How a linguist would learn a new language
Send a text In this final episode of ‘Will I ever learn Chinese’ I discuss how I would approach learning a new language in future, outlining the techniques, materials and approaches for different lang...
30 Okt 202416min
Language learning methods and approaches
Send a text We’re coming to the end of the first series of ‘Will I ever learn Chinese’. In these last two episodes, I am looking at language learning techniques and summarise my process of learning Ch...
28 Okt 202420min
Language learning and linguistic fieldwork: the excitement of the puzzle
Send a text I love puzzles, be it crossword puzzles, jigsaw puzzles or the puzzle that is learning or analysing another language. My PhD thesis, for example, is a grammatical description of the small ...
26 Okt 202419min
Linguistic relativity: thinking differently in Chinese
Send a text I’m always amazed by how similar the languages of the world are when I’m learning a new language. Languages are able to express the same concepts, often in strikingly similar ways. The app...
24 Okt 202414min
Speaking Chinese in China: the real deal!
Send a text In this episode I’m talking about traveling to China for the first time and using my newly acquired language in the real world. Wherever I travel, I like to be able to speak at least a lit...
22 Okt 202417min
Researching Chinese
Send a text Learning Chinese gave me a new understanding of language acquisition, and a new direction for my research. By going through the process myself, I experienced the mechanisms of language lea...
20 Okt 202422min
Language immersion and conforming in another language
Send a text In this episode I reflect on my immersive learning approach, surrounding myself by the language and using the language in a lot of different environments. Immersion made a big difference t...
18 Okt 202426min
Language attrition: the other side of the coin
Send a text When looking at language acquisition and learning, we rarely consider the other side of the coin: language attrition. This means a language is disappearing, the speaker can’t speak it as w...
16 Okt 202417min
