Just in time for Bastille Day, our French e-Tutor Sev shares some French words you probably already know if you speak English! Every language accepts in its vocabulary a number foreign words and expressions, often using them in their original … Continue reading
May 21st is World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development. The UN established this day in order to promote cultural diversity and dialogues among nations. They even offered this list of 10 things you can do to celebrate … Continue reading
A recent BBC article titled Native English speakers are the world’s worst communicators reported on research that found that monolingual English speakers are generally worse than non-native speakers at communicating in international contexts. They introduce confusing language, misunderstand what others are … Continue reading
Knowing a second language can improve your life, but it can also save the lives of others. A recent article in Politico by Carl Costas addressed the changing landscape in American demographics that is currently leading to a significant change in … Continue reading
What language is most widely spoken in the world? That depends on how you define “language” and who you count. The infographic below is from Rick Noack’s 2015 Washington Post article “The Future of Language” based on data from a 15-year-long study conducted … Continue reading
Last summer, we wrote a post about multilingualism in the U.S. In it, we cited some encouraging statistics for language lovers. For example: - According to the 2014 American Community Survey, a language other than English is spoken in 21% of … Continue reading
French colonies in present Canada became essentially isolated from their country of origin in the 18th century because of British rule, interacting from then on more with the Americans, as well as borrowing from the natives. Canadian French language thus evolved, … Continue reading
While Americans are infamous for not speaking a second language, according to the 2014 American Community Survey, a language other than English is spoken in 21% of households in the U.S. And multilingualism is on the rise: the number of … Continue reading
Athletic prowess reminds us of words such as treinamento, training, conquista, conquest, realização, achievement, and glória, glory. Numbers don’t always come to mind, but numbers are what separate votoriosos, winners from perdedores, losers, and um bom investimento para o país, … Continue reading
A stay in France would not be complete without the experience of un marché (farmers’ market). Despite the ever-growing presence of supermarchés (m.)(supermarkets), faire le marché (going to the farmers’ market; lit. do the market) remains an important way of shopping for food, especially produits frais (fresh … Continue reading