When I decided to study Dutch, I did not imagine there would be so many different variations of this language. In fact, I thought that it was only spoken in Holland, but later I discovered that I could not be more wrong. I got in touch with a private Dutch teacher through a friend. When […]
In this day and age, 3D technology is as common and as accessible as having a cellphone. 3D technology is often related to visual aids, so how can we talk about a 3D language? Well, American Sign Language and any other sign language can be considered 3D languages since communicating through them means visualizing movements […]
Many people around the world invest a lot of time, money and effort into studying new languages. The reasons are generally the same: to improve their chances of success at work, to be able to travel and be understood, to be able to live abroad and respect the locals, or just as an intellectual challenge. […]
Now that we have already explored the many health and social benefits of foreign language education and learning, it is time to look at the third and final set of arguments: those related to economic benefits. I decided to leave this set for last since it is the one to probably carry the most […]
As mentioned in my previous blog post, this three part blog series was inspired by an older post written by Bryant on “The Advantages of Speaking Several Languages.” The goal of this series is to explore the many benefits of foreign language education and learning, particularly in three main areas: health, social and economic. These […]
This three part blog series was inspired by Bryant’s blog post “The Advantages of Speaking Several Languages,” published earlier this year. When pursuing further research on the topic, I found that, although there are many arguments which promote foreign language education and learning, those with the most weight can be grouped into three major areas: […]
Much is said about the relationship between culture and language and whether our language reflects our culture or vice versa. But what’s the relationship between this load, be it genetic or based on our experiences as human beings? Why is it easier for some people to learn languages or learn to play a musical instrument […]
It is estimated that in United States, around just 18% of the population can speak a second language. Compared to the estimated 54% percent of Europeans who are proficient in a second language (and often more than one), this seems quite low. However, as the world continues to globalize and global communications become more interconnected, there is […]
Everybody’s favorite stereotypical excuse to not learning a foreign language is that adults can’t learn languages as well as children. The common misconception is that children’s brains are more elastic and more capable of remembering new languages and that our adult brains are rigid and incapable of adapting to the new language’s structure and remembering […]
Idioms are one of the most interesting yet curious aspects of language due to their often comical references which may actually have absolutely nothing to do with their real meaning. However, we often don’t realize how odd most idioms actually are until we begin learning a foreign language and are confronted by this new language’s […]