. I hope this helps!

I'd like to think that I did. English was taught to us from elementary to high school and even up to college. And during all these stages, I did quite well in my English subjects, as well as Literature. So with that, I think I did take language learning very seriously even back then. It did help that my teachers and professors were very knowledgable in the subject they were teaching. All my English teachers and professors were experts in the language and taught the subject or topics very well. They have passion for it as well, they make you want to listen to them which not a lot of teachers or professors can do. I guess there were some boring ones as well but despite that, I can understand the topics because the subject truly interests me. I can remember my English teacher in high school, I loved him. He always has this smile on his face and he makes teaching English easy. You can grasp the lessons easily because of the way he is teaching them. He is also the one who encouraged me to join the inter-school essay writing competition. To this day, he is the one I look up to when it comes to language learning.

For me, it has to be allotting time for language learning. As a mom and also a stay at home employee, it's difficult to fit everything in my schedule. There's the household chores, the taking care of the baby and at night, working. So it's a miracle if I even get at least five hours of sleep in a day. But I love learning new languages so I make it a point to fit it in even if it's only during the weekends. I try and review a few words here and there during the weekdays but that's about it. It's only during the weekends that I get to fully immerse myself into language learning. And sometimes, since I do become tired and restless, the weekends become my catch-up sleep days. With the actual language learning, I guess it has to be knowing whether what I'm doing is right or wrong. Lol. I just rely on online materials and resources to learn a language and somehow, this isn't enough. I know at some point that I have to either enrol in a class or at least get a language buddy to perfect my speaking and writing skills. However, at this time, it's just not possible for me, due to money and time constraints. But it's one of my goals, I think learning from a professional or at least someone who speaks the language, can be beneficial for me. I guess that's about it... As much as there are struggles with language learning, I love it still and won't be giving up on it easily.

Yes, yes and yes! Right now, my son is just about to turn two years old and we talk to him in our native language mostly. At times, we talk to him in English, although his books are also in English. We sometimes watch cartoons which are in English as well. But majority of the time, whenever we talk to him or play with him, it's in our native language. And personally, I would prefer for him to speak in our native language fluently before I even teach him the basics of English. Why? Because I am from my country and I would love for my son to love his heritage and where he came from. One of our neighbours told me last week to teach my son English early on. In my mind, I was thinking, "No, I'm going to teach him Filipino first." I really cannot argue with her since she's an elderly woman and I do respect her. But I won't be following that advice, thank you. I know lots of kids here who can speak English fluently and even have accents. But sadly, give them a test in Filipino and they would flunk it. I think Filipino is harder to learn simply because it's more complicated especially if you don't know the basics of it. English is very easy to learn, especially since we're exposed quite often to it. Some of my classmates in college even flunked our Filipino classes just because they weren't taught well during elementary and high school about it. And I wouldn't want my son to be an alien to his own language.

From those three choices, I would recommend either Esperanto or Spanish. Why? Well, like you said, they're fairly easy to learn given your circumstances and you might have a need for them in the future. I do know that Spanish is kind of a popular language when it comes to translation sites as well, you might end up using it for your career in that way. With Esperanto, since it's easy, it can be a nice "getting your feet wet" kind of learning. I always advice people that ask me what language to learn to try and find a language that is closest to their native language. This way, you can figure out your own strategies and techniques before diving into more difficult languages. Japanese is really one of the harder languages to learn. But I'm not saying you cannot learn it, it just requires a lot of effort, determination and patience. And once you have mastered other languages, at least you have this stepping stone already. It can be easier for you to learn Japanese by then. Anyway, since you watch anime, you're exposed to certain words from that language already which is a good thing. However, watching anime just isn't enough to make you learn Japanese. You can use it though with a combination of other resources. I hope this helps you and good luck! Enjoy language learning as the journey is what makes it very rewarding. As others have said, make sure you really are interested in these languages, it will make learning them a lot more enjoyable and fun.

Aw, we have to buy his book to learn about his techniques. The article is great though and I think he touched up on the basics of language learning. I would check his YouTube channel out to learn more. I just wish that his contents were free although I do understand that's how he makes money. He had touched on the importance of repetition, which I think is very vital in learning new words or languages. Then, of course, the other factors like interest, association, visualisation and consolidation. I have read about these before but his affirmation is a great thing as well. I checked other articles from his blog and I found one about learning hard languages. I loved his point in this one, he compared learning hard languages to travelling. He said that we must prepare for the trip before even delving into learning a new language. Like, if you speak Italian then it might be easier for you to speak Spanish because the two languages have close grammar and intonation. But if you're Italian and wants to speak Japanese, then the distance between the two language might be further and it might be harder to learn the latter. However, it can be done, but you must prepare for it. Maybe try and learn similar languages to Japanese that are closer to your language. I loved that... I think he's on to something. I might check out more from his blog.

I'm not a professional proofreader but I have some experience with writing so I can help as well. Plus, there are some softwares out there that can actually proofread your work. I think that's why proofreading jobs have been very few nowadays... There's far too many softwares that can actually check spelling, grammar and capitalisation mistakes on your work. In a way, it's great because you won't even need help or other people to have your work checked. But on the other hand, it's taken away a lot of jobs for humans as well. One tool I know of is Perfect It. This is a great software in combination with MS Word as it fills the gaps left by the word processing software. It can check grammar, capitalisation and even hyphen usage in a writing material. If you have references in your article, Reference Checker is another great tool. It can check the format of your references and make sure that they're following the rules and guidelines. I hope this helps!

Honestly, I am only learning new languages through self-study. I don't doubt that tutors can be of great help, especially if they are native speakers of the language that they are teaching. And of course, once you paid for something, you wouldn't want your money to go to waste so you'd make the best out of the situation. Aside from that, if you have the means and intention of paying to learn a language, then it only stands to reason that you really want to learn that language. These reasons alone are enough to make someone learn a language faster. However, we also have to take into account the person's want and motivation for learning a new language. Regardless of whether he or she paid to learn a language, there has to be enough motivation for him or her to succeed in learning it. So if a person is being forced into it, he or she could learn it, yes, but not wholeheartedly. But if a person wants it enough, even if he or she don't have money to learn a language, he or she will find ways to do so. It's the same as being in a course you don't want, you can finish it but you won't be happy or the worst, you won't finish it. Language learning is like that... As long as you have the heart for it, doesn't matter if it's paid, you can learn it quicker.

I haven't really used flashcards for learning new languages. They can be a bit too restrictive and can cost a lot as well for a very simple material. You could learn a few basics through them but you won't go that far without using other resources or tools. However, I think it can be a great starting tool for newbies because it exposes them to the basic words that they need to know. They do have their use but like I said, it can be limited and you cannot rely on it as your only material for learning. Combine it with apps, reading materials, videos and other sources, why not? In the long run, these flashcards might not be useful anymore, so that's the downside. They're good as a base... But beyond that, if you can acquire other tools, they would just rot in a corner. Like you said, constructing sentences from them can be harder. I imagine they can be great for testing or reviewing though. If you just need to brush up on certain words, you can use them. If you have little time, you can spend some time reviewing them. So they do have some uses, I won't disregard that.

To be honest, I've never tried this approach but I do think it's a great option. Like you said, children's shows, like cartoons and educational series, are simpler in terms of usage of words and construction of sentences or phrases. So if you're a newbie learner of a language, it might be easier to grasp such concepts through a children's show. And the good thing is, they touch on the basics, so colours, the alphabet, the animals and all these things are included in the show. You are going to learn about the basics in a very simple way, enough for you just to understand them. Like when I was learning English when I was younger, I tend to watch television series. During that time, I cannot understand most of the things that the actors say. Why? They spoke too fast and they have deeper accents. Whereas whenever I was watching Sesame Street or even Powerpuff Girls, I could easily understand what they're saying. Granted, the themes are simpler but it gets the job done. I guess it could work for other languages too although I have never done that. I'll try and search some children's educational shows in Korean or Japanese next time.

First of all, I love your blog and it's already bookmarked.:) Now that's out of the way, let's focus on the issue at hand... Learning two languages at once. Personally, I prefer learning only one language and mastering it. Once I've got a good foundation of it, like you have said, that's when I start studying other languages. But keep in mind that it would take me a year or more before I can even master one language. So despite the possibility of learning two languages at once, I still don't recommend it if the individual isn't familiar with at least one of the languages. Now, when it comes to actually learning and studying these languages, you can allot more time for the new language. After all, you have already mastered the basics of the other language so it's enough to allot a few minutes a day for it. But if you can, allot at least an hour a day for the newer language. Your suggestion about alternating the two might work as well. This way, you won't be confused and you can focus on one language per day. That's about it... I think your post is very helpful as well. I'm going to share it to my friends who are into language learning as well.

Yes, at times, I do have those thoughts. Most especially during fights involving family, relatives and money. I would think about how harsh I was or how negative my statements were. Other times, I would think about how I haven't said this issue or this point. But most of the time, it's about me not saying things exactly as how I want to say them. That's the thing with using a language other than your native language in fights, some meanings and statements get lost in the way. I don't think they're bad things though and the fact that I also experience them, it means that this happens in others as well. I feel you though... Life issues can be exhausting, especially family and relationship problems. But trust me, it will get better... It can only get better. And anyway, we're here for you if you need someone to talk to.

Hi! Here's a few more that I found online: http://www.insightin.com/test/test.phtml http://www.majortests.com/word-focus/vocabulary-tests.php http://www.learningspanish-spain.com/spanish-vocabulary-test.aspx http://www.practicerussian.com/Tests/TestWords.aspx http://www.teeveetee.com http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/classical-studies/greek-vocab.shtml http://www.javacamp.org/misc/VocTester.html http://learnersdictionary.com/quiz/vocabulary-start http://www.er.uqam.ca/nobel/r21270/levels/ I hope this helps! Some of them are in other languages like Greek and Russian though.

Hmmm... It would be a nice idea to have one language wherein all of us can understand one another. But only if our other languages still exist and we can still use them when we only need to talk with people who also understand our language. I mean, it would be nice to be able to talk to the Russians or the Germans, because we have this one language that we can actually understand one another. I think conflicts would at least be lessened if we can also communicate with one another easily. Not being able to fully understand what the other person is trying to tell us is what makes for misunderstandings and fights. As others have pointed though, it's not the only reason that conflicts arise. It can be a way of communicating but it doesn't mean that it can solve all problems magically. But if we can add another solution, why not? After all, the more solutions we have, the more chances of lessening disputes there are. But yes, I wouldn't want our languages to just disappear. It's part of our history, our culture and our traditions... We cannot remove that. I do think that English is somehow becoming this universal language that we all understand. A lot of people nowadays understand English, even if just by bits and pieces. And that's good as well, at least we can communicate at some level.

It can certainly help although it isn't the only good way of learning a language. For one, it can help you understand pronunciations and dictation more easily. You can actually hear and listen to how people say the words exactly. It's better to learn a language from the person who has learned the language natively. Secondly, you cane easily ask questions especially if the speaker can speak English as well. You can learn words that apps or websites cannot teach you. And lastly, you get to understand slang words or words that are only heard in the streets or through informal conversations. Ideally though, you would need to spend some time in that country before you can even learn the language completely. Some foreigners living in my country can understand Filipino/Tagalog but still cannot speak the language. Others still have the America accent when speaking my native language. But only those who had lived here for years understand the language fully. And even then, deeper words or traditional words are still new to them at times. It's not necessary, yes, but it makes for a great experience in itself. I would love to live in Korea for a whole year and get to know their language deeper and better.

It has to be "saranghae" which means "I love you" in Korean. In Hangul writing: 사랑해. I have watched a lot of Korean television series and movies so even before I was studying Korean, I already know what "saranghae" means. And I like the way that Koreans pronounce it, it's always so gentle and timid... Like they're too shy to admit it to the one they love. Lol. Another one would be "annyeong" which means goodbye, again in Korean. In Hangul writing: 안녕. Again, it's so cute the way they say this. Imagine someone this cute saying "annyeong" to you:

Solomon Shereshevskii's case was definitely intriguing. Even as a child, he showed the symptoms of synesthesia, it's a condition wherein a person experiences associations between different sensory modes. For example, he might hear a certain sound like a radio announcer, and he might experience that with colours like red or blue. Aside from that, it's also said that he has mastered the method of loci, wherein a person uses arranged locations and clips in new information. It's difficult to prove though whether Solomon has truly mastered this method or he has innate abilities that make him able to memorise long series of numbers and words. Some experts have tried replicating the amazing memorisation abilities of Solomon though. One professor trained his college students using a mnemonic system. And they were actually able to equal Solomon's time in memorising of three minutes. But Solomon has other capabilities that the students weren't able to replicate. He was able to dictate the numbers in reverse and in diagonal as well. Amazing, right? And his ability to even recall the numbers years and years later, that's another amazing thing. For me, I would love to have that memorisation ability. There's this other condition called "hyperthymesia" and it means someone can recall past experiences in detail even 10 years later. That's the type of memory that I probably wouldn't want... I'd feel extremely guilty, traumatised and scared. But that's another topic. If I am able to memorise things, numbers and words in detail, I doubt that I would fail any subject in school. Lol. However, it's important to note that Solomon has had issues with logic. For instance, he cannot recognise patterns in long string of numbers. So that's another downside of his condition. In a sense, it's nature's way of balancing things. We cannot have it all, I guess. Even the smartest people like Einstein and Edison has had their own weaknesses. That's not to say that we cannot be successful, we only have to make use of whatever skills we have.

Here are some of the benefits of learning languages to me: It helped me become sharper. Just a few years ago, I was quite forgetful of things. Since I started learning languages, my memory became sharper and you won't find me losing things in weird places (happened to me a lot of times before). It helped me connect with a lot of people. Since I started learning different languages, I am able to interact with Korean and Japanese foreigners in my country. Although they do know how to speak English, they are amazed when they hear me speaking to them in their native tongue. It boosted my self-confidence. Being able to communicate in different languages, something about it just boosts your self-esteem and confidence. It helped me understand certain television series without subtitles. It helped me understand song lyrics in that language as well. :)

Okay, first of all, your problem might be that you're not motivated enough to learn the language. Ask yourself these questions: Is the language particularly interesting to you? Will you have any use for it in the future? What is your purpose for learning the language? You need to find it within you to love what you're doing, or else it won't happen. Learning a new language is definitely hard. But if you want it, you need it and you have the motivation, nothing can stop you from doing so. Second of all, what techniques and strategies have you tried so far? Have you exhausted all ways of trying to learn the language? Because if not, then do so. Your brain might be rejecting the language because your tactics aren't helpful enough. Find other ways that can help you learn the language. Good luck and I hope you share with us your progress!

The same thing happens to me! Even though I'm good with speaking English, I find myself struggling with it in times of anger and frustration. For example, my husband and I had a fight last week and we were arguing in English. But I cannot seem to construct my sentences well and so I bursted out saying a bad word in my native tongue. We ended up laughing after that... Lol. I think it's because although I'm good with speaking English, I still use my native language most of the time. Sometimes, I even find myself constructing sentences in English in my mind before saying them out loud. But with my native tongue, there's none of that. I can use it when I'm happy, angry or frustrated with no problems at all. Plus, when we're angry, it's easier to express our emotions in the language that is natural to us. So whatever is your first language, that would be the one you're using in times of arguments or debates.