For people who love languages, or would but were discouraged.

Zhuangzi’s Crooked Tree Huizi said to Zhuangzi, “This old tree is so crooked and rough that it is useless for lumber. In the same way, your teachings have no practical use.” Zhuangzi replied, “This tree may be useless as lumber, but you could rest...

Even though I speak nine languages I am quite opposed to multiculturalism, or at least the ideology of multicultualism. The ideology of multiculturalism in Western countries promotes the position that immigrants should hold on to their ancestral c...

Some people learn faster than others. Some people pronounce better than others. Why is this? I am more and more convinced that it is a matter of attitude rather than talent. There is something that good language learners have in common. They can l...

We had a conversation class tonight with about 20 English learners, in Blenz cafe on the corner of Richards and Hastings in Vancouver. It has been raining hard the last few days and I am concerned about the snow conditions in the nearby mountains,...

When I was 17 I could only speak one language. Now I speak 9. I am convinced that most people can learn to speak many languages. We are all potential linguists. I am astounded at how strongly people cling to the belief that they cannot learn. This...

What is the most important thing and what is the most difficult thing in learning a new language? My answer is always vocabulary. You can express yourself with faulty grammar and less than perfect pronunciation. If you do not have the words you ca...