Lingualogue Blog

If you have used online forums before you will know that they can be a mine of information–a whole community with expertise, experience and interest in the same topics as you. Having someone available who can answer your questions or offer advice is an invaluable resource.

Language Learning forums are equally  essential for helping you through the language learning process. No matter what language you are learning, there will always be a forum with members fluent in that language who are willing to help you with any problems that you encounter. Not only does it offer you the benefits of having an experienced mentor and tutor for free in the comfort of your own home, it also allows you to be part of a like-minded community that will offer moral support as well as academic assistance.

This is why I decided to compile a list of (what I consider to be) the top 10 general language learning forums on the web. By general language learning forums I mean those that cover a wide range of languages and are not language specific.

The full article is on the main Lingualogue site at Top 10 Language Learning Forums

Top 10 Language Learning Forums

1. Unilang.com
2. How-to-learn-any-language.com
3. Omniglot.com
4. Phrasebase.com
5. Wordreference.com
6. Antimoon.com
7. Lingforum.com
8. Ultralingua.com
9. Brighthub.com
10. Learnlanguageforums.com
    

These forums all cover a variety of languages and each offers a mix of language learning materials and resources. They are all a little different and so should be checked out in their own right. Some are linguistic behemoths; some are small language communities.

A more in-depth write up of each, and links to the forums can be found at Top 10 Language Learning Forums on the Lingualogue Website.

I was reading a blog the other day that seemed to have some confusion about the definition of the word homonym. I did some checking and was surprised to see that this confusion is much more widespread than I had previously thought. We are not just talking about confusion among the general public here, we are talking confusion between the big players–the education websites, the information portals, and even the heavyweight dictionary boys. Nobody can seem to give a definitive answer on the specific definitions of homonyms, heteronyms, homographs, and homophones.

If the main dictionaries can not agree does this mean that a definitive definition does not exist? Is it simply that people do not want to agree so each person must pick a homonym side and stick to it? It seems like one big argument that no side is willing to back down on. To me this is just plain stupidity: How can we teach children the meaning of a word if we don’t know ourselves, and there is no main authority from which we can get an answer because the authorities do not agree themselves.

My impression of the meaning of these words, and the one that seems to have the most support (albeit marginal) is as follows

Homograph: Words that have the same spelling but different meanings. The pronunciation may or may not be the same.
(Remember by homo – same, graph – image)

Homophone: Words that have the same pronunciation but different meanings. The spelling may or may not be the same.
(Remember by homo – same, phone – sound)

This is where the arguments begin: I have always understood that homophones and homographs are the umbrella sets that include homonyms and heteronyms, in other words homonyms and heteronyms are types of homograph and/or homophone. The rivals believe it is the other way around.

So in my understanding the definitions are as follows:

Homonym: Words with the same spelling AND the same pronunciation but different meaning
(This means that homonyms are both homographs AND homophones)
(Remember by Homo – same, nym – name)

Examples of homonyms

bear n. mammal of the Ursidae family / to carry
stalk n.  stem of a plant / track prey
fair adj. pleasant-looking / a gathering for a market, exhibition
bow n. the front of a ship / to incline the body or head in greeting

Heteronym: Words with the same spelling but different pronunciation and different meaning.
(This means that heteronyms are a type of homograph but not homophone)
(Remember by Hetero – different, nym – name)

Examples of heteronym

contest:  to compete in a match of skills/make an argument against something
does:  multiple female deer/to perform
lead:  to guide/a soft dense metal
resign:  to quit/to sign again
tear:  liquid drops secreted by the eye/to pull apart
wind:  to encircle/moving air

These definitions are what I believe to be the meanings of these words, but as I say, by the look of it I could just as easily be wrong. It is possible that a homophone is indeed a type of homonym and not vice-versa, or a homograph is indeed a type of heteronym and not the other way as I believe. If that is the case, then fine, I will gladly change my current thinking.

I just wish they would make up their minds and let me know.

Here is my list of 10 extremely feeble excuses for people choosing not to learn a language. It is amazing how people will use at least one (sometimes several) of these to convince themselves that they cannot or do not wish to learn a language.

So in no particular order — the 10.

1) I am not interested in languages
Fair enough you may say, but if you asked this same person would he like to know a new language for free with no effort involved,what are the chances he would say no? Slim? Who wouldn’t like to see himself using a foreign language to order dinner while on holiday?

2) Everybody Speaks English
This is not only the most annoying, but also the most embarrassingly conceited excuse. It is also, sadly,  one of the most common. Yes many people speak English, and yes it is the Lingua Franca of global business, but for how long? Chinese, Arabic and Spanish are very widely spoken languages, and it is an extremely arrogant attitude to presume that everyone should learn English to communicate. In Asia, Mandarin Chinese is becoming a very important language for business.
Thankfully, most people who use this excuse, also think that the hamburger is fine cuisine, and New Zealand is the capital of Australia.

3) I tried before but I gave up
This is understandable. many language courses are as dry as the paper on which they are written. Some methods of teaching foreign languages are just plain boring, you need to find one that suits your learning style and is fun. There is also a need to have an interest in the language you are learning or what you are doing with it–Join social networks. This will not only help you learn a language but also let you meet new people. Make some friends, flirt a little, whatever you want to do to make the language come alive.

4) I can’t afford it
This used to be a good excuse back in the day. Back when classroom study was the norm and the only self study courses consisted of stacks of books and cassette tapes. This, thankfully, is no longer the case. You probably already have an mp3 player and a computer with an internet connection; these are all you really need to learn a language these days. There is more than enough free stuff around to keep you from saying “I can’t afford it” ever again.

5) I don’t have the time
Understandable. It’s a fast-paced world we live in today and many people find it difficult to create enough time to have a relationship let alone learn a language. It need not be all that time consuming though–30 minutes per day is all you need to find, and with personal mp3 players it does not even need to be in one sitting. A little while you wait for the elevator, a little more while you are ordering lunch, not to mention that brief burst while waiting in traffic. You may not have time for a relationship, but you have no excuses to not squeeze in a language.

6) I am too old
Many people still believe that only children can learn languages and that once you reach a certain age, your brain is as useful as an old shoe. This is of course nonsense. Not only can adults learn new languages perfectly well, the studying of a new language can exercise your brain to stave off that ‘old shoe’ day by a few more years. Basically it doesn’t matter how old you are; you are never to old to learn a language.

7) I am not good at languages
Some people are better at others at learning languages, this is life. Some men are better with the ladies than others, but most men will get married. Not being a naturally gifted linguist does not mean you can not learn a language. Almost everybody in Denmark and Sweden can speak English as a second language and I guarantee they are not all gifted language learners. As a wise man once said, when it comes to languages it is ‘attitude not aptitude’ that will help you learn.

8 ) I do not have the self discipline to learn alone
Then get a partner to learn with. Get a tutor. Join a social network and make friends to learn with who will push you as you go along. Set yourself goals as you learn. Create competition. Basically do anything that will engage you, keep you interested and keep your motivation for learning the language as strong as when you started.

9) I will never get to use it
Okay so you live in a small town where everyone really does speak English and foreign languages are relegated to use on unpopular food wrappers. With whom  or where in the world could you use this foreign language once you learned it? Well there maybe nothing in your town that offers opportunity, and maybe your town is as far as your opportunities and horizons extended…before. Once you learn a language, your outlook on life explodes. Once you have learned a language, you will be looking for excuses to travel, to go on holiday, to use the language. You will take trips into the city to visit restaurants so you can practice your new  tongue; you will make new exotic friends online and maybe even start new relationships. It will be a new adventurous you;  you may even start watching foreign films (okay let’s not push it too far). The point is, although you may have no opportunities to use a foreign language now, after you learn it the opportunities will present themselves and change your life

10) I have no excuses
This one is here both because I could only think of 9 excuses and this seemed a silly number for a list, but also because it is true. You literally have no excuses for not learning a language. I hope now that you have read the 9 poor excuses for excuses above, you realize that the excuse you used to have is no longer there. Get out there and learn a language. Good luck and happy learning.

There are a million and one different language courses out there for a hundred and one different languages; some are a lot better than others, but with quality often comes a heftier price tag.

The top of the range language products (as reviewed on the Lingualogue

website…excuse the plug) are undoubtedly worth the seemingly exorbitant charge, as the work and time that has gone into producing these titles is plainly obvious…and they work.

It doesn’t help knowing the price is justified, however, if you just can’t afford it, and let’s face it $300 is no small chunk of change. Although sometimes I may suggest that making a painful initial outlay for language learning courses is likely to give you extra incentive to finish the course rather than lose interest after 5 minutes, obviously one man’s painful initial outlay is another man’s bankruptcy and starvation.

There is of course a solution, and a legal one at that. A solution that has been around for years, a solution that was probably made more use of by your granny than any of us. This solution is of course the library, that archaic institution of mouldy books and even mustier bookshelves. This is probably how most people remember libraries from their school days–a place to find antiquated historical references, the entire collection of ELO,  and old Stephen King novels–certainly not any modern language learning courses.

Libraries however have changed, not just a little, but a huge paradigm shift. Of course I am sure you will still find reference books, and Stephen King books, and may even be able to pick up the ELO collection (if you really wanted) but libraries today have lurched into the technological age with great enthusiasm (well most at least).  It’s all computers and online material now, and yet they still have many things available to borrow without charge. One of those things, invariably, is language learning suites. At many libraries these days you can pick up copies of the top of the range language learning courses such as Rosetta Stone and TellMeMore. Some even have the excellent Fluenz. Many languages are available and all to borrow for the globally appreciated price of nowt, zilch, nada…absolutely nothing.

If you have a library near you and you are looking to learn a language, I suggest you get yourself down there straight away, get yourself a library card (remember those) and check out what they have available to help you learn that language.

Just remember, just because you haven’t splashed out an inordinate amount of cash for the privilege of learning the language, doesn’t mean you have to give up at the first hurdle.

Get yourself a library card and start learning.

Independent Travel

Most people who have been abroad or at least come into contact with a ‘foreigner’ will agree that travelling to a foreign country is a good way to learn a language–providing of course that the language is spoken in the destination of choice. I would go one step further, putting my neck on an admittedly not very risky block, and say that it is an excellent way to learn a language. This of course comes rolled with an obligatory caveat: One – it is only as effective as you make it, and two – it is only truly effective if you go alone.

The first is fairly self-explanatory and states the starkly obvious point that if you don’t try, you won’t learn anything. The second, however, could be a touch more contentious. Bear with me for a moment though, I will try my best to explain.

Going on holiday to most people is an ideal way to relax and get away from the hum drum daily routines of  work,  and share some undisturbed, stress free,  quality time with family or friends.  I couldn’t agree more with this sentiment (well I wrote it) and look forward to my time at the beach as much as the next man. This is great for relaxation, but it won’t help you learn a language.

The problem with travelling with friends or family is familiarity (well duh I hear you cry).  The vast majority of people stick to what they know when it is available, and while spending all of your vacation time with a loved one may do wonders for your relationship, it will play havoc with your language learning. Sure you will probably pick up the everyday  phrases and may even get taught how to order a beer, or ask for the bill, but you are unlikely to spend a lot of time chatting to people who don’t speak much English, and this is where the best language lessons are found. It is possible to glean a few sentences from the amiable bell boy, or the gregarious motorbike rental girl, but the fact is they  probably just as likely want to practice their English, and the language return will be minimal. In a group you are just not going to meet the right people.

The trick is to travel alone. Of course it has its drawbacks and can be slightly more dangerous if you approach it naively, but it is infinitely better for your language learning, and a whole lot more rewarding to boot. The key to it is a distinct lack of familiarity…anywhere. Sure this is disconcerting to begin with and if any first timer tells you he is not nervous he is a big fat liar (I certainly was…nervous that is). This lack of familiarity gives you the freedom to meet new people, strike up new friendships, and spend hours on end conversing with people with whom you have no mutual understanding whatsoever.  This is a lot more fun than it sounds I promise, and is a total immersion of both language and culture that you will never find anywhere else–not in a language course, not on the internet, and not even on holiday with your family. Sure you may need to brush up on the grammar when you get home, but this fumbling about with cobbled together sentences to make your self understood will give you a foundation of the language, a confidence, and a love for the language and culture of the country, that will never leave you.

If you feel that backpacking or travelling around the world all on your tod sounds  a little too ‘new age’ for your liking, there are plenty of companies  these days, like Cactus Languages, that will arrange a holiday and everything that goes with it for you, making the whole ‘holiday alone’ thing a little less daunting. They also include daily language lessons, which are a great way to get the grammar straight while you are there instead of waiting until you get home. The same point still applies though: If you spend the money, the time, and the effort to book a language learning holiday in a foreign country, don’t team up with the first English speaking guy that you bump into. Sure it’s tempting, and a hell of a lot easier. You may even strike up a valuable friendship. But you will most certainly miss out on those valuable and unforgettable language learning experiences.

After all, isn’t that why you are there?

Following on from the previous post, I am finally realising how big this language exchange idea really is. If you are an English speaker wanting to learn Spanish then you can guarantee that there is someone sitting in front of their computer in Mexico who would love to teach you their language in exchange for your English. On the other hand, if you are a native speaker of Spanish who is looking to learn Russian, then again you know that someone in Russia is on the web willing to help. As long as you are willing to teach him your language of course.

This language exchange craze seems to have really taken off, and is in my opinion possibly the best application that the internet has ever realised. What better way to make use of the global reach of the world wide web than for people to share their languages and cultures with those of differing languages and cultures.

It is what the web was made for. It has restored my confidence in people’s use of cyberspace. I see too many people use the web to tell me what they had for dinner, or what their favourite chocolate bar is, and lets be honest I don’t really care. However, if people are using the web to share real information–language–then they have found a fan.

I was surprised to see how many of these language exchange sites are available. As well as the Moccha.com offered in the last post, we have Babbel, Palabea, Worldia, and Lingopass. These all offer language exchange with others within their network and are an excellent addition to any language learning course.

If you are learning a language and don’t make use of free language exchange sites, then you are mad. You are certainly missing out on a great experience.

I may well do a review of language exchange sites at a later date and post it on the main site.

Is it possible to learn a foreign language using social media? Well probably not using it exclusively, but it certainly can be a valuable tool to help you along the language learning path.

Applications like Facebook, Myspace, Hi5, and even Twitter can give you exposure to a foreign language that you might not usually get. You can make friends with people from different countries and share your languages, giving you added incentive to learn the language as well as a means of doing it.

There are also specialised social media sites such as LiveMocha where you meet friends based solely on the languages you each wish to learn. This can be an excellent resource for helping you learn your foreign language – make new friends and study at the same time.

So can you learn a foreign language through social media? If used correctly and wisely they can be very effective language learning tools indeed.

When I was at school in England (which is a few more years ago than I would care to admit) I was taught French. Now I have to admit I didn’t really want to learn French, nobody asked me to learn French, and I personally didn’t see the benefit of learning French in the first place. But they taught me nonetheless.

If I remember correctly, I first started studying basic French in the last few years of primary school (grade 4 or 5?).  It seemed like an enormous chore and even through high school I never had a particularly rosy feeling about French class (even though I was fairly good at it).

What I don’t fully understand is why we started so late.  Now many people may argue that grade 4 is not exactly late, and that a 9/10 year old should be able to learn a foreign language with ease. Now it is probably true that at 9 years old I did a much better job at taking it all in than I do at my current age (35) but it is also true that I would have done an even better job had I started the French osmosis at an earlier age.

Studies show that children have an innate ability to learn a language from the moment they are born (possibly even earlier), and can learn at a startling rate with ease. They will soak up the vocabulary and automatically figure out grammar rules with no need for specific instruction. This ability, however,  switches off at around the ages of 10 – 12 when language learning becomes increasingly difficult and grammar rules must be learned and remembered rather than instinctively constructed.

My question therefore, is why do we (or did we) begin teaching new languages to children with only a year or two left before their learning abilities begin to wane. What’s wrong with starting to learn French (or Chinese, or Spanish, which are probably more appropriate today) in grade 1 (or even earlier by parents)? Get them early. For one  the students will have at least five years of learning at their peak capacity and should be able to get an excellent grounding in whatever language they are learning; and two, if taught well, students could learn to enjoy the language and appreciate the benefits of being able to speak a second language.

I am pretty sure if I had been taught earlier I would still be able to hold basic conversations in French rather than retaining inane phrases like ‘I live in a big town in the centre of England’. I still have never found a use for it.

Everyone knows you can learn a foreign language at a school with a qualified native speaking teacher, and most people also know that you can learn a language at home with an appropriate language course.  Some people, however, manage to learn a new language through the strangest of places: be it a fortuitous meeting with a friendly native speaker, or simply a friendly gathering with a range of language speakers.  If you want to learn a language you must be ready, and willing, to grab the opportunity when it arises.

My case in point comes from a letter to the global online football game ‘Hattrick’ of which I too am a member and a regular participant. I was surprised to see this letter in truth, because  although I knew Hattrick had a huge multilingual player base, I had never viewed it as a possible forum for learning a language before.  The letter was as much a surprise to me as I hope it will be for others.

The letter was written by Volkl and posted to express his delight at how using the Hattrick forum changed his life. Volkl, unlike most people, took the bull by the proverbial horns and used his multinational forum brethren to request a native Spanish speaker to teach him the language. He got a reply, and after a tentative and uncomfortable beginning through chat, developed a burgeoning friendship and learning format with his new Argentinian penpal.

Volkl closes by explaining that he has already been to visit his new friend in Argentina, and is now looking to move there to find work and put his Spanish skills to the ultimate test.

Although I am sure that most language learners aren’t looking to up-sticks and move to a new country, this letter still proves that the learning of a foreign language can be found often in the most surprising places. If you are willing to take the chance when it comes.

The full letter from Volkl to Hattrick can be found here

One of the first things many people do when they embark on a language learning journey is to find out how to swear. We’ve all done it I’m sure, especially when we were younger. I remember flicking through a French dictionary at school looking for words which were  considered even mildly crude or funny.  No word was safe: Knickers and breasts were more than fair game, and guaranteed to raise a chuckle out of the room in French class. This is all just good juvenile harmless fun, and seeing as I never saw myself even using the French I was learning at school it didn’t seem a problem.  To be honest I can’t even remember the French word for boobs (although derriere strangely sticks in the mind).

So what is the problem? Well with this– absolutely nothing. The problems begin when people think it is extraordinarily funny to learn more grown up words, curse words if you will. I have met people who are going on holiday, or travelling, and consider it a humerous idea to learn curse words and slang expletives of the native language.  Somehow they believe that it will endear them to the locals who will think it funny that a foreigner learned their most taboo of language, and of course  they can use it to the taxi driver who overcharges them the price of a small  lollipop.

It is never a good idea to learn curse words in a new foreign language until you have a good grasp of the language already and have many years experience within the culture of the country.  You see it is very difficult to gauge how offensive a swear word will be to a local person and you may think what you are saying is mild and funny, until the recipient turns around with a scowl and a machete. For example, in Indonesia it is very offensive to call someone a dog;  in Thailand you can offend someone with a simple  ‘buffalo’, and get beaten up with an innocuous  ‘water monitor’. These are not exactly terms that would offend in English, and that is the point:  Until you know the language and the culture, steer clear of learning curse words. It may get you in more trouble than you expect.