Adding another feather to your bow: Why learning a new language is so advantageous!
Many of us want to be able to speak another language and for good reason, the benefits are endless. Although, most people never get around to actually doing it, the lack of free time usually holds most of us back. People usually start learning their chosen language, however, without fun engaging learning material, apathy can soon set in. If you’re one of these people who have pondered the idea of learning a new language but have seemed too scared with taking on the daunting challenge then you could be suffering from something called Xenoglossophobia i.e. the fear of learning foreign languages.
Don’t be put off. The benefits of sticking with it and becoming fluent in your chosen language are too great to miss out on. Consider the benefits:
Greater job opportunities and better pay – The world in which we now live is becoming increasingly globalised and somewhat borderless with people being able to work and travel all over the globe. Having the ability to be fluent in a foreign language will give that person an edge in their CV and make them standout among other applicants. Furthermore, business’ will offer greater pay to those who use their language within the realms of their profession.
Improve your travel experience – If one can speak the foreign
language of the country with which they are visiting then this will
greatly improve their experience. Consider talking freely to locals in
shops or in restaurants, the experience will be increased tremendously. read more…
For those who don’t already know, William Buckley was famed for his erudition, wit, and extensive lexicon. He was the founder of the political magazine National Review; and he also hosted the television show Firing Line where he famously interviewed the young MIT professor Noam Chomsky in what can be described as a one of the most intellectual debates ever recorded (see video below).
I have been inspired by Buckley’s vast lexicon. He used remarkable words that made reading or listening to him particularly difficult as one would keep having to reach for the dictionary every time the wordsmith used some form of arcane vocabulary. He spoke with outstanding diction, conveying his arguments with pin point words and expressions.
But, how does one talk like that, and, how does one improve their own lexicon?
If you would like to know where his unique accent came from then there is a great article by Michelle Tsai “Why Did William F. Buckley Jr. Talk Like That?“. But for those who want to improve their own lexicon when speaking or writing like Buckley did, then here’s how: read more…
Are you considering learning Spanish? Not sure what learning material to use? Then you’ve come to the right place. Check out my review below of two excellent Spanish learning resources – the only difference is: one is expensive, and one is completely free.
Having googled for several hours, ‘beginner Spanish’, ‘the best way to learn Spanish’, ‘Spanish for beginners’, and yes ‘how to learn Spanish as quickly as possible’, I soon found myself getting very frustrated. Some time later I discovered something called Pimsleur Spanish. In the mist of the 981,000 hits that google had brought up, why did Pimsleur Spanish stand out?
Well, here is the premise to its success. It was developed by Dr. Pimsleur who devoted his life’s work to understanding the building blocks needed to learn a new language. He discovered that native speakers use only 2,500 distinct words and phrases daily, so he aimed each lesson at teaching you to use those 2,500 words.
I have to admit that it all sounded very convincing and I did get a little excited by the claim on their web-site that spies apparently use this course ‘to survive and cope overseas’. On a more serious note, the entire Pimsleur product seemed a solid resource to learning Spanish.
How does Pimsleur work? read more…
