• You don’t have to have background in languages/linguistics to have a langblr/lingblr • Languages/linguistics doesn’t have to be your main area of interest for you to have a langblr/lingblr • You don’t have to study languages/linguistics at the university to have a langblr/lingblr • You don’t have to aspire to be a translator/interpreter/language teacher/linguist/lexicographer/speech & language therapist/etc. to have a langblr/lingblr
ゲイ ー gay (specific to homosexual males; when I’ve used it, people think I’m a passing trans woman)
レズビアン ー lesbian (sometimes ‘ビアン’ is used, e.g. ‘ビアンバー’）
バイセクシュアル ー bisexual
トランスジェンダー ー transgender
トランセクシュアル ー transsexual
同性愛 ー どうせいあい ー homosexual
両性愛 ー りょうせいあい ー bisexual
セクマイ ー sexual minority
ネコ ー Japanese equivalent to ‘femme’ lesbian identity
タチ ー Japanese equivalent to ‘butch’ lesbian identity
男女間 ー だんじょかん ー between male and female (not a gender; refers to the receptive partner in a male same-sex pairing, like those in ancient Greek and samurai culture)
クイア ー queer (I’ve heard this used less than a handful of times, and always by Americans)
Xジェンダー ー X-Gender, genderless (I see this very rarely, and typically refers to an aesthetic as opposed to felt identity (nonbinary identities as a concept also only really seem to come up with Westerners, especially Americans))
彼女 ー かのじょ ー girlfriend
彼氏 ー かれし ー boyfriend
クラスS ー Class-S (literary/manga genre devoted to romanticised relationships between girls)
ボイズラブ ー Boys’ Love (literary/manga genre devoted to romanticised relationships between boys)
オンナベ ー word sometimes used for masculine lesbians or trans men
one of the aspects of being bilingual that we don’t talk about enough is that awkward moment when the structure of your other language slips into your first language so you phrase a sentence like you would in your second language but using your native language (or vice versa) and so the syntax gets all fucked up and for a long while you just stare at nothing like, what the hell just happened, questioning your entire existence
aberration (n.) - something that differs from the norm (In 1974, Poland won the World Cup, but the success turned out to be anaberration, and Poland have not won a World Cup since).
abhor (v.) - to hate, detest (Because he always wound up getting hit in the head when he tried to play cricket, Marcin began to abhor the sport).
acquiesce (v.) - to agree without protesting (Though Mr. Pospieszny wanted to stay outside and work in his garage, when his wife told him that he had better come in to dinner, heacquiesced to her demands.)
alacrity (n.) - eagerness, speed (For some reason, Simon loved to help his girlfriend whenever he could, so when his girlfriend asked him to set the table he did so with alacrity.)
amiable (adj.) - friendly (An amiable fellow, Neil got along with just about everyone.)
appease(v.) - to calm, satisfy (When Jerry cries, his mother gives him chocolate to appeasehim.)
arcane (adj.) - obscure, secret, known only by a few (The professor is an expert in arcaneKashubian literature.)
avarice (n.) - excessive greed (The banker’s avarice led him to amass an enormous personal fortune.)
brazen (adj.) - excessively bold, brash, clear and obvious (Critics condemned the writer’s brazen attempt to plagiarise Frankow-Czerwonko’s work.)
brusque (adj.) - short, abrupt, dismissive (Simon’s brusque manner sometimes offends his colleagues.)
cajole (v.) - to urge, coax (Magda’s friends cajoled her into drinking too much.)
callous (adj.) - harsh, cold, unfeeling (The murderer’s callous lack of remorse shocked the jury.)
candor (n.) - honesty, frankness (We were surprised by the candor of the politician’s speech because she is usually rather evasive.)
chide (v.) - to voice disapproval (Hania chided Gregory for his vulgar habits and sloppy appearance.)
circumspect(adj.) - cautious (Though I promised Marta’s father I would bring her home promptly by midnight, it would have been more circumspect not to have specified a time.)
clandestine(adj.) - secret (Announcing to her boyfriend that she was going to the library, Maria actually went to meet George for a clandestineliaison.)
coerce (v.) - to make somebody do something by force or threat (The court decided that David Beckham did not have to honor the contract because he had been coerced into signing it.)
coherent (adj.) - logically consistent, intelligible (William could not figure out what Harold had seen because he was too distraught to deliver a coherentstatement.)
complacency (n.) - self-satisfied ignorance of danger (Simon tried to shock his friends out of their complacency by painting a frightening picture of what might happen to them.)
confidant (n.) - a person entrusted with secrets (Shortly after we met, he became my chief confidant.)
connive (v.) - to plot, scheme (She connived to get me to give up my plans to start up a new business.)
cumulative (adj.) - increasing, building upon itself (The cumulative effect of hours spent using the World English website was a vast improvement in his vocabulary and general level of English.)
debase (v.) - to lower the quality or esteem of something (The large raise that he gave himself debased his motives for running the charity.)
decry (v.) - to criticize openly (Andrzej Lepper, the leader of the Polish Self Defence party decried the appaling state of Polish roads.)
deferential (adj.) - showing respect for another’s authority (Donata is always excessivelydeferential to any kind of authority figure.)
demure (adj.) - quiet, modest, reserved (Though everyone else at the party was dancing and going crazy, she remained demure.)
deride (v.) - to laugh at mockingly, scorn (The native speaker often derided the other teacher’s accent.)
despot (n.) - one who has total power and rules brutally (The despot issued a death sentence for anyone who disobeyed his laws.)
diligent (adj.) - showing care in doing one’s work (The diligent researcher made sure to double check her measurements.)
elated (adj.) - overjoyed, thrilled (When he found out he had won the lottery, the postman was elated.)
eloquent (adj.) - expressive, articulate, moving (The best man gave such an eloquent speech that most guests were crying.)
embezzle(v.) - to steal money by falsifying records (The accountant was fired for embezzling €10,000 of the company’s funds.)
empathy (n.) - sensitivity to another’s feelings as if they were one’s own (I feel such empathy for my dog when she’s upset so am I!)
enmity (n.) - ill will, hatred, hostility (John and Scott have clearly not forgiven each other, because the enmity between them is obvious to anyone in their presence.)
erudite (adj.) - learned (My English teacher is such an erudite scholar that he has translated some of the most difficult and abstruse Old English poetry.)
extol (v.) - to praise, revere (Kamila extolled the virtues of a vegetarian diet to her meat-loving boyfriend.)
fabricate (v.) - to make up, invent (When I arrived an hour late to class, I fabricated some excuse about my car breaking down on the way to work.)
feral (adj.) - wild, savage (That beast looks so feral that I would fear being alone with it.)
flabbergasted (adj.) - astounded (Whenever I read an Agatha Christie mystery novel, I am always flabbergasted when I learn the identity of the murderer.)
forsake (v.) - to give up, renounce (I won’t forsake my conservative principles.)
fractious (adj.) - troublesome or irritable (Although the child insisted he wasn’t tired, his fractious behaviour - especially his decision to crush his jam sandwiches all over the floor - convinced everyone present that it was time to put him to bed.)
furtive (adj.) - secretive, sly (Claudia’s placement of her drugs in her sock drawer was not asfurtive as she thought, as the sock drawer is the first place most parents look.)
gluttony (n.) - overindulgence in food or drink (Helen’s fried chicken tastes so divine, I don’t know how anyone can call gluttony a sin.)
gratuitous (adj.) - uncalled for, unwarranted (Every evening the guy at the fish and chip shop gives me a gratuitous helping of vinegar.)
haughty (adj.) - disdainfully proud (The superstar’s haughty dismissal of her co-stars will backfire on her someday.)
hypocrisy (n.) - pretending to believe what one does not (Once the politician began passing legislation that contradicted his campaign promises, his hypocrisy became apparent.)
impeccable (adj.) - exemplary, flawless (If your grades were as impeccable as your brother’s, then you too would receive a car for a graduation present.)
impertinent (adj.) - rude, insolent (Most of your comments are so impertinent that I don’t wish to dignify them with an answer.)
implacable (adj.) - incapable of being appeased or mitigated (Watch out: once you shun Grandmother’s cooking, she is totally implacable.)
impudent (adj.) - casually rude, insolent, impertinent (The impudent young woman looked her teacher up and down and told him he was hot.)
incisive (adj.) - clear, sharp, direct (The discussion wasn’t going anywhere until her incisive comment allowed everyone to see what the true issues were.)
indolent (adj.) - lazy (Why should my indolent children, who can’t even pick themselves up off the sofa to pour their own juice, be rewarded with a trip to Burger King?)
inept (adj.) - not suitable or capable, unqualified (She proved how inept she was when she forgot two orders and spilled a pint of cider in a customer’s lap.)
infamy (n.) - notoriety, extreme ill repute (The infamy of his crime will not lessen as time passes.)
inhibit (v.) - to prevent, restrain, stop (When I told you I needed the car last night, I certainly never meant to inhibit you from going out.)
innate (adj.) - inborn, native, inherent (His incredible athletic talent is innate, he never trains, lifts weights, or practices.)
insatiable (adj.) - incapable of being satisfied (My insatiable appetite for blondes was a real problem on my recent holiday in Japan!)
insular (adj.) - separated and narrow-minded; tight-knit, closed off (Because of the sensitive nature of their jobs, those who work for MI5 must remain insular and generally only spend time with each other.)
intrepid (adj.) - brave in the face of danger (After scaling a live volcano prior to its eruption, the explorer was praised for his intrepidattitude.)
inveterate (adj.) - stubbornly established by habit (I’m the first to admit that I’m an inveterate cider drinker—I drink four pints a day.)
Moment of silence to the whole lands, whole languages, whole cultures, whole peoples that did not survive the terror of European colonialism and bless all those who have and continue to survive it’s long standing impact and oppression all of the world.
the intermediate level of language learning is for real the worst because you’re so far past beginner level but still so far away from speaking the language fluently so in conclusion you simultaneously feel pretty proud of yourself but also like shit
Das Abendbrot - supper, dinner (evening meal) Das Abendessen - dinner, supper (the evening meal) Das Besteck - cutlery, silverware Das Café - café Das Essen - food Das Frühstück - breakfast Das Gericht - dish Das Geschirr - dishware Das Getränk - drink, beverage Das Glas - glass Das Hauptgericht - main dish, main course Das Junkfood - junk food Das Lebensmittel - food; groceries; any item or substance intended for human consumption (excluding drugs other than alcohol) Das Lieblingsessen - favourite food Das Menü - menu Das Messer - knife Das Mittagessen - lunch Das Restaurant - restaurant Der Appetit - appetite Der Imbiss - snack Der Kochtopf - cooking pot Der Löffel - spoon Der Nachtisch - dessert Der Teller - plate Der Topf - pot Die Delikatesse - delicacy Die Ernährung - nutrition Die Flasche - bottle Die Gabel - fork Die Getränkekarte - drinks menu Die Hauptspeise - main dish, main course Die Kanne - can, jug, pot Die Mahlzeit - meal, mealtime Die Nachspeise - dessert Die Nahrung - food and drink Die Pfanne - frying pan Die Portion - portion Die Speise - meal, fare Die Speisekarte - menu Die Tasse - cup (with a handle) Die Vorspeise - appetizer, starter Durstig- thirsty Fett - fat; containing a lot of fat Fettarm - low-fat Frisch - fresh Gar - cooked, done (of food such as meat or vegetables) Gebraten- roast, fried Gegrillt- grilled Gekocht- cooked Gesund - healthy; good for health Gewürzt- seasoned, spiced Hungrig - hungry Kalt- cold Lecker - delicious Nahrhaft - nutritious Reif- ripe Roh- raw Salzig - salty Satt- full, not hungry Sauer- sour Scharf - hot, spicy Süß - sweet Ungesund- unhealthy, detrimental to health Warm - warm Abnehmen - to lose weight Auf Diät sein - to be on a diet Backen - to bake Braten - to fry, to roast Den Tisch abräumen - to clear the table Den Tisch decken - to set the table Durstig sein - to be thirsty Einschenken - to pour Essen - to eat Frühstücken - to have breakfast Grillen - to grill Hungrig sein - to be hungry Kaffee machen - to make coffee Kochen - to cook Schmecken - to taste Trinken - to drink Zu Abend essen - to have dinner Zu Mittag essen - to have lunch Zunehmen - to gain weight
En insekt - insect En fluga - fly En fjäril - butterfly En skalbagge - beetle Ett bi - bee En mygga - mosquito En myra - ant En trollslända - dragonfly En gräshoppa - grasshopper En geting - wasp En mal - moth En humla - bumblebee En termit - termite En syrsa - cricket En nyckelpiga - ladybird, ladybug En spindel - spider En larv - larva
A gentle reminder that your accent is lovely, no matter where you come from, even if it’s hard to understand at first for strangers who are not used to hearing it, it is still lovely. How wonderful that you can speak the same language with your unique melody to it!
The well known language learning site, Duolingo, claims that 34 hours on Duolingo is equal to one semester of a language course at a university. I had to test this theory! So, I came up with the idea for a 34 hour language challenge, which I will document on the blog 34hourchallenge.blogspot.com.
If you would like to do a 34 language challenge as well, here are the rules.
1. Pick a language you are not familiar with, but are interested in learning.
2. Spend at least one hour a day studying the language on Duolingo until you’ve reached 34 hours.
3. Take a placement test in the language.
4. Let me know how your challenge went. I’ll add you to the “34 Hour Challenge” honor roll.
My mom is a huge fan of Memrise. So she decided that we should take this challenge to the next level. She is going to spend 34 hours learning a language on Memrise. We are both going to take a placement test at the end of the 34 hours. So, if you want to choose Memrise over Duolingo, that works too.
For the Memrise challenge, the rules are the same as for the Duolingo challenge.
You can comment here if you want to be added to the “34 hour challenge” challenger’s list for Duolingo or Memrise. Just let me know which one! I can add your blog name, your Duolingo/Memrise username. Or both!
After you’ve completed the challenge, you can be added to the Honor Roll.
If you decide to blog about the challenge, please link me back to your blog so I can check it out as well!
On Tumblr simply reblog this post or reply with a note saying you accept the challenge. Don’t forget to let us know how it went!
Hey, guys. Lala here! As polyglot who speaks 5 languages and learning more, I’ve been through my fair share of language learning experiences. Here, I wanted to share some tips with you guys that have helped me along my journey.
What are some language learning tips that have helped you guys? Share them with me! Do you have a question? Don’t be afraid to leave me an ask!
This period of the year can be a little bit tough for some of us, with the pressure of shcool and the bad weather, so I made a little playlist with “stay strong” songs and songs that can always but you in a good mood :)
English:
Truce - Twenty-one pilots Missing you - All Time Low Sunrise - Our last night Hold on till may - Pierce the veil You’re not alone - Of mice and men War - Sum 41 Eye of the tiger - Survivor Stand by you - Rachel Platten Take my hand - Simple Plan OK - Robin Schulz feat James Blunt Don’t stop - 5 Seconds of Summer Little things - One direction Drag me down - One direction Just hold on - Louis Tomlinson I lived - One republic Won’t stop running - A great big world Take the world by storm - Lukas Graham
Spanish:
La vida es un carnaval - Celia Cruz A dios le pido - Juanes Musica Ligera - Soda Stereo Sonrisa - Kendji Girac Subeme la radio - Enrique Iglesias Bailando - Enrique Iglesias La Gozadera - Gente de zona Vivir mi vida - Marc Anthony Toc toc - Macaco Paraíso - Dvicio Casi humanos - Dvicio Volar - Alvaro Soler El mismo sol - Alvaro Soler
French:
Je joue de la musique - Calogero Liberta - Pep’s Mon everest - Soprano En feu - Soprano Tout le bonheur du monde - Simsémilla Ton combat - Arcadian J’ai cherché - Amir On dirait - Amir Ca va ça va - Claudio Capéo Il est où le bonheur - Christophe Maé La vie est belle - Indochine On écrit sur les murs - Kids United
Portuguese:
Quero ser feliz também - Natiruts
Italian:
L'emozione non ha voce - Adriano Celentano Occidentali’s Karma - Francesco Gabbani Roma-Bangkok - Baby K
Greek:
Mantissa - Marina Satti Το Τραγούδι Του Καιρού - Weather Song Tsolaki Μετρώ Αντίστροφα - Κωνσταντίνος Κουφός
