Archive for 'Archived Posts'
What Languages Reveal about Other Cultures Posted by meaghan on Jun 3, 2015 in Archived Posts
“A different language is a different vision of life.” – Federico Fellini It sounds like one of those motivational phrases you’d read on a daily quote calendar. You might nod your head in agreement or make a quick internal “aww”, but in reality, you’re not totally buying it. It just sounds… fluffy, right? But those…
Language Learning and the Human Brain Posted by Malachi Rempen on May 27, 2015 in Archived Posts
Part of the reason I love learning languages is that it teaches me so much about the human brain and human interaction. I’ve never studied much neurology or sociology or epistemology or anthropology—I was more of a travelology and daydreamology type of student, myself. But with languages, that social glue unique to humans (at least…
Speak Fearlessly – With a Little Help From Your Friends Posted by Malachi Rempen on May 25, 2015 in Archived Posts
At the end of April I was fortunate enough to attend the Polyglot Gathering 2015, where I heard talks from many luminaries in the language-learning business, made scores of new multi-lingual friends, and for the first time ever, met fans of Itchy Feet in the flesh. Who knew that this goofy little bug-eyed bean-shaped stick…
Losing Your Mother Tongue? Good! Posted by Malachi Rempen on May 13, 2015 in Archived Posts
When I first moved abroad, I’d heard the tales, as I’m sure you have: the stories of foreigners or expats so immersed, so integrated in their new home culture, so saturated by the foreign language that they actually began to forget their native tongue. Now that, I thought, is brilliant! Surely, these talented language learners…
Pain au Chocolat, Jerry Seinfeld, and Forming Good Habits Posted by Malachi Rempen on May 4, 2015 in Archived Posts
When you uproot and move somewhere else, there’s always upheaval in your daily life. Your routines are shattered by change, your habits are broken or turned upside-down, and you may even find yourself falling into bad habits. Creatures of habit are we, and that is the key to success in any endeavor—but especially language learning…
How to find more time learning a language: Unlocking your true potential Posted by Transparent Language on Apr 29, 2015 in Archived Posts
Guest Post by Olle Linge of Hacking Chinese How long does it take to become fluent in a language? That question has been asked and answered countless times; the answers range from a few months to many years. This is partly because the word “fluent” is hard to define, but an even more important reason is…
Language Learning in the Movies Posted by Malachi Rempen on Apr 27, 2015 in Archived Posts
This one is a pet peeve of mine. Now, I admit it’s only a pet peeve because language learning is something I do, and I don’t like seeing things I do misrepresented in the movies. But really, who hasn’t felt that way? I’m sure lawyers are constantly rolling their eyes at the way trial proceedings…