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8 of the Longest Words in English

Do you have three and a half hours to spare? The longest word in the English language contains 189,891 letters. It takes about three and a half hours to pronounce this technical name of the protein Titin. If you’re up for it, you can read and try to pronounce the word here. You won’t hear […]

5 Fascinating Language Facts: Hmong

The Hmong are an ethnic group that originated in China’s Yellow River Basin. Throughout their history, they faced persecution and displacement. Today, Hmong people live in Vietnam, China, Thailand, and America. Hmong is part of the Chuanqiandian Cluster, a branch of the Chinese Miao language. More than 2.7 million people speak Hmong worldwide. Want to […]

What is the “Language Barrier Premium,” and how does it impact healthcare?

The United States is more linguistically diverse than ever. As of 2015, there were at least 350 languages spoken in U.S. households. One in five people living in the U.S. speaks a language other than English at home. Of those, approximately 41 percent are Limited English Proficient (LEP), which means they speak English less than […]

How Did the Months Get Their Names?

We mark time in many different ways – months, weeks, days, seconds. These terms get thrown around regularly, and they play a huge role in the way we conceptualize the many happenings of our lives. Here we’ll take a look at each of the months and try to answer some fundamental questions about them: where […]

Do Language Learning Apps Work?

The app marketplace teems with clickables that promise shortcuts to learning. Among these apps, mobile programs to learn a second language have exploded in popularity, as busy adult learners search for methods to educate themselves through easy-to-use formats—in fact, the cloud-based language learning market is projected to reach values of $8 billion by 2024. Many […]

Is it easier to learn a language when you’re young?

We’ve all heard some variation of the ultra-absorbent, spongy brain explanation that suggests children’s talent for second language acquisition comes as naturally to them as a sugar high on Halloween night. But is it actually true? Empirically speaking, yes. To achieve a native level of fluency in a second language, it’s best to start learning […]

5 Languages Facing Extinction

While many people worry about the world’s endangered plant and animal species, fewer are aware of the plight that endangered languages face. According to Time Magazine, a language dies every three months. Languages die out for a variety of reasons. Political dominance often leads to linguistic dominance, as in the cases of Africa and Latin […]

How Does Language Impact Disaster Relief?

Disasters happen all over the world. These disruptive, dangerous events require an immediate response. While an appropriate response can save lives and help those affected, the wrong response can be calamitous. Because disasters happen suddenly, disaster relief organizations must plan ahead in order to be prepared to mobilize quickly. While it may be obvious to […]

Why are fewer students learning a second language in England?

According to British Council’s Language Trends 2018 report, fewer primary and secondary school students in England are learning second languages. One of the clearest reflections of the decline is the statistics from the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE). GCSE is a series of exams taken by U.K. students at the end of their compulsory […]

5 Fascinating Language Facts: Wolof

There are more than 350 languages spoken in the United States, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That may seem like a lot – but compared to the number of languages spoken worldwide, it’s only a small fraction. The world is home to over 7,000 languages, but most people are only familiar with a small […]

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