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Unanswered Questions

40 questions with no upvoted or accepted answers
10 votes
0 answers
99 views

How to practice honorifics?

Japanese has honorifics (敬語 - "keigo"), a feature of which my native language English is devoid. For example, there is different vocabulary and grammar to use when speaking to a social superior, about ...
6 votes
0 answers
92 views

What is the proper etiquette for a nonnative speaker who wants to practice Mandarin at a Chinese supermarket in the US?

There is a Chinese supermarket in the US I often shop at. I often hear the staff speaking Mandarin or Cantonese, and occasionally Hakka or Fujianese, amongst themselves and to Chinese customers. I can ...
5 votes
0 answers
64 views

Learning the Navajo Language

My colleague is really interested in the Navajo and their language. He is tying to learn the language for some time now and has done all the courses he could find on the internet, only those were only ...
5 votes
1 answer
813 views

Resources for learning the Silbo Gomero (Gomeran Whistle)

Here's a fascinating video on the Silbo Gomero, or whistled tongue of the island of Gomera in the Canary Islands of Spain. Today, it's essentially used as an encoding of Spanish that can be carried ...
5 votes
0 answers
137 views

Spanish grammar books with exercises and answer key for self study

I am looking for a grammar book or series of grammar books for Spanish that match the following criteria: the book or books must be in Spanish, i.e. all grammar rules and instructions must be in ...
5 votes
0 answers
59 views

What can teachers do to promote or increase mastery of 把 structures in Standard Chinese?

Each lesson in the Chinese series of texbooks New Practical Chinese Reader contains a section entitled "Master the following phrases". Below are a few examples from lesson 16 (in volume 2): 现在就去 - ...
5 votes
0 answers
70 views

How and where can I begin learning grammar and syntax in their most abstract form?

I am interested in learning grammar and syntax. I use those words because that's what I learned in middle school, perhaps what I'm really trying to learn is more aptly described by the term '...
5 votes
0 answers
117 views

Learning second sign language after first sign language

If I have learned a sign language, will it fasten my acquisition on other sign language? This is because I learned that various sign languages have different syntax and such, and worried if there's ...
5 votes
0 answers
49 views

required standards for US domestic foreign language education

In reference to my earlier post, I'm going to be teaching foreign languages in some capacity and was advised by a board of education that I ought to understand and incorporate foreign language edu. ...
4 votes
0 answers
95 views

The "fully grammatical" approach towards learning Indo-European languages

I have stumbled upon this video on Youtube (sorry - it is in Russian). Here's a short summary: The spokesperson introduces the following scheme of learning an Indo-European language: "Learn by ...
3 votes
0 answers
52 views

How can people with the same native language and target language practice with each other?

In this thread Dr @Rebecca J. Stones raised a very interesting question on the reasons behind Chinese people who are eager to practice English don't simply practice with each other, and I've shared my ...
3 votes
0 answers
81 views

Learning languages alone

I am trying to learn languages like French, German, Italian and others with the help of dictionaries and books from the English school that I went in the past. I think I have books starting from the ...
3 votes
0 answers
47 views

EFL / ESL language study books based on historical topics

I like history. Is there any EFL/ESL method which teaches English with historical subjects like WW2 or history in general? I am looking for a book that is professionally designed for language learning ...
3 votes
0 answers
38 views

Is there any evidence based on research that reading certain types of texts can be harmful to your language learning?

I've been learning Italian for some years (at present my level is C1): during that time I've been essentially a self-learner, with the exception of a few months, and I've been a quite active user of ...
3 votes
0 answers
70 views

Modern grammar theories for serial language learning

When learning multiple foreign languages, would it be worthwhile investing time into mastering modern grammar theories (generative grammars, construction grammars, etc.) or are those too theoretical ...

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