The Fluent Show

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**The Fluent Show**

Learn a Language…Or Maybe Three!
The Fluent Show is on a mission to help you get excited about language learning. We learn languages every day in our lives, and have learnt over 15 different languages between us.

We share stories, news, tips, and ideas that will make you fluent…eventually. Subscribe to the show today to get your regular dose of Fluent love.

It is worth clarifying that we actively want to support anti-racism and will highlight and advocate for the equality of all. Language learning means committing to tolerance of other world views, and this open mind is a core value for me. This topic deserves well considered words so here are [the best Kerstin managed to put together.](https://www.fluent.show/blacklivesmatter)

Latest Episodes:

How To Quickly Switch From One Language To Another Language Feb 25, 2019

Show notes

Alessia, 17 from Verona asks:

How to switch quickly from a language to another? Is it just a question of practice?

Click or tap here to read the full show notes in my blog article on www.fluentlanguage.co.uk

The short answer is that yes, there’s a huge element of practice involved. Sorry, no one likes to hear that there isn’t a secret shortcut!

But that doesn’t mean we can’t look into a few ways to practice that could help you get more comfortable and process language faster. Listen in to hear my tips and ideas for switching as efficiently as possible.

Thank you to Rebecca from Irregular Endings for this episode introduction.

Support This Podcast
Like all podcasts, the Fluent Show is supported by your online reviews and word of mouth.

If you liked this episode, please tell someone about it. Click here to tweet about the show, go to your Podcasts app and leave us a review, or simply text a friend about the Fluent Show. Thank you!

Sponsored By:

italki: Get $10 USD in italki Credits with your first lesson purchase - no code required, click here to claim this offer

Links:

Study Shows How Bilinguals Switch Between Languages – Association for Psychological Science
Multidisciplinary Approaches to Code Switching | Edited by Ludmila Isurin, Donald Winford and Kees de Bot
Multidisciplinary Approaches to Code Switching - Google Books
Going in and out of languages: Article by François Grosjean and Joanne L. Miller, 1994
The Language Habit Toolkit — The All-in-One System For Meeting Your Goals in Language Learning

Fluent By Feeling: How Intuition Helps You Learn Languages Feb 18, 2019

Show notes

"I don't know how I knew this word, I just knew it."

Have you ever found yourself in a conversation where you speak without thinking?

In a moment like that, you trusted your gut. But how the heck does your GUT know another language?

In today's episode, Lindsay and I talk about the magic of using your language intuition. The episode is a fun discussion, and a bit of a search for answers. Join us to hear about

the powerful ways your brain helps you develop a sense of what's correct
what your gut feeling has to do with whether you feel fluent in another language
how you can use your environment and mood to boost this sense of intuition in order to become a better speaker
training your language intuition by adding lots of input

3 Books I've Read To Learn More About "Fast Thinking"

Thinking, Fast and Slow - still reading this at the moment, and it's well worth my time. In the show I read a tiny bit from chapter 5 (cognitive ease).
Becoming Fluent - I know I recommend this every 20 minutes, but there's a reason!
Blink - Classic Malcolm Gladwell

Support This Podcast
Like all podcasts, the Fluent Show is supported by your online reviews and word of mouth.

If you liked this episode, please tell someone about it. Click here to tweet about the show, go to your Podcasts app and leave us a review, or simply text a friend about the Fluent Show. Thank you!

Sponsored By:

Drops: Play with your words in this beautiful language app - free on Android and iOS

Links:

Inside Fluentball: Your Questions & Survey Results Feb 11, 2019

Show notes

In this episode, you'll hear about the results of the Fluent Show survey, followed by your questions on my personal language learning thoughts and story.

Top 5 Languages Studied by Fluent Show Listeners

Spanish
French
German
Italian
Russian

But that is far from everything, so here is the complete amazing list of 43 languages you guys are studying: Chinese, English, Japanese, Korean, Swedish, Arabic, Dutch, Greek, Persian, Irish, Norwegian, Hawaiian, Vietnamese, Icelandic, Polish, Sign Languages, Esperanto, Scottish Gaelic, Welsh, Sicilian, Portuguese, Kumeyaay, Latin, Luxembourgish, Xhosa, Zulu, Setswana, Yiddish, Hindi, Afrikaans, Danish, Hmong, Thai, Slovak, Malagasy, Finnish

Your Questions, My Answers

Here are the language learning questions I answered in this episode of the Fluent Show

Have you ever considered another profession or do you have another passion? (from Nikolapolyglot, IG)

Tell us more about your education, college, internships (Michelle, Twitter)

How is Luxembourgish changing your perspective on your own native German dialect?” (Val.5467, IG)

How you choose which languages to learn, and if you've ever given up on a language and why. (Spanish con Salsa, Twitter)

Get Involved

If you want to get involved with the Fluent Show in more ways, here are some ideas:

1. Send An Intro For The Show

You can become the welcoming voice of this podcast! Record an introduction in a language of your choice, saying

what your name is
where you live
which language you're speaking
and "you're listening to the Fluent Show"

Then email your intro as an audio clip to kerstin@fluentlanguage.co.uk, and get excited to hear yourself on the show.

Thank you to Bonnie for this episode introduction.

2. Sign Up To The Newsletter
Receive my free weekly newsletter with language learning tips. This is how you can be first to find out about retreats, new language courses, and podcast episodes.

3. Support This Podcast
If you liked this episode, please tell someone about it. Click here to tweet about the show, go to your Podcasts app and leave us a review, or simply text a friend about the Fluent Show. Thank you!

Sponsored By:

Drops: Play with your words in this beautiful language app - free on Android and iOS

Links:

9 Creative Ways To Power Up Your Language Learning Jan 28, 2019

Show notes

Today’s episode is based on an Instagram question from Iye, who is learning Norwegian.

She asks

Do you have any tips for how I can go about creating my own language learning materials?

Listen in to discover how creating your own materials will help you learn faster and better.

And there's more: click or tap here to read the full show notes in my blog article on www.fluentlanguage.co.uk.
Thank you to Evelina from Alaska for this episode introduction.

Support This Podcast
Like all podcasts, the Fluent Show is supported by your online reviews and word of mouth.

If you liked this episode, please tell someone about it. Click here to tweet about the show, go to your Podcasts app and leave us a review, or simply text a friend about the Fluent Show. Thank you!

Sponsored By:

Drops: Play with your words in this beautiful language app - free on Android and iOS

Links:

Ask A Linguist: Your Language Questions Answered By Linguists From Talk The Talk Jan 21, 2019

Show notes

Linguist hour! Lindsay and I bring you an interview with one of our favourite podcasts, the linguistics show Talk the Talk from Australia.

Please take 5 minutes to take our Fluent Show survey!

We don't often have research scientists on the show, so this was a huge opportunity for the Fluent Show to go into science.

We posed your "Ask a Linguist" questions on these topics:

Is it a language? Is it a dialect?

Talk the Talk had a few insights that I had never heard before.

What determines the prestige of a dialect within a language?

We looked into how politics and social developments can directly influence how you speak, and how you feel about it.

Are there common language learning stages across all languages, for example grammar needed to communicate something?

In fact, there are two ways to approach language learning: analysis and pattern-spotting, and learning and copying useful chunks. Which one works? Talk the Talk gave us the science perspective. Plus: What is "glottochronology?"

Hedvig quoted this research paper.

If we come across a language in the same area that uses different words for the same concepts, does that language come from a different family of languages?

In essence, yes. For this one, you need a basic vocabulary list - but they're not all that straightforward. Hedvig and Kylie explain more on this episode.

Finally: Podcasting!

Also: We talk about what it's like to podcast about languages, and about podcasting in general. If you're not interested in the wider context of language and podcasting authentically...then skip it and you won't miss the linguistics. We do know that many listeners love podcasts and think about starting their own, so for you this discussion is going to be both useful and interesting.

Ultimately, we love and support community radio and podcasting. And in that sense...

Please Support This Podcast
Like all podcasts, the Fluent Show is supported by your online reviews and word of mouth.

If you liked this episode, please tell someone about it. Click here to tweet about the show, go to your Podcasts app and leave us a review, or simply text a friend about the Fluent Show. Thank you!

Special Guests: Kylie Sturgess and Talk The Talk.

Sponsored By:

Drops: Play with your words in this beautiful language app - free on Android and iOS

Links:

CLICS² - — Big database of basic vocab and linked words in different languages.
Talk the Talk are creating a linguistics podcast | Patreon — Talk the Talk are sharing their interview with us
Radio Garden
Ethnologue: Languages of the World
The Fluent Show: Q&A: Should You Learn the Dialect of a Language?
Glottolog 3.3 -
Austronesian Basic Vocabulary Database
[Food for thought: "a language is a dialect with a missionary and a dictionary"](http://humans-who-read-grammars.blogspot.com/2014/11/food-for-thought-language-is-dialect.html "Food for thought: "a language is a dialect with a missionary and a dictionary"")
Micrela - Mutual intelligibility of closely related languages
Sound Comparisons
Concepticon - — Linking a large amount of different concept lists which are used in the linguistic literature
The consequences of talking to strangers: Evolutionary corollaries of socio-cultural influences on linguistic form - ScienceDirect
["How podcasting is changing the audio storytelling genre" by Siobhan McHugh](https://ro.uow.edu.au/lhapapers/2358/ ""How podcasting is changing the audio storytelling genre" by Siobhan McHugh")
The World Loanwords Database
Talk the Talk (@talkpod) | Twitter

Language Immersion On Any Budget Jan 14, 2019

Show notes

It's January, time for new year's resolutions and long weeks waiting for pay cheques.

Please take 5 minutes to take our Fluent Show survey!

If you're finding yourself motivated but broke this month, don't worry! I've got your back because this week I'm answering the question:

What are ways to immerse in the language without traveling or spending a heap of money for studies?

Immersion was one of my KEY words for 2018, and that's not just because of the amazing language retreats I've been able to teach. A language retreat is quite an experience - life-changing time spent loving and learning languages in your target country. Who wouldn't want that? (By the way, sign up here if you do want that.)

But let's get real. You may not be able to travel easily. You may not have the budget for a retreat. None of this means you have to miss out on language immersion

Consider Your Investment In Studies

Follow this checklist if you're getting ready for a new language learning project:

Budget time as well as money
Research what you buy
Get online lessons
Use what you buy, with your time or your money

Try an Immersion Day

Let's face it, nothing is quite the same as walking down the street in another country and experiencing the history and culture of that place all around you. But with these tips, you can design your own mini-immersion today for very little money.

Watch TV? Look no further than YouTube
Read online? Try LingQ
Listen to music? Use TuneIn Radio or Spotify
Want to chat to people? italki, Skype, and local connections have you covered
Go on social media? Create lists or dedicated accounts
Cook? Try a recipe or instruction video in your target language

Thank you to Bonnie for this episode introduction.
Submit your own intro with an email to kerstin@fluentlanguage.co.uk.

Support This Podcast
Like all podcasts, the Fluent Show is supported by your online reviews and word of mouth.

If you liked this episode, please tell someone about it. Click here to tweet about the show, go to your Podcasts app and leave us a review, or simply text a friend about the Fluent Show. Thank you!

Sponsored By:

Drops: Play with your words in this beautiful language app - free on Android and iOS

Links:

Social Media for Language Learning: Tips for Twitter, Pinterest and Hashtags by Fluent Language
My Challenge Results & 17 Tips For Language Learning on Social Media by Fluent Language
German 2019: German Course for Beginners — Sign up here to be alerted when the course opens up
YouTube video: Kerstin at the Polyglot Gathering 2016 — What You Need To Know Before Spending Money On Language Learning
italki - the place to find online tutors in any language
A Complete Review of the HelloTalk Language Exchange App by Fluent Language
Inside The Tandem Language Exchange App: A Full Review by Fluent Language
Lingq - Reading in another language
@perfectlyimparfaitfluency • Instagram photos and videos

What Did You Learn in 2018? (with Shannon Kennedy) Jan 07, 2019

Show notes

Happy New Year! 🎇

Please take 5 minutes to take our Fluent Show survey!

In this episode, I hung out with friend of the podcast Shannon Kennedy to talk about saying goodbye to an old year and welcoming a new one.

Shannon is an accomplished language learner who's studied over 10 languages including French, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Italian, and Russian. Her year has always been about languages, and with her recent move to work with language app Drops, she even chose to add more languages.

Here are the year review questions we discussed. You can use them to conduct your own review of 2018 and set goals for the next year.

How would you sum up the year in your languages?
What changed in your life and in your languages in 2018?
What lessons do you think you learnt from the year 2018?
What surprised you?
What will you change going forward?
Looking forward, what are your language learning goals for 2019?

Shannon's top 3 books of 2018

Grit by Angela Duckworth
The Organised Mind by Daniel J. Levitin
Courses from the Assimil series

Shannon's top 3 apps of 2018

Drops, naturally!
Streaks
Lingq

Shannon's top 3 courses

Don't forget that Women in Language is back in March 2019!! Join us to experience this amazing 4-day conference live.

Click or tap here to read the full show notes in my blog article on www.fluentlanguage.co.uk

Support This Podcast
Like all podcasts, the Fluent Show is supported by your online reviews and word of mouth.

If you liked this episode, please tell someone about it. Click here to tweet about the show, go to your Podcasts app and leave us a review, or simply text a friend about the Fluent Show. Thank you!

Special Guest: Shannon Kennedy.

Sponsored By:

Drops: Play with your words in this beautiful language app - free on Android and iOS

Links:

The Language Habit Toolkit [Bonus Edition] | Fluent Language
How To Learn A New Language With Smart And Useful Goals by Fluent Language — Introduction to Vision and Path Goals
Can You Decide Which Languages To Kick Off Your To-Learn List? by Fluent Language
Mynd am beint gyda PILOT EPISODE.... Kerstin Cable (fluentlanguage.co.uk) - YouTube — I speak some Welsh to Nicky Roberts, who's *hyfryd* (lovely)
Languagedrops – Medium
[The Fluent Show: "You assume they don't have chick lit in Polish"](https://www.fluent.show/65 "The Fluent Show: "You assume they don't have chick lit in Polish"") — All about reading

Better Vocabulary Learning: Say Goodbye To False Friends Dec 17, 2018

Show notes

It's so annoying when you say a word in your target language and you're 100% SURE it's going to mean one thing...and then it turns out to mean something completely different. Ugh, awkward!

When those words look the same as your native words, you've hit upon false friends. They're a common frustration in language learning, and in this episode I've got some tips that you need to hear if you want to get better at dealing with them.

In today's episode:

the most interesting false friends in other languages.
why do these happen, and why I think more people should get excited about false friends.
what you can do to avoid falling for them again and again.

If you want to learn my tricks to systematically tackle these frustrating false friends, tune in to this podcast episode.

Thank you to Mo for this episode introduction.

The Fluent Show is taking a Christmas break and will be back on 7 January 2019. Stay tuned, and have a WONDERFUL holiday season.
Nadolig Llawen! 🔔
Fröhliche Weihnachen! 🎄
Joyeux Noël! 🎁
С Рождество́м! 👼

Support This Podcast
Like all podcasts, the Fluent Show is supported by your online reviews and word of mouth.

If you liked this episode, please tell someone about it. Click here to tweet about the show, go to your Podcasts app and leave us a review, or simply text a friend about the Fluent Show. Thank you!

Sponsored By:

Drops: Play with your words in this beautiful language app - free on Android and iOS

Links:

Understanding TV and Film Dialogues Without Subtitles (with Cara from Leo Listening) Dec 10, 2018

Show notes

This week, my guest on the podcast is Cara Leopold, an English teacher who focuses on helping her students enjoy TV and films in English by improving their listening skills.

Some of Cara's top tips:

Don’t mess around with TV and films initially. They're more challenging than many of us like to admit, and it can be disheartening even at B levels to miss big chunks of action because we insist on switching off the subtitles.
Instead, stick to curated materials for learners
Look for natural speech over scripted speech, actors with a naturalistic delivery who don't mumble in order to sound authentic
Try podcasts and interviews, because they deliver natural speech and structured content.
If a show comes out regularly and follows a strict formula with set segments, it’s going to be easier to understand

The biggest mistakes Cara sees language learners make is to treat tv and films like you would in your native language, expecting to kick back and relax for 2 hours. If it's passive consumption you are after, your listening skills will not improve - think quality over quantity.

And here is a piece of Cara's philosophy that stood out to me:

“Everything works in language learning."

Step By Step to Subtitle Freedom

Here are the steps Cara recommends so you can improve listening skills and hit that subtitle freedom:

Get hold of a text, for example search youtube by subtitles
Open the transcript below your YouTube video so you can read it as you move along
Find trailers or selected clips of films and TV shows, or choose to watch a show or film in scenes
Practice dictation
Switch the subtitles on and off as required
Repeat things as closely as possible to how the actor is saying them