A while ago, we covered one variety of Low German spoken in East Friesland in northwestern Germany, that is, Oostfreesk Platt, or East Frisian Low German. Amongst the resources dedicated to learn this variety of the language, we briefly mentioned the application called PlattinO. Developed by Timm Sodtalbers, and artwork done by Nicolaus Hippen, PlattinO … Continue reading Learning East Frisian Low German with PlattinO
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A book that lets you learn… 4 languages at once?
Learning a language is by no means an easy thing to do. Quite often, you will experience words, sounds, grammars, and nuances that are different from what you are normally used to in your native languages. And so, there is a split opinion on whether or not it is advisable to learn multiple languages at … Continue reading A book that lets you learn… 4 languages at once?
Deciphering fictional languages, the game!
Disclaimer -- This essay might contain spoilers for a singleplayer language puzzle game. The Rosetta Stone is without doubt, one of the most iconic historical artifacts, due to its role in aiding decipherment of the Ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs, as well as the Demotic script. This provided us great insight in how the Ancient Egyptian language … Continue reading Deciphering fictional languages, the game!
I tried Lingopie, and this is how it went
The idea of consuming various kinds of media to learn languages is not new. After all, classroom lessons are generally insufficient in teaching us about how a language is used in the real world, particularly in more colloquial speech. While they do provide a physical platform to practice, and understand grammatical patterns and usage, in … Continue reading I tried Lingopie, and this is how it went
A platform to learn the indigenous languages of Alaska
Picture a typical language learning application. Things like Duolingo, Babbel, and Memrise would come to mind. These would prominently feature the languages with the most number of learners, major languages like English, Spanish, German, and French. But dig below the surface, and you would find some indigenous languages covered in there as well. On Duolingo … Continue reading A platform to learn the indigenous languages of Alaska
A new Duolingo review
Previously, I have asked you readers if it is time for an updated Duolingo review, and you have responded resoundingly in favour of one. So, after some months of getting back on the Duolingo grind, I am back here, in 2024, to do an updated review of this language learning application giant. Firstly, I want … Continue reading A new Duolingo review
It’s time for a new review (Clozemaster)
It is 2024, and some of you might still have "learning a new language" as a resolution for this year. You might have poured through the conventional mobile applications dedicated to serve this purpose. Duolingo, Memrise, perhaps you might have taken up Babbel through some of their sponsored marketing through some YouTube channels. Today, I … Continue reading It’s time for a new review (Clozemaster)
Classical (or Literary) Chinese is … weird
Even as a native Mandarin Chinese speaker, I find some aspects of Chinese literature particularly difficult to understand or interpret. And no, I do not mean the 4 Great Classical Novels or the ε倧εθ which are Water Margin or ζ°΄ζ»Έε³, Romance of the Three Kingdoms or δΈεζΌηΎ©, Journey to the West or θ₯ΏζΈΈθ¨, and Dream … Continue reading Classical (or Literary) Chinese is … weird
Is it time for a fresh new Duolingo review?
Back in 2020, I posted a review of what is probably the most well-known language learning applications, that of Duolingo. While I mentioned some advantages of Duolingo to grasp the fundamentals of a learner's target language, I did criticise it for its potentially weaker efficacy in the higher levels of a given target language. Well, … Continue reading Is it time for a fresh new Duolingo review?
Language and Ecology — Island Biogeography of Languages
As someone who has a background in ecology and many things biology, there are often many times I have tried to observe parallels between biodiversity and linguistic diversity. In fact, I have written a couple of posts before about these topics, breaking down published academic or scientific papers that explore these concepts. We see that … Continue reading Language and Ecology — Island Biogeography of Languages
ππ» Method ππ» Review β Drops
Some months ago, I tried my hand at learning the Maori language, made more accessible through the release of learning applications developed in New Zealand, as well as the addition of Maori to several language learning applications we discussed, particularly Memrise. However, other than Memrise, there is another application which I am rather fond of, … Continue reading ππ» Method ππ» Review β Drops
The biggest mistake I make when learning languages
When thinking about languages to learn, I often ponder about what I wanted to achieve from the journey, and what I wanted to use the language for. Languages are designed to communicate -- verbally or in print and writing, relying on the utterances or graphemes transmitted by the sender or speaker, to be decoded by … Continue reading The biggest mistake I make when learning languages
I did a speedrun on Duolingo. Here’s what I learnt
There probably is a saying that goes, for every game that exists, there is a speedrunning community for it. Apparently, this extends to some language learning methods as well, particularly those which provide a gamified experience to users. With its own category on Twitch, I knew what I had to do on there for once … Continue reading I did a speedrun on Duolingo. Here’s what I learnt
ππ» Method ππ» Review β The Language Learning Challenges
If you have used social media as part of your language learning processes, or you are in language learning interest groups, you might have encountered various challenges that try to push you to speak or write in your target language. This includes the Lingua Franca Challenge, the 30-Day Record Yourself Challenge, and the 30 Day … Continue reading ππ» Method ππ» Review β The Language Learning Challenges
ππ» Method ππ» Review — HiNative
So, you have started learning a language, setting out the goals of being able to converse with native speakers across some topics, or write short essays in that target language. You have your textbooks ready, perhaps coupled with flashcards and beginner texts, all set to start off on the rather subjective "right path". Textbook audio … Continue reading ππ» Method ππ» Review — HiNative
ππ»Method ππ» Review β Teach Yourself Enjoy Language Series
Teach Yourself has a diverse set of language courses for various learners of various proficiencies, from the Get Started series for absolute beginners to the Enjoy series for learners who want to perfect their various skills in their target language. Last year, we covered the main series of Teach Yourself language coursebooks, the Complete series, … Continue reading ππ»Method ππ» Review β Teach Yourself Enjoy Language Series
ππ»Method ππ» Review β Routledge’s Colloquial Series
Like Teach Yourself, Routledge is also another powerhouse of language coursebooks, primarily through the Colloquial Series of Multimedia Language Courses, containing courses for at least 40-50 languages. Audio is available through CDs, or through external downloads. Alongside these courses, Routledge also has several Grammar series, and courses focused on the grammar side of things compared … Continue reading ππ»Method ππ» Review β Routledge’s Colloquial Series
What I Got Wrong — Revisiting Latin
In this post, I want to try something different. About five years ago, I posted a reflection post about my learning experiences in Latin, on Facebook, read only by my friends. As The Language Closet developed and became the main repository of my personal reflections, I want to revisit this post, and to dissect what … Continue reading What I Got Wrong — Revisiting Latin
ππ» Method ππ» Review — Teach Yourself Complete Series
In this review, we will take a look at the various publications in the language learning industry, particularly the self-instruction book giant Teach Yourself. From languages to quantum mechanics, Teach Yourself has an extremely wide spread of subjects, but this being a language learning site, we will be reviewing the Complete, Get Talking, Get Started, … Continue reading ππ» Method ππ» Review — Teach Yourself Complete Series
ππ» Method ππ» Review — Duolingo
"No, you are an apple" "I am a horse" Most people who use Duolingo in their language learning journeys probably have encountered sentences like this, and wondered, how does this even make sense, or how does this even help me? Duolingo is one of the most widely-used applications that aid in learning foreign languages, released … Continue reading ππ» Method ππ» Review — Duolingo
Controlled Languages — Newspeak
George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four is a remarkable novel in many ways, from setting the scene of perpetual war, illustrations of a totalitarian state with extensive government over-reach and surveillance, to the extreme restrictions on freedom of thought. Many real-world parallels have been drawn from this novel, and its relevance persists to this day. Personally, this … Continue reading Controlled Languages — Newspeak
The Language Closet 