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byebyelingual · 8 months

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My personal experience with learning a language without knowing where to start has always been throwing myself IN the language: listen to it!

TV series, movies, even cartoons. Watch them in Spanish with subs and start by accommodating your ears to the language.

Make the learning process fun: I personally love colored sketchbooks and pens, so I always get some cute stuff to start. Then make a list of words you personally want to learn first. It doesn't have to be the usual "Hello. Good morning. Goodnight." Start from anywhere you want first! Wanna learn how to say dolphin first! Do it! One word learned is still better than none, and you'll have time to learn everything else :)

I use an app called Tandem where people like you want to practice a language with a native. If you're comfortable with that, you can pick anyone from the list of native Spanish people who want to learn your language, and then you just text and give each other advice or just practice the target language you picked!

Last but not least, don't underestimate tutorials on YouTube! There are tons of tutorials on how to learn basic Spanish (or any language) and if you feel like sitting down and have a good studying session, take out your cute little notebook and watch one of those :3

hello multilingual hotties. does anyone have any advice on learning (or at least beginning the process of learning) a 2nd language without taking a class? im thinking of starting with spanish since its the 2nd most commonly spoken language in the US, but i'm also extremely interested in learning german, russian, asl, and chinese. any study tips, book recs, and affordable resources are so so appreciated!! ♡

#apps are also good although i'm not a fan of duolingo #there are far better apps on the app store #i think it depends on what you find suiting better for yourself #anyway i hope you have fun learning spanish #or any other language #good luck!#spanish #language #languages #polyglot #cultures

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byebyelingual · 2 years

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Phrasebook for Ukrainian refugees!

Help needed to make a phrasebook for Ukrainian refugees! If you speak • Polish (Польска) 🇵🇱 • Romanian (Румунська) 🇲🇩🇷🇴 • Hungarian (Угорська) 🇭🇺 • Slovak (Словацька) 🇸🇰 Please consider participating and adding the phrases in your language!

🇺🇦 The link to the phrasebook 🇺🇦

Please reblog this to spread the word!

#polyglot #languages #langblr #languageblr #language blog #langspo #tongueblr #studyblr #linguist #linguistics #lingblr #Ukraine #phrasebook #signal boost

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byebyelingual · 3 years

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Dragons????? In MY Europe??????

>> We all know dragons are a big part of Asian Cultures, especially in China. But what about Europe? If you look closely, you can find lots of dragons scattered everywhere. <<

A dragon in Sneinton, England

By the early 20th century, due to great poverty, Edwardian historian attributed the population’s high infant mortality and disease rates to a monster he named “Slum.” In 2006, the city council proposed a piece of street art to represent this now vibrant multicultural community and asked local residents what they would like. Their answer: A big scary dragon.

By the artist Robert Stubley

With similar pronounciation:

Drago in Italy

Drago in San Marino

Dragon in Romania

Dragon in Monaco

Dragan in Ireland

Dragun in Malta

Dragoi in Albania

Dargun/Drun in Switzerland (dialect)

A dragon in Versailles, France

The Dragon Fountain at the Palace of Versailles was executed by Gaspard Marsy in 1667.

A zmaj in Ljubljana, Slovenia

According to local legends, when a virgin crosses the bridge, the dragons will wag their tails.

Others:

Zmaj in Bosnia

Zmaj in Croatia

Змај in Serbia

Змај in Montenegro

змеј in Macedonia

Dragoi/Змај in Kosovo

A drak in Jicin, Czech Republic

This iron sculpture was created by the artist Jiří Kmošek as his graduation work from the High School of Applied Arts in Trutnov.

Draakon in Estonia

Drake in Sweden

Dreki in Iceland

Draak in Netherlands

Drak in Slovakia

Draak in Belgium

A drache in Munich, Germany

This is known as the "Wurmeck" or the Dragon Corner. The legend says a dragon arrived and spread the plague, terrifying the people.

Some more:

Drache in Austria

Drage in Norway

Drage in Denmark

Draach in Luxembourg

Drache in Liechtenstein

A dragón in Barcelona, Spain

Josep Martínez – inspired by the countless dragons in the city – authored a book featuring almost 500 dragons. Titled Drakcelona: City of Dragons (drak is the Catalan word for dragon), the publication even spurred the creation of a mobile application to help find the many dragons hidden within Barcelona’s walls.

A dragão in Braga, Portugal

Modern sculpture by artist Aureliano Aguiar.

A draig/ddraig in Harlech, Wales

Dewi the Dragon is the new sentinel of the magnificent medieval castle and guards the town’s inhabitants from harm.

A дракон (drakon) in Varna, Bulgaria

The statue "Lovers Dragons" was created in 2010 by the artist Darin Lazarov.

Дракон in Ukraine

цмок/дракон in Belarus

A smok in Krakow, Poland

The Wawel Dragon is a famous dragon in Polish folklore. It was defeated during the rule of Krakus, by his sons; in a later work, the dragon-slaying is credited to a cobbler named Skuba.

More dragons in Europe:

Drac in Andorra

Lohikäärme in Finland

Δράκος in Greece

Δράκος/Ejderha in Cyprus

Sárkány in Hungary

Dragon/Balaur in Moldova

Slibinas/Drakonas in Lithuania

Pūķis in Latvia

Source:

#They aren't in order of linguistic families but just with similar pronounciation #I was too lazy to put them in linguistic groups #Dragons are cool and I believe these informations are very very useful #Dragon #languages #polyglot #language #Vocabulary

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byebyelingual · 3 years

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Hello lucky people! To celebrate pride month today we'll talk about:

🌈Lgbtq in Finland🇫🇮

But first of all, where the heck is Finland?

Finland is a Country in Northern Europe full of snow, saunas and nice people.

Its Capital is Helsinki, a colorful city where you can be gay all night and day.

CHEERS!

In fact, Lgbtq+ rights in Finland are among the most advanced in Europe.

Both male and female same-sex sexual activity have been legal since 1971. Also:

Lgbtq people can serve the military

Same sex marriage is legal since 2017

Same sex couples can adopt

Transgender people are allowed to have legal gender reassigned, but only after sterilization... Wait.

... What?

Yeah, the only flaw of this refreshing country is its behaviour towards Transgender people.

Being Trans in Finland

Sadly, in order for someone to change their legal gender, one must be sterilized or be “for some other reason infertile”. This seems completely shocking and the UN Human Rights Council has recommended removing this requirement.

Additionally, a mental health diagnosis is necessary for legal recognition of gender identity.

(which is so damn frustrating since Finland is so nice towards gay people, so why, Finland, WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?)

It can only be hoped that things will change for the better in the future.

In 2019, the newly-elected Rinne Cabinet released their legislative plans for the next 4 years. It includes the removal of the sterilisation requirement for sex reassignment and banning surgeries on intersex infants.

(So in 2023 let's hope this law will pass)

But let's see the positive aspect:

The capital of Helsinki is a popular gay destination with a wealth of gay-friendly cafes, restaurants, hotels, nightclubs, saunas and hangouts.

Helsinki, Finland

So if you want to hit on someone or just scream "It's not called being gay, it's called being 💫FABULOUS💫" in Finnish/Suomi, you can say:

Are you free this weekend? = Oletko vapaa tänä viikonloppuna?

Would you like to hang out with me? = Haluaisitko hengailla kanssani?

You are so cute = Olet niin söpö.

I'll call you = Soitan sinulle.

I think of you as more than a friend = Ajattelen sinua enemmän kuin ystävänä.

I've got a crush on you = Olen ihastunut sinuun.

Do you have a boyfriend? = Onko sinulla poikaystävää?

Do you have a girlfriend? = Onko sinulla tyttöystävää?

It's not called being gay, it's called being fabulous = Sitä ei kutsuta homoksi, sitä kutsutaan upeaksi

On the other hand, love words in Finnish hold a very deep and beautiful meaning:

I love you = Minä rakastan sinua. It's used in a long-term relationship and it's not used casually. It can be shortened as “Mä rakastan sua”.

I love you too = Mäkin rakastan sua

I miss you = Mulla on ikävä sua. Saying or writing “I miss you” to a Finn is a powerful statement and mostly used only romantically unless the context is clearly not amorous, for example, if you are texting your mom.

Love is just love. It can never be explained = Rakkaus on vain rakkautta. Sitä ei voi koskaan selittää.

You are my sunshine, my love = Olet päivänsäteeni, rakkaani.

Words can't describe my love for you = Sanat eivät riitä kuvaamaan rakkauttani sinua kohtaan.

We were meant to be together = Meidät oli tarkoitettu yhteen.

Source:

What's more is that Finnish is a gender-neutral language.

Finnish has only gender-neutral pronouns and completely lacks grammatical gender.

Hän is the gender-neutral Finnish personal pronoun that treats everyone equally. This term refers to women, men and people of other genders alike.

Being Non-binary in Finland

Being Non-binary in Finland is safe and it's also unlikely to get adressed in work places.

A poll was made about this topic, which resulted highly positive.

Oh, and look:

Neo Aarnikotka, a Finnish photographer and artist, asked non-binary artists and successful people in Finland about their lives and posted a very beautiful research about it:

(I highly recommend reading it, it's very inspirational)

In conclusion,

Finland is safe and chill for Lgbtq+ community, even though it lacks a small step to become perfect. But overall, with its stunning aurora borealis and unique language, it's worthy to discover.

See you there!

#Actually Finland has two main languages: Finnish and Swedish #I just wanted to clarify it #Finland #Finnish #Swedish #Europe #lgbtq #Pride month #Lgbtqia+#Non-binary #Language #Languages #World #Polyglot #Fact

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byebyelingual · 3 years

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HELLO BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE. Today's post is about:

🇼🇸🌴Samoa🌴🇼🇸

If you didn't know, Samoa is a State made of a group of 💫paradisiac💫 islands in Polynesia, near New Zealand and Australia, riiiiight here:

The best place for a vacation, right?

Samoan people are bilingual (speaking English and Samoan), so if you happen to be in Apia (Samoa's Capital) and want to make friends, you can say:

Hello = Malō (informal) / Tālofa

How are you? = Ua mai oe?

Thank you = Fa'afetai

Please = Fa'amolemole

Yes = Ioe

No = Leai

Sorry = Fa'amalie atu

I don't know = Ou te leiloa

Have a nice day! = Ia manuia le aso!

I understand = Ua ou mālamalama

I don't understand = 'Ou te lē mālamalama

Help! = Fia ola!

Excuse me = Tulou lava

I miss you = Ou te misia ia te oe

I love you = Ou te alofa ia te oe

One language is never enough = O le gagana e tasi e le lava

Source:

👉 You wanna learn the Samoan writing System? No problem.

The Samoan Language uses the latin alphabet plus 'Okina, the symbol (') used in writing to represent a glottal stop, similar to the sound between the syllables of "oh-oh", and kahakō, which when written over a vowel indicates that the vowel is long.

Samoa's Capital, Apia

🌴But let's look more into Samoan Culture

Samoan culture is based on Faʻa Sāmoa, the 'Samoan Way'.

It includes the behavior and the responsibilities that spell out all Samoans' relationships to one another and to persons holding positions of authority.

Faʻa Sāmoa includes the way one stands, walks and speaks, for example by saying "tulou" when one walks in front of someone who is seated. Likewise, it is extremely disrespectful to eat or drink when walking through a village.

"Family" in samoan is ʻAiga.

'Aiga consists of a wider family group of blood and marriage or even adopted connections who all acknowledge the matai (head of the family) who can be either male or female.

All members of the 'Aiga don't have to live under the same roof or even in the same village but it will assemble when the occasion requires it, generally at the residence of the matai, to discuss family affairs, deaths or weddings.

Samoan matai protestors outside Aotearoa New Zealand's Parliament. On 28 March 2003, this group of 3000 Samoans, among them hundreds of transnational matai, protested against the Citizenship [Western Samoa] Act 1982 outside Parliament. Image: Mark Mitchell

🔥Dancing is a huge part of Samoan culture.

There's many traditional samoan dances:

The Fa'ataupati, or "Samoan Slap Dance". Only performed by males, it's the only dance withouth music but with the clapping of the hands and stomping of the feet.

The Maulu'ulu. Literally it means "light rain" - due to the refreshing movements and style, as a "light rain" would cool the stifling tropical heat of a summer day.

The Sasa can be performed by both males and females.

The Siva Afi, a ceremonial dance using the fire knife.

The Manu Siva Tau is a Samoan War Dance, performed by the Samoan sporting teams before each match.

The Taualuga, considered the apex of Samoan performance art forms.

🌈Lgbtq+ in Samoa

Even though same sex relationships are illegal, Samoa has a large transgender or "third gender" community called fa'afafine.

Faʻafafine are people who identify themselves as having a third gender or non-binary role in Samoa.

They are assigned male at birth, and embody both masculine and feminine gender traits. Their behaviour typically ranges from extravagantly feminine to conventionally masculine.

A curious fact about Samoa is that male relationships are forbidden, while female ones are not.

A book about this general topic was written by the Samoan artists Dan Taulapapa McMullin and Yuki Kihara.

🌴☀️🌴☀️🌴☀️🌴☀️🌴☀️🌴☀️🌴☀️🌴☀️

If you read until now and learned something new, I'm proud of you!

And so are some Samoan characters you didn't know were Samoan, like:

And last but not least,

If you want to learn Samoan or just want to look more into its culture, check this:

Nafanuatele Lafitaga Mafaufau, the creator and writer of O Le Aiga Samoa comic, is the passionate founder and teacher of the Nafanua Communication and Culture Samoan language classes.

This comic helps to make the Samoan language accessible to people of all ages and backgrounds, and its goal is to make especially young people engage in Samoa's beautiful culture.

https://www.boosted.org.nz/projects/o-le-aiga-samoa

#It took me the whole day to make this post and I'm kinda proud of it #All sources are linked #I hope you enjoy it and please if I made some wrong statements correct me in the comments #Samoa #Samoan #Samoan language #Hunk garrett #Moana #Oceania #Languages #Culture #Polyglot #Vld #Voltron #Lgbtq #World #Language #Country

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byebyelingual · 3 years

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Now THIS is useful, thank you so much!

Language Resources Masterpost

🌷 I made this for myself and will be updating it from time to time, feel free to reblog 🍀my langstagram 🌷 my posts