Lingualogue Blog

For those people that are trying to learn a language that does not use the Latin alphabet, such as Chinese, Japanese, Korean, or Thai, you will appreciate the importance of transliteration. Transliteration is used to help language learners read words of the foreign script by writing the sound of the word using the equivalent Latin letters. It would be nigh on impossible to learn a non-Latin based language on your own, at home, without transliteration– you would not be able to read any of the words. Thankfully though it is fairly easy to transcribe sounds of words into our alphabet. Without it, we would have no chance of learning the words Ni hao or Sawasdee Krap as they would appear in unintelligible script.

There are two things I have never understood with transliteration though: The first is why does there never seem to be a definitive version–a convention so to speak. When you pick up a new Thai-English dictionary, you first must take the time to familiarise yourself with its particular transliteration method. Not the best, most efficient way to transfer language. But forgivable.

The second thing I don’t understand and think is extremely counter productive and counter intuitive, is the transliteration taken literally from the actual spelling of the original word. To me, the point of transliteration is so non-native speakers of the language can use their own script to more or less reproduce the sound of the word. If however we choose to transliterate the word by its spelling, letter by letter, then we can end up with an extremely confusing word that sounds nothing like its supposed to. When this technique is used on major tourist attractions it makes you wonder what the hell the tourist board was thinking in the first place.

This technique, believe it or not is being used for the Bangkok International Airport. An airport is an extremely important place for tourists one would think, and considering many tourists must get there by taxi, being able to say the name of the airport may also be useful. This is where transliteration is supposed to come in. Plaster signs and tourist brochures with a transliterated name of the airport and every tourist will be able to say the name of the airport right? Well not quite. You see the transliterated name that the Thai government has decided to post on almost every signpost in the city is ‘Suvarnabhumi‘. This is a direct transliteration letter by letter of the spelling of the Thai word. NOT a transliteration of the sound. Not very helpful to a tourist.

In fact if you pronounced the sound ‘Suvarnaboomy’ to a taxi driver in Bangkok (as you well might), I doubt very much that many would know where you wanted to go.  The true sound of the word, (with the caveat that no transliteration is perfect) should be closer to ‘Suwarnapoom’. If you say the two words together, you will realise that they don’t sound very close at all, and it is completely understandable that a taxi driver would think you were speaking gibberish.

Who knows why the Thai government chose this route. Maybe it was a misguided fear of corrupting the purity of the language. Whatever the reason, it certainly doesn’t help the tourists, and considering they are the group that transliteration is made for, it kind of defeats the object. I mean why transliterate a silent letter (like the final i in Suvarnabhumi)? It would be the same as the Thais transliterating an English word like Knight using the literal spelling.  They would all end up saying ‘kenigget’. Not a useful move for second language learners.

Living in Thailand myself, I see the confusion that it causes tourists to the country, and although I know that Thailand is not the only country that is guilty of this literal transliteration, I hope it doesn’t spread too far.

I apologise for this post, but I feel I have to put it in somewhere and I guess today is just as good a day as any. If the rest of you will indulge me, this post is for the surprisingly numerous people who find fault with my spelling. Some people seem to feel that I am consistently making certain spelling errors, and that this is somehow unacceptable for someone that writes about language. Although I am sure that my spelling and grammar are not perfect, and of course even the most proficient writer makes the odd typo, I would like to point out that the words that I am most commonly brought to task about are in fact perfectly fine (usually).

The difference is that I am from England, and although it is true that our languages are the same, British English and American English do have different spellings for many words. In England now, more and more people are adopting the American spelling of words, and let me just say that I have no problem with that—language is a fluid thing and should be changing all the time. I, however, still follow the old school English spellings of most words, and because of this I find myself in the situation I am now.

Before everyone writes in and berates me for being so sensitive, I should say that I do not lie in bed at night worrying that some ignorant Joe thinks I can’t spell. I did, however, think that it may be an interesting lesson on the evolution of a language and how a few hundred years of separation has changed the written word. I also think that every native English speaker should be aware of it.

So here we go, a few of the most common words that are different in British and American English, and the most popular ones for people to point out as wrong.

The o vs ou favourite
Most people actually know this one already so I thought I would start with it

American                  British

Color                          Colour
favorite                      favourite
honor                         honour

The Z vs S words. A difference that is becoming less used in the UK as well now

American                 British

analyze                     analyse
organize                    organise
realize                        realise
criticize                    criticise

I think you get the idea

ER vs RE another one that confuses many in the UK as both are now often used

American                British

theater                     theatre
meter                       metre
center                      centre

One very close to my heart – LOG vs LOGUE

American               British

catalog                    catalogue
dialog                      dialogue

This one of course made for a big decision when I first started this site. I was unsure whether to go with the American friendly Lingualog, or my British version Lingualogue. I did, as you know, plump for the latter, but I also bough the name of Lingualog. If you type in Lingualog.com you still go to my site.

The ultra confusing L or LL

This one can be very confusing. The rules are slightly different for English and American spelling

American                 British

traveling                  travelling
modeling                 modelling

In AmE – When the stress is on the first syllable then a single letter is used. In BrE, we tend to use a double l when in the middle of the word and between two vowels whichever syllable is stressed.

American                British

fulfill                          fulfil
skillful                       skilful

As with most words, the syllable that is being stressed gets a double letter. Alas in British English the Ls tend to confuse matters again and when we add a suffix to a word ending in L we only use the single L in both positions.

ENSE vs ENCE

defense                     defence
license                      licence

CK vs QUE

check                        cheque   -  as in the banking kind

Verb past tenses

learned                     learnt
dreamed                  dreamt

Some random ones

draft                          draught
tire                             tyre   – as in the car rubber
encyclopedia        encyclopaedia
jewelry                    jewellery

I think that is probably enough for now. There are of course many, many differences between the two versions of English, mainly thanks to the differences between the two dictionaries published by Samuel Johnson and Noah Webster.

I hope this goes some way to people cutting me a little more slack, although I should probably expect more comments about this than anything else. It isn’t always easy writing with the British spelling these days as many spellcheckers use American English and sometimes (annoyingly) try to change the words automatically.

Just for the record I am not saying either side is right and the other wrong. All I am saying is that these are differences in the common usage of the two languages across the pond and therefore both should be accepted and tolerated.

I get asked all the time which language is the best one to learn, and my answer is nearly always the same: It depends what you want to learn it for. Obviously if you are travelling to China, then learning Hungarian is not probably the most efficient use of your time; if you are marrying a Thai girl then Spanish is possibly not the next language you should be learning. Most people have a reason to suddenly want to learn a language and this reason will dictate the language that they will learn.  However, some people just want to learn a language for the pure hell of it. These are the people who may ask which are the best languages to learn. They also usually have a list of languages that they have already subconsciously crossed off their imaginary list.

What languages  would a person automatically cross off their list of possible choices? Well to be honest the ones that they deem utterly useless. These (from experience and not preference) tend to be languages that they would consider having no apparent use in the world. Esperanto is often the first name that comes up, but that is often closely followed by languages such as Klingon and Elven. Languages that can actually be learned but seem to have no obvious benefit. Many people are ridiculed for being able to speak Klingon, and the thought of mastering Esperanto just boggles the mind of most people. But are they really completely useless languages?

Well the first thing I would say is that there are very few people who have no reason whatsoever to learn a specific language. What I mean by that is that very few people sit on the edge of their beds randomly choosing the next language to learn. It does happen, but not often. Most people will have at least a very small reason for choosing one language over another. Even if it is not an obvious reason like travelling or marriage, it would be a more subtle reason like college entrance or job prospects. These people will normally opt for one of the big languages of the world at the moment – Spanish, Chinese, French, Japanese, or Arabic. Even if people think they have no reason at all there is usually some justification for choosing one language over the other. Maybe you like Chinese movies, or Mexican food, or think Italian sounds romantic. Whatever the reason is, no matter how small, it makes learning the language worthwhile to you. Even if it is never going to change your life dramatically, it will change your life for the better in your eyes. This holds true even if the language is Esperanto, and yes, even if its Klingon. There are many groups around the world now for learning Esperanto and they have many thousands of very active members, so if you wanted to be a part of that community then of course Esperanto is the perfect language to learn. Klingon of course needs no introduction, and for many hardcore trekkies there is no better language to learn as being fluent in the tongue will get them accepted and recognised at many of the Star Trek conventions and meets that they attend. To many people, this will be of much more use and much more important than learning Chinese, Spanish or Swahili.

Of course language learning is always beneficial for the mind anyway. Every language you learn makes you slightly better at learning languages as you begin to understand structure and grammar. They also make your brain better at many other things too, but that is for another day.

Learning a language for YOU is the most important thing and if you can take pleasure in its learning and using it whenever possible then no language learning is a waste of time, and no language is not worth learning.

Happy New Year to everyone and I wish you all a happy and fulfilling 2010. 

Breaking into a new year always gives many people hope that the coming year will be better than the last, and that their lives will change for the better. This is why many people make new year’s resolutions–a chance to change things that are unwanted; to do things differently; to start afresh. Many resolutions are things that we know we should have been doing all along but never quite got around to starting, and new year seems such an obvious starting point.

The only problem is there is usually a reason why we didn’t do it earlier, and so many resolutions are doomed to failure–often barely days into the new year.

I’ve done all the usual resolutions in the past–losing weight, quitting smoking (I actually ended up doing it last May), cutting down on the booze,  getting fit etc. and none of them has ever lasted beyond January. This year my resolution was simply to be more diligent with this blog and ensure I post at least once per week. Of course, as this is the 9th already I guess you could say I fell before I left the gate, but considering the new year’s holiday and everything that accompanies it, I think I am allowed some slack. So let’s hope from here on in I can keep to the resolution (please don’t write to me if I mess it up).

If you don’t have a resolution already (maybe you are a healthy person who doesn’t smoke or drink and already exercises like a whippet (or a fat alcoholic who doesn’t give a shit)) then maybe you could start your new year off with the resolve to learn a language. While the smell of change is in the air and the promise of new beginnings, there is possibly no better time to begin the journey of learning a new language. It is a sure fire way of changing your life, and may even send it in an entirely new direction (for example you may end up writing a language blog in 30 ° C heat instead of 6 feet of snow ). You certainly have nothing to lose learning a language other than possibly about half an hour of your time per day, but have an enormous amount to gain.

Of course there is the inevitable chance that you will lose interest after about 2 weeks and forget all about it, but that is a chance you take whenever you start something new. The good thing about new year is that you have the excited exuberance of someone who sees a brand new start and a brand new you, and also of course you are certain to remember the day you started, and this if anything might guiltily persuade you to last beyond a week.

If you are looking for good reasons why you might want to learn a language then please visit my website at lingualogue.com/second-language-benefits

So what are you waiting for? Just grab that proverbial bull by its sharp ends, pick a language and learn it. It really is as simple as that.

I apologise for being a little lax with the blogs this month, but I have been on holiday and have found it difficult to keep on top of things. Hopefully I will get things back on track shortly, but for today I will simply post a small observation. Granted, this observation has nothing to do with languages as such, but is based on a different culture, which I guess falls very slightly within the hazy lines of this blog. Well it does now anyway.

In Thailand many people visit fortune tellers to discover what awaits them in their lives. You would be hard pushed not to find someone who has at least visited a monk and asked for a brief outline of his own destiny. Many people visit fortune tellers often; some as often as every month.

Now while I do not personally believe in fortune telling of any description, I know many people that do, and I have no problem with the belief  that someone can predict the future through cards, the palm of your hand, tea leaves, or pig entrails. Really I don’t. What I do have a problem with, well more of an exasperated confusion,  is the frequency with which one visits a fortune teller.

I have asked this question of many people and never received an acceptable answer: Does the fortune teller (or different fortune tellers) tell you the same future each time you go, or does he tell you different each time?

To me this question is hugely important. If he gives the same future each time then there can surely be no point going to see a fortune teller each month. If he / they give different versions of the future then why is this? Does the future change as you take different paths or make different decisions? Again if this is the case then surely a fortune teller is redundant as the future is not fixed.

I guess the only purpose of seeing a different fortune teller is to get a second opinion if you did not  like what the first one told you. I am sure you can keep going  until you find one that you do like.

Okay I must admit some people do visit fortune tellers with specific questions about business  or relationships that they want answering, but the majority of Thai people that I have met just want to find out if they will be rich and how many kids they will have. Now surely one time is enough for that.

Of course the problem with the specific questions is that you run the risk of creating self-fulfilling prophecies, and hence the fortune teller will undoubtedly be right. But that is for a different blog

Excuse the slight tangent from the usual today, but as they say “variety is the spice of life”.  But variety that has been predicted already must not be very spicy at all.

I found a fantastic article that I just had to share on here about the importance of learning to use language properly. The article was actually in reply  to a question posed by a reader on a careers  site dedicated to helping people find jobs. The article mirrors many of my opinions clearly in how too many people these days hide behind the technologies available (such as spell checkers) and argue that knowing how to use a language properly is unimportant these days. They will invariably argue that  ‘it is what  you say not how you say it that is important in business today’ but although there are certainly growing numbers of people who cannot spell or use grammar correctly in the world today, these people tend not to dominate the business world. If you don’t want other people to think you are ignorant or uneducated, then just a little care on spelling or grammar can give you that little push ahead of the apathetic rest.

That said, I can’t really do the article justice, so I suggest you read it as the author puts his point across excellently and with obvious passion. It is plain the author does not sit on the fence on this one. NWjobs

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?

I came across a language learning blog (well actually two) the other day that posed the question of whether making mistakes in language learning is useful or detrimental. The first of these discussions was on Antimoon.com and the author was very adamant that making mistakes is an unnecessary, even a detrimental aspect of language learning. I can see his point: He argues that a language is not like a new business where trial and error is a necessary part of the learning process, instead languages are tried and tested and regularly used. Therefore he says that there is no reason to make mistakes; with enough studying and careful practice you can formulate sentences devoid of errors and therefore not develop any bad habits.

This is true. I agree with the basic sentiment that being able to not make mistakes would be fantastic. However I also think it would be a very dull way to learn a language. Languages are difficult enough and many people lose interest rather quickly because of the difficulty; one of the fun parts of language learning, however, is using it. Chatting with shopkeepers, friends, taxi drivers, whoever.

I certainly wish I didn’t make mistakes, but if that meant I had to sit at home studying the language for a year  before I even got out there to practice my sentences, i think I would go mad. Of course I would still have to take time to practice speaking the ‘theory’ I had learned at home. Theory and practice are two very different fish.

Another website I found echoed the sentiment of Antimoon– Spanish-only.com, but this one had a comments section. I felt I had to post. I do have to commend the author of the site (Ramses) however–he replied the next day. Very quick.

My reply to his views was as follows:

An interesting post Ramses and I actually read this one after reading the Antimoon version. I do however disagree with both of you. Perhaps if fluency is your only goal and you don’t mind waiting an inordinate amount of time to achieve it, then the slowly-slowly approach might work. I would say though that I would consider it a rather sterile and boring way to learn a language: Language learning should be fun, and for it to be fun you need to use it. Sitting at home learning grammar rules and vocabulary is enough to send most people running for the hills.

I don’t believe you should fear mistakes. Sure you should try and reduce them, and definitely learn to correct them when made, but I do not believe that once made they become more difficult to eradicate. If you are a person that is constantly learning and not too proud to realise you are wrong, then consciously recognised holes in grammar and vocabulary can be filled at a later date. Without conversation, however, these holes are rarely found.
I agree that unintelligible output should be avoided wherever possible, but a few mistakes here and there lay good groundwork for becoming a more confident and fluent speaker. After all, children make mistakes all the time and they turn out alright.

As to the reference to immigrants whose English skills remain below par after many years. I would contend that this has nothing to do with making mistakes with native speakers and not being corrected, but more to do with limited contact with native speakers while living in a community of fellow expatriates and primarily speaking their native tongue. I see plenty of immigrants who have integrated fully and speak fluent English, which is certainly comparable to the average native speaker.

Thanks for your time. I did like reading your posts.

Check out his reply at the link above for Spanish-only.

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.