Archive for 'Archived Posts'
Hacking Pronunciation in Any Language with the IPA, Part 3: Phonetics Posted by Transparent Language on Apr 1, 2015 in Archived Posts
Jakob Gibbons writes about language and travel on his blog Globalect. He often shares his experiences with learning languages on the road, and teaching and learning new speech sounds is his specialty. In the first and second posts in this series on pronunciation, we delved into phonology and using the IPA for learning consonants and vowels…
Not Improving? Wrong. Posted by Malachi Rempen on Mar 30, 2015 in Archived Posts
My stepfather, Stan Hirsch, is a professional blues guitarist. His story is so classic it’s almost cliché: when he was ten years old he mowed lawns and raked leaves to save up money to buy his first guitar, and when he got it, he decided he wanted to be brilliant at playing it. He wanted…
What’s the Greatest Topic of Conversation Ever? Posted by Malachi Rempen on Mar 23, 2015 in Archived Posts
As language learners, we hope to find ourselves in conversations on a wide variety of topics. That’s really the point of all these conjugation tables, vocab flash cards and grammar drills, isn’t it? Sure, reading a foreign newspaper is great, watching TV shows and movies in their original language is rewarding and all that, but for…
How Language Changes Our Perception of Color Posted by Transparent Language on Mar 18, 2015 in Archived Posts
Recently, the Internet has been abuzz with discussions about color, thanks to a now-notorious dress that some people perceive as gold and white, and others perceive as black and blue. There have been several explanations offered for this disparity, the most popular being that our perceptions vary based on how our brains interpret the amount…
Announcing the 2nd Annual Multilingual Madness Tournament Posted by Transparent Language on Mar 16, 2015 in Archived Posts
Edit: The tournament is now closed. The competition was fierce, but mighty Bulgarian has come out on top in 2015! Congratulations to our contest MVP Marit Ombudstvedt! It’s that time again… Transparent Language’s 2nd Annual Multilingual Madness Tournament is here! Reigning 2014 champion Italian is ready to defend the title, but we’re switching things up this year. If…
You’re Just Too Polite for Your Own Good Posted by Malachi Rempen on Mar 11, 2015 in Archived Posts
I have a bad habit that I often fall into when I speak a foreign language: I try to please the listener, at my own expense. Come to think of it, this might just be a bad habit of mine in general, in any language. Who doesn’t want to be seen a good light by the person…
French Wine and Quality Language Learning Posted by Malachi Rempen on Mar 9, 2015 in Archived Posts
Everyone knows the French love their wine. When I lived in Lyon back in 2011, I was constantly surprised by the incredible care that even the tiniest corner store took to stock their shelves full to burst with the widest possible wine selection. In some places, I’d be willing to bet my baguette that over…