For a better illustration of French Languages, click on this link
Getting bored with a language.
Moses posted a great video today about getting bored with a language. I think we have all been there.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KicquyUrsM&feature=feedu
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3KicquyUrsM&feature=feedu
Language Maps of South Africa Namibia and Botswana
Language Maps of South Africa, Botswana and Namibia. Afrikaans and Zulu appear to be two of the most common spoken languages in South Africa. Botswana is English.
SOUTH AFRICAN LANGUAGES 2001LanguageNumber of speakers*% of total
Afrikaans 5 983 42013. 35%
English 3 673 2068 .2%
IsiNdebele 711 8251. 59%
IsiXhosa 7 907 14917 .64%
IsiZulu 10 677 31523. 82%
Sesotho sa Leboa 4 208 9749. 39%
Sesotho 3 555 192 7.93%
Setswana 3 677 010 8.2%
SiSwati 1 194 433 2.66%
Tshivenda 1 021 761 2.28%
Xitsonga 1 992 201 4.44%
Other 217 2910 .48%
TOTAL44 819 777100%
Live Mocha and Baby Updates
Hello everyone,
I dropped into my Live Mocha account today. For those of you who did not know this, Live Mocha is a Seattle based language learning social network. I was addicted to it when I was pregnant with my son. Since his birth, my internet activity has changed drastically. Six weeks ago, son number two was born. His birth posed a threat to my life. Let me put it this way, in most c-section births there is only one surgeon performing the operation. I needed THREE surgeons! So in this post I will write about two things, the birth of my third child and Live Mocha.
There was so much scar tissue that my entire abdominal cavity was not visible. The doctor could not tell where exactly my bladder was, or my ovaries, or anything. At the last minute the doctor told me she wanted to do a vertical incision because she was afraid that they would slice open my bladder.
We went into the OR, they did the vertical incision and sure enough, if they did a bikini line incision they would have cut straight through my bladder. It was my lucky day to have a good doctor who made a smart call. They also had to do the vertical incision in the event they accidentally sliced open an artery and I bled out on the table.
Before the operation I had to sign consent forms for both a blood transfusion and hysterectomy. I was pretty scared. While on the operating table, one surgeon directed the operation while another one cut me open and another one held the cavity open. From above they were able to locate my uterus, cut my uterus from above and pull my son out by his feet.
I had both an epidural and a spinal. In the event of an emergency they were going ask my husband to say good-bye and escort my husband out of the OR. From that point they were going to put me under general anesthesia and perform additional operations. They scheduled the surgery at the same time a gyno-oncologist would be on call. This person would come into the room only in case they got into real trouble.
I have three children all of them born by C-section. This birth was by far the most painful, terrifying and difficult. I made my Will before a public notary in Mexico, and seriously considered the possibility that I was going to orphan my children.
The incision was awful, and painful. I was on a lot of narcotics. The anastesiologist also used me as a case study in a new type of treatment where he injected a special medication directly into a muscle around the uterine wall. I had to sign some consent forms for him to use and,or publish my case.
I was in the hospital for longer than normal, but the care that I received was absolutely magnificent. Most importantly, I have a beautiful baby boy. Needless to say, he will be my last child. It is far to dangerous and irresponsible for me to have another child.
In the meantime I have been recovering, caring for my children, and working on a new business I am starting.
I logged into live mocha today and saw that they made a few new changes to the website. It looks a little sleeker, but it also looks like they are really trying to make money at every turn. I would like to spend more time learning Swedish, but my role as wife and mother come first right now. I must admit I really love the role of wife and mother. My family life is fantastic. Things could not be more perfect. So even though I cannot have any more children, I am immensely happy with the three children that I do have. My daughter is wonderful, she was fluent in French and English at the age of three. Now she is learning Spanish. I am very proud of her. My two little boys are a bundle of joy.
Take Care Everyone!
I dropped into my Live Mocha account today. For those of you who did not know this, Live Mocha is a Seattle based language learning social network. I was addicted to it when I was pregnant with my son. Since his birth, my internet activity has changed drastically. Six weeks ago, son number two was born. His birth posed a threat to my life. Let me put it this way, in most c-section births there is only one surgeon performing the operation. I needed THREE surgeons! So in this post I will write about two things, the birth of my third child and Live Mocha.
There was so much scar tissue that my entire abdominal cavity was not visible. The doctor could not tell where exactly my bladder was, or my ovaries, or anything. At the last minute the doctor told me she wanted to do a vertical incision because she was afraid that they would slice open my bladder.
We went into the OR, they did the vertical incision and sure enough, if they did a bikini line incision they would have cut straight through my bladder. It was my lucky day to have a good doctor who made a smart call. They also had to do the vertical incision in the event they accidentally sliced open an artery and I bled out on the table.
Before the operation I had to sign consent forms for both a blood transfusion and hysterectomy. I was pretty scared. While on the operating table, one surgeon directed the operation while another one cut me open and another one held the cavity open. From above they were able to locate my uterus, cut my uterus from above and pull my son out by his feet.
I had both an epidural and a spinal. In the event of an emergency they were going ask my husband to say good-bye and escort my husband out of the OR. From that point they were going to put me under general anesthesia and perform additional operations. They scheduled the surgery at the same time a gyno-oncologist would be on call. This person would come into the room only in case they got into real trouble.
I have three children all of them born by C-section. This birth was by far the most painful, terrifying and difficult. I made my Will before a public notary in Mexico, and seriously considered the possibility that I was going to orphan my children.
The incision was awful, and painful. I was on a lot of narcotics. The anastesiologist also used me as a case study in a new type of treatment where he injected a special medication directly into a muscle around the uterine wall. I had to sign some consent forms for him to use and,or publish my case.
I was in the hospital for longer than normal, but the care that I received was absolutely magnificent. Most importantly, I have a beautiful baby boy. Needless to say, he will be my last child. It is far to dangerous and irresponsible for me to have another child.
In the meantime I have been recovering, caring for my children, and working on a new business I am starting.
I logged into live mocha today and saw that they made a few new changes to the website. It looks a little sleeker, but it also looks like they are really trying to make money at every turn. I would like to spend more time learning Swedish, but my role as wife and mother come first right now. I must admit I really love the role of wife and mother. My family life is fantastic. Things could not be more perfect. So even though I cannot have any more children, I am immensely happy with the three children that I do have. My daughter is wonderful, she was fluent in French and English at the age of three. Now she is learning Spanish. I am very proud of her. My two little boys are a bundle of joy.
Take Care Everyone!
Fabri Fibra - rapper italiano
I wanted to post the actual music video of an Italian artist that I really like, but with the kids I do not have time to download it and upload it to the blog. Instead, you guys are getting a link. I used to listen to his music when I was taking intensive Italian language four days a week in New York City.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPVyVnjB94U&feature=relmfu
Wiki Entry:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lPVyVnjB94U&feature=relmfu
Wiki Entry:
Fabrizio Tarducci, noto come Fabri Fibra (Senigallia, 17 ottobre 1976), è un rapper italiano, fratello maggiore del rapper e cantautoreNesli.
Ha debuttato nell'ambiente del rap underground a metà degli anni novanta, con il nome Fabri Fil, facendo parte per diversi anni di differenti gruppi musicali hip hop come gli Uomini di mare, i Qustodi del tempo, le Teste Mobili e le Piante Grasse.
Dopo un primo debutto come solista (diventato Fabri Fibra) nel 2002 con l'album Turbe giovanili, ha ottenuto un buon successo nel 2004con Mr. Simpatia, album che ha creato lo "scandalo" nella scena di allora e che l'ha portato, nel 2006, a firmare un contratto con laUniversal, etichetta di spicco della scena musicale italiana per la quale ha pubblicato l'album Tradimento nel 2006, raggiungendo grande notorietà e apprezzamento da parte del pubblico, che verrà confermata anche grazie agli album successivi.
L'artista ha portato anche ad accese discussioni sui testi dei brani da lui incisi, da molti considerati controversi.
Whaddabout English
Repost - Butchered phrases in the English language. Thought this was funny
"I couldn't care less" -- not "I could care less:"
It should be noted that phrases do evolve, and the new way of saying them can become the accepted colloquialism. There is some debate as to whether or not that should be the case with "could care less," which is recognized by the Oxford Dictionary. Even still, the phrase doesn't make sense, as it means that you care at least a little bit. If you couldn't care less, then you couldn't care at all. There's a clear difference.
"A moot point" -- not "A mute point:"
According to Merriam-Webster moot means obsolete, essentially meaning when someone makes "a moot point," it's completely worthless to debate. The words sound alike and the incorrect phrase somewhat makes sense -- if you can't hear a point, then what's it worth? -- but it would be wise to mute the "mute" completely if you tend to use the phrase.
"For all intents and purposes" -- not "For all intensive purposes:"
This phrase originated in 16th century England when King Henry issued the Statute of Proclamations, which was "to all intents and purposes," allowing him to modify it at his discretion. Eventually it morphed into "for all intents and purposes," meaning "in effect." The use of "for all intensive purposes" has increased in the Internet era, though documented use of it occurred during the 19th century.
"Nip it in the bud"-- not "Nip it in the butt:"
There's quite a difference between stopping something before it flowers and biting someone's bum. One refers to ending a problem before it grows into something bigger; the other is an action that would cause problems.
"Without further ado" -- not "Without further adieu:"
Ado means "fuss." Adieu means "farewell." From those definitions, you can probably deduct which makes more sense. Think Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing. It was much ado about nothing when you stayed up all night worrying about the results of the exam you eventually found out you aced.
"Pique one's interest" -- not "Peak one's interest:"
Some may assume "peaking one's interest" is correct because you've reached the highest point of their interest. However, "pique" is the correct verb in the phrase, as it means to excite or arouse. In this case, your curiosity has been stimulated.
"Deep-seated belief" -- not "Deep-seeded belief:"
Something that's "deep-seated" is situated far below the surface, according to Merriam-Webster. Of course, a deep seed would also be situated far below the surface. Grammarist.com states the correct phrase comes from horseback riding; not gardening or farming.
"Champing at the bit" -- not "Chomping at the bit:"
When you're "champing at the bit," you're showing impatience. But it seems that the authorities of the English language -- such as Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary -- have shown patience with the use of "chomping at the bit," which is now more common than the correct phrase, despite the fact that the substitution is inexplicable.
"Never ceases to amaze me" -- not "Never seizes to amaze me:"
"Seize" means "to take possession of," "to attack or overwhelm physically," or "to bind or fasten together with a lashing of small stuff," according to Merriam-Webster, so it obviously doesn't belong in this phrase. Nor should it replace "cease" in "cease and desist" or "cease fire."
"Reap what you sow" -- not "Reap what you sew:"
To "sow" is "to plant a seed for growth especially by scattering, " according to Merriam-Webster. To "reap what you sow" is to get what you deserve -- whatever grows is the outcome of sowing. A shirt or sweater would be the outcome of sewing.
"Once in a while" -- not "Once and a while:"
"Once and a while" yields 6,320,000 results on Google and a handful of results on Google News. It's a common error, but most people seem to recognize the correct phrase from the incorrect phrase, as "once in a while" yields a hefty 58,000,000 results.
"In layman's terms" -- not "In lame man's terms:"
A layman is someone who lacks specialized knowledge on a topic. If you're discussing football, and a layman enters the conversation with useless opinions, then it would be totally lame, man. But it wouldn't be correct, or nice, to label him a "lame man."
"In the midst of" -- not "In the mist of:"
The distorted version of "in the midst of" is a mondegreen, a term for when someone mishears or misinterprets a word. "Midst" and "mist" sound very much alike, but obviously shouldn't be substituted for one another. "In the midst of" means "in the middle of" or "in the process of," and has nothing to do with getting wet unless water or mist is inserted after the phrase.
"Off the beaten path" -- not "Off the beat and path:"
Venturing away from the path most taken can be an offbeat move, but you're not venturing "off the beat and path." That little bed and breakfast 20 miles south of the interstate is "off the beaten path."
"Out-of-body experience" -- not "Outer body experience:"
You can go into "outer space" or have an "out-of-body experience," a sensation in which you float outside of your body, but you can't have an "outer body experience." Keep that in mind if you ever choose to retell the tale of your traveling soul.
"I couldn't care less" -- not "I could care less:"
It should be noted that phrases do evolve, and the new way of saying them can become the accepted colloquialism. There is some debate as to whether or not that should be the case with "could care less," which is recognized by the Oxford Dictionary. Even still, the phrase doesn't make sense, as it means that you care at least a little bit. If you couldn't care less, then you couldn't care at all. There's a clear difference.
"A moot point" -- not "A mute point:"
According to Merriam-Webster moot means obsolete, essentially meaning when someone makes "a moot point," it's completely worthless to debate. The words sound alike and the incorrect phrase somewhat makes sense -- if you can't hear a point, then what's it worth? -- but it would be wise to mute the "mute" completely if you tend to use the phrase.
"For all intents and purposes" -- not "For all intensive purposes:"
This phrase originated in 16th century England when King Henry issued the Statute of Proclamations, which was "to all intents and purposes," allowing him to modify it at his discretion. Eventually it morphed into "for all intents and purposes," meaning "in effect." The use of "for all intensive purposes" has increased in the Internet era, though documented use of it occurred during the 19th century.
"Nip it in the bud"-- not "Nip it in the butt:"
There's quite a difference between stopping something before it flowers and biting someone's bum. One refers to ending a problem before it grows into something bigger; the other is an action that would cause problems.
"Without further ado" -- not "Without further adieu:"
Ado means "fuss." Adieu means "farewell." From those definitions, you can probably deduct which makes more sense. Think Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing. It was much ado about nothing when you stayed up all night worrying about the results of the exam you eventually found out you aced.
"Pique one's interest" -- not "Peak one's interest:"
Some may assume "peaking one's interest" is correct because you've reached the highest point of their interest. However, "pique" is the correct verb in the phrase, as it means to excite or arouse. In this case, your curiosity has been stimulated.
"Deep-seated belief" -- not "Deep-seeded belief:"
Something that's "deep-seated" is situated far below the surface, according to Merriam-Webster. Of course, a deep seed would also be situated far below the surface. Grammarist.com states the correct phrase comes from horseback riding; not gardening or farming.
"Champing at the bit" -- not "Chomping at the bit:"
When you're "champing at the bit," you're showing impatience. But it seems that the authorities of the English language -- such as Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary -- have shown patience with the use of "chomping at the bit," which is now more common than the correct phrase, despite the fact that the substitution is inexplicable.
"Never ceases to amaze me" -- not "Never seizes to amaze me:"
"Seize" means "to take possession of," "to attack or overwhelm physically," or "to bind or fasten together with a lashing of small stuff," according to Merriam-Webster, so it obviously doesn't belong in this phrase. Nor should it replace "cease" in "cease and desist" or "cease fire."
"Reap what you sow" -- not "Reap what you sew:"
To "sow" is "to plant a seed for growth especially by scattering, " according to Merriam-Webster. To "reap what you sow" is to get what you deserve -- whatever grows is the outcome of sowing. A shirt or sweater would be the outcome of sewing.
"Once in a while" -- not "Once and a while:"
"Once and a while" yields 6,320,000 results on Google and a handful of results on Google News. It's a common error, but most people seem to recognize the correct phrase from the incorrect phrase, as "once in a while" yields a hefty 58,000,000 results.
"In layman's terms" -- not "In lame man's terms:"
A layman is someone who lacks specialized knowledge on a topic. If you're discussing football, and a layman enters the conversation with useless opinions, then it would be totally lame, man. But it wouldn't be correct, or nice, to label him a "lame man."
"In the midst of" -- not "In the mist of:"
The distorted version of "in the midst of" is a mondegreen, a term for when someone mishears or misinterprets a word. "Midst" and "mist" sound very much alike, but obviously shouldn't be substituted for one another. "In the midst of" means "in the middle of" or "in the process of," and has nothing to do with getting wet unless water or mist is inserted after the phrase.
"Off the beaten path" -- not "Off the beat and path:"
Venturing away from the path most taken can be an offbeat move, but you're not venturing "off the beat and path." That little bed and breakfast 20 miles south of the interstate is "off the beaten path."
"Out-of-body experience" -- not "Outer body experience:"
You can go into "outer space" or have an "out-of-body experience," a sensation in which you float outside of your body, but you can't have an "outer body experience." Keep that in mind if you ever choose to retell the tale of your traveling soul.
Hello Language Learners
Hello language learners,
A lot of people have been messaging me, asking where I have been. Whelp - I have been very busy. With a teenage daughter, a 14 month old son, another on the way, a new degree, new business and husband, it is impossible to keep up with internet activity.
I will post some new blogs when I have time.
Naomi M Chambers.
A lot of people have been messaging me, asking where I have been. Whelp - I have been very busy. With a teenage daughter, a 14 month old son, another on the way, a new degree, new business and husband, it is impossible to keep up with internet activity.
I will post some new blogs when I have time.
Naomi M Chambers.
Italiano....
One of my favorite languages...Italiano.
I studied Italian for a few semesters. I have always had such a passion for that language. As luck would have it, my in-laws are going to be in Europe for awhile, and they will be stopping by in Italy. I asked if they could pick up a few Italian books for me, and they were kind enough to say yes.
So here is my list so far, I have a few days to think about exactly what I am looking for.
dizionario illustrato
il tuo sapone naturale
la cura del limone
Facciamo Scienza
La Divina Comedia
Storia e geografia dell´allimentazione
Great List
Scienza
I studied Italian for a few semesters. I have always had such a passion for that language. As luck would have it, my in-laws are going to be in Europe for awhile, and they will be stopping by in Italy. I asked if they could pick up a few Italian books for me, and they were kind enough to say yes.
So here is my list so far, I have a few days to think about exactly what I am looking for.
dizionario illustrato
il tuo sapone naturale
la cura del limone
Facciamo Scienza
La Divina Comedia
Storia e geografia dell´allimentazione
Great List
Scienza
French Language Books For Children And Toddlers
I read several books to my son every day, some books I read in the morning, others I read after lunch and before bedtime. On a daily basis my husband and I read picture books, lullabies and sing songs. Reading to babies and toddlers everyday is an essential part of their lifelong education. Reading introduces them to concepts such as colors, objects, shapes, numbers, animals and people. The baby develops listening, memory and vocabulary schools. Children who are read to from an early age do much better in school later on in life. They have better reading comprehension skills which affects every subject they study in school.
We live in Mexico, and half of my family is Mexican, our son is exposed to both English and Spanish on a daily basis. There is no choice, he must be fluent in both. However, it is also very helpful to expose children to other languages.
Every once in a while I read to my son in French. Unfortunately, I gave all of my baby-French books to my daughter years ago. I only have two French books for children in Mexico. I do not plan on pushing French with my son. He can learn it later in life if he wants to. When he is about five or six, my husband and I agreed that his third language will be Chinese.
Anyway - if you speak French and would like your child to learn French either now, or later in life, now is as good a time as any. Below are some online bookstores and publishers who sell children´s books in French. Most of the vendors are Canadian, but some of them are in France. Click on any link to buy French books for your children.
Direct Link to Canadian Scholastic Books for Children Aged 1 - 6!
http://www.communication-jeunesse.qc.ca/repertoires/maisons/index.php
http://www.alire.com/
http://editions-chouette.com/
http://www.editpaix.qc.ca/
http://www.editions.scholastic.ca/editions/
http://www.edhexagone.com/
Are you interested in getting some Italian baby books for yourself or your children?
Check out this link!
http://www.ilgiardinodeilibri.it/__libri/_libri_per_bambini/
We live in Mexico, and half of my family is Mexican, our son is exposed to both English and Spanish on a daily basis. There is no choice, he must be fluent in both. However, it is also very helpful to expose children to other languages.
Every once in a while I read to my son in French. Unfortunately, I gave all of my baby-French books to my daughter years ago. I only have two French books for children in Mexico. I do not plan on pushing French with my son. He can learn it later in life if he wants to. When he is about five or six, my husband and I agreed that his third language will be Chinese.
Anyway - if you speak French and would like your child to learn French either now, or later in life, now is as good a time as any. Below are some online bookstores and publishers who sell children´s books in French. Most of the vendors are Canadian, but some of them are in France. Click on any link to buy French books for your children.
Direct Link to Canadian Scholastic Books for Children Aged 1 - 6!
http://www.communication-jeunesse.qc.ca/repertoires/maisons/index.php
http://www.alire.com/
http://editions-chouette.com/
http://www.editpaix.qc.ca/
http://www.editions.scholastic.ca/editions/
http://www.edhexagone.com/
Are you interested in getting some Italian baby books for yourself or your children?
Check out this link!
http://www.ilgiardinodeilibri.it/__libri/_libri_per_bambini/
language permeates all things
Online Universities published a collection of forty video and audio lectures about human language, culture and civilization. The lectures together show us how language and linguistics unites all things.
One of the lectures they linked was by Director Sebastian Silva. He discussed American acceptance of foreign language films. I thought that was particularly interesting because I think that Americans should be exposed to more foreign language films. Their article also had other lectures about language, human brain and how language is used in political propaganda. I suggest all my readers go directly to their article and choose any of the 40 language topics you find most interesting.
Enjoy!
One of the lectures they linked was by Director Sebastian Silva. He discussed American acceptance of foreign language films. I thought that was particularly interesting because I think that Americans should be exposed to more foreign language films. Their article also had other lectures about language, human brain and how language is used in political propaganda. I suggest all my readers go directly to their article and choose any of the 40 language topics you find most interesting.
Enjoy!
Skin Care Products in Foreign Languages
For the past few weeks I have been brainstorming a new company I want to start in Seattle. It takes a lot of work, recipe writing and planning. I learned all about Savon de Marseille, the history and age old process of making soap. Luise 14th made it a law that Savon de Marseille must be made in Marseille or the surrounding area. Anyway - here are some internet searches I did this morning on soap websites from around the world.
http://www.plushalsa.se Plushalsa
http://eleven.se/tval-g240.html BJÖRK & BERRIESSweden
http://www.plushalsa.se Plushalsa
Italy
http://www.acquaesapone.it/ Acqua e Sapone
http://www.anticasaponeria.it/ Antica Saponeria
http://www.aleppocolors.ch/ Aleppo
France
http://www.savon-de-marseille-boutique.com/ La Boutique
Buy Toys In Other Languages
Since we are expecting another baby, I decided to look for some Fisher Price Toys online. If you would like to practice your language skills - and talk about toys in your target language - check out these links!
Youtube Channel - Watch TV in other languages.
Today I received an friend invite from a Youtube Channel Multilingualbooks. After checking out their channel, I thought it would be great to repost. The have many television shows from around the world. Their channel consists mostly of playlists from other channels.
It is a Must see for language learners!
Watch the News in Other Languages
When I started learning French 15 years ago, I made a habit of watching French news a few times a week. With Youtube and stream media, this has now become a lot easier.
When people lie about fluency
In the polyglot community, the question of fluency is a question that always pops up. Ever since the disappearance of the infamous Chezrocksall, the topic is always a hot button issue. How do you know when you are fluent and when can you tell other people that you can speak another language.
Lets take the case of Ms. Jane Doe. Jane Doe has been taking Spanish at her local community college which is a great start. I took both French and Italian at community colleges and highly recommend it. The credits transfer and it is a great way to get your feet wet. Jane Doe has already taken Spanish 101 and 102. Now she is on her second year of Spanish and has decided it is a good idea to start telling people that she can speak Spanish fluently.
NOT a good idea.
I have seen this happen many times. It feels good to convince people that you are fluent in a language. It makes you feel good. But lets be honest - a few semesters at your local Jr college is not nearly enough to become fluent in a language. Anyone who says that they are fluent after a few semesters of community college education is a liar.
Liar, liar, pants on fire. :--)
Fluency means you have a high level of proficiency. Being able to conjugate verbs and read at a 3rd grade level ( which is what you will have after taking Spanish 101 -202 ) does not make you fluent. Do not say you are bilingual because you are not telling the truth!
Being fluent in a language means you can speak without a lot of breaks, pauses, and awkward silences. Being able to understand much of the target language also does not make you fluent. I can understand a lot of Italian, I took 6 credits of Italian in Manhattan over a summer and still would not even think of saying that I am fluent in Italian.
Fluency means you can have a fluid conversation in your target language. It means you can speak at a normal speed. Fluency means that you can talk to a doctor about a medical problem or a lawyer about a legal problem. Fluency means being able to tell a joke, and the other person understand the humor. Being able to order tacos and a diet coke does NOT make you fluent.
Insecure liars say they are fluent when they are not. Attention whores say they are fluent when they clearly are not fluent. I posted a new thread about this issue in www.how-to-learn-any-language.com
Please post comments and let me know what you think about this topic.
Lets take the case of Ms. Jane Doe. Jane Doe has been taking Spanish at her local community college which is a great start. I took both French and Italian at community colleges and highly recommend it. The credits transfer and it is a great way to get your feet wet. Jane Doe has already taken Spanish 101 and 102. Now she is on her second year of Spanish and has decided it is a good idea to start telling people that she can speak Spanish fluently.
NOT a good idea.
I have seen this happen many times. It feels good to convince people that you are fluent in a language. It makes you feel good. But lets be honest - a few semesters at your local Jr college is not nearly enough to become fluent in a language. Anyone who says that they are fluent after a few semesters of community college education is a liar.
Liar, liar, pants on fire. :--)
Fluency means you have a high level of proficiency. Being able to conjugate verbs and read at a 3rd grade level ( which is what you will have after taking Spanish 101 -202 ) does not make you fluent. Do not say you are bilingual because you are not telling the truth!
Being fluent in a language means you can speak without a lot of breaks, pauses, and awkward silences. Being able to understand much of the target language also does not make you fluent. I can understand a lot of Italian, I took 6 credits of Italian in Manhattan over a summer and still would not even think of saying that I am fluent in Italian.
Fluency means you can have a fluid conversation in your target language. It means you can speak at a normal speed. Fluency means that you can talk to a doctor about a medical problem or a lawyer about a legal problem. Fluency means being able to tell a joke, and the other person understand the humor. Being able to order tacos and a diet coke does NOT make you fluent.
Insecure liars say they are fluent when they are not. Attention whores say they are fluent when they clearly are not fluent. I posted a new thread about this issue in www.how-to-learn-any-language.com
Please post comments and let me know what you think about this topic.
University of Washington Language Department
Today I spent some time looking at the University of Washington Class schedules for Spanish and French. I have to admit, this University has an excellent language program. I did not link All the language classes. If you scroll through the general catalog of course descriptions you will see there is a lot more than the ones listed here.
Click on any of the links to see everything the University of Washington Has to offer!
Swahili
Tagalog
Chinese
Japanese
Korean
Classical Linguistics
Greek
Latin
Polish
German
Arabic
Latvian
Turkish
Hebrew
Persian
Serb -Croat
Portuguese
Italian
Finnish
Swedish
Russian
Click on any of the links to see everything the University of Washington Has to offer!
Swahili
Tagalog
Chinese
Japanese
Korean
Classical Linguistics
Greek
Latin
Polish
German
Arabic
Latvian
Turkish
Hebrew
Persian
Serb -Croat
Portuguese
Italian
Finnish
Swedish
Russian
My New Language Learning Materials
I have some new language learning materials. Watch the above video, and you will see my review. Feel free to email me with any questions you may have.
Good Luck!
Conversational Connectors - Anthony Lauder
Fluent Czech made a video today about Conversational Connectors. These are simple phrases or clauses that make conversations flow. On his website Anthonylauder.Com he has dozens of conversational connectors you should learn. He also suggests using a program called Anki - a flashcard system. After watching Anthony´s video, I search Youtube for some other videos about how to use Anki. I found several. Here is one of them: How To Use Anki
Big News Everyone
Whelp, it is official.
I am pregnant! This pregnancy was a little sooner than what we wanted, but we are both very happy. The baby is due September.
I am pregnant! This pregnancy was a little sooner than what we wanted, but we are both very happy. The baby is due September.
Guldet blev till sand
Very beautiful song in the Swedish language.Click on this link to check out the video. If any of you are interested in purchasing some Swedish Language Products from Amazon, here is a list of materials that I personally endorse.
International Dating Services
I have a funny feeling that I just got your attention on this one. Yes, you can meet hotties on the internet. And if you do - there is nothing wrong with it. Most people meet on the internet these days. There is nothing weird about it. Just be careful of what you post, and remember that people do lie.
There are dating websites out there where you register, pay a fee, make your profile, and start mingling. In this blog I am going to list a few of these dating sites.
So, lets say you like Swedish women or men. Well, you can start learning a little Swedish online. LiveMocha is a good start. Also, check out LinguanotSwedish to brush up on Swedish phrase. Checkout Quizlet Swedish for accurate word pronunciation. Before jumping onto any international dating site, you should start learning the language. The people will respond to you much better.
Now that you have brushed up on your Swedish, get a profile on e-kontakt.se. You must know something about the Swedish language in order to sign up. Make your profile and start meeting Swedes.
So, lets say that you want to meet someone from France for marriage or a relationship. First, start brushing up on your French language skills. Then, create a profile on Meetic, the largest franco-phone dating website. Meetic has a live chat service. After you meet people and exchange photos, you will chat with each other in your target language.
Here is a complete list of all your dating websites. I should add that if you are an American or Canadian female, you have a much better chance at meeting a man on these websites. It appears that women have a much better selection and chance of meeting a man. I browsed a few of them. Meetic is clearly the best one.
Meetic Italy
Meetic France
Incontrati Italia
E-Kontakt.se - Sweden
Meetic Germany
Parperfetio- Brazil
Nexa.Nl - Holland
Meetik.DK - Denmark
NorgeDating - Norway
Elligue - Mexico
Modersmjölksersättning - Foreign Language Parenting Websites
As a new mother, I find myself drawn to the internet to look for various baby related topics. I like to use websites that are credible, usually backed by some National Pediatric Association. There is a lot of wrong information on the net, so we have to be careful what we read.
Allt för föräldrar – Sweden, one of the more popular Swedish language sites has a lot of good information for parents. It is also easy to navigate. I was really amused when I came across this word – Modersmjölksersättning. I mean really, who needs a word with that many letters?!
Enfant.com – France
Alfemminile - Italy
Familienhandbuch - Germany
What is holding you back in the beginning stages?
Video posted by a great Youtube polyglot. What to do when you start learning another language.
Anglo-centric People are Stupid
The first time I started disliking Anglo-Centric people was about ten years ago.
Here is my story. About ten years ago I had a part time job teaching English as a second language. I was self-employed. During a break I went back to Washington State to visit my father. While having coffee with my father in his dining room, I told him all about my little business teaching English to immigrants. Then he turned around and asked me the strangest question.
"Naomi, maybe you should teach English as a primary language instead?"
Then that familiar angry little feeling started to bubble up in my stomach. It is a feeling I typically get when I find myself in a conversation with my father that I should have avoided. You see, I have a list of things in my head never to bring up when he is in the room. For most of my life, I never opened up with my father about anything because he can be judgmental, condescending and sarcastic. Anyone who does not think like him is an idiot as far as he is concerned.
" What do you mean?" I asked. I wished that I could have just ignored the question, but I was stuck.
He responded, " Instead of teaching it as a second language, maybe you should teach it as a primary language." Then he went on a tangent about how all the immigrants should not consider their native languages to be a primary form of communication in the United States - EVER.
So, this is how my father had everything all worked out in his head. I am suppose to waltz into the classroom and tell my students that English should be their primary language. You see, English is apparently more important and more valuable than their mother tongue. I was suppose to tell my students that even when their families visit, that they should insist on communicating with their relatives only in English. Do you know how quickly they would have fired me if I did something like that?
Then I responded to my father, ¨Oh, that is lovely, you want me to be unemployed do you?¨ Then an argument ensued. My father insisted that I TELL my students that they need to learn English as a primary language. I told my father that they learn English as...what ever he heck they want because they are paying me. That means they are the boss. How rude it would be of me to tell my employers what language should be primary in their lives? Who am I to tell them something like that?
Then my dad went on a long tangent about his linguistic ´philosophy.´ Actually, it is not a philosophy at all. Dad just regurgitates the verbal diarrhea that Rush Limbaugh vomits from time to time on his radio show. Many of you know him. That conservative drug using pig who whines about how gay marriage undermines the sanctity of marriage, yet he is upon his FORTH wife. The funny thing about my father, is he would always throw in a big, overly elaborate word to pretend that he is an educated person. ( FYI: the man is only a high school graduate)
My dad is not the only ethnocentric person out there. Nor is he the only Anglo-centric person I have met. There are many Americans who have this attitude. One of my uncles once told me that the best places on earth to live are the United States, Australia, and Great Britain. He has never lived in two out of three of those countries. So how would he know that the UK and Australia are better places to live than say, a country like Norway? How would he know that Australia is a better place to live that Japan. Oh, thats right! They speak Japanese in Japan. Japan is full of Japanese people, that is why it would not be a better place to live. What about Finland? Oh, thats right, he has never been their either.
Anglo-Centrism. These people feel that any English speaking country is better than any country that does not speak English. It is very ignorant. The kind of people who have this attitude tend to be the same people who ... surprisingly...can only speak English fluently. Wow. Who would have seen that one coming a mile away?!
These dim-wits also thing that English is the hardest language to learn. One of my friends on YouTube brought up an excellent point. How is it people who can only speak English, never studied other languages, feel that they are in any position to say English is the hardest language to learn? He is absolutely right! It is as if these people are trying to send another message, " Look at me, I speak English, one of the hardest languages to learn on planet earth! I must be so smart! "
As I said before, English speakers are not the only people on earth who are like this. Italians are notorious for not learning other languages. I have met French speakers who also think that French is the most difficult language to learn. The Franco-centric people I met also did not speak other languages, including English.
The Roman Empire was also a very ethnocentric empire. Roman people thought their civilization and language was above everyone else on earth. In fact, the Romans considered all non-Romans to be barbarians.
Ethnocentric Nations and people typically have the same pattern
1. They are an Empire ( Rome, Great Britain, United States, France, Portugal )
2. They believe their country was blessed by god. Their holy books are meant to be read only in the original language.
3. They believe their language is superior to all others. For example, ¨English is the hardest language to learn!¨ ¨French is the richest language on earth!¨
4. Ethnocentric people usually have little education.
5. Ethnocentric people speak only one language fluently. They do not have proficiency in any other language.
6. Ethnocentric assholes are usually Americans.
There, I said it. Most of these jerks are Americans. Many of them living happily in the State of Arizona. If a person wants to be a hick, it is their choice. But they are in no position to tell me, or any of us, that we are less valuable because of the language we chose to speak. On a final note, I would like to add that I am an American, living happily in Mexico. I am not looking forward to returning to The United States any time soon.
I am American. I am tri-lingual. With that, I bid you all adieu.
Here is my story. About ten years ago I had a part time job teaching English as a second language. I was self-employed. During a break I went back to Washington State to visit my father. While having coffee with my father in his dining room, I told him all about my little business teaching English to immigrants. Then he turned around and asked me the strangest question.
"Naomi, maybe you should teach English as a primary language instead?"
Then that familiar angry little feeling started to bubble up in my stomach. It is a feeling I typically get when I find myself in a conversation with my father that I should have avoided. You see, I have a list of things in my head never to bring up when he is in the room. For most of my life, I never opened up with my father about anything because he can be judgmental, condescending and sarcastic. Anyone who does not think like him is an idiot as far as he is concerned.
" What do you mean?" I asked. I wished that I could have just ignored the question, but I was stuck.
He responded, " Instead of teaching it as a second language, maybe you should teach it as a primary language." Then he went on a tangent about how all the immigrants should not consider their native languages to be a primary form of communication in the United States - EVER.
So, this is how my father had everything all worked out in his head. I am suppose to waltz into the classroom and tell my students that English should be their primary language. You see, English is apparently more important and more valuable than their mother tongue. I was suppose to tell my students that even when their families visit, that they should insist on communicating with their relatives only in English. Do you know how quickly they would have fired me if I did something like that?
Then I responded to my father, ¨Oh, that is lovely, you want me to be unemployed do you?¨ Then an argument ensued. My father insisted that I TELL my students that they need to learn English as a primary language. I told my father that they learn English as...what ever he heck they want because they are paying me. That means they are the boss. How rude it would be of me to tell my employers what language should be primary in their lives? Who am I to tell them something like that?
Then my dad went on a long tangent about his linguistic ´philosophy.´ Actually, it is not a philosophy at all. Dad just regurgitates the verbal diarrhea that Rush Limbaugh vomits from time to time on his radio show. Many of you know him. That conservative drug using pig who whines about how gay marriage undermines the sanctity of marriage, yet he is upon his FORTH wife. The funny thing about my father, is he would always throw in a big, overly elaborate word to pretend that he is an educated person. ( FYI: the man is only a high school graduate)
My dad is not the only ethnocentric person out there. Nor is he the only Anglo-centric person I have met. There are many Americans who have this attitude. One of my uncles once told me that the best places on earth to live are the United States, Australia, and Great Britain. He has never lived in two out of three of those countries. So how would he know that the UK and Australia are better places to live than say, a country like Norway? How would he know that Australia is a better place to live that Japan. Oh, thats right! They speak Japanese in Japan. Japan is full of Japanese people, that is why it would not be a better place to live. What about Finland? Oh, thats right, he has never been their either.
Anglo-Centrism. These people feel that any English speaking country is better than any country that does not speak English. It is very ignorant. The kind of people who have this attitude tend to be the same people who ... surprisingly...can only speak English fluently. Wow. Who would have seen that one coming a mile away?!
These dim-wits also thing that English is the hardest language to learn. One of my friends on YouTube brought up an excellent point. How is it people who can only speak English, never studied other languages, feel that they are in any position to say English is the hardest language to learn? He is absolutely right! It is as if these people are trying to send another message, " Look at me, I speak English, one of the hardest languages to learn on planet earth! I must be so smart! "
As I said before, English speakers are not the only people on earth who are like this. Italians are notorious for not learning other languages. I have met French speakers who also think that French is the most difficult language to learn. The Franco-centric people I met also did not speak other languages, including English.
The Roman Empire was also a very ethnocentric empire. Roman people thought their civilization and language was above everyone else on earth. In fact, the Romans considered all non-Romans to be barbarians.
Ethnocentric Nations and people typically have the same pattern
1. They are an Empire ( Rome, Great Britain, United States, France, Portugal )
2. They believe their country was blessed by god. Their holy books are meant to be read only in the original language.
3. They believe their language is superior to all others. For example, ¨English is the hardest language to learn!¨ ¨French is the richest language on earth!¨
4. Ethnocentric people usually have little education.
5. Ethnocentric people speak only one language fluently. They do not have proficiency in any other language.
6. Ethnocentric assholes are usually Americans.
There, I said it. Most of these jerks are Americans. Many of them living happily in the State of Arizona. If a person wants to be a hick, it is their choice. But they are in no position to tell me, or any of us, that we are less valuable because of the language we chose to speak. On a final note, I would like to add that I am an American, living happily in Mexico. I am not looking forward to returning to The United States any time soon.
I am American. I am tri-lingual. With that, I bid you all adieu.
Türkçe - Languages of Turkey
In one of my recent YouTube videos, The Problem with Tunisia, some of my linguist friends suggested that many Turks resent Mustafa Ataturk. For those of you know do not already know this, Ataturk overthrow the Ottomans and forced the Turkish people to become more Western. He created a separation between Religion and State. The new president lead sweeping cultural, socio-political and linguistic changes. He initiated a program for economic development in Turkey, which consisted of great industrial and technological advances. He also forced the people to change their alphabet from the Arabic script to the Latin script. I remember reading somewhere that teachers went into small villages to teach the people the new writing system. Ataturk also made primary education compulsory.
One of my viewers said that there are many Turks who have a different view of Ataturk. He said they resent him for changing the script from Arabic to Latin. They feel wronged because they cannot read Turkish literature in the original text.
I had to ask myself, if the Turks resent Ataturk because they can no longer read Turkish literature in the original Arabic script, it would then follow that there must have been Turkish people before that who resented the Ottomans. After all, there surely must have been some great Turkish writers who wrote with the Greek alphabet?
Turkey has a long history with many inhabitants, a few religions, and many languages both spoken and written. People who live there also tend to produce some literature in their native tongue. So, how do we know which language or script is more valuable? If people are angry at Ataturk, then there must have been a lot of people throughout history who were angry at some Turkish ruler for imposing their language or alphabet.
This brings us to an important question - are there some who feel certain scripts are simply more valuable than others? Is it determined by the number of speakers? Linguists, especially those who learn and value rare languages, would agree that just because a lot of books were written with the Arabic script one hundred years ago does not make it more valuable that works written by Turks in other Turkic languages. This is not my call to make. However, I would like my readers to look at the chart below.
This chart shows all the languages spoken in Turkey by native, immigrants, and ancient people. You will see the language family, number of Turkish speakers and comments about these languages.
For more information about dead Turkish languages, watch the videos posted at the end of this blog. The first video is in French, the second linked video is in Italian.
One of my viewers said that there are many Turks who have a different view of Ataturk. He said they resent him for changing the script from Arabic to Latin. They feel wronged because they cannot read Turkish literature in the original text.
I had to ask myself, if the Turks resent Ataturk because they can no longer read Turkish literature in the original Arabic script, it would then follow that there must have been Turkish people before that who resented the Ottomans. After all, there surely must have been some great Turkish writers who wrote with the Greek alphabet?
Turkey has a long history with many inhabitants, a few religions, and many languages both spoken and written. People who live there also tend to produce some literature in their native tongue. So, how do we know which language or script is more valuable? If people are angry at Ataturk, then there must have been a lot of people throughout history who were angry at some Turkish ruler for imposing their language or alphabet.
This brings us to an important question - are there some who feel certain scripts are simply more valuable than others? Is it determined by the number of speakers? Linguists, especially those who learn and value rare languages, would agree that just because a lot of books were written with the Arabic script one hundred years ago does not make it more valuable that works written by Turks in other Turkic languages. This is not my call to make. However, I would like my readers to look at the chart below.
This chart shows all the languages spoken in Turkey by native, immigrants, and ancient people. You will see the language family, number of Turkish speakers and comments about these languages.
For more information about dead Turkish languages, watch the videos posted at the end of this blog. The first video is in French, the second linked video is in Italian.
46,300,000 (1987) | Numbers are certainly higher now | ||
3,950,000 (1980) | also known as Kurmanji | ||
1,000,000 (1998/1999) | Indo-European (Indo-Iranian, Iranian, Western) | one of the Zaza languages | |
1,000,000 (2005) | North Caucasian languages (aka Caucasic) | It has 47 or 48 consonant phonemes of which 22 or 23 are fricatives, depending upon whether one counts [h] as phonemic, but this is contrasted with just two phonemic vowels. | |
530,000 | Turkic (Oghuz) | South Azeri (also known as South Azerbaijani) is a variety of the Azerbaijani language spoken in northwestern Iran and neighboring regions of Iraq and Turkey. | |
400,000 (1992) | North Mesopotamian Arabic (also known as Maslawi meaning from Mosul) | ||
327,000 (1993) | Turkic (Oghuz) | ||
300,000 (2001) | Indo-European (Slavic) | ||
278,000 (2000) | North Caucasian languages | ||
140,000 | Indo-European (Indo-Iranian, Iranian, Western) | one of the Zaza languages | |
40,000 (1980) | Indo-European (Armenian languages) | ||
40,000 (1980) | |||
30,000 (1980) | South Caucasian languages | ||
28,500 (2000) | Indo-European (Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan) | Domari was once thought to be the "sister language" of Romani, the two languages having split after the departure from the Indian subcontinent, but more recent research suggests that the differences between them are significant enough to treat them as two separate languages within the Central zone (Hindustani) group of languages. | |
25,000 | Indo-European (Indo-Iranian, Indo-Aryan) | ||
20,000 (1980) | Indo-European (Slavic) | ||
15,000 (1980) | Indo-European (Albanian) | ||
10,000 (1995) | North Caucasian languages | ||
8,000 (1976) | Indo-European (Romance) | spoken by the descendants of Jewish refugees from Spain | |
4,540 (1965) | Indo-European (Greek) | spoken on the shores of the Black Sea, most speakers were moved to Greece in the 1920s | |
4,000 (1993) | Indo-European (Greek) | most speakers were moved to Greece in the 1920s | |
4,000 (1980) | North Caucasian languages | ||
3,000 (1994) | Semitic languages (Aramaic) | ||
2,000 | Turkic (Oghuz) | actual number is unknown | |
1,980 (1982) | Turkic (Uyghuric) | ||
1,140 (1982) | Turkic (Western) | (aka Kirghiz) | |
less than 1,000 (1999) | Semitic languages (Aramaic) | ||
920 (1982) | Turkic (Oghuz) | ||
600 (1982) | Turkic (Western) | ||
500 (1981) | Turkic (Eastern) | ||
few villages | Turkic (Western) | ||
handful | Turkic (Western) | ||
?? | Indo-European (Indo-Iranian, Iranian, Eastern) | ||
? | Numbers are unknown though likely to number in the thousands | ||
extinct | Aramaic | liturgical language | |
extinct | North Caucasian | became extinct in the 1990s | |
handful | Turkic (Western) | ||
?? | Indo-European (Indo-Iranian, Iranian, Eastern) |
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