In the age of globalization and information, almost everybody worldwide is able to connect, and the main way we do so is through language. To speak English, in addition to one’s mother tongue, is a must nowadays. The same argument can be made for Spanish as well. Besides that, the internet has made it possible to learn every existing language you can think of. And there are numerous ways to accomplish this. Traditionally, people would take lessons from a language teacher in private or group classes. But many language lovers today try their luck on their own. Despite all the information out there, it can be hard to motivate oneself when a human perspective is missing.
Luckily, there are plenty of linguistic blogs available to encourage your endeavours, and remind you that every language learner sometimes gets frustrated in the process. It can be very comforting to read about the struggles that others experience. These blogs can be helpful in learning a specific language, or just geeking out about linguistics in general. What does this word mean and how do I pronounce it? How can I teach this language to others?
You can further improve your vocabulary and, in the end, you will both speak and write better in the language you are trying to get right. Because browsing the web in search of linguistic blogs can be a little bit overwhelming, we put together a list to help get you started and show you the diversity of such blogs. Hopefully, these 6 suggestions will help you power up your language learning game!
1: THE POLYGLOT DREAM
The Polyglot Dream is a blog by Luca Lampariello, who speaks 13 languages fluently. That’s already super impressive on its own! But he started one of the better-known language blogs to share his experience with other language lovers. He frequently addresses language learning myths and tells you everything you need to know to fine-tune your skills. Listen to this man—he speaks 13 languages, yet is just a “regular” guy. That means anybody can do it. And by visiting Luca’s blog, you will see that even a language enthusiast like him struggles and has to keep practising, which we all can identify with. He deals with topics like “5 Things I Wish I Had Known When I Began Learning Specific Languages” and “How To Watch Movies To Improve Your Foreign Languages.” With Luca’s blog, you can learn all the tactics you need for being a pro when it comes to learning and using languages.
2: ALL THINGS LINGUISTIC
This is a blog by Gretchen McCulloch that’s for the general language geek who wants to learn one or two more new languages. Her content is comprised of everything linguistic, from funny memes and charts to extensive scientific articles. But beware; you could easily get carried away for hours by All Things Linguistic. Her blog is definitely super practical and helpful for language learners, laced with a nice sense of humour and a personal take on linguistics. She also runs a podcast that’s featured on her site.
3: BEING MULTILINGUAL
Madalena Cruz-Ferreira speaks English, French, Portuguese, and Swedish. She is also a linguist who specializes in myths, paradoxes, and misconceptions surrounding multilingualism. So, this is another blog for polyglots and people who intend to become one. Moreover, she has a keen sense of the interconnectedness between language and culture. Madalena is also very interested in the language learning ability of children, who are said to be relative experts in the subject. If you want an intelligent view of all things multilingual, head over to Being Multilingual.
4: GRAMMAR GIRL
The podcast Grammar Girl is a leading language podcast that has won numerous awards over the years, including 2017 Winner of Best Education Podcast in the Podcast Awards. The format tackles common mistakes, with episodes being as short as just a few seconds. The creator of Grammar Girl, Mignon Fogarty, believes that learning is fun and a wonderful, lifelong study. That’s why she provides short tips to improve your writing, spanning from grammar and word choice guidelines to tricks that help you apply those troublesome syntax rules. As measured by the popularity of her podcast, her style really speaks to language lovers and learners. So, if you want a friendly, yet really helpful and informative breakdown of complex grammar rules, you should absolutely check out her blog.
5: LANGUAGE ACQUISITION NEWS
Language Acquisition News is a priceless resource for scientists and linguists. Mixing a scientific journal with a blog, Language Acquisition News shares cutting-edge scientific findings on language learning in general, and language acquisition. Here, you will find the most up-to-date research regarding the brain function of language learners and other associated topics. Although the content comes directly from the scientific community, it is still understandable and enjoyable for everyone. This way, you can easily benefit from the latest findings to rock the science and linguistic communities. This blog covers topics like “Learning In Your Sleep, The Right Way,” “Being Bilingual May Help Autistic Children,” and “Is There A Musical Method For Interpreting Speech?” Basically, you gain extremely useful insights that can enhance your language learning journey greatly.
6: ITCHY FEET
Following the aforementioned scientific blog, our last entry on this list is a more comical take on language learning. Itchy Feet is beloved by many language enthusiasts because it is so spot-on. Malachi Ray Rempen makes comics about every language topic you can think of. They mainly focus on the struggles and frustrations we experience when learning a new language. Some comics are tailored to a specific language, but all of them give you the giggles while dealing with the universal anxieties and challenges that language learners all face at one point or another. It’s definitely a super creative way of making people laugh who are in the thick of learning a new language. Everything these little comics cover is just so true!
YUQO: MORE BLOGS FOR LANGUAGE LOVERS
If these suggestions don’t satisfy your linguistic hunger, there is always more to discover. For example, check out our own site Yuqo, which also features very interesting and informative blogs for language lovers. The focus here is more on the business side, which is especially valuable for content creators, editors, and translators. To give you an idea, you can find blogs with subjects like “The Top 3 Languages In Europe’s Emerging E-Commerce Markets,” “5 Reasons To Make Your Website Available In German,” and “30 Words, Phrases, And Sayings That Don’t Translate Well.”
