The Science of Language Archives | The Pimsleur Language Blog https://www.pimsleur.com/blog/category/science-of-language/ Learning another language doesn't have to be hard. Tue, 17 Dec 2024 15:39:55 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.5.5 The Speech Sounds that Make English Hard to Learn https://www.pimsleur.com/blog/english-speech-sounds-phonemes/ https://www.pimsleur.com/blog/english-speech-sounds-phonemes/#respond Thu, 05 Aug 2021 14:38:07 +0000 https://blog.pimsleur.com/?p=27117 Uncommon English Speech Sounds that Make the Language Unique Learning how English compares to other languages can actually help us learn other languages.  And it can make us appreciate the wide diversity among the languages of the world. Using WALS, the World Atlas of Language Structures online, as well as this interactive chart of consonants Read More >>

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]]> https://www.pimsleur.com/blog/english-speech-sounds-phonemes/feed/ 0 54+ Easy and Effective Ways to Learn a Language https://www.pimsleur.com/blog/best-ways-to-learn-a-language/ https://www.pimsleur.com/blog/best-ways-to-learn-a-language/#respond Wed, 07 Apr 2021 15:26:35 +0000 https://blog.pimsleur.com/?p=26638 You want to learn a language. It’s been on your bucket list for years. You’ve probably made a few attempts before, but it never went anywhere… But this time will be different. Yes, learning a language is hard. It takes a significant amount of time. And you don’t need to take a fancy (and expensive) language course Read More >>

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]]> https://www.pimsleur.com/blog/best-ways-to-learn-a-language/feed/ 0 New Year’s Resolution for 2021 – Learn a Language This Year https://www.pimsleur.com/blog/2021-new-years-language-resolutions/ https://www.pimsleur.com/blog/2021-new-years-language-resolutions/#comments Tue, 22 Dec 2020 19:25:14 +0000 https://blog.pimsleur.com/?p=23327 Yes, I know: You always make New Year’s resolutions, but you only actually stick with them until February. So what’s the point? Well, it turns out that even though many of the people that make resolutions end up not keeping them, one study suggests that almost 50% do continue to keep their resolution after 6 Read More >>

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]]> https://www.pimsleur.com/blog/2021-new-years-language-resolutions/feed/ 2 Fail Your Way to Success: The 5 Best—and Worst—Language Mistakes to Make https://www.pimsleur.com/blog/language-mistakes-to-make/ https://www.pimsleur.com/blog/language-mistakes-to-make/#comments Mon, 23 Nov 2020 13:05:45 +0000 https://blog.pimsleur.com/?p=21554 Why You Need to Make Mistakes to Learn a Language Making Language Mistakes Can be Painful  I’ve lived in Brazil for over a year now, and I still feel embarrassed when I forget how to say, “It was nice to meet you.” in Portuguese. I regularly try to tell stories to my friends and find Read More >>

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]]> https://www.pimsleur.com/blog/language-mistakes-to-make/feed/ 2 Language Politics – How Governments Wield Words https://www.pimsleur.com/blog/language-politics/ https://www.pimsleur.com/blog/language-politics/#respond Tue, 27 Oct 2020 21:21:10 +0000 https://blog.pimsleur.com/?p=20533 Language is a Powerful Tool The vocabulary that makes up our communication systems is so diverse and versatile that it is capable of conveying any and every concept using a spectrum of nuances. Nowhere is this linguistic power harnessed more strongly than in communication between governments and citizens. Fundamentally, governments need to communicate clearly with Read More >>

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]]> https://www.pimsleur.com/blog/language-politics/feed/ 0 Get Smarter! What Happens To Your Brain When You Learn a Language https://www.pimsleur.com/blog/get-smarter-what-happens-to-your-brain-when-you-learn-a-language/ https://www.pimsleur.com/blog/get-smarter-what-happens-to-your-brain-when-you-learn-a-language/#comments Fri, 16 Oct 2020 16:56:59 +0000 https://blog.pimsleur.com/?p=20141 The Extraordinary Benefits of Learning a Language Learning a language is challenging and it takes a ton of time. Years, usually. If you’ve already started learning a second language, then you know how much effort it takes. At times it can feel like pushing a jeep up a hill. According to the US Foreign Service Institute, learning even the “easiest” Read More >>

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]]> https://www.pimsleur.com/blog/get-smarter-what-happens-to-your-brain-when-you-learn-a-language/feed/ 1 Want to stop saying “Bon-Jer”? How To Improve Your Pronunciation https://www.pimsleur.com/blog/improve-pronunciation-accent/ https://www.pimsleur.com/blog/improve-pronunciation-accent/#comments Fri, 02 Oct 2020 20:37:35 +0000 https://blog.pimsleur.com/?p=19679 It’s Okay to Have an Accent There’s a very specific feeling of shame I get when I say something in Portuguese to a Brazilian, and they can’t understand me. I have even occasionally had someone say to me: I don’t understand you… can you say it in English? These moments make you feel like curling Read More >>

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]]> https://www.pimsleur.com/blog/improve-pronunciation-accent/feed/ 3 The World’s Most Unusual Languages https://www.pimsleur.com/blog/worlds-most-unusual-languages/ https://www.pimsleur.com/blog/worlds-most-unusual-languages/#respond Tue, 29 Sep 2020 14:59:44 +0000 https://blog.pimsleur.com/?p=19464 How Many Languages are Spoken in the World Today? The answer is probably more than you think: there are around 7,000 languages in use today. The exact number is difficult to count because so many are spoken in isolated, difficult-to-reach areas, or only spoken by a diminishing number of elders in minority groups. Amongst these Read More >>

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]]> https://www.pimsleur.com/blog/worlds-most-unusual-languages/feed/ 0 What Part of No Don’t You Understand? Origins of the Word “No” https://www.pimsleur.com/blog/origins-of-the-word-no/ https://www.pimsleur.com/blog/origins-of-the-word-no/#respond Mon, 14 Sep 2020 15:27:33 +0000 https://blog.pimsleur.com/?p=19227 The Etymology & Origins of the Word “No” Around the World Every language has a word for it. Some have many. Let’s explore the origins and meaning of no. In English, the word no dates back to Middle English and means “not in any degree, not at all, not ever.” Though it’s a short word with only two Read More >>

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]]> https://www.pimsleur.com/blog/origins-of-the-word-no/feed/ 0 Order From Tragedy: Roget and The Origin Of The First Thesaurus https://www.pimsleur.com/blog/history-rogets-thesaurus/ https://www.pimsleur.com/blog/history-rogets-thesaurus/#respond Thu, 27 Aug 2020 14:56:35 +0000 https://blog.pimsleur.com/?p=18754 Beautiful Tools Borne Out of Less Beautiful Circumstances – Peter Mark Roget (1779-1869) Peter Mark Roget was a remarkable man. A lexicographer whose invention has helped almost everyone who speaks English at some point or another. Don’t believe us? You’ll almost definitely have used an item he created. There may even be one on your Read More >>

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