It’s long been observed that children are often blessed with a propensity to learn new languages easily. When children are raised in bilingual households, they often master both languages spoken at home. If you’re an adult who’s attempted to learn...
The most coveted and difficult-to-attain result of studying a foreign language is native or near-native fluency. A recent joint study out of the Georgetown University Medical Center and the University of Illinois at Chicago suggests that certain approaches may help...
If we trace the history of any word diligently enough, we are sure to experience the uncanny sensation of how truly interconnected world languages of the past and present are. Perhaps no word better evokes that idea than the word...
What do iPhones, cigarettes, and the floppy disk icon we click on to save a file have in common? All of them contain examples of skeuomorphism – design elements that are not functional or necessary, but that mimic older designs....
Joining a small cadre of U.S. universities that offer graduate degrees in Translation and Interpretation, the Department of Communication at the University of Maryland (College Park) has launched its Graduate Studies in Interpreting and Translation Program (GSIT). The program is...
What do popular English colloquialisms like “long time no see”, “lose face”, and “no can do” have in common? Far from neologisms, these simple, staccato utterances all originated centuries ago as a means of facilitating trade between the English and...
Songs can elicit a range of emotions, and deliver a meaningful message in their lyrics. In whistled languages, the sound may be pretty, but the message is all business. Instead of speaking words phonetically, they are, of course, whistled. Their...
October 18-20 in St. Paul, Minnesota will mark the fourth-annual Conference on Language Immersion Education. An offshoot of the Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition (CARLA) at the University of Minnesota, this conference brings together academics, professionals, students, and...
Knowing foreign languages can help people get their dream jobs, make important business deals, or even meet the loves of their lives. For much of European history, being proficient in other tongues was a no-brainer for the educated classes. It...
A newly-instated elective course for high school students in the Gaza Strip may have an unpredictable effect on Israeli-Hamas relations. Beginning this fall, Hebrew will be added as an elective for ninth-graders in a handful of Gaza schools. If deemed...
The famous case of French journalist and editor Jean-Dominique Bauby, who was paralyzed after a stroke and left unable to speak, brought to public attention the condition known as locked-in syndrome. Though unable to speak or write, Bauby dictated his...
During this election season, American presidential hopefuls will raise and spend some 6 billion dollars, according to experts. No less important, the presidential campaigns of Barack Obama and Mitt Romney will spend countless words to woo the electorate, relying on...
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