Up to 1.8 billion people in the world speak English. But how did a language that was only spoken by people living in the British Isles 500 years ago become so widespread? Let’s find out why English is the universal language. The British Empire The growth of English is all to do with politics. After...
Un idiotisme Selon l’Oxford English Dictionary, un idiotisme est: “Un groupe de mots mis en place par l’usage comme ayant un sens non déductible de ceux des mots individuels.” La principale différence entre quelqu’un qui parle couramment et quelqu’un qui apprend une langue est évidente: la personne qui parle couramment sait comment utiliser les expressions...
It is common knowledge that having more than one language under your belt is great for career development. But what are the actual business benefits of speaking a second language? And how exactly does it help with career development? Well, let’s find out. Work overseas If you long to travel while working and spend...
Hola ! L’espagnol est une langue répandue. Elle est la langue officielle de l’Argentine, de la Bolivie, du Chili, de la Colombie, du Costa Rica, de Cuba, de la République Dominicaine, de l’Équateur, de la Guinée équatoriale, de El Salvador, du Guatemala, du Honduras, du Mexique, du Nicaragua, du Panama, du Paraguay, du Pérou, de Puerto...
Want to know the secret to making your attempt at learning a new language more successful? Want to find out what will keep you motivated and learn much faster? Well, that secret is…confidence. “Confidence comes from not always being right, but from not fearing to be wrong.” -Peter T. Mcintyre Yes, that secret might not...
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, an idiom is: “A group of words established by usage as having a meaning not deducible from those of the individual words.” The main difference between a fluent speaker and someone who is learning a language is obvious: the fluent speaker knows how to use idioms. Every language has a...
Don’t let these mistakes get in the way when you learn a new language, learn to avoid or overcome them and you are guaranteed to succeed! Here are the biggest mistakes to avoid when learning a language. Fear of making a mistake You might enjoy writing and reading in a different language, but when it...
We may never know for sure the origin of human language, but it’s still worth a try to look at what we know so far about our primary form of communication. We ain’t nothin but mammals All animals communicate with each other, and humans are no exception. We are the only animals to have developed...
There are few places on this Earth as beautiful as Cape Town is. Amazing weather, amazing beaches, and an exquisite mountain hugging the ocean, what more could you want? And there’s more – while most countries have only one or perhaps two languages, Cape Town is home to a number of different languages, and...
On Wednesday evening, I sat with a German textbook open on my lap desperately trying to memorise all the rules of der, die and das. Sometimes it’s difficult to find patterns or meaning in a new language. But to persevere and struggle on when you learn a new language is oh so worth it at...
