One of my primary interests in languages is how much they reflect society and cultures. We've all heard the anecdote of how the Eskimos have a vast number of words for types of snow. That is the type of material that this book covers. "Native Tongues"
The...
I have several books on languages in general. Some are very technical, some are almost too casual, and some are more showy than accurate. This book falls into none of these categories.
The late Mario Pei was born in Italy, but moved to the United...
If you're a language lover (and if you're reading this, you most likely are), then you no doubt have a few language dictionaries. It is also almost as certain that you have a favourite brand of dictionary, the one that you feel is the most helpful,...
When opening a book about languages, I tend to immediately put them into one of two categories: a reference guide or a general overview. "The Power of Babel" falls into the latter of these categories. It is not about any particular language, nor is...
The Berlitz Phrasebooks have been around for decades, and are often described as the "world's best phrasebooks." I have a few dozen myself. These small books are normally around 10 x 14.5cm (4" x 5.75") in size, making them ideal for tucking into...
To be honest, I don't know when or where I picked this book up. I feel like I have always had it. While the cover is appealing, it doesn't appear imposing, as if it is going to unlock some great secrets. It's not a large book, nor is it glossy or flashy....
Book Look - Fluency Made Achievable: The Fluent Guide to Core Language Skills
The book in review this month is Fluency Made Achievable: The Fluent Guide to Core Language Skills by Kerstin Hammes. It is available from Amazon in both paperback and Kindle formats, as well as part of a wonderful bundle package featuring this book,...
The book in review this month is Language Master Key by Ron Gullekson. It is available from Amazon as a Kindle ebook.
Ron is a native English speaker who a technical writer and translator in Florida, USA. He has studied Arabic, German, and Spanish...
All you German learners out there should pay particular attention to this month's book review. The A to Z of Learning German: 26 ideas to make learning German more exciting and fun! by Angelika Davey is available both as a printed book and a Kindle...
This month I look at the book Italian Short Stories for Beginners, by polyglot Olly Richards, who runs the very successful blog I Want to Teach You a Language.
The subtitle is "8 Unconventional Short Stories to Grow Your Vocabulary and Learn Italian...
In this issue, I am reviewing the book Language Alter Ego by Ekaterina Matveeva, founder of Amolingua, a community of language tutors from all over the world.
Ekaterina is a polyglot and language teacher who speaks 8 languages and has taught them...
The Langenscheidt publishing company is one of the most famous among German dictionary producers. It was founded in 1856 by Gustav Langenscheidt and employed the finest philologists of the time. After Gustav's death, his son Carl took over the company....
The Bad Words Dictionary definitely has its niche in the language resource world. How many of us have been frustrated by not being able to swear, curse, or enjoy some of the more "colorful" words of a language, and found your normal dictionary somewhat...
Book Look - The Bible of the Language Learners and Polyglots
Most of us are probably at least familiar with some of the "bigger" names in the language community. We hear about them all the time, in numerous interviews or giving talks about how they learned their languages. Some of you will have even met a few...
Book Look - Aikainen lintu nappaa madon. Sananlaskuja läheltä ja kaukaa
The book in review in this issue is this time in Finnish, Aikainen lintu nappaa madon. Sananlaskuja läheltä ja kaukaa, originally The Silent Beetle Eats the Seed. Proverbs from Far and Wide. It is available in bookshops and online stores, but apparently...