Indo-European Language Tree

Watch This Guy Speak 9 Languages Like A Native

by John-Erik Jordan

Matthew Youlden speaks nine languages fluently and understands more than a dozen more. He’s what is known as a polyglot, a member of the multilingual elite who speaks six or more languages fluently. He’s also a sociolinguist who studies the revitalization of minority languages. But to see him in action on a daily basis – deftly and comfortably talking to native-speakers in their own languages – suggests that he’s more than a polyglot. Matthew, who is originally from Manchester, England, is a language chameleon: Germans think he’s German, Spaniards think he’s Spanish, Brazilians think he’s Portuguese (he proudly speaks the good-old European variety).

By his own account, Matthew has mastered a staggering number of languages by utilizing abilities that we all possess: persistence, enthusiasm and open-mindedness. If your classic polyglot is an über-nerd who studies languages full-time, then Matthew is something different. His version of multilingualism doesn’t isolate him in an ivory tower; it connects him to people all over the world. According to Matthew, the more languages you speak, the more points of view you have:

“I think each language has a certain way of seeing the world. If you speak one language then you have a different way of analyzing and interpreting the world than the speaker of another language does. Even if they’re really closely-related languages such as Spanish and Portuguese, which are to a certain extent mutually intelligible, they are at the same time two different worlds – two different mindsets.

“Therefore, having learned other languages and been surrounded by other languages, I couldn’t possibly choose only one language because it would mean really renouncing the possibility to be able to see the world in a different way. Not in one way, but in many different ways. So the monolingual lifestyle, for me, is the saddest, the loneliest, the most boring way of seeing the world. There are so many advantages of learning a language; I really can’t think of any reason not to.”

Watch the video above to see him flex his skills in Irish, French, Spanish, Catalan, Portuguese, Italian, Hebrew and German.

Инфографика: самые влиятельные языки мира

Ученые из Массачусетского института технологий составили инфографики с определением самых влиятельных языков мира (самым влиятельным, как и ожидалось, оказался английский язык). Ученые составили несколько графиков наглядно демонстрирующие связь между английским и другими языками. В качестве главных факторов рассматривалось количество переведенных с различных языков книг (в качестве источника информации использовались данные о 2,2 млн книг предоставленные ЮНЕСКО), количество твитов и редактирований страниц Википедии. 

Как показали составленные графики, влияние английского языка определило не столько количество его носителей, сколько его использование для передачи информации с одного языка на другой: так, книга написанная на китайском языке сначала скорее всего станет доступной на английском языке и только потом будет переведена на русский. Кроме того, как обнаружили ученые, большинство двуязычных пользователей Википедии вносят правки в тексты статей, сверяясь с английской версией.

Таким образом, английский становится своего рода «коммуникационным узлом», служащим для передачи информации с одного языка на другой. При этом ученые выделили еще несколько языков, выполняющих ту же роль: это немецкий, французский, китайский, португальский и русский.

12 British Sayings Americans Don't Understand

• MEGAN WILLETT
• NOV. 10, 2014, 9:39 AM
• • 
    

REUTERS/Paul HackettWe're chuffed to bits about the launch of Business Insider UK.

Everyone knows that for the Brits an elevator is a “lift,” an apartment is a “flat,” and those chips you’re snacking on are actually called “crisps.”

But British people also say some other really weird, confusing things.

To celebrate the launch of Business Insider's UK website, we compiled 12 British phrases that will leave Americans utterly flummoxed. You might just see these on our new site. 

1. “They lost the plot.”

When someone has “lost the plot,” it means they have lost their cool. The phrase is particularly common in English football, where it is generally used when a player or coach gets in a fight or performs poorly during the game. 

2. “I haven’t seen that in donkey's years.”

“Donkey’s years” translates to “a really long time,” mainly because “donkey’s ears” kind of sounded like “donkey’s years” and became a rhyming slang term.

The phrase was underscored by the belief that donkeys live a long time (which can be true) and have very long ears (definitely true).

3. “Quit your whinging!” 

REUTERS/Eddie KeoghQuit your whinging — it's always raining in London.

When someone is “whinging,” it means they’re whining or crying. The next time your coworker is complaining about something, feel free to call him a whinger.

4. “He’s such a chav.”

This is a pejorative epithet in Britain that’s used to describe a specific kind of stereotype: a working-class person who is loud or brash and wears (usually fake) designer clothes — especially the classic Burberry check.

It is essentially the British version of “white trash” and should be used sparingly.

5. “You’ve thrown a spanner in the works.” 

When you put or throw a spanner in the works, it means you’ve ruined a plan. A spanner is the word for a wrench in England, so it’s the British equivalent of “throwing a wrench in the plan.”

6. “Let’s have a chinwag.”

Though fairly self-explanatory, having a “chinwag” (sometimes "chin-wag") means that you’re having a chat with someone, usually associated with gossip. Just imagine a chin wagging up and down, and you’ll get the idea.

7. “I’m chuffed to bits.”

If you’re “chuffed to bits” you’re really happy or thrilled about something. It’s also acceptable to say “chuffed” all on its own: “I’ve just scored free tickets to the Beyoncé concert, and I’m well chuffed!”

8. “That’s manky.”

Something that is manky is unpleasantly dirty or disgusting. Its slang usage dates to the 1950s and was probably a combination of "mank" (meaning mutilated or maimed), the Old French word "manqué" (to fail), and the Latin "mancus" (maimed). 

You can also feel “manky” if you’re under the weather.

9. “My cat? She’s a moggy.”

REUTERS/Shamil ZhumatovThis moggy is quite patriotic.

A “moggy” or “moggie” refers to an alley cat or a cat without a pedigree, but it is often used interchangeably as another word for cat.  

10. “This was an absolute doddle to do.”

A “doddle” is a task or activity that is extremely easy. Though the origin is unknown, it dates to the 1930s and is still common. 

11. “You’re taking the piss.”

When you take the piss with someone, you’re being unreasonable or taking liberties. For example, if a cashier overcharges you on something, he is taking the piss.

It can also be a stand-in phrase for when you’re mocking or teasing someone, though this is more commonly said as “taking the piss out of” someone or something. For example: “They’re always taking the piss out of John because he likes Taylor Swift.”

12. “I’ve dropped a clanger.”

When someone makes an embarrassing gaffe that upsets someone else, that person has “dropped a clanger.” 

For example, if you offer your seat to a pregnant woman on the subway and she tells you she’s not actually pregnant, you may have dropped a clanger.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com