She’s Gonna Pass Her Classes And She’s Gonna Graduate

How to teach yourself linguistics online for free

Wish you were enrolled in an intro linguistics class this semester? Starting a linguistics major and looking for extra help? Trying to figure out whether you should study linguistics and what comes after?  Whether you’re just trying to grasp the basics of linguistics or you’re trying to construct a full online linguistics course, here’s a comprehensive list of free linguistics websites, podcasts, videos, blogs, and other resources from around the internet: 

Linguistics Podcasts

Specific episodes:

The International Phonetic Alphabet and vowels

Constituency

Gricean Maxims and presuppositions

Kids These Days aren’t ruining language

Learning languages linguistically

Phonemes and palatalization

Prepositions, determiners, verbs

Morphemes and the wug test

Why do we gesture when we talk?

Syllables

Podcasts in general:

Lingthusiasm

The History of English Podcast

Talk the Talk

Lexicon Valley

The World in Words

A Way With Words

Vocal Fries

Linguistics Videos

Modular topics:

NativLang (cartoons)

The Ling Space

Tom Scott’s Language Files

Arika Okrent (whiteboard videos)

Structured video series like an online course:  

Introduction to Linguistics (TrevTutor)

Another intro linguistics series (DS Bigham)

Phonology (TrevTutor)

Mathematical linguistics (TrevTutor)

Syntax (TrevTutor)

Another syntax series following the chapter structure of a free online syntax textbook (Caroline Heycock)

The Virtual Linguistics Campus at Marburg University

“Miracles of Human Language” (on Coursera from Leiden University)

Blog posts

General

How much do I need to know before taking intro linguistics? (Spoiler: not much) 

28 tips for doing better in your intro linguistics course

How to find a topic for your linguistics essay or research paper

For typesetting linguistics symbols: What is LaTeX and why do linguists love it? (with sample LaTeX doc to download and modify).

An open access intro linguistics textbook, all freely available online

Further linguistics resources about specific areas, such as sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, language acquisition (first/second), historical linguistics, neurolinguistics, prescriptivism. 

Phonetics & Phonology

How to make your own paper model of the larynx

Teaching phonetics using lollipops

How to remember the IPA vowel chart

How to remember the IPA consonant chart

IPA transcription practice

A detailed explanation of sonorants, obstruents, and sonority

A very elaborate Venn diagram of English phonological features

The basics of how Optimality Theory works, with coffee analogy

Allophones of /t/, explained with internet gifs

Several good visualizations and explanations of the vocal tract

How to type IPA on your phone (Android and iOS) 

Various ways to type IPA on a computer

Morphology & Syntax

Morphological typology cartoons

So you asked the internet how to draw syntax trees. Here’s why you’re confused.

Types of trees: a sentence is an S, a sentence is an IP, a sentence is a TP

A step-by-step guide to drawing a syntax tree, with gifs

Distributed Morphology

Garden path sentences: how they work, some examples

Structural ambiguity and understanding people in Ipswich

How to draw trees on a computer (TreeForm and phpSyntaxTree) 

Pronoun typology and “the gay fanfiction problem”

The solution to violent example sentences: Pokemon

Semantics & Pragmatics

The difference between epistemic and deontic, necessity and possibility (with bonus modals as Hogwarts houses)

Why learn semantics? Comebacks to annoying people.

Presuppositions, implicature and entailment, and more presuppositions in Lizzie Bennet Diaries

Gricean maxims in Welcome to Night Vale

Scalar implicature and a duck gif

Giving a shit about Negative Polarity Items, NPIs explained using Mean Girls references, and a follow-up on Free Choice Items

The lambda calculus for absolute dummies

The Lambda Calculator (software for practising in Heim & Kratzer style)

Teaching linguistics

Linguistics resources for high school teachers

Teaching linguistics to 9-14 year olds

On writing an IB extended essay in linguistics (& follow-up)

IPA Bingo

IPA Jeopardy and IPA Hangman

Practising syntax trees using cards and string/straws

Find a linguistics olympiad near you!

Editing linguistics Wikipedia articles instead of writing a final paper that no one but the prof will read (see also wikiedu.org)

Academic/career advice

Should you go to grad school in linguistics? Maybe

Figuring out if you actually want to go to linguistics grad school

How to decide which linguistics grad school to go to

How to look for linguistics undergrad programs

How to interact with someone who’s just given a talk

An extensive list of undergrad and/or student-friendly conferences - apply to one near you!

Advice for linguistics profs on increasing enrollment and supporting non-academic careers

Linguistics jobs - a series about careers outside academia

Languages

Linguistic approaches to language learning resource roundup

Will linguistics help with language learning? / Will learning a second language help with linguistics?

The problem with “economically useful” as a reason for language learning

Further link roundups

This list not enough? Try these further masterposts: 

A very long list of linguistics movies, documentaries, and TV show episodes

A list of books (fiction and nonfiction) about linguistics

A comprehensive list of language and linguistics podcasts, from Superlinguo 

A very long list of linguistics YouTube channels and other free online videos about linguistics 

20 linguistics blogs I recommend following

How to explain linguistics to your friends and family this holiday season

Korean Textbooks Master Post

Hello everyone! Here are some textbooks I had time to scan and upload (marked with an asterisk) or had found somewhere online. I hope you find something here that helps you! This post will be updated as I get more time to scan books, purchase more books, or if I happen to find more books online.

Can’t find the textbook you’re looking for on this list? Please feel free to hit up my ask! I may have it, but just haven’t scanned it yet. 

Ewha Korean

Ewha Korean 1-1 Ewha Korean 1-2 Ewha Korean 3-2 Ewha Korean 4 Ewha Korean 5 Ewha Korean 6

KIIP Korean 

KIIP Korean 0 KIIP Korean 1 KIIP Korean 2 KIIP Korean 3 KIIP Korean 4 KIIP Korean 5 KIIP Korean 6

Korean Grammar in Use

Korean Grammar in Use Beginner Korean Grammar in Use Intermediate Korean Grammar in Use Advanced

Sejong Korean

Sejong Korean 1 Sejong Korean 2 Sejong Korean 3 Sejong Korean 4 Sejong Korean 5 Sejong Korean 6 Sejong Korean 7 Sejong Korean 8

Sejong Korean Conversation 1 Sejong Korean Conversation 2 Sejong Korean Conversation 3 Sejong Korean Conversation 4

Sogang Korean

Sogang Korean 1A Sogang Korean 1B Sogang Korean 2A Sogang Korean 2B Sogang Korean 3A Sogang Korean 3B

TOPIK 

빈도별 토픽 중고급 어휘* 빈도별 토픽 중급 문법* TOPIK Essential Grammar 150 Hot TOPIK 2 Reading

Yonsei Korean

Yonsei Korean Grammar 1-1 Yonsei Korean Grammar 1-2 Yonsei Korean Grammar 2-1 Yonsei Korean Grammar 2-2 Yonsei Korean Grammar 3-1 Yonsei Korean Grammar 3-2 Yonsei Korean Grammar 4-1 Yonsei Korean Grammar 4-2 Yonsei Korean Grammar 5-1 Yonsei Korean Grammar 5-2 Yonsei Korean Grammar 6-1 Yonsei Korean Grammar 6-2

Yonsei Korean Reading 1 Yonsei Korean Reading 2 Yonsei Korean Reading 3 Yonsei Korean Reading 4 Yonsei Korean Reading 5

Miscellaneous: 

Korean Stories for Language Learners* TTMIK Real Life Conversations (Intermediate)* Korean Reader for Chinese Characters Korean Slang Expressions Volume 2 Survival Korean

Last updated: 9/12/2019

So I’m in the final semester of my undergrad.

Which means its grad school application time for me (I’m starting a little late because of personal reasons (-: ) Anyway, I was wondering if anyone out there on the great blue gradblr had any recommendations or tips for writing a personal statement? 

Finals Week, a Moodboard

General Language Learning Tips

I’ve tried learning a few languages (Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean and a bit of Mandarin) by self study and class study. Here’s what I’ve worked out does and doesn’t work for me. Take it with a pinch of salt!

1) Learn grammar, but don’t sweat it too much. There’s a debate about whether to ignore grammar completely and pick it up, or whether to rigourously study it. Do what you want, but in my experience, learning the concept, then constant application is best.

For example: Learn a new structure, make your own example sentences and then get a native speaker to check them. You’ll end up hearing the grammar too, which can be helpful

I tried the “just pick it up method” for Spanish and French, and it kind of worked, but I made a ton of mistakes with grammar and couldn’t work out how to correct them until I actually learned the concept

2) Don’t just use flashcards for vocabulary learning. They are a great tool, but not alone. Application again is really useful. For example, go through a deck on Quizlet and learn the words. Once you’re sure you’ve memorised them, look at the translation in your native language and write example sentences with those words in your target language, and again check them with a native speaker. This method could also pair with your grammar studies. This is just a recommendation, but try and find a way to apply the vocab.

3) For getting native speakers to correct you, there isn’t always a native or advanced speaker at your disposal. Apps like HiNative or a language exchange app like Tandem is good for this.

4) It’s so easy to get discouraged when you watch a TV show and you struggle to understand, or you read a book and don’t understand every other word. With harder sources, be a little lighter on yourself. Put on subtitles in your target language, or look up every word you don’t understand, then re-read the passage, glancing back at your vocab list. Eventually it will get easier as long as you keep doing it

5) Another way to learn vocabulary is to just look up words that you can’t translate as you come across them. This is how I learn the majority of my Italian vocabulary. I read an article or a text, and I annotate words I don’t know with the translation, then read over the text again. I don’t review the words, I just look them up again if I don’t recognise them the next time I see them. This is great for when you feel lazier or not in the mood to memorise. I used this method with Japanese song lyrics too, and it even helped me with Japanese sentence structure

6) Output>Input. Speak and write whenever you can. Speak to yourself, write a diary, write with a language exchange partner, repeat phrases you hear watching TV.

7) ^^ That being said, give yourself as much input as possible. Listening to music is my favourite method for this, but I’ve started watching a series in Spanish and Italian, which I recommend for intermediate learners. Reading books is also good for intermediate learners. Beginners, I recommend music and children’s books, but still check out stuff for intermediate learners if you wish.

8) When you hit a stump with grammar or vocabulary, or you feel like you can’t speak at all, target that for however long you can. Repetition of phrases and methods should help you. Check different sources for different explanations or a different method. If that really doesn’t work, revisit it in a week or so.

That’s all I can offer. Please message me if have any questions or queries, and I’ll happily answer!

Hello! I’m the Little Language Fox...

But you can call me Lisa. I’m in my final year at my University. I currently study literature + Spanish (my majors), as well as French + lingustics (my minors).

Also, I am currently self-studying Korean (I am a beginner!). 

I thought about making this blog for a long time. I’ve had a Tumblr since 2010 (oh my god I’m old) but I recently deleted my previous account to start fresh! 

I really want to track my progress and stay motivated to keep up my languages!

See you around!

16 LGBT+ Books by Transgender and Non-binary Black Authors

As with my LGBT+ List, I’m seeing a lot of the same books on my dash, so I spent a few hours researching some lesser-known books. These books fall across a variety of genres and age group.

Ways you can help

I’ve seen a lot of curious people wanting to dive into classical music but don’t know where to start, so I have written out a list of pieces to listen to depending on mood. I’ve only put out a few, but please add more if you want to. hope this helps y’all out. :)

stereotypical delightful classical music:

battalia a 10 in d major (biber)

brandenburg concerto no. 5

brandenburg concerto no. 3

symphony no. 45 - “farewell” (haydn)

if you need to chill:

rondo alla turca

fur elise

anitra’s dance

in the steppes of central asia (borodin) (added by viola-ology)

if you need to sleep:

moonlight sonata

swan lake

corral nocturne

sleep (eric whitacre) (added by thelonecomposer)

if you need to wake up:

morning mood

summer (from the four seasons)

buckaroo holiday (if you’ve played this in orch you might end up screaming instead of waking up joyfully)

if you are feeling very proud:

pomp and circumstance

symphony no. 9 (beethoven; this is where ode to joy came from)

1812 overture

symphony no. 5, finale (tchaikovsky) (added by viola-ology)

american (dvořák)

if you feel really excited:

hoedown (copland)

bacchanale

spring (from the four seasons) (be careful, if you listen to this too much you’ll start hating it)

la gazza ladra

death and the maiden (schubert)

if you are angry and you want to take a baseball bat and start hitting a bush:

dance of the knights (from the romeo and juliet suite by prokofiev)

winter, mvt. 1 (from the four seasons)

symphony no. 10 mvt. 2 (shostakovich)

symphony no. 5 (beethoven)

totentanz (liszt)

quartet no. 8, mvt. 2 (shostakovich) (added by viola-ology)

young person’s guide to the orchestra, fugue (britten) (added by iwillsavemyworld)

symphony no. 5 mvt. 4 (shostakovich) (added by eternal-cadenza)

marche slave (tchaikovsky) (added by eternal-cadenza)

if you want to cry for a really long time:

fantasia based on russian themes (rimsky-korsakov)

adagio for strings (barber)

violin concerto in e minor (mendelssohn)

aase’s death

andante festivo

vocalise (rachmaninoff) (added by tropicalmunchakoopas)

if you want to feel like you’re on an adventure:

an american in paris (gershwin)

if you want chills:

danse macabre

russian easter overture

egmont overture (added by shayshay526)

if you want to study:

eine kleine nachtmusik

bolero (ravel)

serenade for strings (elgar)

scheherazade (rimsky-korsakov) (added by viola-ology)

pines of rome, mvt. 4 (resphigi) (added by viola-ology)

if you really want to dance:

capriccio espagnol (rimsky-korsakov)

blue danube

le cid (massenet) (added by viola-ology)

radetzky march

if you want to start bouncing in your chair:

hopak (mussorgsky)

les toreadors (from carmen suite no.1)

if you’re about to pass out and you need energy:

hungarian dance no. 1

hungarian dance no. 5

if you want to hear suspense within music:

firebird

in the hall of the mountain king

ride of the valkyries

night on bald mountain (mussorgsky) (added by viola-ology)

if you want a jazzy/classical feel:

rhapsody in blue

jazz suite no. 2 (shostakovich) (added by eternal-cadenza)

if you want to feel emotional with no explanation:

introduction and rondo capriccioso

unfinished symphony (schubert)

symphony no. 7, allegretto (beethoven) (added by viola-ology)

canon in d (pachelbel)

if you want to sit back and have a nice cup of tea:

st. paul’s suite

concerto for two violins (vivaldi)

l’arlésienne suite

concierto de aranjuez (added by tropicalmunchakoopas)

pieces that don’t really have a valid explanation:

symphony no. 40 (mozart)

cello suite no. 1 (bach)

polovtsian dances

enigma variations (elgar) (added by viola-ology)

perpetuum mobile

moto perpetuo (paganini)

pieces that just sound really cool:

scherzo tarantelle

dance of the goblins

caprice no. 24 (paganini)

new world symphony, allegro con fuoco (dvorak) (added by viola-ology​)

le tombeau de couperin (added by tropicalmunchakoopas)

carnival of the animals (added by shadowraven45662)

if you feel like listening to concertos all day (I do not recommend doing that):

concerto for two violins (bach)

concerto for two violins (vivaldi)

violin concerto in a minor (vivaldi)

violin concerto (tchaikovsky) (added by iwillsavemyworld)

violin concerto in d minor (sibelius) (added by eternal-cadenza)

cello concerto in c (haydn)

piano concerto, mvt. 1 (pierne) (added by iwillsavemyworld)

harp concerto in E-flat major, mvt. 1 (added by iwillsavemyworld)

and if you really just hate classical music in general:

4′33″ (cage)

a lot of these pieces apply in multiple categories, but I sorted them by which I think they match the most. have fun exploring classical music!

also, thank you to viola-ology, iwillsavemyworld, shayshay526, eternal-cadenza, tropicalmunchakoopas, shadowraven45662, and thelonecomposer for adding on! if you would like to add on your own suggestions, please reblog and add on or message me so I can give you credit for the suggestion!