Language and Linguistics
One of the most powerful skills you as a language learner could hope to develop is the ability to think directly in the language that you’re learning without having to go through your mother tongue. I call this ‘thought fluency’, and it is the core skill that I aim
Language and Linguistics
Over the weekend I had the privilege to present to a group of around 100 expat Indians working in the Engineering and Technology sectors in Thailand. I had spoken to the group a couple of months earlier and after the seminar, many people approached me and mentioned how much trouble
Language and Linguistics
“That’s O.K. for you – you’re ‘gifted’ when it comes to learning languages …. but what about us normal folk? How are we supposed to learn a new language when we don’t have the ability to absorb them by osmosis like you?” I have been going through hundreds
Mind and Brain
By the end of this article, you will have all the tools available to automatically generate your own customised multi-lingual audio, spaced-repetition vocabulary learning training files as well as physical flash cards to help you increase your vocabulary in the language that you are learning and develop a much more
Language and Linguistics
Are You Willing To Do What It Takes to Learn a Language? Two days ago I was giving a presentation entitled ‘Rebooting Your Mind to Learn [pick-a-language]’ to a group of 100 expats living in a particular SE Asian nation. I don’t want to mention the actual language as
Arabic
Bahasa Jawi – ภาษายาวี – بهاس جاوي Chances are if you pick up a copy of today’s newspaper in Thailand, there will be something warranting a front page story coming from the south – and in particular the three provinces of Patani, Yala and Naratiwat. The history of these three provinces is
Names in Asia are more than just a label. People may be called different things depending on who they're speaking to, or what the occasion is. In this first episode of 'Getting names Right in Asia', we take a look at how you can avoid killing
South by Southeast (SXSE)
What's in a Name? When it comes to Thai names, they are particularly loaded. Every Thai will have a First Name, Last Name and a Nick Name? Which one should you use? What if it's too hard to say? More importantly - which name SHOULDN'
Chinese
Chinese tones, grammar, pronunciation, Hanyu Pinyin, Characters - Hanzi 汉字(漢字), developing a good vocabulary and even whether or not you should have a Chinese name - and if so, what TYPE of Chinese name should it be … ? In this 90 min tutorial, I have tried to cut through many
South by Southeast (SXSE)
When you take a Thai Woman out, where does SHE really want to go? What should you order? What should you talk about? Should you take her home? Intimate on the first date? Wimintra weighs in in this episode of South By Southeast and tells us what she as a
Thai
“You Speak So Well!” Have you ever been learning a language like Thai, Chinese or Vietnamese and received a compliment in the very beginning stages along the lines of “You speak so well!” While providing that much needed motivation to keep going in the language, receiving such compliments can start
South by Southeast (SXSE)
What's the best topic to talk about when you're with a bunch of Thais? What's a sure fire way of destroying the atmosphere in a Thai office? What do Thais eat when they eat out themselves? Is there such thing as 'Real Thai