Living Language Blog

Announcing the Winners

Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:22:18 -0500

We're pleased to announce the winners of our Celebrate Italian Heritage Contest.

Social Networks and Language Learning

Tue, 17 Nov 2009 10:49:37 -0500

A little while ago, we blogged about how internet terms are being translated into other languages. I recently changed my Facebook language setting to Arabic, hoping to acquire some technical Arabic. You just never know when you might need to use words like ﺇﻋﺩﺍﺩﺍﺖ ﺍﻠﺷﺑﻛﺎﺕ (network settings) and المطوّرون (developers)!

What English Sounds Like To Foreigners

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 14:50:49 -0500

This feels appropriate for Friday the 13th... We just came across this video in which some innovative (and groovy) Italians mimic the phonemic inventory and intonational contours of English with a bunch of gibberish. If you think you can pick out words and phrases from the string, just remember that it's imagined, but it proves that he's done a good job. (Alternate title: "What Bob Dylan Sounds Like To Everyone.")

Learning Japanese Script

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:01:19 -0500

Japanese seems more intimidating when you're unable to recognize words on the page. While it's easy to find study materials in romaji (Japanese written using the Latin alphabet), you'll eventually want to learn the writing system to be truly proficient in the language.

What Do You Know About Irish?

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:50:56 -0500

Did you know that there is a name for the areas in Ireland where Irish is spoken as an everyday native language?

¿Hola? No, ¡Ola!

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:45:04 -0500

This didn't happen to me, but rather to my high school Spanish teacher. One day in class, my teacher told us about this time she went swimming in the sea in Spain. She was getting ready to come out of the water when she noticed that her friends were all waving and yelling ¡Hola! (Hello!) to her.

Email by Any Other Name ...

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 14:20:01 -0500

Something to think about while you're buying an iPhone™, Kindle™, laptop, or other internet-related gadget for the holidays—with so many new internet terms popping up in English these days, how are those terms being translated into other languages?

Do Newborns Cry in Different Languages?

Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:41:41 -0500

According to one study, yes.

Becoming Italian: At a Cafe, Online, and In Conversation

Tue, 03 Nov 2009 10:55:03 -0500

Dianne Hales closed out October with some great advice for using your Italian in different situations, from the caffè to the internet. A sampling after the jump...

Essential Italian: At Home

Fri, 30 Oct 2009 09:00:00 -0500

Here are some of the most important words you'll need to talk about your home.

Would You Like to Participate in a Language Learning Group?

Thu, 29 Oct 2009 15:01:18 -0500

We've done a good deal of research on how to create a successful language course, and now we want to learn more about how our customers put it to use. To do this, we're forming Language Learning Groups in Spanish and French, and we're looking for twenty qualified participants for each language.

Are There "Happy Languages?"

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 15:03:41 -0500

In this interesting blog post, Olivia Judson asks whether certain languages predispose their speakers toward happiness more than other languages do.

Language Superlearners Survey

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:52:01 -0500

Michael Erard, author of Um...: Slips, Stumbles, and Verbal Blunders, and What They Mean, is working on a new book about language superlearners and is looking for language speakers of any level to take part in a brief survey on language learning. Pitch in! If you speak six or more languages, click here. (Wow! Good for you.) If you do not have much experience with a language other than your mother tongue, click here. (This second category includes people who may have studied a language in high school or college, but wouldn't consider themselves bilingual or multilingual.) More information on the book can be found here. We'll be interested in seeing the results; goodness knows we love a good popular science language book.

Essential Italian: In Conversation

Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:00:00 -0500

Some of the most basic expressions in Italian are the ones you'll use in conversation.

Becoming Italian: Shopping, Loving, Sleeping, Driving

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 17:01:56 -0500

We can barely keep up with the amazing posts Dianne Hales is writing over on her blog for Italian Heritage month. A sneak peak: