It is surprising when you think about how much of the English language is peppered with German words. We talk, without realising half the time, that we are borrowing words from one of our closest European neighbours. But it shouldn’t come as a surprise that many of these ‘loanwords’ are…
We speak, sometimes without even paying close attention to the words we say. Our words are sometimes babbling, and not really any form of instruction or description at all. After viewing a TED talk about language, I started to look differently at the way I formed my words. Lera Boroditsky…
Raising a child to be bilingual provides many lasting benefits that will impact all areas of his/her life. Some of the benefits of bilingualism include broadening a child’s perspective of the world, opening up career opportunities later in life, and having a positive impact on their cognitive development. The Benefits…
Our language is full of weird words that look as if they mean one thing but actually imply something completely different. For example, take the word bucolic. If you didn’t already know what this word meant, you might surmise that it was a medical word connected to an illness of…
Some words are so intrinsically embedded into our unconscious that we don’t even realise they are foreign words. Take the internationally-known distress call of ‘May Day!’ for example. It derives from the French verb for help – 'aider'. In the 1920s, people were getting used to new international radio communications.…
Heard of hygge? How about fika or abbiocco? It appears we are familiar with some words in different languages but not others. Why do some words in different languages just happen to end up in our everyday use and stay there? Who knows, but that’s not to say we can’t…
Being an introvert in an extroverted society can be tough. Yet, there are some great jobs that can help introverts fulfill their full potential. According to statistics, half of the population is introverted. However, the world in which we live is tailored to the needs of the extroverted ones. Luckily,…
Psychological theories give us insight into our behavior and provide answers as to why we do the things we do. Some of those could even change your life. As human beings, we love to talk and learn about ourselves, ever striving to delve deeper into what motivates us. Sometimes, however,…