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Arabic is a fascinating language. It’s the language that gave humanity the word “zero”, the 1001 Nights (also known as Arabian Nights) and the Qur’an, the sacred book of Muslims. Add to that thousands of love poems, philosophy books and mathematical studies, and you’re still…
The longest palindrome in the Oxford English Dictionary is tattarrattat. It’s a word invented by James Joyce to describe a knocking at the door in Ulysses. And that means it’s not just a palindrome–it’s also an onomatopoeia! Onomatopoeias sound like the words they’re describing: pow, whirr,…
Foreigners can visit or live long-term in Japan and never get over their fascination with failed translation and blatant abuse of English, especially if English is their mother tongue. This phenomenon of Japanese to English mistranslation is commonly referred to as “Engrish.” Japanese to English…
You already know that learning a language is good for your resume, social skills and college application. But, did you know that learning a language can make you happier as well? Seriously, hitting the books, working on your app, or taking your online classes might…
It’s not a fair question, of course. The factors are many. The characteristics that distinguish languages are diverse. And everybody learns differently. How can we pin down one that we all agree is the easiest language to learn? And yet, we must try. Something compels…
The new Despicable Me movie is on its way to theaters at the end of this month. This means we’ll get to see once more on the big screen the cute little Minions. Fans will surely be delighted to hear them in their adorable, sometimes…
Have you ever looked at a foreign script and wondered why the letters look the way they do? Why is Thai so curly when Roman characters are angular? How did the Arabic script get such elegant, arching strokes, or the Hebrew writing system its compact…
We often take it for granted that we all see the world the same way. But did you know that some languages don’t differentiate between green and blue? The blue-green distinction is a focal point for the study of the development of language. This color…
It takes a lot of guts, curiosity, time and effort to learn a language as an adult. So, if you find yourself in this position, then hats off to you. Sometimes we have to learn a second language out of necessity. For much of the…
The <th> sound, which is very prominent in British English, is poised to be lost by 2066 due to multiculturalism. Linguists predict that in 50 years, the sound will no longer be heard on London’s streets, and you might hear “fink” instead of ”think.” ”Th,”…
Few countries in the world can boast such a terrific array of languages, each shaped by centuries of native culture, regional differences, war, and religion. Indeed, the diversity of India’s languages and cultures lend the country a sense of mystique. Wonder has drawn in many…
China with her large economy, huge manufacturing sector, and growing high-tech sector is an important place to conduct business. There have been countless books written about business culture etiquette in China. However one point is often neglected. Chinese language and its role in the business…
