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The hardest language to learn

October 12, 2012 By
the hardest language to learn

What is the hardest language to learn? What’s the hardest language to learn? That’s tough to say. The hardest language to learn depends on the learner. But several entities, including the U.S. State Department, have some insight. But the analysis applies to native English speakers only. Figuring out what the hardest language to learn is [...]

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Language Learning: NLSC Fall 2011 newsletter

May 29, 2012 By

The following feature article appeared in the Fall 2011 newsletter of the National Language Service Corps in answer to the prompt “What specific language-learning activities were particularly effective for you? What recommendations do you have for others who want to learn another language?” Learning a language is an ongoing process that requires regular exposure: vocabulary [...]

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Linguist Daniel Everett says language is not innate

March 17, 2012 By

Book review in the Economist: Linguist Daniel Everett maintains that there is no “language organ,” that our language derives from culture rather than innate capacity.

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Language enrollment at the University of Oklahoma

March 15, 2012 By

This article discusses the size of OU’s Department of Modern Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics (the largest department on campus), student enrollment by language, and the “American Empire” that allows many American students to ignore language studies.

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Hit by the financial crisis, southern Europeans are learning German

March 8, 2012 By

Citizens from Spain, Greece, and Portugal are rushing to learn German in the hopes of finding employment to the north.

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Translating the entire Internet…for free

March 7, 2012 By

Luis von Ahn of Carnegie Mellon University is leading a project called Duolingo, an incredibly innovative approach designed to capitalize on the time that people spend typing in Captcha strings on the Internet. While questions remain about implementation, the idea deserves attention:

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Learning Chinese in Kansas

March 4, 2012 By

Grade school students in a Kansas town are learning Chinese through play.

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NIH grant for studying language learning in fragile X

February 29, 2012 By

A $3.5 million grant from the NIH will fund a language development study in people with fragile X syndrome, the leading genetic cause of intellectual disability. http://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/article/27203

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