How to Learn a Language

How easy is it to get started learning Vietnamese? If you're curious about the language spoken by around 75 million, the first episode of Season 2 of Language Stories is for you. THE VIDEO Click here to watch the sister video to this podcast episode. To keep track of future episodes in video form, click here to subscribe on YouTube. SUPPORT THE SHOW The best thing you can do right now to support the project is threefold, and if you've ever listened to any podcast before, I'm sure you'll be familiar with what I'm about to say! Subscribe - by subscribing to the Language Stories podcast in your favourite place and YouTube for the sister videos, you're going to keep up with all future episodes. Woop! Review - when it comes to the tech stuff, reviews are pretty important. Reviews help to tell iTunes that people like the podcast, and that helps to raise the profile so that new people can find it easily. Yay! Tell a friend - word of mouth still wins! If you know someone who would love Language Stories, tell them about it. And if they're new to podcasts, walk them through the process to subscribe them. Woohoo! To make it as easy as possible to share the podcast, click here to tweet about episode. SHARE YOUR STORY If you have a Language Story you’d love to share, or if you know someone that does, get in touch. I always love to hear from you! Your feedback helps to shape future episodes so thank you.Special Guests: Gaston Dorren - Author, Saphire & Shinegi - Vietnamese Teaching Group, and Tri - Language Accepted.Sponsored By:Lingora: Sign up to Lingora completely free to share your spoken + written language practice and get real community feedback.Links:Omniglot — Vietnamese language and writing information.CJV Lang — A good overview of the Vietnamese writing system and alphabet.More Vietnamese — Lots of helpful blog posts for learning Vietnamese. This is a good introduction to tones.123Vietnamese — This video will help you to get to grips with the Vietnamese tone system.Babel - Gaston Dorren — Gaston Dorren's new book, Babel on Amazon (affiliate link)

Guarani is an indigenous language that defies all odds to exist today as it does alongside Spanish in Paraguay. But what odds? How does it thrive in the modern world? In this episode of Language Stories, we're exploring the story of Guarani in Paraguay. (This is a Polyglot Undubbed Edition of Language Stories. The interviews are shared in their original language. Enjoy!) THE VIDEO Click here to watch the sister video to this podcast episode. To keep track of future episodes in video form, click here to subscribe on YouTube. SUPPORT THE SHOW The best thing you can do right now to support the project is threefold, and if you've ever listened to any podcast before, I'm sure you'll be familiar with what I'm about to say! Subscribe - by subscribing to the Language Stories podcast in your favourite place and YouTube for the sister videos, you're going to keep up with all future episodes. Woop! Review - when it comes to the tech stuff, reviews are pretty important. Reviews help to tell iTunes that people like the podcast, and that helps to raise the profile so that new people can find it easily. Yay! Tell a friend - word of mouth still wins! If you know someone who would love Language Stories, tell them about it. And if they're new to podcasts, walk them through the process to subscribe them. Woohoo! To make it as easy as possible to share the podcast, click here to tweet about episode. SHARE YOUR STORY If you have a Language Story you’d love to share, or if you know someone that does, get in touch. I always love to hear from you! Your feedback helps to shape future episodes so thank you.Special Guests: Cecelia - Guaraní Tutor at IDIPAR, Guaranglish, Marcelo Alvarenga - Guaraní Tutor, and Romy Natalia Goldberg - Author of Paraguay Other Places Travel Guide .Links:Newfound Pride in Guaraní, a Language Long Disdained in Paraguay - an article from the New York TimesLanguage Planning and Policy in Paraguay - a document about how Guaraní and Spanish live alongside each other in Paraguay.Land and Dignity in Paraguay - a Google Book covering Guaraní under Stroessner.Language Planning and Policy in Latin America, Volume 1 - another Google Book with some interesting points on Guaraní under Stroessner.Guarani course on Duolingo (in Spanish)Peace Corps PDFs for Guarani

Every language has a unique story, but Nicaraguan Sign Language is pretty special. A language emerging in the 80s amidst a revolution? In this episode of Language Stories, we're exploring the story of Nicaraguan Sign Language. (This is a Polyglot Undubbed Edition of Language Stories. The interviews are shared in their original language. Enjoy!) THE VIDEO Click here to watch the sister video to this podcast episode. To keep track of future episodes in video form, click here to subscribe on YouTube. SUPPORT THE SHOW The best thing you can do right now to support the project is threefold, and if you've ever listened to any podcast before, I'm sure you'll be familiar with what I'm about to say! Subscribe - by subscribing to the Language Stories podcast in your favourite place and YouTube for the sister videos, you're going to keep up with all future episodes. Woop! Review - when it comes to the tech stuff, reviews are pretty important. Reviews help to tell iTunes that people like the podcast, and that helps to raise the profile so that new people can find it easily. Yay! Tell a friend - word of mouth still wins! If you know someone who would love Language Stories, tell them about it. And if they're new to podcasts, walk them through the process to subscribe them. Woohoo! To make it as easy as possible to share the podcast, click here to tweet about episode. SHARE YOUR STORY If you have a Language Story you’d love to share, or if you know someone that does, get in touch. I always love to hear from you! Your feedback helps to shape future episodes so thank you.Special Guests: Antonio Prieto Buñuel - Cafe de las Sonrisas and James Shepard-Kegl - Nicaraguan Sign Language Projects.Links:Oralism - WikipediaPsychological Effects of Oralism - a study on the psychological effects of oralismHammocks from Cafe de las Sonrisas - learn more about Tio Antonio, Cafe de las Sonrisas and treat yourself to one of their handmade hammocks if you fancy!Nicaraguan Sign Language Projects - learn more about the work James and his wife Judy do.Visual Dictionary - a dictionary for Nicaraguan Sign LanguageA Life Without Words - a documentary about bringing Nicaraguan Sign Language to rural communities.Sign: A Game About Being Understood - a silent game based on the emergence of Nicaraguan Sign Language.

K'iche' is a Mayan language spoken in Guatemala by over a million people. Join us for this episode of Language Stories as we explore K'iche' Maya at a local homestay and in a busy market town, as well as learning how to learn K'iche'. (This is a Polyglot Undubbed Edition of Language Stories. The interviews are shared in their original language. Enjoy!) THE VIDEO Click here to watch the sister video to this podcast episode. To keep track of future episodes in video form, click here to subscribe on YouTube. SUPPORT THE SHOW The best thing you can do right now to support the project is threefold, and if you've ever listened to any podcast before, I'm sure you'll be familiar with what I'm about to say! Subscribe - by subscribing to the Language Stories podcast in your favourite place and YouTube for the sister videos, you're going to keep up with all future episodes. Woop! Review - when it comes to the tech stuff, reviews are pretty important. Reviews help to tell iTunes that people like the podcast, and that helps to raise the profile so that new people can find it easily. Yay! Tell a friend - word of mouth still wins! If you know someone who would love Language Stories, tell them about it. And if they're new to podcasts, walk them through the process to subscribe them. Woohoo! To make it as easy as possible to share the podcast, click here to tweet about episode. SHARE YOUR STORY If you have a Language Story you’d love to share, or if you know someone that does, get in touch. I always love to hear from you! Your feedback helps to shape future episodes so thank you.Special Guests: Carlos and Family - Guatemala, Dave Prine - K'iche' Learner, and Juan Leon Cortez - Galeria Pop Wuj.Links:Stay with Carlos and family in the Mayan Countryside - check Carlos' Airbnb listing to stay for yourself with him and his family.Galeria Pop Wuj - learn more about the art and classes taking place at Juan's gallery.Can Knowing Some K’iche’ Save Your Life and Make You Rich? - Dave's presentation on K'iche' from the Polyglot Gathering 2017.Online free K'iche' course from The University of TexasFurther resources to learn K'iche' - a few extra links from the University of Connecticut.Institute of World Languages - the initiative that Dave is learning K'iche' through.Mayan Languages: How I Learned to Speak Tz’utujil in Guatemala - Fluent in 3 MonthsAcademy of Mayan Languages in Guatemala

Think of this episode as a bit of a myth buster. Answering the questions you didn't even know you had about a language that you didn't even know still existed: Maya. (This is a Polyglot Undubbed Edition of Language Stories. The interviews are shared in their original language. Enjoy!) THE VIDEO Click here to watch the sister video to this podcast episode. To keep track of future episodes in video form, click here to subscribe on YouTube. SUPPORT THE SHOW The best thing you can do right now to support the project is threefold, and if you've ever listened to any podcast before, I'm sure you'll be familiar with what I'm about to say! Subscribe - by subscribing to the Language Stories podcast in your favourite place and YouTube for the sister videos, you're going to keep up with all future episodes. Woop! Review - when it comes to the tech stuff, reviews are pretty important. Reviews help to tell iTunes that people like the podcast, and that helps to raise the profile so that new people can find it easily. Yay! Tell a friend - word of mouth still wins! If you know someone who would love Language Stories, tell them about it. And if they're new to podcasts, walk them through the process to subscribe them. Woohoo! To make it as easy as possible to share the podcast, click here to tweet about episode. SHARE YOUR STORY If you have a Language Story you’d love to share, or if you know someone that does, get in touch. I always love to hear from you! Your feedback helps to shape future episodes so thank you. Special Guests: Mirna Canul Aké - Radio Yúuyum, Pat Boy - Mayan Rapper, and Vicente Canché Móo - Yucatec Maya Expert.Links:Photos of the Yuya nests Mirna mentions - The Yucatan TimesEnd of World in 2012? Maya "Doomsday" Calendar Explained - National GeographicVicente Canche Moo's WebsiteKo’one’ex kanik maaya - the project in the region teaching Yucatec Maya in schools.Xiimbal Kaaj - my favourite Pat Boy song featuring Yazmín Novelo, who also volunteers with Radio Yuuyum.ADN MAYA - Pat Boy's record label YouTube channel.Vice/Noisey - an interview with Pat Boy (in Spanish)Radio Yuuyum - check their official website to see everything going on!Global Voices - an article about Radio Yuuyum.

Aymara is the final language to take us down an internet rabbit hole for this Bonus Mini series. This episode, we look at how similar it is to Quechua. Support The Show The best thing you can do right now to support the project is threefold, and if you've ever listened to any podcast before, I'm sure you'll be familiar with what I'm about to say! Subscribe - by subscribing to the Language Stories podcast in your favourite place and YouTube for the sister videos, you're going to keep up with all future episodes. Woop! Review - when it comes to the tech stuff, reviews are pretty important. Reviews help to tell iTunes that people like the podcast, and that helps to raise the profile so that new people can find it easily. Yay! Tell a friend - word of mouth still wins! If you know someone who would love Language Stories, tell them about it. And if they're new to podcasts, walk them through the process to subscribe them. Woohoo! To make it as easy as possible to share the podcast, click here to tweet about episode. Share Your Story If you have a Language Story you’d love to share, or if you know someone that does, get in touch. I always love to hear from you! Your feedback helps to shape future episodes so thank you.Links:Aymaran Languages - WikipediaAymara and Quechua : Languages in Contact by M. J. HardmanOrigins and Diversity of Aymara - Quechua.org.ukNumbers 1-5 in Quechua and Aymara - Quechua.org.uk

Much like the other episodes in this Bonus Mini series, Quechua led me down a deep internet rabbit hole here. We're heading into tricky territory in this episode: language vs dialect. Support The Show The best thing you can do right now to support the project is threefold, and if you've ever listened to any podcast before, I'm sure you'll be familiar with what I'm about to say! Subscribe - by subscribing to the Language Stories podcast in your favourite place and YouTube for the sister videos, you're going to keep up with all future episodes. Woop! Review - when it comes to the tech stuff, reviews are pretty important. Reviews help to tell iTunes that people like the podcast, and that helps to raise the profile so that new people can find it easily. Yay! Tell a friend - word of mouth still wins! If you know someone who would love Language Stories, tell them about it. And if they're new to podcasts, walk them through the process to subscribe them. Woohoo! To make it as easy as possible to share the podcast, click here to tweet about episode. Share Your Story If you have a Language Story you’d love to share, or if you know someone that does, get in touch. I always love to hear from you! Your feedback helps to shape future episodes so thank you.Links:Quechuan Languages - WikipediaTupac Shakur and Tupac AmaruQuechua.org.uk - great website with lots of information on QuechuaPiedmontese - OmniglotVenetian - OmniglotSardinian - OmniglotSicilian - OmniglotWhat’s a Language, Anyway? - The Atlantic

The Galápagos Islands are a magical place, famous for their role in the theory of evolution. But, how about the evolution of language in the Galápagos Islands? Support The Show The best thing you can do right now to support the project is threefold, and if you've ever listened to any podcast before, I'm sure you'll be familiar with what I'm about to say! Subscribe - by subscribing to the Language Stories podcast in your favourite place and YouTube for the sister videos, you're going to keep up with all future episodes. Woop! Review - when it comes to the tech stuff, reviews are pretty important. Reviews help to tell iTunes that people like the podcast, and that helps to raise the profile so that new people can find it easily. Yay! Tell a friend - word of mouth still wins! If you know someone who would love Language Stories, tell them about it. And if they're new to podcasts, walk them through the process to subscribe them. Woohoo! To make it as easy as possible to share the podcast, click here to tweet about episode. Share Your Story If you have a Language Story you’d love to share, or if you know someone that does, get in touch. I always love to hear from you! Your feedback helps to shape future episodes so thank you.Links:Galapagos History Humans on the GalapagosGalapagos Colonists - Galapagos ConservancyPirates and Buccaneers - Galapagos Conservancy

"If I went there, I'd be fluent..." "Immersion is all you need!"...Is it? In this Bonus Mini episode, I reflect on my time in Costa Rica and how immersion changed my Spanish. Support The Show The best thing you can do right now to support the project is threefold, and if you've ever listened to any podcast before, I'm sure you'll be familiar with what I'm about to say! Subscribe - by subscribing to the Language Stories podcast in your favourite place and YouTube for the sister videos, you're going to keep up with all future episodes. Woop! Review - when it comes to the tech stuff, reviews are pretty important. Reviews help to tell iTunes that people like the podcast, and that helps to raise the profile so that new people can find it easily. Yay! Tell a friend - word of mouth still wins! If you know someone who would love Language Stories, tell them about it. And if they're new to podcasts, walk them through the process to subscribe them. Woohoo! To make it as easy as possible to share the podcast, click here to tweet about episode. Share Your Story If you have a Language Story you’d love to share, or if you know someone that does, get in touch. I always love to hear from you! Your feedback helps to shape future episodes so thank you.

Pipil is a language spoken in El Salvador. There's not many speakers nowadays, but revitalisation efforts are happening, including the beautifully named language nests... Support The Show The best thing you can do right now to support the project is threefold, and if you've ever listened to any podcast before, I'm sure you'll be familiar with what I'm about to say! Subscribe - by subscribing to the Language Stories podcast in your favourite place and YouTube for the sister videos, you're going to keep up with all future episodes. Woop! Review - when it comes to the tech stuff, reviews are pretty important. Reviews help to tell iTunes that people like the podcast, and that helps to raise the profile so that new people can find it easily. Yay! Tell a friend - word of mouth still wins! If you know someone who would love Language Stories, tell them about it. And if they're new to podcasts, walk them through the process to subscribe them. Woohoo! To make it as easy as possible to share the podcast, click here to tweet about episode. Share Your Story If you have a Language Story you’d love to share, or if you know someone that does, get in touch. I always love to hear from you! Your feedback helps to shape future episodes so thank you.Links:Pipil language - WikipediaCourses for Pipil - TushikRevitalising Te Reo Māori – a language activist reflects on how far we have comeLanguage Nest Program - First Peoples' Cultural CouncilLanguage Nests and Language Acquisition: An Empirical Analysis - a dissertation by Eve K. OkuraLanguage Nest Handbook Online Companion Toolkit - First Peoples' Cultural CouncilPipil - The Endangered Languages Project