In linguistics, the term Language Register is used to talk about the type of language a person might use in a certain social context, in other words, how formally they will speak. For example: A speaker might say I never done nuffin’ when talking to their friends, but when presented […]
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Language Acquisition and Language Learning
While need or motivation can be strong impulses in second language learning, they do not influence language acquisition. The question is do we as children acquire language for any other reason than that we are communicating (speaking) animals and language is as natural to us as breathing? I think part […]
Continue ReadingKorean vs English
Korean is spoken as a first language by over 70 million people. This article looks at the kind of issues Korean native speakers have when they learn English. Overview Korean is the official language of North Korea and South Korea as well as the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in China. […]
Continue ReadingJapanese vs English
Japanese is an East Asian language spoken by about 125 million speakers, primarily in Japan, where it is the national language. According to recent research by the FSI Japanese is the hardest language for English speakers to learn and, presumably, Japanese speakers find learning English the hardest also. This article […]
Continue ReadingIPA – International Phonetic Alphabet
The IPA or International Phonetic Alphabet is an alphabet of sounds (not letters). It is used to show how to pronounce words. Using the IPA in your class is a useful tool to give your students. It will help them understand the pronunciation of English words they find in the […]
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