Who has the bigger active vocabulary – The Wu-Tang Clan or Shakespeare? You might be surprised. Data scientist Matt Daniels‘ in-depth statistical analysis of hip hop vocabulary (http://experiments.undercurrent.com/) uncovers some interesting results. Great for lovers of language, hip hip and/or statistics.
In Global Business Speaks English, an article from the Harvard Business Review, Tsedal Neeley argues that all internationally active companies should adopt English as their only official language of business „no matter where companies are headquartered.“ It is an interesting read for anyone who works for a company that has implemented English as one of the company languages (or for anyone who wishes their company hadn’t!)
What do you think? Should large international companies use English as their only language of business? Why / Why not? How would you feel if your company announced all business was to be conducted in English from now (see the diagram below)? Let us know in the comments below.
https://hbr.org/2012/05/global-business-speaks-english
This article from the Guardian looks at some of the most typical (and terribly embarrassing!) mistakes all language-learners will face sooner or later – and how to deal with them. Which mistakes have you made? Do you have any horror stories to share in the comments below?
„From talking on the phone for the first time to using local slang and being faced with a wall of laughter, Erica Buist on how to get over some of the most painful language mistakes“
http://www.theguardian.com/education/2014/dec/17/mistakes-while-learning-languages-spanish
Today the LINGUA FRANCA Sprachschule blog is bringing you another short video from the TED series. TED (Technology, Education, Design) is an international and interdisciplinary conference series based around the concept “ideas worth spreading”.
In this video behavioural economist Keith Chen introduces a fascinating idea from his research: that languages without a concept for the future — „It rains tomorrow,“ instead of „It will rain tomorrow“ — correlate strongly with high savings rates.
This video is suitable for a variety of levels. Higher-level English learners should just watch it as it is. Intermediate students – you can turn on the English subtitles on the menu at the bottom-right of the video. Lower-level learners can go to the video on the TED website (here) and turn on the German (or the language of your choice) subtitles, as well as look at a full transcript of the talk. Enjoy!
You can find an interesting article that expands on ideas from this talk at this link: How Language Can Affect The Way We Think
Do you want to read more in English, but find the level of books too difficult? For our latest book recommendation, the LINGUA FRANCA Sprachschule blog is introducing not an individual book, but two types of books that can help lower and intermediate level students enjoy reading in English.
English Readers: These books are written for specific English learner levels. Many publishers offer these books. One of the most popular series is the Penguin Readers (click here for help in German). They include many types of book, from classics to contemporary novels and biographies. They are available from beginner (A1) to advanced (C1) levels. You can find them easily through Amazon or at large bookshops like Dussmann.
Dual-Language books: These books are written in two languages. When you open the book, you see the English original text on the left page, and the German translation on the right. Most are English classics, although you can find modern books too. Again, they are available from a range of publishers. Some of the most popular include: dtv, Anaconda and Reclam.
Happy reading!
Today the LINGUA FRANCA Sprachschule blog has a book recommendation for you. This book is in fact two books in one, the English version from one side, and then flip it over to find the German translation from the other – making it perfect for either English or German learners.
Briton Adam Fletcher spent some time living in Germany. Based on his experiences , he wrote a book entitled „How to Be German in 50 Easy Steps“ – a very funny but also informative book that covers every topic your typical Ausländer needs to know to survive in Germany – from house shoes and Tatort to Apfelschorle and insurance policies – it’s all there. But the book is also interesting for Einheimische – it’s always fun to read about your own culture from an outsider’s perspective.
The book is based a very popular series of blog posts, so to get an idea of what you will find in the book, have a look at: http://venturevillage.eu/how-to-be-german-part-1
You can find link to buy the book at: http://adam-fletcher.co.uk/howtobegerman/