"The classic image of British tourists abroad is not a flattering one. They’re sunburnt and usually a bit drunk, navigating new places with a Karl Pilkington scowl. They’re the tourists who speak English slowly and loudly to locals, to the point of oblivious rudeness. They get impatient easily when facing a language barrier, and don’t hesitate to shout or snap at waiters, bellhops or bar staff.
The truth, however, may be entirely different. A new study from Travel Supermarket polled over 2,000 people and discovered that British travellers are more linguistically competent than we think. The data shows that not only are we trying to speak foreign languages abroad, but we're minding our manners while we’re at it."
From: The Telegraph
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"Adults learning a foreign language often need flash cards, tapes, and practice, practice, practice. Children, on the other hand, seem to pick up their native language out of thin air. The learning process is even more remarkable when two languages are involved."
Source: ScienceDaily
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Precision of language is not considered a pre-requisite for discourse these days"Then there is the use of "like", scattered liberally through every sentence: this hasn't simply replaced a pause for breath, neither is an alternative to "um" or "er", but is rather a way of maintaining a constant stream of verbiage, as if hesitation or an unfilled nano second would result in losing the attention of the listener."
Source: The Independent
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Interesting opinion-based article by Barbara Bess about the role language plays for immigrants. It's a topicthat concerns many countries in today's society.
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Source: theweek.com
"What was once the longest word in the German language, a tongue consisting of many ridiculously lengthy words, is no more."
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"When it comes to vocabulary, it’s important to learn the words you are most likely to encounter in Spanish texts or conversations, so why not begin with a list of the most commonly found words in Spanish."
Source: Happy hour Spanish
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People from Spain and Latin Amercia discuss differences in their use of español. Very instructive video for they speak in Spanish. The video is subtitled in English and in Mandarin Chinese.
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"An 18-year-old applying for a Saturday job in a Cambridge shop was surprised to be told she needed to speak Chinese to secure the position."
Source: BBC News
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"A series of maps illustrating the linguistics and pronunciations of certain words in different regions throughout the country is amusing Americans everywhere on social media who have long debated how to correctly say words like "pecan" and "caramel."

From www.newsmax.com

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