I've been using https://thenewsintwos.app/ for about two years and its a great no-cost app to add to a language learning toolkit to consume more in your target language. I only use the web version and I don't bother with its language plans, but its by line or word translation reveal in feed is slick. It sources Newser, which is not bad, but it'd be neat to have the functionality built into a feed reader - please let me know if that's already a thing.
SILICON Digitally Disadvantaged Languages Fellowship Program: Call for Proposals.
SILICON invites applications from keyboard designers, app designers, type designers, Large Language Model designers, language ethnographers, OCR/ML experts, and digital typographic experts for inaugural SILICON Fellowship Program. Awards of up to $7,000 to be granted.
"In Hollywood today, not only are Asian and Asian American narratives more prominent than ever, but they are also being told in increasingly dynamic ways through the artful use of Asian languages."
@liztai “sei pat poh” is too dramatic and “puk gai” (bastard) is more common in daily life :blobfoxlul: it can even be used in jokes between fds to mock each other
Since it came up several times at #pyconus, I thought I’d post here. The method I’ve been using to learn Spanish (and liking quite a bit), is Comprehensible Input.
A good starting point for finding information about CI, and finding materials in your target language is Compehensible Input Wiki
The current frequency of language usage on the Web (e.g. 52% of websites in English) doesn't reflect the diverse cultural and linguistic needs essential for global access, highlighting the importance of internationalization (i18n).
Fuqiao Xue, @w3c i18n activity lead, gave a comprehensive report of past and future @webi18n work, collaborating with spec and #browser#developers to address gaps, particularly for endangered scripts and #languages.
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“You can’t learn new phonemes as an adult” is a lie.
I mean, I was already sure of that, because my Spanish pronunciation wasn’t always this good, but I couldn’t say for absolute certain which sounds in Spanish and Japanese I didn’t have as a child. (Some sounds that are in Spanish but not English are in Rusyn, which was occasionally spoken in my house.)
But I DEFINITELY could not make a uvular trill a week ago.
@maco in that case I should have never been able to learn the English th sound, or the English l in kill, or the Japanese l/r sound. Yes, there are sounds that are difficult to master and some are probably impossible, also depending on genetics (my sister can’t do the Spanish rrrr with her tongue at all), but to say it’s impossible to learn new phonemes as an adult doesn’t seem right to me at all. Where does this come from?
People that have experienced language attrition of their native language, how difficult was it to relearn your language? And do you have any tips on how to overcome mental blocks and other challenges with it?
If you are learning a new language in general, which techniques work best for you that I can try?
Currently I speak my native language very poorly (about A2 level), but English pretty much fluently. I'm taking lessons and I know native fluent speakers IRL, but it really is a struggle.
@lazerdude I have recently re-learned German, a lot of which I forgot since my childhood (although, based on what you describe in the other posts, I was able to passively use it much more than you in the meantime). I haven’t done much specific to do that, the most important thing was just using it, which was easy, since I moved to a German speaking region. It felt mostly as if the knowledge was in my brain, just very hard to access, which is definitely a different experience than learning from scratch.
One thing that helped in the initial phases was watching a couple documentaries and a TV series. Kinda obvious advice, so this post is mostly about encouragement – it definitely can be done and good luck!
I’ve noticed that I am not really passionate about anything in life. I like a lot of things, but nothing lights me up. Trying to figure out if I somehow haven’t tried THE hobby yet. How do people find out what they like?
I’d like to do some #languagelearning but don’t know which one. Japanese, Korean, or Mandarin. My brain keeps yelling: ALL OF THEM.
I’m thinking of doing a #photography course. Probably in-person more so than an online one.
@Vinjii What level to you want to learn a language? You can learn to say "something" or "hello" in 100 languages really quick if that is your goal, but you want be able to do anything else. If you want to sound like a native it will take a couple years of 8 hour per day study (you can spread that out over longer time if you wish). that you don't have one to focus on suggests you don't really have a need or desire to learn them other than it would be nice, so learn basic greetings (2 weeks each, 1 hour per day), and see if that is good enough.
I don't know much about photography, but it is similar: you can be satisfied with a 1 hour course on proper framing or spend years learning the ins and outs of complex topics like f-stops. Nothing wrong with either option.
The important thing is you cannot master everything, but you also don't need to. You need to master what it is you do for a day job, but day jobs tend to lead to burn out if that is all you do, so find a hobby. As a hobby the important part is it keeps you busy and you like it, so if you decide you don't like it go find something else. There is nothing wrong with switching so long as you understand you decided not to get better and are okay with it.
@bluGill That's actually a good point. I'm just looking for hobbies that'll make me happy and give me a sense of joy in my life. I like learning things, and I like languages. So, it's definitely not about sounding native. Same with photography. I love taking photos, but I don't really know much about it, so it would be interesting to learn! I think I get stuck in the "I need to be perfect at the things I do" mindset; I need to shed that. Thank you for sharing your thoughts. I appreciate it!
