By kevin | Published: February 12, 2011
I dag lærer jeg dere om ordet “ikkenokhet.” Dette var et svakt prøv å si “scarcity” på norsk. Det var antakeligvis logisk, men minst en nordmann bare ikke forstod hva ble ment. I det hele tatt. Derfor kan jeg sannsynligvis ikke nominere dette som nytt ord. Eller? Gi meningen din i kommentarene!
By kevin | Published: February 12, 2011
Hi there! I wanted to share something I’m trying out with you guys. Consider it something of a sneak preview – I’m not sure if will become an official Fun Language Learning Tip, but I’m pretty sure it will, so I’m calling it an experiment.
As you may know, I’m a Drupal Developer. Something I have started to do recently is provide technical support on an Internet chat system called IRC (Internet Relay Protocol). Besides providing support in English, I also monitor the chats for Spanish, French, and Norwegian Drupal Developers. So far, I haven’t provided any support in these languages yet, but I have been reading what other chatters are saying, and it’s been a good learning experience to pick up on the colloquialisms, slang, and “chatspeak” that speakers of those languages use naturally. Since I haven’t been doing much speaking myself, I’m still considering this an experiment, but once I get the chance to actively support users in another language more, I will be sure to blog about it! Wish me luck!
Join in and share your experience in the comments! And remember – you can apply this to any skill that you have and try to help people with it in another language, provided you know enough of the language to do so. If you don’t, why not start learning? My language immersion post has a couple tips that may help you with that.
By kevin | Published: February 10, 2011
This one was heard orally, so I’m not sure if it should be spelled with or without the k. Just like substenance, it’s not actually too far from the truth. The pop is indeed on a stick.
So I would define popsticle as what you have after you’ve eaten your popsicle. What do you guys think?
By kevin | Published: February 8, 2011
Hi all – if you take a look to your right…no, not that far right, just the right column of the site…you will see a section inviting you to “Get Blang in Your Inbox.” If you enjoy this blog and want to know when new entries are published, you can enter your email address there and be notified about it. If we ever start a fun language learning newsletter or something of the sort, you will also hear about that (but we’ll of course provide a way to control your subscriptions).
For now, it’s a good way to get notified about new posts. So subscribe today!
By kevin | Published: February 7, 2011
Someone I know used the word substenance. I guess it’s sustenance, but with extra substance! It sounds pretty cool, actually – if I was really hungry, I would certainly want substantial sustenance.
Who wants to add this to the English language?
I’ve got another one to post and will post it soon.
By kevin | Published: February 7, 2011
English | español | français | norsk
In English:
I’ve decided to try out a new idea for Blang – I’m calling it Foreign Language Oops for now, but the name may well change. What is it about? It’s a lighthearted way of having some fun with language mistakes. We all make them, regardless of the language, so why not have some fun with them? Read More »
Posted in Features, Foreign Language Oops, Fun With Words, Language | Tagged amusement lingüistique, anglais, apprentissage amusante des langues, aprendizaje divertida de idiomas, divertimiento lingüístico, engelsk, english, espagnol, español, français, fransk, french, fun language learning, idiomas, inglés, Language, language fun, langues, lenguas, morsomt språklæring, norsk, noruego, norvège, norwegian, spanish, spansk, språk, språkmoro
By kevin | Published: February 2, 2011
So, since I’m learning Mandarin, I thought I’d write poetry about it…fitting for an Asian language, no? (And does anyone know if Asian is still politically correct? Or do I have to say Asiatic, differently-located, West-challenged, or something? No, wait; the latter would probably be offensive.)
After the four tones
We’ll teach you Mandarin…now…
Four tones, one more time
(This accurately describes an experience I had yesterday.) Read More »
Posted in Features, Language, Original Haikus, Poetry | Tagged haiku, haiku tuesday, Language, language learning, mandarin, mandarin chinese, poetry, political correctness
By kevin | Published: February 2, 2011
Hi there! You’re now reading the first installment of Fun Language Learning Tips since November 2009′s tip on immersion!
Recently, I found myself reaching a point in my French language study where it was time to make a new language my active focus. I had told myself that I would do it when I had caught up on all the DailyFrenchPod episodes, and, after probably about 2 years of on-and-off listening, I finally did.
At any one point, there tend to be several languages that I want to learn. This event therefore begged the question, “Which language would come next?” Read More »
Posted in Features, Fun Language Learning Tips, Language, Language Learning Tips | Tagged chinese, fun language learning, Fun Language Learning Tips, language immersion, language learning, language learning questions, Language Learning Tips, mandarin, meet native speakers, next language to learn
By kevin | Published: January 28, 2011
I just wrote a post about how the post this week was delayed, but it seems it didn’t publish. Anyway, it is, but when I post, it will be a new installment of Fun Language Learning Tips – at last!
And to catch your curiosity, it will cover an important basic step in making sure your learning experience will be fun!
