Vocabulary

Learning words in a new language is both one of the most difficult, and most rewarding, parts of learning a language. Having a vocabulary notebook or a study app can be a great advantage when you’re trying to learn and remember new vocabulary. The sooner you can stop translating, and start thinking in English, the better.

One of the best parts of learning new the vocabulary of a new language is that it gives you insight as to how speakers of that language see the world.

Did you know that the word “orange” was a fairly recent addition to English? Chaucer, a famous English writer from the 14th Century, in his story, “Nun’s Priest’s Tale,” had to use the phrase “between yellow and red” (I’ve used modern spelling to make this easier to understand) when he wrote about a fox in the 1390’s.

Did you know that Russian has two words for “blue,” where English only has one? Don’t believe me? Read about it here.

If something as basic as ideas about colours can be different, how else do different languages, and the cultures that use them, see the world differently?