April 2010

Thumbnail image for Site Makes US Foreign Service Language Courses Available Free Online

Site Makes US Foreign Service Language Courses Available Free Online

by Charlie Jolly April 30, 2010 Learning Languages

Interesting in studying a new language on your own time? All of the study material used by the US Foreign Service is available for free, online, on the fsi-language-courses.org web site.

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Thumbnail image for Amidst Hand-wringing, the French Language Thrives In Surprising Places

Amidst Hand-wringing, the French Language Thrives In Surprising Places

by Charlie Jolly April 28, 2010 In Danger of Extinction

French conservative Éric Zemmour argued in his best-selling book French Melancholy that the French language is on the decline.

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Thumbnail image for New Compilation Features Motown Hits In Many Languages

New Compilation Features Motown Hits In Many Languages

by Charlie Jolly April 20, 2010 Entertainment

These days, it’s taken for granted that American music will be produced in English and marketed throughout the world in the same language. However, that wasn’t always the case, as a new Motown compilation illustrates.

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Thumbnail image for Translating MTV’s Jersey Shore

Translating MTV’s Jersey Shore

by Richard Brooks April 19, 2010 Entertainment

MTV’s reality show “Jersey Shore” has joined the list of American cultural exports of questionable taste. The show, which follows the exploits of a group of over-tanned, over-muscled and under-dressed young Italian-American twenty-somethings, began showing in 30 other countries last month.

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An Island’s Endangered Language

by Charlie Jolly April 19, 2010 In Danger of Extinction

Off the coast of Yemen, the island archipelago of Socotra is changing. One of the most noticeable changes is in the languages that the inhabitants speak, as more outsiders have moved to the island in recent years.

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Thumbnail image for Learning Languages Cheaply

Learning Languages Cheaply

by Richard Brooks April 14, 2010 Learning Languages

Recently, the New York Times’ Frugal Traveler blog addressed the issue of learning a foreign language, looking for the most effective ways to gain foreign language skills without breaking the bank.

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Thumbnail image for Can Syria Save Aramaic?

Can Syria Save Aramaic?

by Richard Brooks April 9, 2010 In Danger of Extinction

Aramaic, famous for being the language spoken by Jesus himself, had a brief moment in the sun in 2004, when Mel Gibson released the Passion of the Christ. However, outside of Mel Gibson movies, the language is declining.

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Thumbnail image for Different Grammatical Structures Use Different Parts of the Brain

Different Grammatical Structures Use Different Parts of the Brain

by Charlie Jolly April 8, 2010 Learning Languages

If trying to learn a language with a different grammatical structure than the one you were born speaking makes your head feel like it’s going to explode at first, there may be a very good reason…

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More Irish, Please? Report Alleges Irish Government Is Not Doing Enough for Irish Speakers

by Charlie Jolly April 1, 2010 Languages

Is the Irish government doing enough for its Irish-speaking citizens? Not quite, according to a report just released by the office of An Coimisinéir Teanga Seán Ó Cuirreáin. The report shows  that complaints against government entities for violating the Official Languages Act by  providing inadequate Irish language services were up 15 percent in 2009. According [...]

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