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The decline of language learning has left Britain bereft of cultural exchange with Europe.
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Will Hélène really learn English better if you call her Helen?
Piyal Adhikary/EPA
More Indians are fluent in the hybrid of Hindi and English than they are in English.
Getting going early.
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We really might get gradually worse at learning a new language as we age, says a new study.
The wrong message.
Reuters
As a Muslim woman, why I think the prime minister’s plan to teach Muslim women English is oppressive.
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Irregular verbs, crazy spelling and the difficulty of being polite. English is tough.
Language learning is not a passive process in which children simply absorb and copy their parents.
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Children don’t learn all aspects of language from their parents, but invent a language structure themselves.
‘Need more input.’
robo-editing
What does it take to teach an AI how to read natural human languages?
Gabriel Kenny, aged five, gets to grips with Mandarin characters as part of a US school program.
Lucy Nicholson/Reuters
There is a new potential coloniser on South Africa’s linguistic block. From 2016, Mandarin will be taught in schools – and this will see African languages bumped even further down the pecking order.
Harder when you first begin juggling two languages.
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Bilingual children’s progress in learning vocabularly depends on their parents.
Those who know more than one language have a competitive edge.
The LEAF Project
For language learners, the two-way immersion program has shown high success rates. What makes the program so effective?
Easier than it looks?
Chinese lesson via michaeljung/www.shutterstock.com
Unless young children are totally immersed in a foreign language, they actually learn it better when they’re a bit older.
Amid the debate about what languages should dominate at African schools, we’re missing an important point: why do we learn language in the first place?
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There are two functions of language: communication and access to knowledge. Each must be pursued as an objective in its own right rather than being lumped together.
Back to the books.
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After being in decline for a decade, a new policy could kick-start language learning.
Worth practicing for your holiday?
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Language experts review how one of the world’s most popular language learning apps measures up against traditional teaching.
German speakers think more about their goals.
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Bilinguals think differently depending on the language they’re operating in.
Whichever language you speak, you are welcome.
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Speaking more than one language isn’t just about getting better job propspects or superior brain power.
Not the popular choice.
LeafLanguages
There has been a 16% decline in the number of first degree language students since 2007.
No hablo español. And it doesn’t matter.
Skype via Gil C/Shutterstock
New technology has the habit of making certain professions redundant. Power looms put cotton workers out of job, leading to the rise of the Luddites. Word processors put an end to the typing pool. Now…
What speaking two languages does to the brain’s white matter.
Brain illustration via Jezper/Shutterstock
There is increasing evidence that bilingualism can affect how the brain works. Older, lifelong bilinguals have demonstrated better cognitive skills in tasks that require increased cognitive control. These…