Research-backed insights for language learning
Marco Polo + Parley Blue Connect with fellow language learners on the Parley Blue + Marco Polo (video chat app) channel. Meet new friends! In-English support from fellow language learners. Daily language learning motivation Tips, tricks, and best practices Daily...
Do you have a language learning goal? If you said, "yes", that's awesome. Keep reading. If you said "no", feel free to move on. This is for people who are serious about learning a new language. Ok, next question, for the happy few that are still with me: Do you have a...
Foresight to Plant a Tree Last weekend the sun was shining and the temperature was somewhere between amazing and perfect. Strung between two strong trees, I laid in my hammock, appreciating the vibrant blue of the sky and the rich green hue of the leaves that...
Hi! If you’ve previously spent time learning languages, you know what a language learning plateau feels like. If you are just starting to learn another language, you’ll know soon enough. Basically a language learning plateau is when you stop learning the language as...
I have felt the strange mixture of envy, dread, and inspiration that comes when I see someone achieve a goal that I once set for myself. That strange brew of emotions only comes together when I have let my own efforts flag, getting distracted by, well, distractions,...
Leaving My Bubble I grew up in a small town near the Rocky Mountains in Idaho where everyone looked, believed, and spoke, more or less, the same. I’d never seen poverty or ridden in a taxi. In my small corner of the world, there was a right way to do things. A...
Is it possible? Could you learn to understand and speak a language without actually speaking to anyone? It's a question worth asking, so let's explore the possibility here. First, there are some real challenges we have to deal with before we can say "yes". Most...
If you're going to do something, do it right. Unfortunately, language learning is rarely done right. In the United States, it's especially broken. Billions of dollars and millions of hours spent a year with very little to show for it. High school classes, free mobile...
The famous Hungarian polyglot Kató Lamb came up with a useful formula to evaluate your language acquisition success. Result = (Invested Time x Motivation) / Inhibition I think this is a great formula. Throughout the years I’ve always gone back to this formula because...
When I first started re-learning Portuguese with Parley Blue, it was an interesting mix of uncomfortable and satisfying. The discomfort came from constantly being stretched beyond my current abilities. In calls with my coach, I struggled to understand and formulate...
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