First language acquisition is the study of how young children acquire their native language(s). This is a varied body of research and linguists do not agree on many of the details. However, it is clear that all children (no matter where they are born) pick up their native language according to the same basic timetable […]
Universal Grammar (UG) Read More »
Linguistics seems rather impenetrable to the outsider. It is not taught in schools; you will not find a linguistics section in your local bookshop and many textbooks assume at least some prior knowledge of language. Moreover, even if you do get past the jargon, many of the debates are theory-internal and most research sits behind
Linguistics at a glance Read More »
What do Klingon, Sindarin and Dothraki have in common? They are all conlangs – languages which have been constructed specifically for use in books, TV and films. The task of building a language is more difficult than it might first appear. It is not just a case of coining nonsense words and stringing them together
How to build a language Read More »
In this article, I will give you ten pieces of advice for how to learn a foreign language effectively. This advice applies to learners at all stages of the language learning journey – from absolute beginners right through to advanced learners. But I do have a disclaimer. I am interested here in foreign (rather than
How to learn a foreign language Read More »