A round up of the best language stories: 1. Polyglot Runs Into Another Polyglot And They Have A Casual Chat In 15 Languages This video made me so happy. It's so much fun to meet another polyglot and to go back and forth with each other, speaking different languages. The best is when you can't remember something in one language so you use another language to describe it and your friend 'gets' it because you have that language in common too. Being able to communicate is the best feeling in the world. How many of the languages spoken here can you understand? 2. Six of Croatia's Can't-Miss Dishes Even if you've never been to Croatia or had Croatian food, you have to check out the amazing looking photos of these savory meals! I cannot wait to be back in Croatia next month to have fresh fish on the Adriatic. I know my husband, Tomislav, is especially excited for Istrian Fuži (homemade pasta from Istria, Croatia) with truffles (tartufi). The ž in Croatian is pronounced like the sound in the middle of the English word "pleasure". 3. Why We Should Learn German by John le Carré Was it love at first sound to you? :) To quote Charlemagne: “To have another language is to possess a second soul.” John le Carré notes that he might have added that to teach another language is to implant a second soul. It's more important now than ever to teach and spread understanding of German culture and life. 4. Croatia's First Underwater Winery Is Open to Visitors And you can take a dive to see it. As one of the countries that drinks the most wine in the world, Croatia knows its vino. But now, the Balkan nation is taking it to the next level. Have you seen this underwater winery yet? 5. An American Speaking Polish About What He Loves About Poland It takes a lot of courage to film (and POST) yourself speaking another language. It's such a humbling experience but it's incredible for you to hear yourself (and your progress) every once in a while! I absolutely love this video that my Dad sent me. The Foreign Citizen speaks excellent Polish and it's fun to listen to, especially during these difficult and controversial times. Make sure to follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for even more language links that I love. Let me know which one is your favorite this week!
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A round up of the best language stories: 1. Being bilingual is attractive. According to online dating service Plenty of Fish's latest language study findings, Americans think it's sexy to speak another language. Which languages do you think took the top spots as sexiest languages in the world? See the answer here. 2. 5 unexpectedly helpful Croatian phrases for your upcoming holiday to Croatia. Samo malo is such a good phrase that is never in any of the phrase books! Classic post written by my bestie, Elaine Ritchel, of Sante Fe Art Tours. 3. Have you heard about the Inter-Slavic Language in the making by a Czech Linguist and Croatian Anthropologist? It makes sense when you realize that in geographic Europe (from Portugal to Ural) there are mostly Slavic languages speakers - about 250 million or 32, 3 percent of European populations. Creating a common pan-Slavic language would be especially helpful for Google translate fails that we see too often when translating Slavic languages. 4. 8 Reasons You Should Never Swim in the Adriatic - Not what you would expect! If you're interested in traveling to Croatia, my dearest friends Sarah and Ivan run Royal Croatian Tours and will help you plan and achieve your perfect trip! 5. For a laugh, even if you don't speak German, 19 Signs The German Language Is Just Trolling Us - So funny! 6. Dharni, a revolutionary young beatboxer shows you how to learn how to beatbox by simply learning a few Polish words. You've got to hear this to believe it! 1. You use "talk to text" on your iPhone to text your parents because you forgot what you learned in Polish school or never really learned the grammar in the first place. 2. You know where the nearest Polish store is and are ready to go get kabanosy, pasztet, salceson, and ziele angielskie whenever the craving strikes or your family is coming over.
3. You have certain family slang words that have basically become Americanized Polish but everyone knows what they mean. Like: hang outować się (to hang out), cold cuty (cold cuts), and of course Dzia Dzia (Grandpa).
4. The reverse also happens and you end up saying "kapcz-y" with an American accent when you forget how to say slippers or simply can't translate "Smacznego" (clumsy translation: Have a tasty meal!) You always remember to say Smacznego before every meal, though! 5. You know that załatwić is one of the best words ever and that it simply cannot be translated. It means to get something done but more specifically get it done by any means possible, whether it be by using charm, luck, or connections. It's got total communist vibes from back in the day (when bribing was one of those means) but it's such an appropriate word for so many situations! Another amazingly useful and similarly challenging to translate word that you know is kombinować. Such a great word meaning to figure something out or "MacGuyver" something (side note, my Tatus (Dad) is actually Polish MacGuyver). This word usually applies when you're working with the bare minimum. For example, when all I have left in the kitchen are a few sad carrots and a sparse pantry. I "wykombinują" a beautiful French salad by shredding the carrots and dressing in a little vinaigrette. 6. Your parents have at least one picture of Pope John Paul II in their house and probably their wallets. 7. Someone is always making homemade booze, whether it's a bottle of cytrynówka or their own wine. You will definitely be drinking it at the next Polish gathering. 8. You always, always start a round of Sto Lat after singing Happy Birthday and never leave out the "A kto?" ("And who?") at the end, since in the Polish version, you don't sing the person's name. Bonus points if you're the one who starts the "i jeszcze jeden i jeszcze raz!" (and one more, and one more time! If you've been drinking that homemade booze, you'll probably sing a couple of rounds of this). How else do you know if you're Polish-American? Do you speak Polish? Let me know what I missed and if you relate to any of these in the comments below! |
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Nikki PršaPolish-American Polyglot, Language Expert, German Teacher, M.Ed., married to my dream guy, the Croatian Sensation. Let's connect! Archives
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DISCLOSUREI aim to provide as much free content as possible to help teach others around the world how to speak another language. I am trying out using affiliate links, which means that I may earn a tiny commission if you click on a link or make a purchase through a link posted here. All opinions and materials are my own, unless otherwise stated. If you use and like my materials, let me know! :)
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