Maybe my last week’s musings about hyperpolyglots have inspired you to dig deeper into this topic. Or maybe you even have decided to follow up on your old plan to learn a new language yourself. If yes, here are some links to resources that might be helpful for you.
Book Michael Erard: Babel no more: The Search for the World's Most Extraordinary Language Learners (2012)
Erard, an American non-fiction writer and journalist, sets out on a quest to meet hyperpolyglots and make sense of their mental powers. The New York Times Book Review describes it as ”part travelogue, part science lesson, part intellectual investigation...an entertaining, informative survey of some of the most fascinating polyglots of our time". Published in 2012, it is still an essential reference book, according to Judith Thurman’s story in the New Yorker.
Article John Gallagher: How to learn a language and stick at it (Psyche)
Excellent guide on language learning by a British lecturer from the University of Leeds. “Forget about fluency,” is Gallagher’s first advice. ”It’s easy to get disheartened if your goal is something that’ll take years to achieve. Instead, focus on tangible, short-term goals like learning some basic phrases to introduce yourself.” He also suggests spending enough time finding the right method: “Methods really are crucial. There is no one-size-fits-all approach to language learning – what works for me might not work for you.” Very well structured, with key points and a helpful resource list.
Book Gabriel Wyner: Fluent Forever: How to Learn Any Language Fast and Never Forget It (2014)
Hands-on and entertaining book on language learning by a guy who speaks six fluently. Wyner’s method: focus on pronunciation, avoid translation and use repetition extensively. The book was endorsed by scientists and science journalists.
Article Johnson: The advantages of speaking a second language (Economist)
Brief but informative article about the benefits of being bilingual. There is also an audio version.
Podcast Watch your mouth (Hidden Brain)
Fascinating interview with Lera Boroditsky, a cognitive science professor at the University of California, San Diego. She came to the US from the Soviet Union when she was 12 and set herself the goal of learning English within a year while not speaking Russian at all - which she did. Today, she studies how the structure of the language we speak can change how we see the world. In the interview, she explains, for example, why in the Aboriginal community of the Pormpuraaw in northern Australia, you have to know which way you’re heading (north, south, east, or west) in order to say hello to somebody.
Groups Meet-up
Although Meetup has been around for 20 years, it is still a great way to find people who share the same interests. (In case you are unfamiliar with it, Wikipedia describes Meetup as “a social media platform for hosting and organizing in-person and virtual activities, gatherings, and events for people and communities of similar interests, hobbies, and professions”). Learning and practicing languages is a huge topic. In the San Fransisco area, for example, you can meet with people speaking French, Spanish, Turkish, Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Esperanto, Arab, Russian, Portuguese, Mandarin, Pali, Romanian, and more.
See you next week!
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