Have you, like me, never used Twitter? This news could tempt us – a computer science professor has set up a website to track tweets from speakers of indigenous and minority languages.
Called IndigenousTweets.com, the site currently tracks 82 languages including Cymraeg, Māori and Wolof. There are plans to add more, and some may come from the input box that allows users to add the Twitter names of other people they know who are tweeting in their native language.
Kevin Scannell, the professor behind the site, also blogs about the project. Scannell is starting to post interviews with speakers of indigenous and minority languages who are involved in language revitalization efforts and who use their languages online which should also be really interesting.
So, what are you waiting for? Get tweeting and connecting with people in your target language!
(Source: Storify)
A couple of years ago when I was living in New Zealand, I took some classes in Māori, the language of the indigenous people. Māori people have a strong narrative culture, with songs and chants a large part of this. Our teacher would often make the class get up and sing traditional songs, as a way of learning not just the language, but some culture also.
Whilst singing was a bit embarrassing for everyone, the Māori words and phrases that I remember now come from the songs we sang. This is all a roundabout way of saying that music can help you learn your target language!
We’ve all experienced the horror of having an annoying song stuck in our head (an earworm), as well as the enjoyment of not being able to stop singing a song that we love. Music imprints in our memory much better than audio made up of conversation or repetitive words.
So find some music you enjoy in your target language, whether it’s Cantonese pop, Brazilian hip hop or nursery rhymes if you’re a total beginner. Listen to the lyrics and see how much you understand. Some of the lyrics may be slang or idioms you have not yet come across – write them down, look them up, and start using them! You can find lyrics online at places like Lyrics.com or eLyrics World. Often you can also find the song on YouTube, where the video may give you clues as to the lyrics, and sometimes will have subtitles.
But most of all – enjoy! Music and language are meant to be enjoyed.
Hello, and welcome to the all-new, super-shiny Listen & Learn blog!
My name is Michelle and I will be bringing you a heady mix of news, tips, reviews and general language miscellany.
Having tried my hand at a few different languages over the years, from French and German at school to Maori (when I lived in New Zealand), I’m currently working on improving my very basic Spanish skills.
My aim is always to post about language-related things I am interested in, and I hope you will find them interesting too! I particularly enjoy discovering the links between language, culture and history.
If you would like me to post about anything in particular, please feel free to make a suggestion in the comments section. I’m always happy to hear from readers – don’t hesitate to tell me what you do and don’t like about the blog!
