Today's post won't be as lenghty as usual, because I am literally swamped with exam preparations. To add to this pressure I will also be going to the PolyGlotBerlin Gathering next week, where I'll be giving a talk – so the pressure is definitely on. This means that my Russian studies and by extension this blog will be running at slightly slower pace during the month or so. I will still strive to post at least one post a week and the weekly podcast, as I have done every week now so far.
Learn a Language
Review: Antosch and Lin flashcard service – First look
As I take great pride in exploring the tools and services out there for language learners, I did not hesitate when Oliver Antosch of Antosch & Lin approached me to review their flashcard service. Note that this is part 1 of my review, the first look. I will write another post when I have used the service for a month to evaluate it.
Video game case-study: Trying to learn languages like I did as a child
Back when I was first introduced to the concept of video games in the very young age of maybe 5 or 6 my passion for the English language began. It was an interesting time, because I would load up a video game and enjoy playing it without understanding a single word. With enough exposure to the English language I slowly worked out what commonly seen words meant.
I would also watch a lot of shows in English, some of my favourites being: Knight Rider, Simpsons, Friends, Married with Children and many more of the typical 80s-90s shows. This coupled with the video games and having to communicate in English a lot (to discuss tactics in a game for instance) meant that I was basically fluent at a very young age with no formal teaching.
Are you a Lazy Language Learner Like Me? No Problem.
I'm a lazy language learner, are you?
Learning Multiple Languages At Once: Great Idea or Waste of Time?
I was recently approached by a fellow language learner who asked me if I could write a blog post about learning multiple languages at once, or just focusing on a single language before moving on to the next one.
Instead of me just sharing my views, I thought it would be fun to ask the question to the community and then write this blog post as a round-up type post.
Why we should let languages die and enjoy those that are still alive
Lately, I have begun to see more and more posts published to social media about dying or even dead languages.
I don't have personal interest in endangered languages, but I can understand if some people might find it worrying or even go to great lengths to try and revive these extinct or near-extinct languages.