Yup, the Bengali author and poet said it rather nicely. What is it about the stages of life we go through that change the way we perceive the world, and in particular the way we learn languages? I could say that American English is my native language. I was immersed in it from the moment […]
Category: Languages
Audio or text? The dilemma of the beginner language learner
And if we could learn a foreign language like we learnt our mother tongue? Surely, many of us have thought this while facing the challenge of learning a foreign language. Surely, there is something useful in understanding and analysing how children learn a language without going to a language school. Now the question I try […]
How to Learn Any Language: Keep It Simple, Silly
A lot of people ask me questions about how to learn a language. Just this morning, I woke up to a two-sentence e-mail from someone asking me how they could improve their English. I’m not sure what kind of answer this person was expecting… But if you ask me a general question (like “How do […]
How to use and how to not use flashcards to learn words
Why you should do your own flashcards I bought a set of flashcards to learn German words but soon after the initial enthusiasm I realised that they were almost useless and I ended up using them very little. Later, I started to do my own flashcards. I bought some blank cards and wrote on them […]
Taking Advantage of Your Foreign Language Class
I believe the best way to learn a language is to be completely immersed in the language (sink or swim technique). There is no question that taking classes enhances grammar, vocabulary and overall language ability. Here are 7 Tips to enhance your foreign language class…Enjoy! Use the Power of the Internet to Check Your Work […]
Top 10 Tricks to Language Learning
Fluency is a fluid concept and is based relatively. Although it may take years to be considered 100% fluent in a language, fluency (being able to speak or write easily and accurately) can be achieved extremely fast when learning the language for a specific task. There is a common misconception associated with language learning and […]
Psychology of Learning a Language
If you are considering learning a new language or already bilingual, trilingual or a polyglot, you know the hardest part of learning a language and maintaining that language is memorizing the vocabulary and conjugations. This blog is for all those who wish to learn and maintain their language fluency. Learning and memorization are essential parts […]
How to tell anecdotes in English
The one thing that all humans share in common is our ability to learn and share experiences through stories. Just think for a minute about your own life. How many stories could you tell people about what’s happened to you over the years? Hundreds? Thousands? Stories are an essential part of communication. We love hearing […]
The Best Reason to Learn Another Language
Kaplan has published an infographic showing various benefits to learning another languages. Bloggers have been invited to argue which of the four—love, travel, intelligence or money—is the most important benefit. Bring it on! However, I am terribly indecisive, and I feel like I’m arguing whether apples, oranges, bananas or kiwis are the tastiest. We need […]
Five Top Tips for Reading in a Foreign Language
Reading is by far the best way to increase your vocabulary; this stands to be true in all contexts, whether it’s a native or foreign tongue. I’ve been reading a lot in Spanish over the past few weeks for my Harry Potter reading challenge, fortunately, it’s been a fairly pleasant experience. When I first started […]