The latin alphabet is by far the most pervasive writing system currently in use on the planet, spanning more than 130 major languages. Nearly everyone one has encountered, used, or at least heard of it. From this vantage point, the closest branching points and most obvious relatives are the Greek and Russian alphabets. There is […]

One family of languages dominates most of the world’s speech. Today, nearly 42% of the human population (3.2 billion) speaks an Indo-European language. The Indo-European language family divides into four main branches and a few offshoots. If your reading this, you are already fluent in an Indo-European language, English. English is part of the Germanic […]

The International Phonetic Alphabet, IPA, allows objective translation of spoken production across languages through universal phonetic symbols that represent sounds. IPA transcriptions render foreign systems instantly accessible by depicting precise anatomical strategies for articulation. It standardizes the representation of oral elements such as phonemes, and intonation such that foreign language transcripts can be read directly off a […]

Originally, all written communication began with pictograms. As writing evolved, its symbolic roots became further and further removed from its day-to-day usage. Nonetheless, the elemental power of these symbols remains embedded in every pen stroke. First there was the word, and the word held great creative power. To become mindful of your utterances, it is […]

Prof Argüelles advocates the shadowing technique, 15 minute sessions with earphones walking outdoors as swiftly as possible, maintaining perfectly upright posture, and articulating thoroughly in a loud, clear voice. Initially blind-shadowing without looking at a book, while focusing only on phonics, then referencing the transcription of the recording and an annotated translation. This is later supplemented […]