#language-learning — Public Fediverse posts
Live and recent posts from across the Fediverse tagged #language-learning, aggregated by home.social.
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(rambling about #languageLearning, might be nonsense beware)
I think there's a trade off everyone needs to make when they learn a language, that they don't realise they need to make.
They have to decide how much they value pronunciation - generally at the outset.
The reason is because, if we develop an accent, it would take a lot more work to correct it than if we learn to pronounce properly from the outset. Having a lot of deeply ingrained "bad" habits, is harder to work with than a blank slate.
I see two paths, a person that from the outset is at complete peace with the prospect of sounding like a foreigner, and they do a lot more output from the start and don't learn about pronunciation or try too hard to get specific feedback on pronunciation. This person will get comfortable and fluent much quicker, I would imagine but they'll sound distinctly like a foreigner (which they may have literally no problem with).
In their minds, they won't realise it, but they'll very likely be converting the language they've learned into the phonemes of their mother tongue very quickly. Getting better, in some sense will be, converting the sounds from the language you're learning to the sounds of your mother tongue quickly.
Another path is where you delay output until you can hear very well, and have an explicit focus on pronunciation. You use a lot of time and energy that could go into just speaking and using the language to really familiarise yourself with how it sounds. You get feedback on how you are pronouncing things with a teacher and really try to get it right. Learners of a language make lots and lots of mistakes, if you insist with a teacher that they prioritise pronunciation, then you will 100% miss out on other feedback. We make too many mistakes to get corrections on everything, so teachers have to pick and choose what feels the most off to them, what's the most salient.
I'd imagine focusing on pronunciation and getting intimately familiar with how a language sounds from the outset would add a lot more work, but when its done it'll be easier to parse the language, especially mumbles, slurred or fast speech. Even though I'm using the word "pronunciation" hear, I mean something like getting very familiar with how a language sounds, and pronunciation will affect perception. It's very likely that pronunciation mistakes people make, map on to perceptual blindspots - that they aren't hearing the language effectively. However, you can't get proper feedback on how you are perceiving a language directly, because a teacher can't see into your mind. Working on your pronunciation is the only way.
Neither choice is *better* I think, it's just that it's a decision people make and commit to without realising that's what they are doing. Practice doesn't make perfect, practice makes permanent. It's not repetition itself, but repetition with feedback loops that leads to improvement. If you repeat the wrong pronunciation over and over again, without any feedback, you'll only engrain the habit of pronouncing things this way. It might make sense to decide you are okay with this, but most people don't knowingly decide this.
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And, as objective as I force myself to be about this topic, I can't just dismiss the feeling of kindness, warmth and all the emotions coming out from a conversation with natural human reactions. Even through approximate lexicum or grammar mistakes.
Can everything be translated? Will we become more evil, racist or intolerant if we don't make the effort to communicate with others?
Am I being silly just by implying that?
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To my brain health argument the acquaintance replied that it is like learning to play an instrument.
Have languages become like classical music? Is it something destined to be a niche hobby ?Calculators didn't make calculus disappear. Typing machines and then computers didn't exactly make pens and paper disappear either. We're actually finding out that if children don't write their learning skills are negatively affected.
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Today someone asked me, when talking about foreign languages, if it still makes sense to learn one, given that #LLMs and #AI tools have become so good at translating.
I kept my answer to the most commonly-accepted argument: the advantages mastering a foreign language has on brain health.
However I've been thinking about this since. Is that all there is? Will humans interact in the same way if people communicate through a device as opposed to their real voices?
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Most people think there's one way to say mother in Hebrew.
There are two. And the difference is what I want you to understand and apply. 🇮🇱
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Some words stay with us forever.
The little names our mothers called us. The phrases whispered when we were hurt, tired, loved, celebrated, or simply held close. Terms of endearment become more than words, they become memories, comfort, and a bridge back to the bond between parent and child.
In this video, I’m sharing some of my favorite affectionate expressions used by Israeli mothers with their children. While these words come from Hebrew and Israeli culture, the feeling behind them is universal ❤️ No matter where we come from, love often sounds remarkably similar.
#LearnHebrew #TermsOfEndearment #LanguageLearning #MothersLove #HebrewWords
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No matter where you love spending time online there’s a good chance “Hebrew By Inbal” is already there waiting for you 😊
Instagram? YouTube? Substack? X? TikTok? Facebook?
I share Hebrew every single day across all the major platforms because I’ve learned something important: people who love Hebrew all have their favorite online “home,” and I want to meet you wherever YOU feel most comfortable learning, laughing, listening, and connecting.
Just search: @hebrewbyinbal and if you can’t find me on your favorite platform yet, tell me where you hang out online and I just might come join you there next 😄
Where do YOU consume most of your content these days?
#HebrewByInbal #LearnHebrew #LanguageLearning #OnlineLearning #JoinMe
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AI-Translation: Opportunity or Danger for Multilingual Families?
If a translation app can help your child understand their grandma's words, does it actually matter that they used one? I think it does — and as both a language professional and a bilingual parent, here's why the difference between understanding language and truly feeling it is everything. -
Where do you see yourself with a new #language?
$55/hr private, under $20/hr small group, great teachers, #free resources. #Chinese #English #ESL #French #German #Italian #Japanese #Korean #Portuguese #Russian #Spanish #Swahili #LanguageLearning #languages
https://thelanguagegarage.com/ -
Sziasztok, hogy vagytok mindannyian? Ma az irodában dolgozom. Szép idő van itt.
Tanulok magyarul, I'll be happy to speak to Hungarians on #Mastodon 😁
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Just a wonderful day for me.
Receiving these gifts as I call them. Being a part of someone’s journey into Hebrew is a role I do not take lightly.
Thank you for fueling my passion to teach this rich and ancient language ❤️
#LearnHebrew #HebrewBook #HebrewLanguage #LanguageLearning #Books
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Some people enjoy receiving pictures of nature, pets, funny memes on social media and I do too BUT pictures of students from around the world showing Hebrew learning? That’s a thing of BEAUTY 😍
Sent it by lovely Esmeralda who is working her way through my Hebrew 3 Textbook 💚
#LearnHebrew #HebrewLanguage #ThingOfBeauty #LanguageLearning #StudyWithMe
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Online Sanskrit Tutors for CBSE & ICSE Students: Simple and exam-focused Sanskrit learning online https://indiatutor.in/subject/sanskrit-tutors/ #SanskritTutor #CBSE #ICSE #LanguageLearning #OnlineEducation #NRIFamilies #IndiaTutor #Learning
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Sziasztok, magyarul tanulok.
I would love to find some Hungarian speakers to play games with online so I can combine my studying with gaming.
Currently loving #Baldursgate3 but open to playing any genre of games.
#Hungary #Hungarian #gaming #LanguageLearning #magyarország #magyarul
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FYI: Google Translate turns 20: 1 billion users, 250 languages, and new AI features: Google Translate marks 20 years with 1 billion monthly users, nearly 250 languages, Gemini-powered features, and a new pronunciation practice tool on Android. https://ppc.land/google-translate-turns-20-1-billion-users-250-languages-and-new-ai-features/ #GoogleTranslate #AI #LanguageLearning #Translation #TechNews
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How amazing to open up Social Media and see this post first thing in the morning ❤️
This is why I do what I do and as a teacher, an incredible gift to receive.
Congratulations Yisra'El Lior Massor ben'David you are doing amazing work, learning and loving Hebrew.
To everyone else considering Learning Hebrew and looking for a teacher and resources you can trust, hebrewbyinbal.com
#LearnHebrew #HebrewForBeginners #HebrewLanguage #LanguageLearning #HebrewByInbal
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Talking beats tapping. Learn a new #language!
$55/hr private, under $20/hr small group, great teachers, #free resources. #Chinese #English #ESL #French #German #Italian #Japanese #Korean #Portuguese #Russian #Spanish #Swahili #LanguageLearning #languages
https://thelanguagegarage.com/ -
Who else is learning Spanish? Me encanta el idioma. Quiero aprender más rápido.
Are you using Spanish Dictionary? It has been an excellent resource to me, but I want to consider supporting it in exchange for an ad-free experience. Unfortunately this is the page they have up for Premium. Atrocious. How much does the company charge? Hard to say.
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Dia Mundial da Língua Portuguesa 🇵🇹 feels like the right time to talk about learning Portuguese while traveling.
After a year of Duolingo + immersion experience, here’s what really moves the needle👇
https://careyontravels.com/language-learning/
#Portugal #LanguageLearning #Travel #Traveladdict #SlowTravel -
Meet Maya 🤗
She wanted to connect with her partners family and I found me.
These are the stories that fill my heart and fuel my passion.
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I was inspired to do this by the work "A German Word Family Dictionary" by Howard H. Keller (1978). The words (3000 I believe) are ordered alphabetically by root in that work.
Btw, if you want to get this book, get the print version. The ebook edition’s formatting is horribly fucked up to the point that it's useless. It's mangled OCR slop that was never reviewed by a human.
#german #deutsch #linguistics #language #regex #languageLearning
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Many words feature two prefixes. I decided to consider the innermost prefix the "main" prefix, resulting in these sorts of groupings. #german #deutsch #linguistics #language #regex #languageLearning
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And here are the most common prefixes and suffixes. #german #deutsch #linguistics #language #regex #languageLearning