How to Learn Any Foreign Language 7x Faster by Yourself

Important PSA: Do not ask linguists how many languages they speak. Linguistics is the scientific study of language, investigating things such as (but not limited to): how language can be modeled as a complex logic system; the cognitive processes and neurological structures that support the acquisition, storage, and usage of language; the biological and acoustic mechanisms involved in the production/perception of language; how language influences society and how society influences language.

Other things linguists do: work with communities to document or revitalize dying languages; develop dictionaries; work on language modeling software; consult for copyright litigation; reconstruct dead languages.

Really lucky linguists get hired by Hollywood to create fictional languages for sci-fi and fantasy blockbusters.

What linguists do not do: spend all day learning foreign languages. (Alas, if you are a linguist who enjoys learning foreign languages, you must do it in your free time, not during work hours.)

Also! Another important PSA: Any linguist who has learned, like, anything about language, WILL NOT JUDGE YOUR GRAMMAR! Do NOT apologize to a linguist for how you speak. Remember: no dialect is "more correct" than another. There is literally no objective criteria with which you can compare two languages or dialects and decide one is "better" than the other. If you are communicating successfully, you're doing language right!

here's a friendly reminder that if english is your second language it's not "to be expected" or "the bare minimum"; it's actually so impressive and so much work to learn another language, let yourself be proud of it

would you ever compete in a yugioh tournament

ha.

not now. i don't understand the modern rules and would be destroyed within seconds and not even understand why i lost. i will say that i wanted to when i was a kid, but i didn't know like... how... to find one hahaha

guys i may have pieced together a sentence in russian without putting it in a translator. thank you loanwords

buying hozier tickets for brussels was a reasonable decision and necessary for my mental wellbeing

This is the lovely post by MoonIvy that inspired me to get myself back into reading chinese by the way:

And this is MoonIvy's other amazing post, which includes a list of everything they read so far in order of difficulty which is a great reference list if you are looking for something to try, and includes some suggestions on listening study things you can try too.

MoonIvy is part of the group managing the Heavenly Path site I keep mentioning, that just has so many phenomenally organized media recommendations, a good guide to starting to read, and lots of linked resources:

when at the library today i picked up a book abt typography to pick up some more theoretical skills there and to no one's surprise it pretended that european languages were the only languages in the world which like whatever i'll still learn what principles it has to teach and then try to reverse-engineer applications to cn font design based on what i know.

despite not trusting the english-language resources available online to be as in-depth or technical as i desire, i got curious and googled "chinese typographic design" anyway n scrolling through the introduction to the first result, you can kind of tell it's not written with a chinese-speaking audience in mind, or at the very least an audience with some semblance of chinese cultural sensitivities bc its section headed by the words "navigating the simplified and traditional divide" goes on to basically say it's an Aesthetic Decision which. well. is certainly a way to pretend you're avoiding politics.

korean language learning

hello!! i am nico, a korean language learner and general language enthusiast, with a degree in humanities and minors in korean language and tesol!

i was a tumblr user during grade school, and have missed it a bit as of late. so, it was decided that i could use it to keep up with my language learning and put some of my effort out there for others to use.

i am nonbinary, queer, neurodivergent (adhd<3), and have a chronic illness or two. unfortunately, i have found it difficult to find target language resources related to these topics that are comprehensive or clear. as someone who wants to move abroad, it is intimidating to think about figuring everything out on my own. i want to keep track of things here so that others can have an easily accessible resource, should they need it! im pretty sure im not the only person with a chronic condition that wants to emigrate, and sharing is caring :3

other than languages, i enjoy kpop, tarot, dancing, frogs, baking, genshin impact, overwatch2, animal crossing, and work at an early child care center! i've recently been fixated on crafting (making/repairing clothing, embroidery, watercolor, and an occasional dabble in jewelry making) kuromi and cinnamoroll are my favorite sanrio characters, followed closely by pochacco, pompompurin, and keroppi.

i was going to start using duolingo again bc i need to freshen up on my french but i heard they removed the little lightbulb things the had to help with grammar and stuff so like what even is the point now...such a stupid decision

The Official Lingoda Sprint Review

Hello folks ! I tried the Lingoda Sprint and these are my thoughts about it. If you are curious about the platform or what the classes are like in this program, then this is the video for you. 

I discuss

what Lingoda is

how it differs from different platforms like Duolingo and iTalki

the pros and cons

the challenges

would I recommend this to others

So without further ado, here you go !

my coloc complimented me on my pronunciation today and i'm like :"")

.

tbh im genuinely fascinated what it must be like to be a native english speaker. how does it feel to have the whole world cater to u.....

i feel like we don't know enough about the enlightened language

Like is it literally the only language that elves speak ?? Are there different dialects ??? Are there any other languages??? Do elves learn any human languages??

how do the polygots switch between languages so well and can they teach me ??? (I know like 4-5 languages and i fuck up all of them)

You're so right, language is such a fascinating part of culture and characterization and development. On a broader scale of what language is dominant (if any) in a culture, the words and phrases they use and how they interact. On a smaller scale of what language(s) a character speaks, what ones they want to speak, if they find language interesting or if they're more visual. It's such an interesting thing and keeper barely brushes the surface!

Since the language is instinctual, all elves speak it at birth, it doesn't seem like there are any other elven languages. It's just Enlightened. That's it. They can learn other languages, and that includes human languages, but I don't think many elves have reason to learn human languages. And pretty much only those who work in the nobility would need to learn other languages (like ogreish, trollish, etc.) because otherwise basically their only exposure to other species is when they come to the Lost Cities. And the other species will speak the Enlightened language. And if it isn't necessary, why would they ever learn those other languages when they have their superior language? Obviously not all elves think like that, but many do.

The only/main changes to the language would be personal changes, if one specific person starts referring to something uniquely or speaking in a different way. But the language won't develop over time the way ours do, because any personal changes an elf makes when speaking won't be passed on to their children who know it instinctually. They could learn it and pick up on it, but the language as they know it from birth wouldn't include those alterations. They're starting at square one every time; the language seems very likely to be stagnant and universal.

I'm also super jealous of the polyglots though I'd love to be better with languages and they're just out here. Doing it super easily. No effort at all. I'm fluent in one language and kinda proficient in 2 others but like. please, being a polyglot would make it so much easier </3

I think it would be funny, if from Baumeister siblings only Tita would be able to wield equivalent of Mingrelian and she would wield it well enough to argue with her mother in Mingrelian.