Help Needed in the Name of Science!

Since my recent studies are related to language learning, I guess it's a good idea to ask for help among my readers.

What do I do?

I am researching the link between certain character traits and language learning abilities. More correctly, I have strong assumptions as to the relationship but need proof of it in order to validate my opinion. Therefore, I have created a survey and now need people willing to participate in it.

What do I need you to do?

I will send out the survey as .xls file to everyone willing to participate. All I need you to do is to answer the questions honestly and send the file back to me. I promise that I will only use your information for my study, and will save all files anonymously.

Do you need experiences in learning a second language?

No! Although if you do, there are some additional questions I would ask you to answer...

What's in for you?

Good that you ask! I will send out a free ebook copy of my children's book "Miro's Big Moment" to everyone who participates!

How can you participate?

Just send me an email to saoirse.omara@gmx.net

Thanks to everyone who participates, or shares this post, or tells friends about it!!!

Word of the Week ... VII

Today's Word of the Week is

"alas"

I have remembered it some days ago and looked its exact meaning up. Did you know? It goes back as far as the 13th century and changed its meaning at some point. When it came to life (from Latin: lassus=weary), it was an expression of weariness.

Meaning: Nowadays, "alas" is an expression of woe or grief.

Example: Alas, I don't have the money to go on vacation.

Can you come up with your own examples?

Arabic - Language Overview

Today's language overview is written by my friend Farah Evers. She works as freelance writer and graphic designer and has some awesome design work up on her homepage! Thanks a lot, Farah!!!

Arabic

Allow me to note, before I begin, that I am neither an expert in linguistics, nor am I a historian. I am, however, Lebanese. Arabic is my native language, but my dominant background education was mainly in English. I also studied French, German and Dutch, and I am currently living in the Netherlands. Being exposed to so many languages clarifies a lot of the cultural vagueness most monolingual people face. Language is not just a means for communication. It has a profound effect on how people think and even more profound effects on cultural evolution.

If you think German or Dutch grammar is difficult, wait till you sink your teeth into some Arabic. The Arabic language has its own unique rules, where (in some cases) the alphabet on its own is not enough to interpret the context. The complexity of the language is not only in its pronunciation but also in its conjugation.

Written Arabic:

The original ‘Koranic’ Arabic is what we in the Middle East refer to as “Formal” Arabic. It is mostly used in written form (newspapers, books etc.) and almost never used in speech. Although it never passes as colloquial, written Arabic remains a dominant form of communicating written ideas among Arabs, due to the wide variety of dialects and drastic changes that have evolved around the Arab world over the years. It ensures a certain measure of understanding and a unified interpretation among Arabs from different parts of the world. If you're from Lebanon and you pick up a Saudi newspaper, you would understand every word you read. On the other hand, if you’re a Lebanese who just met a Saudi, you might find yourself scratching your head on more than one occasion. Not to say that it’s a difference between night and day, but yes, even Arabs among Arabs sometimes find dialects hard to decipher and in many cases, extremely comical.

Spoken Arabic:

Here’s where it gets crazy. There are some similarities in pronunciation and dialect among adjacent countries, like Syria, Jordan and Lebanon, or the various parts of the United Arab Emirates, but the dialect varies widely from one part of the world to the other. Countries like Tunisia and Morocco almost have their own vocabulary. Now don’t ask me which country has the closest dialect to formal Arabic, because I don’t have a good answer to that… maybe Sudan?

The Arabic language does not recognize the G sound, which you might hear in words like: go, grape, gospel and so on. It does, however, have the J sounds, pronounced in a soft manner like “beige” or think “genre”. Nonetheless, countries like Egypt never use the soft J sound, instead they pronounce the same words with a ‘Gah’ sound. It is believed that they were historically influenced by the British and German mandates. In some tribal Arabic, the “AH” or “A” sound (think “apple” “ate”) is also replaced with the “Gah” or hard G sound.

Despite all the variations, Arabs around the world have a tendency to understand each other to a certain extent, and we have formal Arabic basics to thank for that.

The Koran and Ancient Arabic

Arabic evolved from an even more complicated and ancient form called Proto-Sematic. There existed some poetry and literature from earlier days, which used odd jargon and hysterical adjectives that would make any Arabic native crack up;(I came across those while taking an Arabic Literature class back in university) of course, those words are extinct nowadays.

Some verses in the Koran use complex wording and are not easily identifiable without proper translation. Those words are not tackled on a day to day basis, but funnily enough, many illiterate Muslims are able to recite the Koran word for word, due to its rhythmical and poetic arrangement.

Fun Facts and Cool Links

Ø The Arabic alphabet has 28 basic letters.

Ø Arabic goes from right to left.

Ø There is no IT in Arabic; it’s either a HE or a SHE, no matter what you’re talking about.

Ø Each letter can be pronounced in 3-4 different ways, depending on the conjugative UMLAUT or its Arabic equivalent.

Ø The countries that use Arabic as their official language are Algeria, Lebanon, Egypt, Syria, Iraq, Western Sahara, Libya, Djibouti, Somalia, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Chad, Qatar, Oman, Yemen, Bahrain, Kuwait, Palestine, Sudan, Comoros, Jordan, Mauritania, Morocco, Tunisia, and Eritrea. (Hope I didn’t miss any.)

Ø There are about 255 million Arabic speakers around the world.

Ø There are two forms of G like letters: ġ - It’s like the French R. The other one is a soft J. (See example above.)

Ø There’s an odd sound of a Q, which comes from deep within the throat. The same applies to the D sound, where another version is spelled out by placing your tongue along the upper part of your mouth. For more about pronunciation, here are some fun youtube videos I found:

http://www.youtube.com/user/arabic4beginners

http://www.youtube.com/user/LearnArabicMe

First Language - Second Language = Native Language - Foreign Language?

Ok, here I am again, back in Germany. I tell you this: My brain still "lives" in English. I am back in my native country, surrounded by my native language, and yet, it feels weird. On the plane back, I only talked English to the staff and the other passangers because it felt more natural. I told my brain, "You better get used to German again once we've landed."

Well, I am able to talk in German, and I have been writing and chatting in German regularly with friends and family while I was in the States, but man, it's an act of concentration to not slip into English in an oral conversation!

Actually, when I was on the phone with my sister yesterday, I read a comment on Facebook (in English) and continued talking to her in English as a result...until I noticed it some sentences later!

My first language at the moment is clearly English. I have no problem with it (maybe some people around me might because they don't understand me if I speak English, but again, I don't). I love the English language and have, in fact, always liked it more than my native language, from the moment I first came into contact with it back in elementary school. Indeed, I feel as if I'm visiting a foreign country right now. Strangely out of place...not belonging here. It's more than just my first language that has changed, I have changed.

I would love to hear from other people who have spent some time in a foreign country if they have had the same problems concerning their spoken language once they came back. I don't remember having problems with it when I returned from Spain after a four week internship there, but then, it's quite some years ago and maybe I have just forgotten about it.

So, what's your experience with it?

My Two Cents ... XVIII

Ok, this week, I have another idiom for you:
"to make one's toes curl"

What does it mean?

Apparently, this idiom has different meanings in different countries. In Britain and Australia, it means to make someone feel embarrassed or ashamed for someone else, while its meaning in America is to frighten or shock somebody.

Where does it come from?

The origin of this idiom isn't really clear. The only source I could find states that the first time "toe-curling" was used in the sense of embarrassment has been in 1962 in a Jamaican newspaper. The source suggests an American origin.

My two cents:

I strongly believe this idiom has either two different sources (one in Britain and one in America) or it originated only in Britain and has been adopted into American English with a shift in meaning.

Dutch - Language Overview

Dutch is very closely related to German, both in vocabulary and grammar. One of the northern German dialects is even closer to Dutch than to German. I started learning Dutch just for the fun of it and soon found out that I indeed have found another language I really like, and one which is pretty easy to learn for me due to the fact that I'm German native speaker and speak English (another related language) fluenty too.

Dutch

Geographical Extension

Dutch is spoken as official language in the Netherlands, part of Belgium and Suriname. These three countries form the Dutch Language Union. Apart from that, it has official status in the Carribean nations Aruba, Curaçao and Sint-Maarten.

Spoken by

Dutch is spoken by approximately 23 million native speakers in the EU. I didn't find figures for the other countries, sorry.

Language Family and History

Dutch belongs to the Western Germanic languages and is thus closely related to both German and English. It emerged from its preceeding languages Low Saxon, Frisian and English at around 450 AD. The Dutch language development is divided in three epochs: Old Dutch (450-1150), Middle Dutch (1150-1500) and Modern Dutch (1500-present).

The first process of standardisation began after 1477 and was mostly influenced by the dialects of Flanders and Brabant. At the beginning of the 16th century, the urban dialect of Antwerp became the strongest influence. When the Spanish army invaded Antwerp in 1585, many of its inhabitants fled to the Netherlands, especially to Holland (a northern province). The greatest step of standardisation, however, did take place in 1637 when the first Dutch translation of the Bible was created. It was mostly influenced by the Holland dialect but used elements of other dialects as well. The goal was to create a translation everyone from all the Dutch provinces could understand.

Grammar Difficulty

For German natives, the Dutch grammar is very easy to grasp as it is closely related to German grammar. For English natives, however, it will be more difficult as the English language has a completely different syntax, only one definite article (compared to two definite articles in the Dutch language) and doesn't inflect adjectives and adverbs. The Dutch grammar is only slightly easier to learn than the German one.

Pronunciation Difficulty

The Dutch language presents quite some pronunciation difficulties for English native speakers. It contains some sounds which are non-existent in English and can have consonant clusters of up to six or seven different consonant sounds in a row. German native speakers usually have it easier as the Dutch sounds exist in the same or at least a very similar version in the German language.

Special Facts

The language spoken in South Africa, Africaans, is a daughter language of Dutch. It has been brought there by Dutch invadors and has developed into a different yet still very closely related language; Dutch and South African people can usually understand each other if they speak very slowly and clearly, similar to Spanish and Portuguese people.

Language of Love

Today, I want to talk about a universal language everyone understands, no matter which native language he speaks: the language of love!

It is no language of words but rather a language of facial expressions, gestures, and sounds. Sometimes, it is as little as a look or a smile, and often, it is a hug or a kiss, or even more. The language of love is something special as it is understood all over the world. People of all nations and races "speak" it.

But, what makes it so special? Why is it universal?

One explanation is that we need the language of love to secure the survival of our race. Without it, we wouldn't be able to breed, and we wouldn't be able to get the emotional closeness and warmth we need to grow up and live. The human race is a race made for social interactions. We can't survive without others, without emotional warmth. There has been an experiment quite some time back (in the 19th century if I recall it correctly) where two groups of infants were raised; one group was only fed and changed while the nurses talked to and touched the other infants. All infants from the first group, who grew up without any social interaction, died within months of their birth.

So, in order to get the social interaction and warmth we need to survive, we have to communicate our needs.

Another explanation is that we sometimes simply lack the words to express our feelings. How can you better say you're sorry and you're there for another person than with a hug? How can you tell someone in a better way how much you feel for him than with a loving kiss? The language of love gives us an easy way to express our feelings for someone we love. It is more accurate than mere words and can say so much more in so much less time. It can even build a brigde between people who otherwise wouldn't be able to understand each other because they speak different languages.

However, the language of love isn't something we're born with; we have to learn it. From our first moment on earth, we soak it up from the people around us, just like our native language. We learn how to express our feelings through interactions with the people around us and through watching them. Treat children with love and respect in order to help them learn this precious language we all need to know!

Word of the Week ... VI

This week's Word of the Week is

"preposterous"

Yes, I know, it's another one of those long, funny sounding words - that's why I chose it. Its roots reach back into the 16th century.

Meaning: ridiculous, absurd, silly, unbelievable

Example: The new law of driving with vampire fangs is just preposterous!

Ok, now your weekly task: Can you come up with your own examples?

Italian - Language Overview

I started learning Italian back when I was in 9th grade. It was the first language I started on my own, with a language course for self-studies, instead of at school. Later, in vocational school, I joined an Italian class for one and a half year but soon noticed that I was already ahead of the class. Still, it gave me an opportunity to study and use Italian once a week at least (as I was very busy with all my other school stuff too at home).

Italian

Geographical Extension

Italian is spoken in Italy, Switzerland (as one of four official languages), San Marino and the Vatican City as well as by minorities in Malta, Croatia and Slovenia as official language.

Spoken by

Italian is spoken by about 62 million native speakers.

Language Family and History

Italian belongs to the Romance languages. Among all Romance languages, Italian is the closest to Latin in terms of grammar, vocabulary and even the distinction of short and long vowels.

The first records of what might be called "modern Italian" date from 960-963 and are legal papers from the region Benevento. The actual development of today's Italian came through writing. It was a poet from the Florentine region, Dante Alighieri, who standardized the many different Italian languages through his epic poems known as the Commedia in the early 14th century. Thus, his dialect became the basis of Italy's official language.

Even though Italy was ruled by foreign powers in the past, their languages didn't leave many traces in the Italian language. The various dialects of the many Italian cities, though, differed (and still differ) greatly. However, with Dante's poems in the 14th century and Florence gaining political and cultural relevance over the next centuries, a refined version of the Florentine dialect became a standard throughout Italy.

Finally, after a heated debate between different factions, the idea of an Italian language based on the great literary classics became prevalent and led to the publication of the first Italian dictionary (1612). Already 30 years before that, however, the Accademia della Crusca in Florence was founded as official legislative body of the Italian language.

At last, it was the influence of two other Romance languages which brought a more regular grammar (through Spanish invaders in the 16th century) and a unification of Italy as one country with one Italian language as a result of Napoleon's invasion (early 19th century).

Grammar Difficulty

Italian grammar is similar to Spanish and French grammar as those languages are closely related. It is more complex than the English grammar. Italian 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). Like the Spanish language, the Italian 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

My greatest issue with Italian pronunciation is the rolling "r". I simply can't get it right. For me as a German native, the other sounds aren't really difficult; it's only this one which doesn't exist in German. The spelling vs. pronunciation is quite easy to learn. Unlike English, the Italian language usually spells their words in accordance with their pronunciation, meaning that you can derive the pronunciation directly from the spelling.

Special Facts

What we know as Italian nowadays is a mixture of various Italian dialects from different cities. Although the Florentine dialect became the base for modern Italian, many words come from different cities. Civil servants and soldiers from all parts of Italy enriched the standardised Italian language with words and idioms from their homes and helped forge the language we know as Italian. At the time the various city-states unified to one nation in 1861, only about 2.5 % of Italians speak the "standard" Italian language.

The Concept of Different Languages

I know, that's an odd title. Let me explain: The concept of different languages for different regions and people isn't new to us; we experience it every day in our own world. Some think it's cool, others are simply annoyed because it makes communication more difficult. However, there has to be something logical and "right" about it as it is used in many created worlds as well.

The example of RPGs comes to my mind because I played "Pathfinder" yesterday. Guess what, I played a librarian with high ranks in the linguistic skill. My character spoke 10 different languages! Literally every group of beings intelligent enough to speak at all had their own language, like Dwarven, Elven, Draconic, ...

But, it's not only RPGs. Only think about Tolkien and his elven language. He created a whole language, with comprehensive vocabulary and grammar, for his books! Many other fantasy books and films at least embrace the concept of various languages, without actually introducing a language of their own.

My conclusion: The concept of various languages seems to fascinate a whole bunch of people. It just makes sense that people who live apart from each other, have different cultures and are of a different race should have different languages as well. And ususally, in those games and stories, it's the one who wants something from the other people (passing through their territory, trade, information, you name it) who has to learn the other language. People in those games and stories do not expect to be greeted in their native language when they travel elsewhere. So how comes that in real life, there are so many people who travel without the slightest knowledge in the other language(s)? Who expect people around the world to speak their native language? I say, read and watch more fantasy, and then, when you have finally grasped the concept of different languages, get your butt up and learn at least some phrases and words before travelling elsewhere or asking foreign people for something...

Word of the Week ... V

This week's Word of the Week is

"angst"

Did you know that this word is actually a German word? I never really understood why it found its way into the English language, especially since you already have a word for it: fear. However, the meaning seems to be slightly different; angst seems to refer mostly to existantial fears. It has been introduced into the English language in 1849, by British writer George Eliot. It was treated like a foreign word until the 1940s when it apparently became an English word in its own right.

Meaning: fear (especially existantial fear)

Example: She was angst-ridden that she might lose her home.

Can you come up with your own examples?

Learning Languages - Pronunciation

Ok, today, we'll have a breake from the language overviews (don't worry, the Italian language overview will come up next week). The reason for this break is simple: My train trip was longer than planned and I don't have enough time left to write up a good overview. So, please bear with me and enjoy my observations about the role of pronunciation for learning a foreign language.

When I was on the train, I was asked by several people to teach them some simple sentences in German. It turned out that some of the simplest sentences, such as "I love you", aren't simple at all when it comes to German pronunciation (for English natives).

Who would have thought that the German language has so many stumbling blocks for English natives who try to learn it? I was really surprised to see how difficult some of our sounds are for many English native speakers. The "ch", for example, which we use quite often (and, honestly, in two slightly different pronunciations), seems to be one of the reasons why English natives give up on German. Of course, for me, that sound is no problem at all, but I kind of get it...when I try to pronounce the Spanish or Italian "r" sound, the rolling "r", I'm the one having trouble. I've more or less given up on trying to get that sound right and conceded the fact that I will never pass as a native speaker just because I can't produce the rolling "r".

On the other hand, I've been trying to learn Irish for quite some time. You have to know, although I learn best just with a course book and a grammar book, I need to know the pronunciation because I pronounce the words I read in my head. So, when I started learning Irish, I got to the pronunciation guide...and was left standing in the cold! I had never found a language so difficult to pronounce in my whole life! I admit, I still haven't got any farther in learning Irish. I still need to figure out their pronunciation before I can actually start learning the words and grammar...

That said, if you are like me (or are one of the people who learn a language best by speaking), don't give up completely if you have trouble getting the pronunciation right. Get some audio CDs which go with your course book to get a feeling for the pronunciation (that's what I want to do for Irish - just couldn't afford the CDs when I decided to buy them, and kind of forgot about them when I had the money...), or find someone who already speaks the language you want to learn.

Why Language?

Just a random thought in my mind: Why does language exist? And do we really need all those words?

Language is a phenomenon in itself. It is a means of communication, and yet, it can be so much more. It can carry hopes and dreams, friendship, hatred, pride and anger. However, the question still is: Do we need all our words for that?

Look at the animals. They can communicate without words, and when you have a close look at a mother and her child (apes, wolves, you name it), you know that they can convey their love, friendship, anger and pride too. So, what is it that sets us humans aside, that makes us need words?

Our lives have got more and more complicated. If we only needed to worry about hunting and gathering food and protection from weather and wild animals back in the Stone Age, nowadays, we have to worry about what to wear, how we look, our work, our hobbies, our neighbours, our financial situation, our holidays, ... The list goes on and on. As our lives and our needs have got more complicated, so did our language. Every year, many new words are entered into dictionaries. They describe gadgets and situations that weren't there a year ago. Other words lose their original meaning and take on a new one. Language evolves, just as the human race does.

The answer is: We need our words because we ourselves made our lives so complicated that a simple language like the ones of animals isn't enough. We have so many things to talk about that it wouldn't be possible otherwise. Language is an invention of mankind because mankind made language necessary.

Just some thoughts on a Monday...what's your opinion?