Fun Facts about Language Learning

Here are more fun facts about language learning, which languages are the most popular in the world today and how the brain learns new vocabulary!

It is thought that there are up to 7,000 different languages spoken around the world today.

More than half of the world’s languages have no written form.

The world’s most widely spoken languages are: Mandarin Chinese, English, Spanish, Hindi, Arabic, Bengali, Russian, Portuguese, Japanese, German and French.

It is estimated that 75% of the world’s population does not speak English.

The official languages used by the United Nations are English, French, Spanish, Chinese, Russian and Arabic.

The ease or difficulty of learning another language can depend on your native language. Research suggests that Chinese and Arabic are amongst the languages that are the hardest to learn.

The UN has 6 official languages

The brain and language 

Research shows that it is best to start learning a language at a young age, with the best age being age seven.

Researcher Neil Fleming says that there are three types of learner:

• The visual learner learns from images and writing down words and phrases.
• The auditory learner learns from reading out loud or recording their own oral work or conversations.
• The kinesthetic learner learns from physical activity or in a group rather than listening to a lecture or watching a demonstration

The language learning process is mainly conduced by the left side of the brain, which controls logic, reasoning and mathematics.

According to researchers, learning a new language in a short space of time can help the brain to grow – which is great news for our students who are looking to take one of our courses!

How many languages can you speak? Which ones?

How hard do you find it to learn new languages?  Which techniques help you with language learning?

Source: http://kaplaninternational.com

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Famous People Who Studied Abroad

Gwyneth, Gael, Mother Teresa and many more famous people studied abroad!

They say (and I personally agree on this point) that study abroad adventures are life-changing.  There are many reasons why they are. First, you start challenging yourself and pushing your comfort zone, then you arrive to a place with a different culture and maybe even language,  and you need to learn them and adapt to them while growing as a person.

Here’s a list of famous and inspiring people with whom you might feel you have something in common, or even admire a lot… Did you know they all studied abroad at some point in their lives?

• Gwyneth Paltrow spent a high school year in Talavera de la Reina, Spain when she was 15. Every year she visits Spain, calling it a second home. Have a look at videos showing her Spanish skills. 

• Gael Garcia Bernal (Mexican star actor of The Motorcycle Diaries) studied acting at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London. He was the first Mexican whose application was accepted into the prestigious school.
• JK Rowling, years before she dreamed up Harry Potter, spent time studying in France as part of her degree in French and Classics at Exeter University.
• Bradley Cooper spent six months studying French in Aix-en-Provence. He said he remembered watching a scene in the movie Chariots of Fire, in which someone spoke French, and thinking ‘Man, that sounds so cool. I want to learn French.’
• Penelope Cruz left her home country to study theater at Cristina Rota’s New York school for several years.
• Desmond Tutu (South African activist) earned his Bachelor and Master’s degree at King’s College London in the 1960s. He says that studying there ‘opened up a whole new world to me’
• Mother Teresa spent time helping others and learning abroad. Born and raised in Macedonia and Albania, Mother Teresa studied English at Loreto Abbey in Rathfarnham, Ireland before doing missionary work in India at age 18.
• Dan Brown (Da Vinci Code author) spent a year studying art history in the University of Seville, Spain. 

What about you? Have you studied abroad? What are you waiting for? Get inspired by our 40+ English schools locations and start your own life-changing experience!

Source: http://kaplaninternational.com

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