Linguistics

Linguistics is the science behind the language. Why we say what we say, and what rules dictate how we are understood.

A photo of an elderly man sitting outside in a dhoti, reading a Bengali newspaper. Featured image for Bengali dialects article.

Exploring the Bengali Dialects: Beyond Diglossia

With more than 230 million people speaking Bengali as either a first or second language, it’s easy to see how there are several variations of the language. For those learning the modern language, the most noticeable difference between the Bengali dialects tends to be pronunciation.  The most common difference is in phonology, but other differences, …

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A young man with glasses and brown hair looking pensively at his reflection in a window. Featured image for foreign language anxiety article.

 What’s Behind Your Foreign Language Anxiety?

You’ve probably experienced these scenarios, but never linked them to foreign language anxiety: For a language learner, these bouts of foreign language anxiety often make it seem like mastering another language is impossible. In fact, it’s common for learners, especially younger students, to link their anxiety with an inability to learn.  But that’s far from …

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An image of a man and a woman discussing a language learning exercise...maybe going over a difference in language style?

The Basics Practical Use of Style for Language Learners

Going from an elementary textbook to real-life usage often feels overwhelming and almost disorienting when learning a language. So often, phrases and vocabulary from a list and sample dialogues fail to account for variety or language styles.  This is an intermediate topic and is likely one factor leading to a learning plateau. There’s just too …

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An image of a clear ball reflected the woods upside down at sunset. featured image for the sapir-whorf hypothesis article.

It’s Not All Relative: The Problem with the Sapir-Whorf Hypothesis

What comes first, language or thought? A series of papers published in 1951 grappled with this very question and established itself in linguistic theory. The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis, proposed by American linguist Edward Sapir and his student Benjamin Whorf is probably one of the most mainstream linguistic theories out there today, going so far as to …

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Language Learners Survey 2022 featured image. A heart sign over a blackboard filled with foreign langauge text.

What Language Learners Really Think: Language Learning in 2022

Despite the advent of real-time translation technology and the continued dominance of English, among other “powerhouse” languages, millions strive to learn a second, third, or even fourth language. Whether that’s for school, work, or pleasure, there’s a variety of people looking to communicate with each other, across linguistic and geographical barriers. But desiring to know …

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A featured image for an article on learning Bengali. It shows a bus with bangla letters on the side.

The Best Way to Learn Bengali: A Self-Study Guide

Despite being one of the most spoken languages globally, there is a lack of resources for those seeking to learn Bengali online. Bengali, or Bangla (বাংলা), is largely spoken in Bangladesh and in the Indian states of West Bengal, Tripura, and Assam. This isn’t even including immigrant communities. As with many populous languages in Southeast …

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An image of three women speaking and laughing, chosen to represent the speaking confidence challenge

Why You Should Consider the Speaking Confidence Challenge from Lindsay Does Languages

After following Lindsay Does Languages for at least the past five years, I decided to try out her Speaking Confidence Challenge. Because, like many language learners out there, I struggle with speaking. But I was also curious. As someone who studied linguistics in college, I wanted to observe her approach.  Let me backtrack a bit …

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A Silhouette of a tree in a lake at sunset, symbolizing the most common visual for comparing languages: the language tree

How Accurate Is the Language Tree?

The language tree is perhaps the most well-known representation of language evolution. But how accurate is it in regards to studying and comparing modern languages? As early as the 16th century, missionaries and European travelers were noting the similarities between their mother tongue and various other languages. The idea of a common ancestral language, which …

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