Today's word of the week is
"cantankerous"
Don't ask me why but I have dreamed about this word a few days ago and had to make sure it is indeed a real word...so that's why I chose it as word of the week this time. I really like the sound of it!
Meaning: grouchy, irritable, argumentative, complaining, unreasonable
Example: Many women get rather cantankerous once a month (it's true; don't beat me!).
Can you come up with an example too?
Language ... the bridge of communication, the magic creator of worlds, the brush and paint of authors. Language is magic. It gives us power. It is something you just have to love.
Saturday 30 April 2011
Wednesday 27 April 2011
Spanish - Language Overview
I started learning Spanish in 9th grade, two years after French. That way, I had both an advantage and a disadvantage for learning Spanish. On the one hand, I recognised many words and grammar structures from French, but on the other hand, I sometimes mixed up vocabulary too.
Spanish
Geographical Extension
Spanish is spoken in Spain, parts of central America and all but one countries in south America (exception: Brazil where they speak Portuguese).
Spoken by
Spanish is spoken by about 300 million native speakers.
Language Family and History
Spanish is a Romance language. It is closely related to Portuguese and Catalan as all three languages come from the Iberian peninsula.
The Iberians were the first inhabitants of the Iberian peninsula. At about 600 B.C., the Celtic moved there and mixed with the Iberians. When the Romans conquered the Iberian peninsula about 300 B.C., Latin became the main language but was influenced by the former languages. The Romans probably even brought the Germanic influence with them. Between about 700 and 1500, so for a period of almost 800 years, Spain was ruled by the Arabic speaking Moor. Due to that, Spanish is the Romance language which has the most words with Arabic origin.
From all the Spanish dialects, the old Castilian (Spanish) became the prominent one when Castile became a kingdom in 1085. During the next 200 years, Castilian became the official written language and replaced Latin. Over the time, the Castilian language expanded over most of the Iberian peninsula and replaced the other dialects and Arabic.
Grammar Difficulty
Spanish grammar has about the same difficulty as French. It is more complex than the English grammar. Spanish conjugates all verbs, for example, and changes adjectives depending on number and gender of the corresponding noun. It has both male and female nouns (and different articles for male and female). In contrast to English, the Spanish language doesn’t need the personal pronouns and only uses them for clarification or stressing. The subject is usually clear from the conjugated verb.
Pronunciation Difficulty
The Spanish language has certain sounds which may prove difficult to pronounce for English natives. On the other hand, especially the European Spanish tends to “build” their words as they are spoken. The English word “football”, for example, is written “fútbol”, thus imitating the pronunciation.
Special Facts
After Mandarin Chinese, Hindi and English, Spanish is the language with the fourth most native speakers throughout the world. Only English is learnt by more people as a second language.
In Spain, Spanish is only one of four languages but all Spanish people know it. The Spanish spoken in various countries varies slightly in pronunciation and vocabulary.
The United States have more native Spanish speakers than even Spain and are in second place worldwide after Mexico.
Monday 25 April 2011
Spreadig Literacy
Last week, we had some opinions about literacy, as well as the qestions what every one of us can do to help raise literacy again. This week, we will try to find ways to make sure this important skill isn't lost along the way of becoming "cool" (or is this already out of date?).
The best way to spread literacy is to lead by example. When the younger generations, especially your own children, see you read and write, and enjoy it, they will get a positive image of it. Start with reading picture books to your children when they are still very young. The illustrations will help them understand the story. Or, even better, let them tell you the story based on the illustrations. Some young children like to "read" stories to their parents even though they can't really read. They just make a story up, or tell the story from their memories.
If you have the time, try to read to your children before they go to bed - every day. Let them choose the book you read from. Once they learn to read, take turns. Read a page or a paragraph yourself, and then let the child's as you can read way better. Increase the length of your child's parts with their reading ability.
If your children come up with stories, encourage them to write them down, or offer to write them down for them if they aren't able to write yet. Make a small booklet with their stories.
Encourage them to write letters to their grandparents aunts, uncles or friends, or try to find a pen pal for them. Receiving letters from people they like will help increase their regard for the written word.
If your children still use abbreviations when writing text messages and emails to their friends, or when chatting, don't freak out. As long as they write properly in other contexts, they should be allowed to write "more conveniently" to their friends.
The best way to spread literacy is to lead by example. When the younger generations, especially your own children, see you read and write, and enjoy it, they will get a positive image of it. Start with reading picture books to your children when they are still very young. The illustrations will help them understand the story. Or, even better, let them tell you the story based on the illustrations. Some young children like to "read" stories to their parents even though they can't really read. They just make a story up, or tell the story from their memories.
If you have the time, try to read to your children before they go to bed - every day. Let them choose the book you read from. Once they learn to read, take turns. Read a page or a paragraph yourself, and then let the child's as you can read way better. Increase the length of your child's parts with their reading ability.
If your children come up with stories, encourage them to write them down, or offer to write them down for them if they aren't able to write yet. Make a small booklet with their stories.
Encourage them to write letters to their grandparents aunts, uncles or friends, or try to find a pen pal for them. Receiving letters from people they like will help increase their regard for the written word.
If your children still use abbreviations when writing text messages and emails to their friends, or when chatting, don't freak out. As long as they write properly in other contexts, they should be allowed to write "more conveniently" to their friends.
Saturday 23 April 2011
Word of the Week ... III
This week's word is... *drumbeats*
"ridiculous"
Ok, why did I choose that word? I love the sound of it. Yes, that's right. I just chose it because I like how it is pronounced.
An intersting fact for all those of you who have read Harry Potter: The English word "ridiculous" is derived from the Latin word "ridiculus", which is also used as a spell in the Harry Potter novels.
Meaning: laughable, funny, silly (something that makes you laugh out loud because you can't believe someone did or said that...)
Example: I can't believe they passed that new law. That's ridiculous!
Now, can you come up with your own examples for our word of the week?
"ridiculous"
Ok, why did I choose that word? I love the sound of it. Yes, that's right. I just chose it because I like how it is pronounced.
An intersting fact for all those of you who have read Harry Potter: The English word "ridiculous" is derived from the Latin word "ridiculus", which is also used as a spell in the Harry Potter novels.
Meaning: laughable, funny, silly (something that makes you laugh out loud because you can't believe someone did or said that...)
Example: I can't believe they passed that new law. That's ridiculous!
Now, can you come up with your own examples for our word of the week?
Wednesday 20 April 2011
French - Language Overview
French is my third language. I started learning it two years after I started with English as French was my second foreign language of choice at school (I started English in fifth grade and French in seventh grade).
French
Geographical Extension
French is (one of the) official language(s) in more than 30 countries all over the world. Apart from France, Belgium, Luxombourg and Switzerland in Europe and parts of Canada in northern America, it is mostly spoken in Africa due to France's history as colonial power in many African countries.
Spoken by
French is spoken by about 110 million native speakers.
Language Family and History
French is one of the Romance languages which have their roots in ancient Latin. However, many Celtic words have found their way into modern French as well as Latin only slowly became the overall language. The French way of counting is supposed to be a relict of the Celtic language as well. Early trade and Germanic soldiers in the Roman army are responsible for the first Germanic words. Starting with the Franconian victory over the Romans in the 5th century, many Franconian words have found their way into the French language. It is remarkable, however, that the Franconian conquerers blended their language with the French (Latin) language instead of imposing their language upon their new territory.
In 842, the first documents were written in French (as opposed to Latin as before). Still, Latin stayed dominant in official writing for many centuries. Over time, Paris became the political centre of France, and thus, the French dialect spoken in Paris became the main language. While England was conquered by Normans, French was influenced by the English language. From the 17th century on, French became the language of the gentry all over Europe.
Grammar Difficulty
French grammar shows many similarities to German grammar, mostly in the declension of verbs, the tenses and the use of adjectives (matching the noun in gender and number). Thus said, the French grammar is more complex than the English grammar which makes it more difficult for English natives to learn it.
Pronunciation Difficulty
French pronunciation might look strange and difficult at first but once you get to know it, it is really easy. Unlike the English language, the French language only has one pronunciation for each set of letters. That means, once you know it, you are able to read aloud texts with completely unknown words as you can easily see the pronunciation. However, some of the specific sounds are difficult for non-native speakers.
Special Facts
French is official language in many international organisations like the European Union and the United Nations, and is still considered the lanugage of diplomacy. It is the second most learned foreign language worldwide behind English.
French
Geographical Extension
French is (one of the) official language(s) in more than 30 countries all over the world. Apart from France, Belgium, Luxombourg and Switzerland in Europe and parts of Canada in northern America, it is mostly spoken in Africa due to France's history as colonial power in many African countries.
Spoken by
French is spoken by about 110 million native speakers.
Language Family and History
French is one of the Romance languages which have their roots in ancient Latin. However, many Celtic words have found their way into modern French as well as Latin only slowly became the overall language. The French way of counting is supposed to be a relict of the Celtic language as well. Early trade and Germanic soldiers in the Roman army are responsible for the first Germanic words. Starting with the Franconian victory over the Romans in the 5th century, many Franconian words have found their way into the French language. It is remarkable, however, that the Franconian conquerers blended their language with the French (Latin) language instead of imposing their language upon their new territory.
In 842, the first documents were written in French (as opposed to Latin as before). Still, Latin stayed dominant in official writing for many centuries. Over time, Paris became the political centre of France, and thus, the French dialect spoken in Paris became the main language. While England was conquered by Normans, French was influenced by the English language. From the 17th century on, French became the language of the gentry all over Europe.
Grammar Difficulty
French grammar shows many similarities to German grammar, mostly in the declension of verbs, the tenses and the use of adjectives (matching the noun in gender and number). Thus said, the French grammar is more complex than the English grammar which makes it more difficult for English natives to learn it.
Pronunciation Difficulty
French pronunciation might look strange and difficult at first but once you get to know it, it is really easy. Unlike the English language, the French language only has one pronunciation for each set of letters. That means, once you know it, you are able to read aloud texts with completely unknown words as you can easily see the pronunciation. However, some of the specific sounds are difficult for non-native speakers.
Special Facts
French is official language in many international organisations like the European Union and the United Nations, and is still considered the lanugage of diplomacy. It is the second most learned foreign language worldwide behind English.
Monday 18 April 2011
L is for Literacy - Opinions
Today, I have the pleasure of giving you an opinion about our current state of literacy by my colleague Derek Odom which has first appeared on his blog as part of the A to Z blog challenge. But first, some more thoughts on this topic.
Literacy. A huge word but what does it mean? It sounds similar to literature...and it has a whole lot to do with it. However, literacy isn't only about literature. It's far less, and far more. Literacy describes the ability to be able to read and write, to understand, and to communicate through the written word. It is an integral part of our western society. We rely heavily on written communication - newspapers, emails, books, signs, maps, even in the supermarkets. Written words cross our ways everywhere.
Children in most, if not all, western societies learn reading and writing by the time they enter school. Some might even start in kindergarten (pre-school for my US readers) or back at home with their parents. Usually, our school systems ensure that everyone can properly read and write by the time they leave school. There are, however, some people even in our countries who cannot read or write and still got through school. They somehow master their everyday lives without the gift of literacy. They struggle, but they make it. Somehow. Then, there are many people, especially young people, who don't care enough to watch their spelling and grammar. They use abbreviations and acronyms, wrong grammar, wrong or no punctuation, mix up words and screw up spelling. It pains me to see such an abuse of language, yet even I am guilty of not watching my spelling and grammar as closely as I should when chatting. The huge difference, however, is: I know how to do better, and when I have to watch it. I know exactly when I might slur a bit for the sake of typing speed. Still, my writing is always understandable. Many of those people, on the other hand, write the same way when they write in forums, write emails or letters.
The great question is: What can we all do to raise literacy again? Or is it already too late for the written word? More on that next week.
Now, enjoy Derek's take on literacy:
"L is for Literacy
Literacy. That is a damn important word, and it means a heck of a lot more than the average person thinks it does. It isn’t just the ability to read and write, although that is a big part of it. But it also means to “understand”, and be competent. It is true, reading and writing isn’t 100% necessary in society today, but a person who can’t do either is severely limiting their options.
Of course, I don’t expect everyone to get As in English and grammar and create every forum or Facebook post as if it were going to an editor. I also realize that those using mobile devices such as an iPhone to post up may find it easier to abbreviate 75% of what they say to save time. It’s really hard to tell everyone how frustrating your day was when you are behind the wheel.
However, I have seen, first hand, the spelling and grammar of some people (the young especially) and it scares me. I loved to read and write at a very early age and so once again, I understand that it isn’t everyone’s bag but *damn*! Every single person in sixth grade or above should be able to form a logical, flowing sentence that conveys its point in a concise manner. What happens more often is abbreviated ramblings mixed in with so much slang that nobody over the age of 21 can make it out. Why is that bad, you ask? I’ll tell you.
We aren’t always 18 years old and looking for the next party or date. We can’t always spend our days using fuel to drive up and down the Boulevard looking for action. We won’t always be young and pain-free and full of energy. At one point, we must get jobs, pay bills, figure out taxes, fill out forms, create a resume, and so on and so forth. And that, I fear, is what will separate the men from the boys, so to speak.
If you have spent 50% of your life on an iPhone, sending messages like, “Whre u at, grl?” or “FML, wntd to prty so bad I ht my prnts”, does anyone really believe that they’ll be able to clean up their act for a job interview? Now, I realize that every generation thinks the newer one is full of foul-ups and morons, but this newest generation of teens actually scares me a little. Luckily, you still need a decent education to get into most professions that actually make a difference but still, it’s scary. Doctors, lawyers, bankers, psychiatrists and even police will always be required to prove at least a basic knowledge of reading and writing.
I know a guy, right now, who can send out an email where easily 75% of the content is horribly misspelled or so jacked up grammatically that it must be read three and four times just to break its code. That man is 42 years old and doesn’t hold a high school diploma. I’m just saying.
Literacy. A huge word but what does it mean? It sounds similar to literature...and it has a whole lot to do with it. However, literacy isn't only about literature. It's far less, and far more. Literacy describes the ability to be able to read and write, to understand, and to communicate through the written word. It is an integral part of our western society. We rely heavily on written communication - newspapers, emails, books, signs, maps, even in the supermarkets. Written words cross our ways everywhere.
Children in most, if not all, western societies learn reading and writing by the time they enter school. Some might even start in kindergarten (pre-school for my US readers) or back at home with their parents. Usually, our school systems ensure that everyone can properly read and write by the time they leave school. There are, however, some people even in our countries who cannot read or write and still got through school. They somehow master their everyday lives without the gift of literacy. They struggle, but they make it. Somehow. Then, there are many people, especially young people, who don't care enough to watch their spelling and grammar. They use abbreviations and acronyms, wrong grammar, wrong or no punctuation, mix up words and screw up spelling. It pains me to see such an abuse of language, yet even I am guilty of not watching my spelling and grammar as closely as I should when chatting. The huge difference, however, is: I know how to do better, and when I have to watch it. I know exactly when I might slur a bit for the sake of typing speed. Still, my writing is always understandable. Many of those people, on the other hand, write the same way when they write in forums, write emails or letters.
The great question is: What can we all do to raise literacy again? Or is it already too late for the written word? More on that next week.
Now, enjoy Derek's take on literacy:
"L is for Literacy
Literacy. That is a damn important word, and it means a heck of a lot more than the average person thinks it does. It isn’t just the ability to read and write, although that is a big part of it. But it also means to “understand”, and be competent. It is true, reading and writing isn’t 100% necessary in society today, but a person who can’t do either is severely limiting their options.
Of course, I don’t expect everyone to get As in English and grammar and create every forum or Facebook post as if it were going to an editor. I also realize that those using mobile devices such as an iPhone to post up may find it easier to abbreviate 75% of what they say to save time. It’s really hard to tell everyone how frustrating your day was when you are behind the wheel.
However, I have seen, first hand, the spelling and grammar of some people (the young especially) and it scares me. I loved to read and write at a very early age and so once again, I understand that it isn’t everyone’s bag but *damn*! Every single person in sixth grade or above should be able to form a logical, flowing sentence that conveys its point in a concise manner. What happens more often is abbreviated ramblings mixed in with so much slang that nobody over the age of 21 can make it out. Why is that bad, you ask? I’ll tell you.
We aren’t always 18 years old and looking for the next party or date. We can’t always spend our days using fuel to drive up and down the Boulevard looking for action. We won’t always be young and pain-free and full of energy. At one point, we must get jobs, pay bills, figure out taxes, fill out forms, create a resume, and so on and so forth. And that, I fear, is what will separate the men from the boys, so to speak.
If you have spent 50% of your life on an iPhone, sending messages like, “Whre u at, grl?” or “FML, wntd to prty so bad I ht my prnts”, does anyone really believe that they’ll be able to clean up their act for a job interview? Now, I realize that every generation thinks the newer one is full of foul-ups and morons, but this newest generation of teens actually scares me a little. Luckily, you still need a decent education to get into most professions that actually make a difference but still, it’s scary. Doctors, lawyers, bankers, psychiatrists and even police will always be required to prove at least a basic knowledge of reading and writing.
I know a guy, right now, who can send out an email where easily 75% of the content is horribly misspelled or so jacked up grammatically that it must be read three and four times just to break its code. That man is 42 years old and doesn’t hold a high school diploma. I’m just saying.
Saturday 16 April 2011
Word of the Week ... II
Today's word is one every writer should know:
"writerish"
This word was invented by my dear writerish colleague and friend Kathy Foust to describe the mentality most freelance writers have. Another dear writerish colleague and friend, Suz Alicie, started a blog about all that what makes us writerish.
Writerish people help each other out, they care and understand. Most writerish people are addicted to coffee and Facebook (at least those surrounding me), and every one of us has his or her own special reason to pursue this life as freelance writer.
Or, to say it in Kathy's words: writerish: (adjective) Having to do with or in relation to the concept of being a writer
If you want to find out more about what writerish really means, feel free to visit Suz Alicie's awesome blog Writerish.
"writerish"
This word was invented by my dear writerish colleague and friend Kathy Foust to describe the mentality most freelance writers have. Another dear writerish colleague and friend, Suz Alicie, started a blog about all that what makes us writerish.
Writerish people help each other out, they care and understand. Most writerish people are addicted to coffee and Facebook (at least those surrounding me), and every one of us has his or her own special reason to pursue this life as freelance writer.
Or, to say it in Kathy's words: writerish: (adjective) Having to do with or in relation to the concept of being a writer
If you want to find out more about what writerish really means, feel free to visit Suz Alicie's awesome blog Writerish.
Wednesday 13 April 2011
English - Language Overview
English was the first foreign language I learnt, and the first one I gained fluency in. Thus, it is only fair to talk about English second.
English
Geographical Extension
English is official language in 52 countries worldwide. It's spoken in England and Ireland, northern America (USA and Canada), most of the Carribean countries, Australia, New Zealand and others.
Spoken by
English is spoken by about 310 million native speakers and a vast majority of people around the world as second language.
Language Family and History
English belongs to the Indo-Germanic languages and is related to German and Dutch, among others. The history of the English language goes as far back as to the middle of the fifth century. The old English grammar is much closer to modern German than to modern English as it differed between three definite articles and four cases just like modern German does.
The old English language has been influenced by three different languages: the Celtic language which had been prevalent in Great Britain before the English language got there, the Latin brought to England by the Romans, and the Scandinavian language the Vikings brought with them when they invaded England. During time, the old English language changed gravely and lost about 85 % of its vocabulary due to the influences of other languages. Later, when French invaders came to reign the country, the English language "imported" many French words into their vocabulary. When literacy began to spread and books became known and common goods, many new words with Latin roots were "imported" to serve the needs. Nowadays, words from the old English, Scandinavian languages, Latin, French and the Celtic languages blend together to form the modern English vocabulary.
Grammar Difficulty
English grammar is quite easy compared to, for example, German grammar. There is only one definite article, there are no cases for the nouns except the genitive...however, the tenses give English learners constant headaches. If you take the progressive tenses and passive voice into account, English has a total of 28 tenses to learn!
Pronunciation Difficulty
The greatest difficulty for non-native English speakers is the fact that many letter combinations have several pronunciations. Even the same written word can be pronounced differently depending on its meaning or part of speech (e.g. read [ri:d] (infinitive/present tense) - read [red] (past tense/past participle).
Apart from that, due to the great geographical extension of this language, there are many variations of spoken English nowadays. The two main variations are British English (BE) and American English (AE), both of which have many different accents.
Special Facts
With BE and AE, next to lesser known varieties, there is no such as THE English language. All those varieties have the vast basis in common while some parts of the spelling and vocabulary may be different. Even some books are "translated" from BE to AE or vice versa, especially MG books set in a school environment like Harry Potter, because the vocabulary related to school between both varieties differs greatly.
English
Geographical Extension
English is official language in 52 countries worldwide. It's spoken in England and Ireland, northern America (USA and Canada), most of the Carribean countries, Australia, New Zealand and others.
Spoken by
English is spoken by about 310 million native speakers and a vast majority of people around the world as second language.
Language Family and History
English belongs to the Indo-Germanic languages and is related to German and Dutch, among others. The history of the English language goes as far back as to the middle of the fifth century. The old English grammar is much closer to modern German than to modern English as it differed between three definite articles and four cases just like modern German does.
The old English language has been influenced by three different languages: the Celtic language which had been prevalent in Great Britain before the English language got there, the Latin brought to England by the Romans, and the Scandinavian language the Vikings brought with them when they invaded England. During time, the old English language changed gravely and lost about 85 % of its vocabulary due to the influences of other languages. Later, when French invaders came to reign the country, the English language "imported" many French words into their vocabulary. When literacy began to spread and books became known and common goods, many new words with Latin roots were "imported" to serve the needs. Nowadays, words from the old English, Scandinavian languages, Latin, French and the Celtic languages blend together to form the modern English vocabulary.
Grammar Difficulty
English grammar is quite easy compared to, for example, German grammar. There is only one definite article, there are no cases for the nouns except the genitive...however, the tenses give English learners constant headaches. If you take the progressive tenses and passive voice into account, English has a total of 28 tenses to learn!
Pronunciation Difficulty
The greatest difficulty for non-native English speakers is the fact that many letter combinations have several pronunciations. Even the same written word can be pronounced differently depending on its meaning or part of speech (e.g. read [ri:d] (infinitive/present tense) - read [red] (past tense/past participle).
Apart from that, due to the great geographical extension of this language, there are many variations of spoken English nowadays. The two main variations are British English (BE) and American English (AE), both of which have many different accents.
Special Facts
With BE and AE, next to lesser known varieties, there is no such as THE English language. All those varieties have the vast basis in common while some parts of the spelling and vocabulary may be different. Even some books are "translated" from BE to AE or vice versa, especially MG books set in a school environment like Harry Potter, because the vocabulary related to school between both varieties differs greatly.
Monday 11 April 2011
TV as Language Teacher?
Since I've arrived in the States, one thing about television has struck me: There are several kids shows on where children learn some words in Spanish or Chinese, for example. Wow! I'm impressed.
You see, in Germany, parents who "park" their children in front of the TV are seen in a bad light. However, I'd be interested in knowing how much this public opinion would change if people knew there are educational shows on TV and that children actually learn valuable things watching their children's channels. I mean, how else can monolingual parents teach their children the beginnings in a foreign language that easily? How else can they easily make their children curious about a foreign language? How else can they test whether or not their children might want to learn a foreign language even before they start kindergarten or pre-school?
It is a shame that TV has such a bad reputation for keeping children occupied if it can add so much value. Of course, you have to have access to the right kind of shows, and you definitely should talk about the shows with your children.
To come back to my headline: I think TV shows can get language love started but they are no language teachers when it comes to the real gist of a language. They can teach you the basics, a few words and phrases, and get you interested in learning more. To actually learn more, however, you have to get a teacher. A real teacher, made of flesh and blood. Or, if you are an autodidact, you have to get a good course book, audio CDs or youtube videos for pronunciation, and a good dictionary.
Once you've acquired a certain level of language knowledge, you can watch DVDs or TV shows and read books in the new language to support your learning.
However, no matter what you do and how you do it, never forget rule #1: Have fun!!!
You see, in Germany, parents who "park" their children in front of the TV are seen in a bad light. However, I'd be interested in knowing how much this public opinion would change if people knew there are educational shows on TV and that children actually learn valuable things watching their children's channels. I mean, how else can monolingual parents teach their children the beginnings in a foreign language that easily? How else can they easily make their children curious about a foreign language? How else can they test whether or not their children might want to learn a foreign language even before they start kindergarten or pre-school?
It is a shame that TV has such a bad reputation for keeping children occupied if it can add so much value. Of course, you have to have access to the right kind of shows, and you definitely should talk about the shows with your children.
To come back to my headline: I think TV shows can get language love started but they are no language teachers when it comes to the real gist of a language. They can teach you the basics, a few words and phrases, and get you interested in learning more. To actually learn more, however, you have to get a teacher. A real teacher, made of flesh and blood. Or, if you are an autodidact, you have to get a good course book, audio CDs or youtube videos for pronunciation, and a good dictionary.
Once you've acquired a certain level of language knowledge, you can watch DVDs or TV shows and read books in the new language to support your learning.
However, no matter what you do and how you do it, never forget rule #1: Have fun!!!
Saturday 9 April 2011
Word of the Week ... I
Today, I'm starting a new series for Saturdays: Word of the Week
That is, every week, you will either get a new phrase in "My Two Cents" or a curious, funny, interesting, old-fashioned, ... word in "Word of the Week". Let's start this with the word
"balderdash"
I simply love this word. Ever since I came across it, it has stuck in my head. I first read it in an English crime novel by Anne Perry, one of her Thomas and Charlotte Pitt books which are set in Victorian England at the end of the 19th century. I have no clue if the word is still commonly used nowadays but it certainly is used by me.
Meaning: nonesense
Example: Balderdash! I didn't say this!
Now, my excercise for you: Make up a short example with our Word of the Week and post it in the comments for all of us to read and enjoy!
That is, every week, you will either get a new phrase in "My Two Cents" or a curious, funny, interesting, old-fashioned, ... word in "Word of the Week". Let's start this with the word
"balderdash"
I simply love this word. Ever since I came across it, it has stuck in my head. I first read it in an English crime novel by Anne Perry, one of her Thomas and Charlotte Pitt books which are set in Victorian England at the end of the 19th century. I have no clue if the word is still commonly used nowadays but it certainly is used by me.
Meaning: nonesense
Example: Balderdash! I didn't say this!
Now, my excercise for you: Make up a short example with our Word of the Week and post it in the comments for all of us to read and enjoy!
Wednesday 6 April 2011
German - Language Overview
Today, I'm going to start this new series about different languages. Each week, I will give an overview of one of the languages I speak (and maybe extend it to languages I don't yet speak later on). I will start with German as it is the first language I ever learnt. Watch out for English next week, followed by French, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Chinese (Mandarin) and Swedish for sure.
German
Geographical Extension
German is spoken in Germany and Austria as well as in Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Belgium, some parts of Switzerland and even Namibia and northern Italy as official language. Brazil, the United States and some parts of France as well as many other countries have a huge population of German speakers as well although German is no official language there.
Spoken by
German is spoken by approximately 90 million native speakers.
Language Family and History
German belongs to the western Germanic languages. It is very close to Dutch and shares quite a few words with English and the Scandinavian languages as well. German has developed a whole bunch of dialects due to the fact that Germany was split in many independent parts throughout the Middle Ages. Some of the dialects, especially in northern Germany, are closer to Dutch than to German. The German language has been influenced by Latin, Greek, French, Jiddish, and lately English, and has quite a lot of foreign words from any of those languages included into the German vocabulary.
Grammar Difficulty
German grammar is difficult to learn for English native speakers. First of all, German has three different definite articles (male, female, neutral). Adjectives are changed due to gender and number of things they define and due to the case in which the noun stands. German knows a total of four cases, each of which comes with different endings. Word order and sentence structure can differ greatly from English sentences.
Pronunciation Difficulty
German can be tricky to pronounce for English native speakers as the German language has certain sounds which simply don't exist in English. Other than that, German isn't that difficult. Most combinations of letters only have one way, or two ways at most, to be pronounced so once you get the hang of pronunciation, you will be able to pronounce even unknown words.
Special Facts
German spelling and punctuation have been changed twice in the past decades. The last changes came into effect in 2006 and were a try to fix the mess they had made with the first changes. Even now, five years later, many Germans are confused by the old and new rules. Some things have been made more logic while others just lost all logic there might have been. Some newspapers even went back to use the old spelling and punctuation altogether.
German
Geographical Extension
German is spoken in Germany and Austria as well as in Luxembourg, Liechtenstein, Belgium, some parts of Switzerland and even Namibia and northern Italy as official language. Brazil, the United States and some parts of France as well as many other countries have a huge population of German speakers as well although German is no official language there.
Spoken by
German is spoken by approximately 90 million native speakers.
Language Family and History
German belongs to the western Germanic languages. It is very close to Dutch and shares quite a few words with English and the Scandinavian languages as well. German has developed a whole bunch of dialects due to the fact that Germany was split in many independent parts throughout the Middle Ages. Some of the dialects, especially in northern Germany, are closer to Dutch than to German. The German language has been influenced by Latin, Greek, French, Jiddish, and lately English, and has quite a lot of foreign words from any of those languages included into the German vocabulary.
Grammar Difficulty
German grammar is difficult to learn for English native speakers. First of all, German has three different definite articles (male, female, neutral). Adjectives are changed due to gender and number of things they define and due to the case in which the noun stands. German knows a total of four cases, each of which comes with different endings. Word order and sentence structure can differ greatly from English sentences.
Pronunciation Difficulty
German can be tricky to pronounce for English native speakers as the German language has certain sounds which simply don't exist in English. Other than that, German isn't that difficult. Most combinations of letters only have one way, or two ways at most, to be pronounced so once you get the hang of pronunciation, you will be able to pronounce even unknown words.
Special Facts
German spelling and punctuation have been changed twice in the past decades. The last changes came into effect in 2006 and were a try to fix the mess they had made with the first changes. Even now, five years later, many Germans are confused by the old and new rules. Some things have been made more logic while others just lost all logic there might have been. Some newspapers even went back to use the old spelling and punctuation altogether.
Monday 4 April 2011
You Never Know...
Just a week into my trip to the States, I was able to use some of my language skills I thought I would never use in person: Chinese (Mandarin)! We met this nice Chinese couple in the streets and I was actually able to communicate with them although their English skills were even worse than my Chinese language skills. The best thing: They understood me! Now you might ask why that is such a great success for me...ok, let me explain: Chinese pronunciation is - well, difficult, to say the least. Each and every syllable has four or five ways to be pronounced, and every different pronunciation has a different meaning. So, when I talked to them and they weren't offended but responded in the proper way, I knew I had got the pronunciation right and actually had said what I had wanted to say.
I was really disappointed, though, that I wasn't able to talk to them about more than just the basics. I definitely have to get my Chinese skills polished and extended. All I was able to say is "How are you?" and "I am from Germany" ... not really the greatest of al conversations, huh? This incident has shown me once more the importance of language skills. I mean, they both only knew rudimentary English and my Chinese was hardly any better so I wasn't able to talk to two fascinating and nice persons although I wanted to.
My conclusion: You never know when you might need language skills so if you're interested in learning a different language, don't let anything deter you from it. Make time for it, even if it is only five minutes a day. Learn a new phrase or word every day and stick to it. Take your list of new words or phrases with you if you have to take the bus or train, or if you need to wait somewhere. Make sticky notes with the foreign names of furniture and other stuff and stick the notes to it. Talk to yourself in the foreign language. Yes, just do it! Yes, even if other people think you've lost your mind, just do it! Because, you never know...
I was really disappointed, though, that I wasn't able to talk to them about more than just the basics. I definitely have to get my Chinese skills polished and extended. All I was able to say is "How are you?" and "I am from Germany" ... not really the greatest of al conversations, huh? This incident has shown me once more the importance of language skills. I mean, they both only knew rudimentary English and my Chinese was hardly any better so I wasn't able to talk to two fascinating and nice persons although I wanted to.
My conclusion: You never know when you might need language skills so if you're interested in learning a different language, don't let anything deter you from it. Make time for it, even if it is only five minutes a day. Learn a new phrase or word every day and stick to it. Take your list of new words or phrases with you if you have to take the bus or train, or if you need to wait somewhere. Make sticky notes with the foreign names of furniture and other stuff and stick the notes to it. Talk to yourself in the foreign language. Yes, just do it! Yes, even if other people think you've lost your mind, just do it! Because, you never know...
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