Neuroscience has come a long way in providing us some amazing information about our brains. We have scans that can actually show which parts of our brains are active during our outward activity. Reading, drawing, problem-solving, making decisions, exhibiting emotional responses and even learning a…
Arabic is a fascinating language. It’s the language that gave humanity the word “zero”, the 1001 Nights (also known as Arabian Nights) and the Qur’an, the sacred book of Muslims. Add to that thousands of love poems, philosophy books and mathematical studies, and you’re still…
Foreigners can visit or live long-term in Japan and never get over their fascination with failed translation and blatant abuse of English, especially if English is their mother tongue. This phenomenon of Japanese to English mistranslation is commonly referred to as “Engrish.” Japanese to English…
You already know that learning a language is good for your resume, social skills and college application. But, did you know that learning a language can make you happier as well? Seriously, hitting the books, working on your app, or taking your online classes might…
It’s not a fair question, of course. The factors are many. The characteristics that distinguish languages are diverse. And everybody learns differently. How can we pin down one that we all agree is the easiest language to learn? And yet, we must try. Something compels…
The new Despicable Me movie is on its way to theaters at the end of this month. This means we’ll get to see once more on the big screen the cute little Minions. Fans will surely be delighted to hear them in their adorable, sometimes…
Have you ever looked at a foreign script and wondered why the letters look the way they do? Why is Thai so curly when Roman characters are angular? How did the Arabic script get such elegant, arching strokes, or the Hebrew writing system its compact…
We often take it for granted that we all see the world the same way. But did you know that some languages don’t differentiate between green and blue? The blue-green distinction is a focal point for the study of the development of language. This color…
The <th> sound, which is very prominent in British English, is poised to be lost by 2066 due to multiculturalism. Linguists predict that in 50 years, the sound will no longer be heard on London’s streets, and you might hear “fink” instead of ”think.” ”Th,”…
Few countries in the world can boast such a terrific array of languages, each shaped by centuries of native culture, regional differences, war, and religion. Indeed, the diversity of India’s languages and cultures lend the country a sense of mystique. Wonder has drawn in many…
China with her large economy, huge manufacturing sector, and growing high-tech sector is an important place to conduct business. There have been countless books written about business culture etiquette in China. However one point is often neglected. Chinese language and its role in the business…
This is a guest post by Jesse Reyes at SpanishHackers.coms My first foray into foreign languages was learning Spanish. When I decided to learn the language I had no idea where to start. I found a lot of information online. Some was very helpful, some…
