Welcome to the Bangalore Babbler - IFLaC's foreign language blog.
Here you will find interesting articles in and about Foreign languages and countries.
Learning foreign languages may sharpen
your brain by enhancing its elasticity and ability to code information, a new
study suggests. The more foreign languages we learn, the more effectively our
brain reacts and processes the data accumulated in the course of learning,
researchers said.
The neurophysiological
mechanics of language and speech acquisition are underexplored when compared to
the brain's other functions. The reason for such scarce attention is the
inability to study verbal function on test animals.
Researchers from the
Higher School of Economics (HSE) in Russia together with colleagues from the
University of Helsinki in Fin land carried out experiments where the brain's
electrical activity was measured with electroencephalography (EEG). Ten male
and 12 female participants, with the average age being 24, took part in the
investigation. The subjects had electrodes placed on their heads and then
listened to recordings of different words in their native language, as well in
foreign languages, both known and completely unknown by the subjects. When the
known or unknown words popped up, changes in the brain's activity were tracked.
Researchers focused on the spe ed at which the brain readjusted its activity to
treat unknown words.
The ability of the brain
to process information depends on one's “linguistic anamneses,“ experts said.
The study shows that the brain's electrical activity was higher among those who
knew foreign languages.
Brain perceives taste
with all senses: Study
Our brain relies on not
just one but all the senses to anticipate taste, a new study suggests. The
study, by researchers from the Stony Brook University in the US, may change the
way neuroscientists think about the role of the gustatory cortex -the part of
the brain responsible for the perception of taste. “We found that the gustatory
cortex receives information from all the senses, not just taste,“ said Alfredo
Fontanini, from Stony Brook University in the US. Gustatory cortex's ability to
represent stimuli of multiple modalities is greatly boosted by learning that
they can predict taste, the researchers said.
We would like you to meet one of IFLAC´s qualified and much loved trainers, Smriti.
My tryst with languages began over a decade ago.
Reading travelogues had always been a hobby and the lure of foreign lands and
languages was strong. It was always something that I'd wanted to do but it had
been on the back-burner, and a break from work seemed like just the right time
to start.
Of course, at that time, I had no clue about what
language learning involved, so I went in hoping for a short-lived fun
experience. As chance would have it, I landed up learning German, and was
exposed to a language and a culture that I was completely unfamiliar with until
then. And what an experience that turned out to be! Never before had I sat in a
class where this level of interaction was encouraged. Never before had I such an
in-depth view into another culture. Never before had I paid such close
attention to the workings of a language. I soon realized, as one would put it
in German „Sprachen machen Spaß“ (languages are fun).
The pure pleasure of learning the language spurred
me ahead and I spent two years doing so. At the end of those two years, a
wonderful opportunity cropped up, to use both my skills in the language as well
as my expertise in the technical domain, and I spent a couple of very
interesting and productive years working as a technical translator. It was
amazing how a course that was taken up as a hobby had transformed my career.
All throughout, my philosophy in learning the language could be summed up with
my two favorite German quotes „Übung macht den Meister“ (Practice makes
perfect) and „Anfangen ist leicht, beharren eine Kunst“ (To begin is easy, to
persist is an art). Also, an opportunity to spend a few months in Germany -
using the language I had been learning, and mingling with the people who spoke
it, was one of the most rewarding experiences in life.
Meanwhile, I came across a really captivating book
on the evolution and structure of languages called "The Unfolding of
Language" by Guy Deutscher. This book inspired me
further to learn more about languages and linguistics.
Marriage and foreign shores beckoned, and I found
myself with a lot of time on hand in a place where Spanish is extensively
spoken - California. What better chance would I get to learn Spanish?! The
similarities to both English and German fascinated me, the differences excited
me -- learning Spanish was an amazing experience. Then again, the beautiful
beaches of Mexico, and the mystery and allure of both Machu Picchu and the vast
Amazon jungle in Peru took on a fascinating dimension because of better connect
I felt with the Spanish-speaking population. It was like a dream come true! In
the words of Gabriel García Márquez, "No es verdad que la
gente deja de perseguir sus sueños porque envejece, envejecen porque dejan de
perseguir sus sueños" (It is not true that people stop pursuing dreams
because they grow old, they grow old because they stop pursuing dreams).
The pursuit of languages to understand their
workings is a pleasure in itself. In addition, the pure joy of being able to
interact with different people all over the world is like no other. Since the
past four years, I have been occupied in combining this passion of mine with
another - imparting whatever knowledge I have of these two languages to a
willing and enthusiastic audience. My association with IFLAC has given me this
fantastic opportunity, and it is a pleasure to work in collaboration with a set
of dedicated and enthusiastic teachers not only from India, but from all over
the world.
As the Costa Rican life philosophy goes, "¡Pura
Vida!" (this is the good life).
Heute
sprechen wir mit unserer Deutschlehrerin, Pooja. Sie hat schon eine
Weile bei uns gearbeitet und wir möchten jetzt mehr über sie
erfahren, sodass ihr sie ein bisschen besser kennenlernen könnt.
Hallo
Pooja. Zu allererst, vielen Dank für deine Zeit!
Du
unterrichtest Deutsch bei IFLAC, richtig? Wie lange arbeitest du hier
schon?
Hallo,
Ja, ich arbeite schon seit 2 Jahren bei IFLaC
Und
wie gefällt dir das Institut? Würdest du es empfehlen?
Na
ja, es gefällt mir sehr gut und natürlich empfehle ich es und würde
mich freuen, wenn viele mehr Studenten hier lernen können!
Jetzt
reden wir ein bisschen über dich. Warum sprichst du Deutsch? Ich
meine, wann hast du angefangen, Deutsch zu lernen? Und warum?
Ich
wollte immer eine Fremdsprache lernen, ich war sehr neugirig, darum
habe ich Deutsch gelernt.
Ich
habe vor 4 Jahre angefangen, Deutsch zu lernen.
Warst
du schon mal in Deutschland? Wie gefällt dir die deutsche Kultur?
Ne,
leider nicht...aber ich will natürlich bald Deutschland besuchen.
Die Kultur interessiert mich sehr. -besonderes das Essen und
Oktoberfest....ich habe viel darüber gehört und gelesen und jetzt
möchte ich alles erleben
Wir
haben eine letzte Frage, und zwar warum glaubst du, dass Deutsch eine
sehr wichtige und empfohlene Sprache ist?
Ja,
Meiner Meinung nach ist Deutsch die wichtigste Sprache Europas. Sehr
viele Menschen dort sprechen Deutsch und darum glaube ich, dass
jemand, der nach Europa reisen möchte, die Sprache sicherlich lernen
sollte.
IFLAC is a premier language institution established in the year 2007 to promote the learning of foreign languages along with cultural enrichment.
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