passion lingua » knowledge http://benzai.net/blog the benzai.net blog Mon, 23 Nov 2009 23:17:45 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.5 en hourly 1 Learning languages? Watch movies! http://benzai.net/blog/learning-languages-watch-movies/ http://benzai.net/blog/learning-languages-watch-movies/#comments Mon, 23 Nov 2009 23:17:45 +0000 admin http://benzai.net/blog/?p=45 How often did you start for a nice long learning session that eventually ended up with you watching the newest blockbuster available?

Of course that never happened to you – but to me it did. And it did not only happen once or twice, it happend quiet often… until now. Guilty feelings are no longer necessary at this point.

Latest research done by dutch scientists Holger Mitterer and James McQueen from the Max-Planck-Institute Nijmegen found that watching movies in a foreign language is not only a very comfortable and helpful tool for learning activities, but in combination with subtitles also being provided in the orginal language it also proved to be a very effective one.

Watching the movie with subtitles being given in your mother tongue on the other hand does not generate any benefit. On the contrary it even has negative effects, as your concentration is drawn away from the language you are trying to master.

Lets go and get a good movie!

For further information have a look at science daily

]]> http://benzai.net/blog/learning-languages-watch-movies/feed/ 0 When did you start learning? http://benzai.net/blog/when-did-you-start-learning/ http://benzai.net/blog/when-did-you-start-learning/#comments Tue, 10 Nov 2009 17:46:42 +0000 admin http://benzai.net/blog/?p=35 When did you start learning your mother tongue?

Scientists at Würzburg University now discovered that newborn babies’ cries already are intonated in the melody of  their and their parents’ language.

According to that even hearing a french baby cry for attention for a German is listening to a foreign language. As this fact may go by unnoticed, the meaning of it is far more interesting. The fact that the specific melody or intonation exists right from the moment of birth leads to the conclusion that babies are already adapting to a certain language whilst still living in their mothers’ wombs.

Although this short note does not really relate to learning foreign languages or techniques for this purpose, from now on at least I will try to figure out which language the babies might prefer before I start babbling to them.

Fot those interested further information on this topic is provided right here

]]> http://benzai.net/blog/when-did-you-start-learning/feed/ 1 Doping for your brain – foreign languages http://benzai.net/blog/doping-for-your-brain-foreign-languages/ http://benzai.net/blog/doping-for-your-brain-foreign-languages/#comments Sun, 08 Nov 2009 23:12:57 +0000 admin http://benzai.net/blog/?p=14 There are quite a lot of good reasons for learning foreign languages. But besides the importance for ambitious goals in career planning, besides the possibilities it offers when it comes to cultural understanding  now there are a few more very convincing reasons brought to us by science.

Recent research found out that learning foreign languages has an impressive impact on brain functions and its capacity.

The findings of the international team of scientists under the lead of David Marsh  substantiate improvements in learning abilities, complex thinking, creativity and mental flexibility. In addition to that people who are capable of more than on language  are less likely to suffer early from mental decay.

It seems to me, languages are one of the rare things in live offering a wide variety of advantages and gains whilst the one and only cost is time.

Read the original:

Study on the Contribution of Multilingalism to Creativity

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