Archive by Author
What Type of Learner Are You? Posted by Malachi Rempen on Jul 24, 2017 in Archived Posts
There’s learning the language, and then there’s learning the learning of the language. Everyone learns differently. Some people are textual learners, others are contextual; some people process numbers easily, others images and spaces. To best succeed at learning your language, you need to know the type you are and be able and willing to…
Why Umlauts Are the Best Posted by Malachi Rempen on Jul 17, 2017 in Archived Posts
Umlauts make German fun! What other languages get their spark from diacritics? I mean really, who doesn’t like umlauts? They’re the best thing about German, and probably the best thing about other languages that use them. They’re like two friendly reminders that this language is different and fun to learn. I love that about all…
Plugging the Language Holes in Your Head Posted by Malachi Rempen on Jul 10, 2017 in Archived Posts
Nobody’s got a perfect mental dictionary in every language. Where are the pages torn out in yours? I’ve noticed holes popping up in my language brain. Not just in the languages I’m learning – though to be sure, my German, Italian and French brains are more pockmarked than a wheel of Swiss cheese – but…
The 3 Most-Repeated Language Learning Rules Posted by Malachi Rempen on Jul 3, 2017 in Archived Posts
We often hear the same tips, tricks, rules and advice from master language learners. Do they even have any meaning any more? Nobody listens to the safety instructions on an airplane. They’re always the same. Something something seatbelt, something something no smoking, something something seat backs tray tables “brace brace” electronic devices. I fool myself…
Can You Speak Before Understanding? Posted by Malachi Rempen on Jun 26, 2017 in Archived Posts
When you learn a language, you generally are able to say less than you can understand. But is that always the case? I got a fair amount of pushback on this comic. I guess it’s not as obvious to everyone else as it is to me that when you’re learning a language, you first understand…
8 Rules of Language Learning Etiquette for Non-Language Learners Posted by Malachi Rempen on Jun 19, 2017 in Archived Posts
Etiquette is very important, but not often written down. Is there etiquette for language learners, too? Seeing this vintage comic of mine made me wonder if there is a kind of etiquette for language learners. Are there rules for how to behave, and how not to behave, when learning a new language? After thinking about…
Where Language Meets Food Posted by Malachi Rempen on Jun 12, 2017 in Archived Posts
There are lots of reasons to learn a new language. But one of the best, no doubt, is the excuse to stuff yourself silly. If there’s one thing I love about language learning, it’s the food. What? Well, think about it: when you learn a new language, what are the types of things you learn…