The linguist debate continues.
I am rationalist, activist, linguist, and an optimist. Another video on the subject. [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ao_YkPwDEaY&w=640&h=390]
Vocabulary
To learn a language you first need to learn the words and phrases, what they mean and how they sound. Niceties like the subjunctive can come later. A recent video on the subject. [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O_5HCGJheKs&w=640&h=390]
Vocabulary acquisition, word frequency and computer based language learning.
A subject that arises frequently in language learning is that of which words to learn and in what order. Much research has gone in to word frequency analysis and then planning language learning texts on that basis. I believe that this is not impor…
Language and culture
Language and culture are at the core of education, or should be. With all the debate about language learning methods, the definition of “linguist”, input versus output versus grammar, the role of the Internet etc. it is sometimes useful to take st…
Long before Krashen it was understood that languages are best learned through input.
Krashen’s ideas about the primacy of input and reading are not new, according to this fascinating article, that should be the subject of ongoing discussion. Here are a few choice paragraphs.John Locke, in Some Thoughts Concerning Education (1692),…
Are you a linguist?
Who is a linguist? I am reading my book “The Linguist, a Language Learning Odyssey”, in Russian. Here is what I wrote in the introduction to the book 8 years ago.Note: The book has been translated into 8 or 9 languages. As I see it, everyone is a …
National Conversation with Asia
I was at a reception the other evening to launch the National Conversation on Asia campaign in Canada. A lot of hype and an opportunity for various organizations to access funds for all kinds of activities, the net effect of which will be rather l…
Thinking of moving this blog to Posterous and shutting down Typepad, any thoughts?
I have been posting on my blog through Posterous with the result that the blog appears both in a Typepad format and a Posterous format. I am thinking of moving it all to Posterous. Does anyone have any comments or suggestions on the wisdom of doin…
Palau disappeared due to rising sea levels?
Here is a report on the disappearance of the Pacific Island of Palau, as predicted by the UN, due to rising sea levels caused by global warming. Here is an invitation to visit Palau for a romantic tropical holiday.
The US consumes 25% of the world’s resources and has 5% of the world’s population.
I often see this statement, and it is usually meant as a reproach. But what would happen if the US stopped consuming so much of the world’s resources. Would the third world be better off? In all likelihood, exports from third world countries would…
