Not that I have to, but that I want to
The Paraguayan War: Causes and Early Conduct is a protracted account of the 1864–1870 Paraguayan war, aka the Triple Alliance war. This is a story about the smallish Paraguay at war with the triple alliance of Brazil, Argentina, and Uruguay. The author spent considerable effort in explaining the backdrop of the conflict, going as far …
Language learning can be monotonous and discouraging at times. Anything that can spice up the process is a welcome relief. Listening to Spanish pop music became one of my favorite Spanish learning tools. My previous blog posts here and here listed some of my favorite artists and songs. I found listening to Spanish hit songs …
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Food is an important part of any culture, and street food embodies an authentic gastronomic cultural identity that is tasty and affordable. Typically, street food businesses are small and family-owned. Munching on street food directly supports the local economy. Besides the economic benefits, street food vendors help keep age-old recipes and local gastronomic culture alive …
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Language learning is about making mistakes and trying again, only to make more mistakes, hopefully different ones but sometimes not. Mistakes made during a self-study can be demoralizing but not quite as embarrassing as when you made them with a live conversation partner. Having a thick skin and a sense of self-deprecating humor will certainly …
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In many ways, learning a language is like learning to play a musical instrument such as the piano or guitar. You are learning several things all at once, a new vocabulary analogous to musical notes, a new grammar analogous to music theory, and a new culture analogous to music history. Piano learners are often frustrated …
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In terms of their off-the-chart cuteness, alpacas are to South America as pandas are to China and koalas to Australia. Alpacas are cousins to the bigger and better known llamas. The alpaca averages 3 feet in height at the shoulder and weighs about 130 pounds. A llama stands about 1 foot taller and averages 170 …
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To go from point A to point B, one tends to take the path of least resistance, sometimes taking the longer but easier route to get there. Communication between people is the same: 2 persons will speak in the common language that is easiest to understand each other. Spanish learners often seek out opportunities to …
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Music is the universal language of mankind, according to U.S. poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Studies have confirmed that claim by showing that music listeners can accurately discern the mood and function of a song without understanding the lyrics written in a foreign language. Learners of Spanish, from novices to near fluent, are often encouraged to …
Where is Spanish broken? In answering, most people may blurt out Spain and countries in Latin America. The more mindful may know that Spanish is the second most spoken language in the U.S., after English. Little known, perhaps, is that Spanish is actually an official language of the African nation and former Spanish colony, Equatorial …
The U.S. Foreign Service Institute classifies world languages into categories 1 to 4, in ascending order of learning difficulty for native or native-level English speakers. To no one’s surprise, Spanish is in category 1, meaning it is among the easiest to learn for English speakers. Spanish, like other languages in category 1 (Portuguese, Italian, French), …
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