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May 2009 |
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| Hindi time expressions | |||
Most languages have separate words for yesterday and tomorrow. This probably strikes you as perfectly natural; after all, what two concepts could be more different?One's in the past, and one's in the future. One has happened already, and one hasn't begun yet. | |||
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One is all about memory, and the other is all about speculation and possibility. |
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The funny and bizarre mistakes teachers hear in language classes must fill many, many notebooks. I studied French in high school. One year, my French teacher asked everyone in the class to give a presentation on a current event. This was just after the first Gulf War, so many of the presentations had to do with war situations. My partner and I got up in front of the class with our carefully planned presentation, but as soon as we began speaking, we knew we were doing something wrong. The teacher was laughing uncontrollably, and we couldn't figure out why. Do you have a language story that you'd like to share? Submit your experiences to us at livinglanguage@randomhouse.com. We'll pick our favorites and post them in this newsletter. 
Be patient
Yes, it's true, learning a language does take time. But why does that have to be a bad thing? As is often said, most things that are really worthwhile take time and effort, and as a result are usually much more satisfying once completed. Plus, if you recognize that fact from the beginning, and are patient while you study, it is much more likely you will achieve your language learning goals. So don't worry if you don't pick up everything immediately. The language you are learning might be confusing and overwhelming at first, especially if this is the first time you're studying a second language. However, don't let this get you frustrated. Instead, move at your own pace. If you don't understand something, or if you feel a little unclear about, for example, a grammar point you just learned, go back and review. Read a phrase, sentence, or dialogue several times if you need to. Don't just keep moving ahead. Make sure you understand before moving on.
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Stroopwafels, anyone?? April 30th is Koninginnedag (Queen's Day), the national holiday of the Netherlands in honor of Queen Beatrix. On Queen's Day, the streets and canals of Amsterdam overflow with people dressed in Dutch orange; there are parades, parties, concerts, and dances; and vrijmarkten ("free markets"), a bit like collective yard sales, are held throughout the country. So it's a great time to practice some Dutch. Here are a few key phrases related to the celebration.
Also on the blog: 
Brand new comprehensive courses: win a FREE copy in the language of your choice! This spring, Living Language adds six comprehensive, beginner-level courses to our Spoken World series. Croatian, Dutch, Greek, Irish, Polish and Thai are now available, in addition to Farsi, Hindi, Korean, Swahili, and Tagalog. Each Spoken World program includes six audio CDs and a coursebook, and is ideal for travelers and students. You will learn basic vocabulary, key phrases, grammar, and pronunciation. Each course also includes natural dialogues, helpful cultural information, an extensive two-way glossary, and numerous exercises and other opportunities to practice what you've learned. And now you can enter a raffle to win a FREE course from the Spoken World series! Just e-mail us at livinglanguage@randomhouse.com before May 30, 2009, with the subject line "Free Spoken World Course Giveaway." In your e-mail, make sure to include your name, mailing address, and language of choice. You can pick any one language from the eleven languages available in the series. We'll choose three winners at random, and notify them right away. Look for more Living Language product giveaways in the coming months! |
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