One of the many things that sets humans apart from our nearest animal cousins is the ability to construct and use languages. However, certain animals can learn or mimic actions we would see as language skills, so, in this article, we will be looking to what extent animals can use what we would understand languages and trying to answer the question, Is language unique to humans? Animals That Can Talk There has a wide range of documented cases of animals apparently learning human speech, with some of the best examples being:   Alex the African Grey Parrot. Over the course..

Learning a second language can have a more profound effect on you than just being able to crack a joke with the locals, it can actually increase the size of your brain and your ability to learn, no just languages, but a myriad of subjects.   In this article, we will be looking at what happens in our brain when we learn languages? Your Brain Expands Scientists from Lund University in Sweden analyzed the brain sizes of Swedish Armed Forces recruits before and after they underwent language training and found that learning a new language actually increases the size of..

Everything has to start somewhere, even the language we take for granted every day. There is no scientific consensus on when we first developed language, but most scientists agree that that language is so complex that one cannot imagine it simply appearing from anything in its final form, but that it must have evolved from earlier pre-linguistic systems among our pre-human ancestors.   It might surprise you to learn that some of the first languages we developed from these earlier pre-linguistic systems are still used today and, in this article, we’ll be taking a look at them. Tamil - 5000..

The most common languages spoken in the US are, by a massive margin, Spanish and English, but because of the size and diverse population of America, nearly every language on earth is spoken inside its borders. In this article, we’ll be looking at the world’s most widely spoken languages and where they originate from. Mandarin Chinese Mandarin Chinese is actually an overarching term from a close family of inter-related languages spoken in the People's Republic of China, the Republic of China (Taiwan), and Singapore.   Spoken by 1.09 billion people, split between 897 million native speakers and 193 million non-native..

The amount of Americans doing business in non-native languages is on the rise, with more than one in five Americans speaking a language other than English at home. This also means that financial transactions between people who speak different native languages are more common than ever.   Whilst it might seem that this would present a block to conducting complicated transactions, a recent studying in the Journal of Consumer Psychology has indicated that this might not be the case and, in fact, thinking a transaction through in a second language might make it easier to do business. The Endowment Effect..

When asked the question “which country has the most Spanish speakers?” the answer seems simple, right? Spain!   Well, actually Spain only has the 4th largest population of Spanish speakers in the world and the real answer might be closer to home than you think.   There are 41 million native Spanish speakers in the US plus a further 11.6 million who are bilingual, putting the US ahead of Colombia (48 million) and Spain (46 million) and second only to Mexico (121 million). Even around 6% of Alaskans are Spanish speakers.   With an expected 138 million Spanish speakers by..

The idea of individualized learning styles became popular in the 1970s, with the common concept being that individuals differ in how they learn.   Proponents of individualized learning styles recommend that teachers assess the learning styles of their students and adapt their classroom methods to best fit each student's learning style and there is ample evidence that individuals express preferences for how they prefer to receive information.   With that in mind, here is our breakdown of the four main learning styles and how you can cater to ESL students with those particular styles. Visual Learners Students with an inclination..

English functions as a universal language, with one-quarter of the world’s populations speaking it as either primary or secondary language. Learning English comes with a range of benefits, from greater earning potential to greater access to some of the best education facilities the international community has to offer.   In order to allow our students to access these benefits, we are proud to offer our ESL courses free of charge to our students and to extend that offer to their families. So, if you are thinking about taking on a second language and are considering learning English, here are some..

1. Making a Connection Being able to communicate with the people around you is one of the key facets of human society. By doubling the number of languages you know, you can massively increase the number of people you can make a connection with, allowing you to learn about new cultures, traditions, religious and other peoples lives. 2. Advance Your Career The demand for bilingual professionals is rising exponentially. In fact, between 2010 and 2015, the number of U.S. job postings specifically geared toward bilingual candidates more than doubled. This is unsurprising in a country where more than 60 million..

Follow Your Interests Even if you’re totally excited about this new language learning journey you’ve embarked on, at some point or another chances are studying this new language is going to feel like a chore. My best piece of advice is to find ways to incorporate your studies into things you’re already interested in.   Movies are a really good tool, especially if you can find subtitles in the language you’re learning as well. The subtitles annoyingly don’t always exactly match what’s being said, but it will still keep your brain listening and reading in the same language.   Music..