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1396 questions
13
votes
1 answer
Is there a certification in English beyond C2 that a foreign speaker could pursue?
I got my C2 certification in English language proficiency over 10 years ago. Since then, I believe my grasp on the language has improved significantly, but that improvement is not reflected anywhere officially.
Today I decided to check if there are…
T. C.
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13
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4 answers
Benefits of reading texts one does not understand well
My Danish skills are at the level where I can usually puzzle out the meaning of a newspaper article, even though I won't understand most specialized words. I took a quick look at some pages of a Danish crime novel and I could follow what was…
Tommi
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13
votes
3 answers
How to make vocabulary acquisition fun?
I have been learning French for around 2.5 years. I am currently around the B1 level and have attained this by practising reading, writing and speaking and basically immersion. But one of the biggest contributors so far has been ‘Spaced Repetition’…
Cloud
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13
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2 answers
Mnemonics for learning vocabulary and complex writing for people with aphantasia
Aphantasia is the inability to create mental images. In the most extreme cases, people with this condition are completely incapable of re-creating any sensual information and lack mind's eye. All thoughts, memories, and feelings are processed as…
Olga
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13
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0 answers
What are the various context clue techniques children use to learn a new word?
Is there any literature that discusses in great detail what the various context clues are that children use to learn a new word? I found myself reading a few papers "The development of a classification
scheme of contextual aids" by Wilbur S. Ames…
stevestark
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13
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2 answers
Do people fluent in two languages learn a third, unrelated language more easily?
The question in the title is strongly shortened. In full length it goes like this:
Do people who speak fluently two languages (which they have learned as a child)
that are quite different from each other (e.g. German and Arabic)
learn a third…
Hans-Peter Stricker
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13
votes
1 answer
Teaching the Present Continuous before the Simple Present?
What would be the pros and cons of teaching the Present Continuous before the Simple Present of main verbs?
As every teacher and foreign learner of English knows, courses and course books usually introduce the Simple Present of main verbs before the…
user3588
13
votes
2 answers
Is switching between languages and addressing conversation partners in the right language easy for Kids?
My son grows up as a bilingual. At home we speak Arabic or German with him while he usually speaks German at the playschool.
Until his third birthday, I sometimes remarked that he couldn't really switch between languages or more exactly address his…
Medi1Saif
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13
votes
8 answers
How can I learn a language with little documentation/resources (Georgian)?
I've been trying to learn Georgian for almost 9 months now but have got no where.
I do know a Georgian, even despite his undeniable skill in English he can't explain Georgian grammar to me.
Georgian has a complex case system, extremely concept verbs…
Featherball
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13
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5 answers
Which version of the Arabic keyboard on Windows 10 is most like Modern Standard Arabic?
I tried to install the Arabic keyboard on my Windows 10 laptop, but I've realised that there are over a dozen keyboards for different varieties of Arabic. I'm just trying to learn MSA, not a specific dialect. But there doesn't appear to be a…
Lou
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13
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3 answers
How to speak faster
Background
So I know plenty of Chinese words and grammar. I know loads, and due to the fantastic listening podcast SlowChinese, my listening is actually great. I'm so proud and happy.
I've contacted my teacher's students in China and when they speak…
Featherball
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13
votes
1 answer
What are the main arguments for and against the critical period hypothesis, and what are alternative explanations?
Why is the critical period hypothesis so heavily disputed, yet widely accepted; what are its major strengths and weaknesses; what other explanations exist for the perceived "critical period", if it does not exist?
Hatchet
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13
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1 answer
Is there any evidence that a specific type of writing is more beneficial than others for learning?
Have there been any studies done on if certain types of writing (fiction, personal/diary type, scientific, etc.) benefit a second language learner more than others? To be clear, this would be the learner themselves writing, and not reading someone…
eefara
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13
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3 answers
Is it easy for native Japanese speakers to remember simplified Chinese characters?
Kanji resemble Chinese characters because they were introduced into the Japanese language via Chinese.
Is it easy for native Japanese speakers to remember simplified Chinese characters?
I'm asking about their pronunciation and the shape of the…
ra1ned
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13
votes
5 answers
Modern Hebrew before Biblical Hebrew?
I have heard it said more than once that there are advantages to gaining a basic fluency in Modern Hebrew before attempting Biblical Hebrew. Getting comfortable with text decoding, basic vocabulary, some grammar in context to a living language…
Hashamyim
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