Speaking of French

Food is Language, Language is Food

Author: Lena Smith I have been in France for more than two months and I have not blogged about food. I have eaten a lot of...

Why do we learn foreign languages by writing?

Author: Lena Smith On my first day of French class in seventh grade, I learned a simple exchange: "Bonjour, ca va? Oui, ca va bien." I...

Occitan

Author: Lena Smith Languages die in stages. Barring natural disasters and plagues, a dying language slowly becomes a minority in a region, its speakers become bilingual...

Define immersion: hearing, understanding, participating

Author: Lena Smith My first instinct was to begin writing this post in French – a good indicator of what happens when one is dropped in...

Quiet Americans

Author: Lena Smith Sound resonates in a cathedral: footsteps, jingling keys, doors closing, hushed voices. Everyone speaks quietly in a cathedral, because the quiet is precious...

An accent makes all the difference

Author: Lena Smith I am spending part of my mid-semester break in Glasgow, Scotland. Having been here for less than a day, I already see how...

In the Vernacular

Author: Lena Smith Vernacular is a great word, and not only because it's fun to say. A vernacular is simply any variation of a language a...

Food is Language, Language is Food

Author: Lena Smith I have been in France for more than two months and I have not blogged about food. I have eaten a lot of...

Why do we learn foreign languages by writing?

Author: Lena Smith On my first day of French class in seventh grade, I learned a simple exchange: "Bonjour, ca va? Oui, ca va bien." I...

Occitan

Author: Lena Smith Languages die in stages. Barring natural disasters and plagues, a dying language slowly becomes a minority in a region, its speakers become bilingual...