tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10314030.post4719043697234175071..comments2023-07-01T05:46:43.130-05:00Comments on Out of the Woods Now: The future of languagesamcorreahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04952630644786569828noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10314030.post-44518419240440056162011-10-09T16:40:57.163-05:002011-10-09T16:40:57.163-05:00Regarding Hebrew: it depends on your definition of...Regarding Hebrew: it depends on your definition of a dead language. For hundreds of years Hebrew was not a mother tongue but it was very much alive in education, scholarship, prayer, and communication between Jewish communities. Ben Yehuda's revival of the Hebrew language has assumed mythical proportions. He did play a central role in turning Hebrew back into a mother tongues, but not from scratch as popularly reported.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10314030.post-8787822881958525272011-08-28T05:23:22.887-05:002011-08-28T05:23:22.887-05:00Im currently learning german at the moment, and th...Im currently learning german at the moment, and think knowing more than one language is a tremendous boon to understanding and solving problems. <br /><br />On the other hand you have to make the distinction between bilingualism being useful and preserving each and every language. <br /><br />The truth is modern stable nation states require a strong codified language spoken by a workable portion of the population. This is why France, England, Germany, Russia, China, Spain, The Moors, etc etc (by politicians of every possible ideological positon) have all historically moved to marginalise regional languages. <br /><br />Imagine if history was changed and the was no standardised German or Italian but just a sweep of dialects spreading thousands of miles. Or Cornish still existed. Or Arabic never replaced N.African/ME languages. <br /><br />I dont hold Indonesia or Tanazania as the ideal modern country, countries hamstrung in every aspect by hundreds of different languages. <br /><br />p.S It should be pointed out the multilingual (peaceful) Belgium is actually incapable of putting together a government currently.Mondynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10314030.post-86960096868901383952011-03-19T06:00:03.645-05:002011-03-19T06:00:03.645-05:00I beg to differ. Advanced societies should benefit...I beg to differ. Advanced societies should benefit from one language alone, because the benefits far exceed any difficulties.Most Popular Bookshttp://mostpopularbooks.org/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10314030.post-81847967161849041262008-11-26T19:02:00.000-05:002008-11-26T19:02:00.000-05:00What a fascinating article! I was brought up in Wa...What a fascinating article! I was brought up in Wales which is a bilingual country and so I've always spoken Welsh and English. I do think though that bilingualism only increases brain capacity if the second/third languages are learnt systematically and consciously - that's the only way to increase language learning ability; having been brought up speaking a language means nothing. <BR/><BR/>I'm all for language preservation but unless it is spoken naturally in communities, then it will never be native but merely a second language with speakers being more comfortable in their native language.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10314030.post-7208306935228506242008-03-12T06:57:00.000-05:002008-03-12T06:57:00.000-05:00I recently decided to broaden my horizons and deci...I recently decided to broaden my horizons and decided to learn a new language; the question is what should I learn? I’ve asked a few friends and they were useless! Everyone was telling me something different, in the end I have decided to attempt to <A HREF="http://www.rosettastone.co.uk/personal/languages/japanese" REL="nofollow">learn Japanese</A>. I work in business and the power Japan and China has keeps growing and growing, so learning a bit of the language could be a massive help in my future career. Does anybody know of any reasonably priced but high-quality <A HREF="http://www.rosettastone.co.uk/personal/" REL="nofollow">language learning software</A>?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10314030.post-20758891714525702102008-02-19T10:09:00.000-05:002008-02-19T10:09:00.000-05:00Here are some of the results I got when I googled ...Here are some of the results I got when I googled "bilingualism on the brain":<BR/><BR/>The Washington Post, <A HREF="http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A39338-2004Jun13.html" REL="nofollow">"Bilingualism's Brain Benefits"</A><BR/><BR/>The BBC, <A HREF="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/3794479.stm" REL="nofollow">"Being bilingual 'protects brain'"</A><BR/><BR/>News Wales, <A HREF="http://www.newswales.co.uk/?section=Community&F=1&id=7069" REL="nofollow">"Bilingualism boosts the brain"</A><BR/><BR/>A neuropsychologist's blog, <A HREF="http://neuropsychological.blogspot.com/2004/10/bilingualism-and-brain.html" REL="nofollow"> "Bilingualism and the Brain"</A><BR/><BR/>I would love to read more on this.amcorreahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04952630644786569828noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10314030.post-48444586910828902522008-02-19T08:15:00.000-05:002008-02-19T08:15:00.000-05:00re. alternate and disparate concepts.Learning a se...re. alternate and disparate concepts.<BR/><BR/>Learning a second language does two things for us. It allows us to communicate with people in that language and it gives us the pleasure of reading expressions in that language which are unique because they are not wholly translatable. Psychologists may have done studies of the effects of bilingualness on the brain. It would be interesting to know. I am inclined to disbelieve that bilingualism has an effect on the plasticity of thought and understanding.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10314030.post-40676315098847005202008-02-18T16:42:00.000-05:002008-02-18T16:42:00.000-05:00Thanks for this post: fascinatingThanks for this post: fascinatingAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10314030.post-76769858600192294252008-02-18T10:01:00.000-05:002008-02-18T10:01:00.000-05:00Perhaps. I took it to mean the mind's versatility...Perhaps. I took it to mean the mind's versatility in dealing with new, opposite, or disparate concepts (an example would be alternate use of the "left" and "right" brain).amcorreahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04952630644786569828noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10314030.post-53076453279827900662008-02-18T08:46:00.000-05:002008-02-18T08:46:00.000-05:00"Intellectual adaptability" is one of those nebulo..."Intellectual adaptability" is one of those nebulous terms educators like to throw around. Is it perhaps a synonym for "open mindedness"? If so, then I understand what he is talking about. If not, then I don't.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10314030.post-45434778830187533472008-02-15T11:11:00.000-05:002008-02-15T11:11:00.000-05:00No argument here! Crystal's comment regarding "in...No argument here! Crystal's comment regarding "intellectual adaptability" is something the public does not hear enough about in monolinguistic countries (such as the U.S.).amcorreahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04952630644786569828noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10314030.post-56417162463754311912008-02-15T03:51:00.000-05:002008-02-15T03:51:00.000-05:00Thanks for this very informative article. I vote f...Thanks for this very informative article. I vote for teaching foreign languages at school from 1st grade, and to give teachers a proper traing to do so. I know from experience: the more languages you speak, the easier it is to learn a new one.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com