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Thanks for reading the Multilingual Books newsletter, your source for foreign language news, information, and product information and specials from Multilingual Books. This is also available as a web page at our website, www.multilingualbooks.com. In this issue:
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What Are Babies Thinking Before They Start Talking?
Public release from eurekalert.org
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Babies as young as five months old make distinctions about categories of events that their parents do not, revealing new information about how language develops in humans. The research by Sue Hespos, assistant professor of psychology at Vanderbilt University, and Elizabeth Spelke, professor of psychology at Harvard University, was published in the July 22 issue of Nature in the article "Conceptual precursors to language."
"It's been shown in previous studies that adults actually categorize things differently based on what language they speak," Hespos said. "So, if language is influencing adults' thought, one of our questions was, what's going on with preverbal infants? Do children think before they speak?
"Language capitalizes on a pre-existing system of 'I live in a 3-D world, I know how objects behave and interact,'" she continued. "This pre-existing ability suggests that children do think before they speak."
Previous research has found that infants are sensitive to the acoustic variations that signal meanings in all the world's languages that adults can no longer hear, even those variations that their own language does not use and that the adults around them no longer hear. For instance, an adult native-English speaker will not hear all of the sounds of Korean and vice versa. Infants hear these subtleties but lose this awareness as their language skills develop over the first year of life.
"The languages of the world vary both in the sounds they require speakers to distinguish and in the meanings they require speakers to convey, and these differences influence what speakers of a language readily hear and think about," Spelke said. "Our research asked how these differences arise: Does the experience of learning to speak English or Korean make you aware of the categories your language honors?"
The example they used to explore this question was differences between how different languages describe space. For example, the distinction between a tight fit versus a loose fit is marked in Korean but not in English. A cap on a pen would be a tight fit relationship, while a pen on a table would be a loose fit relationship. English does not mark this distinction in the same way, instead emphasizing the "containment" versus "support" relationship, for example: the coffee is in the mug or the mug is on the table.
"These findings suggest that humans possess a rich set of concepts before we learn language," Spelke added. "Learning a particular language may lead us to favor some of these concepts over others, but the concepts already existed before we put them into words."
See the full article at: http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2004-07/vu-wab071904.php
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Super Sale! Save BIG on Platiquemos, FSI, and more! |  |
Top Products for August
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Last month's trivia questions and answers: Please answer these language trivia questions regarding people and places in the news. Good luck!
1. What are the six official languages for the United Nations?
2. What is the official language of Afghanistan?
3. Besides Arabic, what is another official language of Iraq?
4. What foreign language does National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice speak fluently? The winner of last month's contest is David Smith. Congratulations and thanks to all the entrants! This month's trivia quiz: The Summer Olympics are making a triumphant return to their origin in Athens, Greece. In honor of this event, please translate the following phoneticized common Greek phrases. For example: Elleeneeka – GreekYasou – Tee-kana-te - Pahrahkahlo - Seegnomee – Meetera – Meela – Agahapo – Elinas! - Ahdiosas - The answers and the winner will be in our next newsletter. Winner will receive their choice of one Talk Now or World Talk language CD-ROM! No purchase necessary to enter. E-mail your entry to:
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Silueta Bilingual Magazine
This site would make excellent reading practice for intermediate to advanced Spanish learners.
From the site: Silueta is a bilingual magazine with an emphasis on educational topics. Articles are in both Spanish and English including topics like, Nutrition, Gardening, Herbalism, Renewable Energy, Personal Motivation, Poetry, Book & Music reviews, Computer Technology and more.
Check it out at http://www.silueta.com/.
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Save $50 on Any FSI Course Priced Over $199! Save $50 on any FSI CD course priced over $199! Offer good for one week only, so act now! Use promo code MB-F50-722 to receive this special. For ordering and more information, please visit our FSI page. |
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Save $150 on the Complete Platiquemos Course! $100 Off Digital Version!
Platiquemos Spanish Course Get $150 off when you buy all 8 levels of Platiquemos or $100 off when you buy all 8 levels of the digital version for one week only! Use promo code MB-P150-722 to receive this special. Order today! |
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FREE Shipping on Talk Now and World Talk! Talk Now and World Talk CD-ROM Courses
For a limited time, get FREE shipping on Talk Now and World Talk! Order today to save with our one week only newsletter special! Use promo code MB-TWF-722 to receive this special. |
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Save $10 on Foreign Language Videos! We have significantly expanded our foreign language video section, adding many new languages, titles and Spanish children's videos. We offer videos in over 20 languages from Arabic to Vietnamese, and titles from worldwide blockbusters such as Harry Potter, to classic films, to fine lesser-known regional films. We now offer over 500 titles.
For a limited time, save $10 on your foreign language video order! Save with our newsletter special for one week only! Use promo code MB-FV10-722 to receive this special. Order today! |
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