Hiberno-English: Irish English Phrases, Grammar and Slang
Explore Hiberno-English grammar, phrases and slang, with regional context and clear guidance on habitual “do be”, greetings, teasing and profanity.
Category: Language Hacks
Video in ASL: Gallaudet university, city of American Sign Language and Deaf culture
I spent a month in Austin (TX) and learned enough ASL to make a multilingual music video in ASL, but not enough to record a video interacting with someone. But then I made it a major focus to improve my ASL to a level where I could interview people to share Deaf culture and more about ASL and how it works with the world. Check out today’s video, entirely in American Sign Language.
Language leveling up: Moses and Benny speak a dozen languages in Columbus Ohio
I met up with fellow Youtube polyglot, Moses McCormick (see his Youtube channel) in Columbus, Ohio and the two of us went to a mall simply to walk up to complete strangers and practise a bunch of languages with them.
Achieve the impossible this summer: Set yourself a (fluent in?) 3 month challenge! #Fi3M
Wondering what my mission will be this summer? Make sure to follow me on Facebook and Instagram (@irishpolyglot) to find out within a few days! The summer has begun (at least in the northern hemisphere), so what do you want to have achieved by September? If you want to make serious progress in your target […]
Did I Really Learn to Speak Chinese in 3 Months?
The big question regarding my Mandarin project that a lot of people have been asking is How well can you really speak it Benny? From the blog’s origin era (2009–2014) — kept as lived proof of the method. See all the missions. I’ve been saying it’s about a B1 (lower intermediate), but I’m sure self […]
Don’t travel to learn a language! Why it’s your ATTITUDE, not your longitude and latitude, that counts
This blog post is based on this week’s Language Hacking League email. To get such updates sent to your inbox, which are not usually posted on the blog, sign up (for free of course) at the bottom of this page! You may not expect this from a blog that tells you how travel has been […]
Esperanto video and how useful the language can be: Interview with a Buddhist monk and tour of monastery
Fun video to share with you today… in Esperanto! Click “CC” to activate subtitles in English (as well as original Esperanto), or if you’re in China (and not using VPN software to circumnavigate the “Great Firewall of China” as I’m clearly doing to be able to use Youtube) then check it out on Youku. I […]
The Language Gene delusion
When you understand “language genes” to be something that some people have and you don’t, then you’re being ridiculous. I’ve seen this in many iterations: language talent, gene, skill, knack etc., and today I’m going to tell you why I think it’s all nonsense. The part of your genetic makeup that helps you deconstruct and […]
2,000km train journey video: Benny gets his Chinese name, makes new friends and meets pandas!
Here it is! My video of the epic 2,000km (that’s about 1,250 miles in “old money” as we say) train ride I took to get to Chengdu, starting from Shanghai. This video shares the people (and pandas) I met along the way! 🙂 Click CC to enable subtitles (in English, and traditional or simplified Chinese) […]
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