by Hanifa K. Cook | Apr 5, 2010 | Learning Skills
At what point can we start to have bilingual conversation? We have heard of people who have never picked up a textbook and still be able to speak two languages just by listening to conversations of others and surrounding themselves with foreign language speakers....
by Hanifa K. Cook | Mar 13, 2010 | Learning Skills
I love talking about food. Who doesn’t? We eat all the time. For me, cooking foreign dishes gives me great pleasure because it helps me develop my sensitivity towards a foreign language. It does not matter whether I am learning that language actively or not. If...
by Hanifa K. Cook | Feb 16, 2010 | Learning Skills
Why is Orange used for Chinese New Year? Orange in Mandarin is 桔子 and the colour is 橙色。Some people call it 橙子. Interestingly, the name of the fruit orange is also the name of the colour of fruit. It is the same for Malay. Orange in Malay is ‘oren’ and the...
by Hanifa K. Cook | Jan 5, 2010 | Learning Skills, Music
There can be mental activity even when we are not talking. Here are four types of thoughts that do not demand the use of language: 1. Daydreaming: It depends on the mind to create and visualise images. Artists paint what their minds tell them to paint. When people...
by Hanifa K. Cook | Dec 16, 2009 | Learning Skills
Being able to speak many languages is not the same as understanding all the languages that we can speak. If you understand the language, you have a better chance of success in communicating your thoughts more effectively. There are 2 golden rules I use throughout my...
by Hanifa K. Cook | Oct 21, 2009 | Language, Learning Skills
In my last post, I wrote about How To Be Bilingual. If you have been speaking or trying to speak two languages, you may not feel confident enough because people comment on your heavy foreign accent. Here are some basic rules you can follow once you feel ready to speak...