Aramaic, Syriac and Mandaic

Here is a really interesting article on Biblical languages. It goes into some detail on Aramaic and related languages (Syriac and Mandaic specifically) and their writing forms. It contains insights into their relationships and lots of books and resources to study these languages. Very interesting article even if you aren't going to study them.

http://exploringourmatrix.blogspot.com/2008/06/syriac-aramaic-and-mandaic-learn-one.html

National Museum of Language

Did you know that there was a National Museum of Language? It opened its doors in College Park, Maryland just last month. I found references to the museum over the last year or two and I was glad to hear it has finally opened. I am certainly going to visit the museum the next time I am in the Washington DC area and I plan to become a member. Learn more about the National Museum of Language at www.languagemuseum.org/

Lingq

I have been experimenting with Lingq in recent months. It's a website for language learners to learn and track their progress. They provide learning materials (audio with transcripts, podcasts, dialogues etc) and ways to hook up with other learners and even teachers to learn from. There is a point system where through earning points by adding content or buying points, you can use those points to buy services like having your written work corrected or participating in voice chats. There is a great feature whereby you can set goals and track your progress. It's fun to use and they are always adding new content, languages and features.

Tell Me More German

I have received from Auaralog a copy of Tell Me More German Performance which looks very promising. It is a very comprehensive program, so it will take me some time to work with before I give it a proper review. My initial impressions are that it is a very thorough course which has a great look to it and many helpful features. This Performance product looks to be their new flagship product. Look for an upcoming review.

TELL ME MORE German
Language Learning Software

And again, I must stress - too many people are looking for one product to answer all of their questions or teach them everything. That doesn't happen (at least not yet). I always recommend using several language products to learn from, and to keep learning long past your 'core method' with the many resources that are available these days.

Advantage Language

There is a nice alternative to other, more popular, published language methods. Advantage Language makes a software program to study Spanish, French, Italian or German. It comes with all the bells and whistles of other programs - audio and text, a variety of exercises to test your knowledge, dialogues, cultural information, etc. It even comes with additional audio CDs, dictionary software, a microphone (for use with the voice recognition parts of the program) and lots of other extras.

I like the content of the program, it's the kind you can begin to use right away as you learn it. There is another feature that I like that I haven't seen any other publisher doing. If you order the full 4-level program, you will receive 1 level each month. This seems very simple but it's a powerful motivator to complete and master each level in time for the next level to arrive. They will work with you if you want to put off receiving the next one, but I think it's great foresight to design a method with a specific time-frame to shoot for.

Look for my upcoming full-page review on the site, or for more information, go to
AdvantageLanguage.com

Learn Hungarian

Hungarian is a another recent language page addition to the site. If you want to learn Hungarian, there are a few great resources that you can use to get started learning on your own. The Learn Hungarian page has some links to outstanding FREE resources for learning Hungarian. Get BYKI Lite Hungarian, FSI Hungarian and listen to the first lesson of Pimsleur Hungarian all for free

More Pimsleur Samples

There are more Pimsleur samples on the site. Listen to a free first lesson of Pimsleur in any of these languages - Farsi (Persian), Russian, Hebrew, Dutch, Greek, Hindi and Polish. If you are learning or interested in learning any of these languages, it's a great way to see if you like the Pimsleur method or think it would be a good fit for you. I highly recommend trying out any method or program before you buy it whenever possible.

Learn Portuguese

Portuguese is a language rising in influence. Recent research has shown that the use of Portuguese on the internet is growing much faster than other languages. And it is increasing in popularity as a second or third language. Portuguese is often overlooked and a little overshadowed by Spanish, but is an interesting and widely spoken international language.

On my Learn Portuguese page you can listen to the first lesson of Pimsleur Portuguese Comprehensive, download BYKI Lite for Portuguese, or even try a demo for Rosetta Stone Portuguese all for free!

Not looking to spend any money on a full course? How about the full FSI Portuguese course with text and audio - there is a link there to a site with that course (and many others) that you can use to get a comprehensive knowledge of Portuguese for free!

Learn Swahili

Learn Swahili is a recent language addition to the site. I must admit I have neglected African languages. There are many and they are far removed from what I am familiar with. Many African languages have few or no resources to learn with, but since Swahili is a lingua franca in east Africa, it has some significant influence and therefore some resources to work with. If you are interested in Swahili take a look!

Asian Pacific American Heritage

May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month. If you have some Asian ancestry and you've been thinking about learning the language of your family or ancestors, maybe now is the time to start! There are lots of free resources to get started learning Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Thai, even Hawaiian!

Listen to a free first lesson of Pimsleur or try the Rosetta Stone demo in any of these languages -Chinese (Mandarin), Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese or Thai at Language Learning Advisor.com. Or download BYKI Lite for free to get started learning vocabulary or phrases in any of those languages plus many others! - Free BYKI™ Lite download by Transparent Language

Stop thinking about it and start learning now! Or, if you've already started, get motivated and really focus on it - redouble your efforts toward learning your target language and work toward that long-term goal of fluency!