Langology

To the dismay of many language teachers and education purists, Rosetta Stone language learning software is popping up on campuses and in classrooms across the U.S. Due to budget cuts and the growing popularity of online learning in general, many administrations are obligated to seek financial respite in the arms of the economical and effective [...]

By Alex Madrigal Via the Atlantic Image by Assbach A small research arm of the U.S. government’s intelligence establishment wants to understand how speakers of Farsi, Russian, English, and Spanish see the world by building software that automatically evaluates their use of metaphors. That’s right, metaphors, like Shakespeare’s famous line, “All the world’s a stage,” [...]

“The bridge between the words ‘glamour’ and ‘grammar’ is magic. According to the Oxford English Dictionary, ‘glamour’ evolved from ‘grammar’ through an ancient association between learning and enchantment.”

Members of the Cherokee tribe have worked with Apple to develop Cherokee language software for the iPhone, iPod and soon the iPad.

There’s an Arabic interface for Facebook, yet 75% of Arab users prefer the English interface.

The brain can learn a new word in less than 15 minutes, according to scientists, whose finding will rob many of the excuse that they can’t learn a foreign language. All one needs to do is listen to a word 160 times over that period, found Cambridge neuroscientists.