#Foreign languages

[polyglot-sock]

👏you👏won't👏remember👏shit👏if👏you👏try👏to👏learn👏100👏words👏in👏one👏go

[dossiersfrancais]

the weirdest thing about learning a language is not knowing a specific word.

not sure what a puddle is called but i can say little ocean in the road !

[mapsontheweb]

Percentage of people speaking three languages in Europe

by maps.interlude

[linguistcaly]

Welcome back to me writing unorthodox sentences in foreign scripts.

Day 11 - Hebrew Cursive

[todayontumblr]

Wednesday, September 27.

Langblr.

If ever you're in France, accompanied by your kitty cat, and you find yourself unintentionally (and quite unexpectedly) projecting intestinal gas produced within the body by bacteria that has broken down food, and said kitty cat looks a little alarmed, and you don't know what to say, well. Fortune smiles upon you this day. Consider #langblr your knight in shining linguistic armor. Chat, j'ai pété.

It really can happen to anyone. But langblr is here for all your polyglot needs: learning how to say chai tea in Czech, the frankly adorable etymology of peninsula, Greek paleographic fonts, for words of support for those underway with their language-learning adventures, or if you're in need of some support yourself. It is a particularly wholesome corner of Tumblr, for those with an interest in the slow-burn magic of learning another language. 

[deep-down-in-drowsy-town]

One Song in Every Language

Okay, tumblr. Let's try something.

I want to make a playlist with one song in every single language. Of course, this is impossible- the spotify playlist limit is something like 5,000- but I want to try. Of course, I can't do this alone, and so I'm sharing the project with the entire online language nerd/ music nerd community. Together we can celebrate linguistic diversity- and find some really cool music :)

Here's how it works. This spreadsheet will document every song and language represented. When you want to add a song, first look in the spreadsheet to see if that language is already represented. If it isn't, add the song to the playlist, and then add it to the spreadsheet.

What counts as a language? This is, as we all know, a fundamentally political question (Russian/ Ukrainian? Hindi/ Urdu? "Chinese" and its "dialects"...) We don't have to solve those debates here. My thinking is: the point is to celebrate linguistic diversity in as many forms as possible. If you can make a reasonable argument for why a song and its linguistic variety should be represented, go ahead and add it.

Yes, this means conlangs count (cause conlangs are SICK!) This also means dead languages count- throw in all the Latin and Classical Nahuatl you like. Glossolalia (à la Sigur Ros) and semi-linguistic scat-esque nonsense (à la Kobaian)? Sure, why not!

I'm calling this one song in every language, but we also want to highlight small and minority languages. So maybe we don't want ten different French songs, but if there are two or three different artists singing in Sami (especially different varieties of Sami), throw it in!

Let's make this awesome. Let's make this huge. Spread it around to every language nerd and music geek you know.

Thanks, dankon, merci, etc :)

[ericshoney]

Language barrier ~ Matt Sturniolo

Summary: Your first language isn't English, but that doesn't bother Matt. He loves you even with your language barrier.

Warnings: swearing, nicknames, teasing, reader is danish, fluff

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You moved to America from Denmark when you were eighteen, you're now twenty and in two years you've learned the English language well, but some words you still struggle with.

In the two years you lived in America, LA to be exact, you became friends with Nick Sturniolo. You met him at the store one day whilst struggling to understand what the ticket on the shelf said.

From that day on, Nick took you under his wing, showing you around and teaching you some more English. This led to you becoming close with Chris and Matt.

Matt Sturniolo. First a friend, then your boyfriend. You have been dating for a few months now and with Matt, sometimes talking wasn't needed. A hug or a kiss was enough.

You still struggled with some words, or often switched between Danish and English. The guys teased you for it and you had some inside jokes, but overall they loved you.

You were sat on Matt's bed, playing on your phone as the TV played randomly. He, Nick and Chris had gone to film and then get food before coming home so you were just waiting.

An hour went past before you heard footsteps. A few minutes later, Matt walked in with a smile.

"Hey sweetheart, we're back with food." He said, kissing your cheek.

"Did you get what I like?" You asked, making him laugh.

"Of course, darling." He answered.

You smiled and pecked his lips as you both went and sat with Nick and Chris, the two erupting into loud conversation about the video or a funny video they saw. You listened and smiled as you ate.

"Wanna go watch a movie, sweetheart?" Matt asked once you finished eating.

You nodded as you both went back to Matt's room, cuddling in his bed. Matt started scrolling through for a movie to watch.

"This one?" He suggested.

"Ja." You answered, making Matt giggle softly.

"That's yes right?" He replied.

"Yeah sorry." You replied.

"No baby, it's cute, I love it." He responded, kissing your forehead.

"Jeg elsker dig." You said with a big smile.

Matt returned the smile but a slightly confused look was on his face. You giggled and kissed his lips.

"It means I love you." You said.

"I love you too, petal." He replied.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tags:

@lgbtq-girl @mattsfavbigtitties @onelesslonelygirlbieber6 @riowritesitall @sturniolo-fann

[nihongo-enthusiast]

The Difference of それに、それでは、それで、それでも

1. それに = on top of that; in addition...

• このレストランは料理が美味しい。それに、値段も安い。

This restaurant serves delicious food. On top of that, the price is cheap too.

---------------------------------------------------

2. それでは = and so ...; and now...

• それでは、次の議題に移りま��ょう。

And so, let's move on to the next topic.

---------------------------------------------------

3. それで = so; therefore...

• 昨日は大雨が降った。それで、試合は中止になった。

Yesterday it rained so heavily. Therefore, the game was cancelled.

---------------------------------------------------

4. それでも = even though A, but still wanna do B; Despite..., but he still...

• 雨が降っている。それでも、彼は出かけるつもりだ。

It is raining. But he still intends to go out.

[nenelonomh]

learning languages study guide

daily: ♡ vocabulary and grammar practice ♡ lessons (i have four lessons per week at school. if you don't already take lessons, look into free language courses on alison, coursera or 101 languages)

once per week: ♡ translate a short text (i like to translate my journal entries)

one per fortnight/month: ♡ watch a movie in your target language, preferably animated movies as the language used is easier. you can watch with subtitles

additionally: ♡ talk to yourself; your friends; your pets in your target language ♡ text with someone in your target language ♡ repeat what you hear (in a podcast, lesson or movie)

luck with your language learning❤️

(images are from pinterest)

[thebellekeys]

Arabic Language

"حُرّيتي أن أكون كما لا يريدون لي أن أكون."

“My freedom is to be what they don’t want me to be.”

– Mahmoud Darwish (1941-2008)

[slavic-roots-western-mind]

Mogolian Language Resources

I finally got around to combining and sorting through the various material, so here are the materials that I currently use!

Memrises Mongolian 1/Mongolian 2 Great courses for learning the alphabet (the non-traditional Cyrillic script) and some basics e.g. introduction, some basic verbs.

CJV Langs Traditional Mongolian Script. A solid intro to the traditional writing script. I'm sticking to the cyrillic script for now, but this may come in useful in the future.

Open163 Mongolian Basics (Chinese). Another great video course from Inner Mongolia University for learning mongolian basics and pronunciation. The only possible issue is that it's entirely in Chinese and the traditional script is used.

MGL Radio. My level isn't high enough to understand it, but for now it's good to understand how spoken mongolian sounds and later for listening practise.

Radio Garden. This site allows you to listen to various radio programs from pretty much any country in the world, so it's great not just for mongolian.

MNB. This newsite may be currently a tad too advanced, but it's still good reading practice nonetheless.

This site. I love this site, this is a free collection of works in and translated into Mongolian. Reading Dostoevsky in Mongolian is a challenge that I one day will attempt.

Apps

Gertrainer. This is a relatively new app (6 months old?), which had a pretty good collection of vocabulary. The only downside is that the pronunciation recordings are available only in the paid version which comes at around 5 euros per month or 30 per year. Something to consider if I choose to study Mongolian more intensively, but for now I'm quite content with my current pace.

Ling. This seems to be also ok, but it charges a subscription fee and I am not ready for this commitment yet.

Simply. This is quite basic but it covers some vocab in the free version, with the rest of the vocab charging a fee.

Learn Mongolian. This is also has quite a solid vocabulary set, with pronunciations included.

There appear to be quite a few language schools offering lessons over zoom and classes in person (in Mongolia) but I have no idea if they're legitimate or not.

[polyglot-sock]

lifehack #1: journaling can be really useful for language learners

lifehack #2: even the easiest beginner prompts can be made more challenging by adding "why?" as an additional question:

what are your hobbies? why?

what did you do today? why?

what did you have for breakfast? why?

what was the weather like today? w h y ?

[dossiersfrancais]

skin care and makeup in french

aka how to have your own vogue beauty secrets moment en français 🧼

(doing this mainly for myself and a very niche audience)

face - le visage, la figure

skin - la peau

skin care - soin visage

eyes - les yeux

lips - les lèvres

cheeks - les joues

eyebrows - les sourcils

eyelashes - les cils

water - l’eau

cleanser - le nettoyant

makeup remover - le démaquillant

toner - le tonique, la lotion tonique

serum - le sérum

face oil - l’huile

lip balm - le baume à lèvres

moisturizer - la crème, la crème hydratante

exfoliant - l’exfoliante

massage - le massage

face mask - le masque

foundation - fond de teint

concealer - l’anti-cerne, l’anti-tache

powder - la poudre

bronzer - la poudre de soleil

highlighter - l’highlighter, l’illuminateur

lipstick - le rouge à lèvres

lipgloss - le brillant à lèvres, le gloss (à lèvres)

eye shadow - le fard à paupière

mascara - le mascara

eyebrow pencil - le crayon à sourcil

eyebrow gel - le gel à sourcil

makeup brush - le pinceau de maquillage

eye liner - l’eye-liner, l’eye-liner liquide

blush - le blush, le fard à joues

to put on makeup - se maquiller

to wash - se laver

to take off makeup - se démaquiller

to do skincare routine - faire des soins de la peau

to massage- masser

to apply - appliquer

[adhd-languages]

Keeping up your Languages when you’re Busy

Confession: I’ve been slacking on Japanese recently because my life has been so hectic recently. So here are some of the ways I’ve been trying to keep it in my brain when I can’t dedicate a lot of time to studying.

CHANGE YOUR PHONE LANGUAGE

This applies to computers as well! This is the easiest way to ensure you see at least some of your target language every day. It’s good for any level, even beginners.

If you haven’t already done this, do it now. I understand that some things are important and you need to be sure you understand them — in that case, you can always change individual apps to have different languages, just look up the app name in settings.

Podcasts/Music

Find some podcasts in your target language and listen to them before bed, during your commute, whatever. There are lots of podcasts made specifically for learners, or you can look up topics in your target language to find a podcast you might enjoy.

Music is also an amazing way to hear your target language being used. If you find an artist you like, that’s another good way to study your TL! Follow them on socials, look up interviews with them, etc.

Talk to Yourself

Any spare minute you have, talk to yourself in your target language. It doesn’t need to be out loud. You can have a conversation with yourself, try to express how you’re feeling, make up stories, or just describe the things around you in your target language. This is also a good way to see what kind of vocabulary you’re missing.

Apps

Duolingo has fired a ton of translators and started using crappy AI translations — so they’re probably not the best choice.

I’d recommend dictionary app that has some sort of flash card feature is also good, or an anki deck. Drops is good, and has a lot of languages, but keep in mind you’ll need audio. Anything that’s easy to get out and do for even just a few minutes is perfect.

Apps won’t teach you a language on their own, but doing a little every day helps remind me the language exists and keeps it in my mind.

Texting/Writing/Posting

Whether your friends know your TL or not, force them to experience it by randomly messaging in Japanese! Or, if you feel fancy, download an app like “HelloTalk”, “Tandem”, “Speaky”, “Tabee”…there are a lot.

If you keep a digital journal (like I do…inconsistently), try to write some entries in your TL.

If you have a blog, which I assume you do, post in your TL. Even if you’re a beginner, you can make a sideblog dedicated to saying stuff like “I’m hungry” and “Green is my favourite colour” in your target language.

Open your notes app and just write random words you can remember or sentences you can string together.

I know it’s really difficult, and don’t beat yourself up because you aren’t studying as hard. A language can be a lifelong companion — you’ll have phases of studying constantly, and sometimes it’ll take the back seat, but there’s no rush to learn it. Have a great day :)!

[chiara-klara-claire]

funny ways to say “in the middle of nowhere”

Collected funny ones under this post + contributions to this one (my selection). Most involve ass(holes), have god/the devil, (nonsense) names of villages…

🇩🇪German: in the ass of the world/ the pasture- am Arsch der Welt/der Weide; where Fox and Hare bid each other good night - Wo sich Fuchs und Hase Gute Nacht sagen (old-fashioned), where the dead dog lays - Da liegt der tote Hund, in Buxtehude/ (Kuh)kaff, in der Pampa, in Timbuktu

🇮🇹Italian: in assland - in culonia/culandia, in the wolves’ ass - in culo ai lupi, in the ass of the word - in culo al mondo; 🇫🇷 French in the asshole of the world - dans le trou du cul du monde

🇨🇿Czech: Where foxes bid good night to one another - Kde si lišky dávají dobrou noc

🇩🇰Danish: where the crows turn around - Hvor kragerne vender on Lars diarrheas field/on the field of Lars Shitpants - På lars tyndskids mark

🇳🇴Norwegian: far damn from violence - langt pokker i vold, “huttaheiti” (gibberish)

🇸🇪Swedish: out (there) in the spinach - ute i spenaten,“tjotaheiti” (see above, maybe originally from Tahiti)

🇪🇸in Spain: in the fifth hell/pine tree - En el quinto infierno/pino, where Christ lost the sandal/hat/lighter - Donde Cristo perdió la alpargata/gorra/mechero;

🇲🇽 Mexico: Where the devil farts - Donde el diablo se echa un pedo, and sometimes someone answers: “Y nadie lo escucha” And no one hears

🇹🇼in Taiwan: where birds don't lay eggs and dogs don't shit - 鳥不生蛋狗不拉屎的地方 

🇵🇱Polish - where crows turn around -  Gdzie wrony zawracają, where dogs bark from their ass - gdzie psy dupami szczekają 🐶; Where the devil says goodnight - Gdzie diabeł mówi dobranoc, where (black) pepper grows - gdzie pieprz rośnie, (mostly in the context of running as far away as possible or chasing someone away)

🇦🇺Australia: woop woop or "in the middle of woop woop' 🇳🇿 NZ: wop wops

🇻🇳Vietnamese: holy forests, poisonous waters - rừng thiêng nước độc / where mountain passes are windy/cloudy and winds swirl in vortexes - đèo heo hút gió or đèo mây hút gió (rarely used)

🇨🇦🇫🇷 Québéc: Saint clin clin des meuhs meuhs (actual village name…)

🇸🇦 Arabic (Saudi dialect): in the castle of wadren في مقلاع وادرين (an old castle in the middle of desert)

🇮🇱 in Israel: Israel: at the end of the world, take a turn left - סוף העולם שמאלה

🇫🇮Finnish: behind God’s back - jumalan selän takana, in the devil’s ass - helvetin perseessä;

🇬🇷 Greek: at the devil’s horn - Στου διαόλου το κέρατο;

🇧🇬 Bulgarian: on the ass of geography - На гъза на географията

🇮🇸 Icelandic Out in an asshole - úti í rassgati;

🇧🇷 in Brazil: in cock’s house - na casa do caralho;

🇦🇷 in Argentina: in the pussy of the parrot- en la concha de la lora 🦜;

🇪🇪 Estonian: in the bear's ass - karuperses 🐻

🇺🇸 USA: bumfuck Egypt

🇧🇪 in Belgium (Dutch): in a farmer’s asscrack - in een boerengat

🇺🇦 Ukrainian: in the devil's swamps в чорта на кулічках,  where the crow won't carry bones куди ворон кісток не заносить