Tuesday, September 26, 2006

Greek Lessons

If you are learning Greek, we have a good news for you. Now you can learn more Greek words on Internet Polyglot: visit http://www.internetpolyglot.com/lessons-el-en and start memorizing new Greek words!


The fascination for Greece and the Greek language



The history, landscape, culture and people of Greece all have their fair share of increasing our fascination with this beautiful country. The same goes for the Greek language, which was once one of the sturdiest „lingua francas” (dominating languages). For a large period of time starting with antiquity, a true polyglot was only considered that if he knew Greek to perfection.



Comparing it to other languages Greek is not as large or widely spoken, the number of total speakers reaching somewhere up to 11 million, most of which are the native inhabitants of Greece and around 80% of the entire population of Cyprus. So despite the fact that in terms of number of native speakers the Greek language doesn’t rank to high among other languages, culturally it scores a lot of points. As the language of classical Greek philosophy and literature and, later, as the language of the Christian Gospels and the early Church it has profoundly shaped Western thought.



Learning Greek through free Greek lessons online



Despite its cultural importance, Greek is still not widely spread among organized education centers, so your best bet is to try and learn it on your own. For this, you may want to check out a few free Greek lessons online before diving into more complicated „Learn Greek” courses or books that could cost you quite a penny.



Speaking of your standard „Learn Greek” course, in the past most of them focused intensely on teaching grammar rules to the students, neglecting other aspects of the Greek language. This produced generations of so-called polyglots that would know every detail of the Greek language but whose reading, writing and speaking skills were only slightly above average. For this reason, in the latter half of the 20th century, most of these courses tried to open up the variety of exercises the students would have to complete, focusing on other aspects of the Greek language such as vocabulary increase, spelling and pronunciation.



Alternative ways of learning Greek



Besides taking free Greek lessons online or subscribing to the many „Learn Greek” courses out there, you could try some slightly more relaxing alternative ways of learning this beautiful language. Vocabulary games can be a great boost to your Greek word database and playing them could also be a means of relaxation between some work sessions. Although their main purpose is to improve vocabulary, you will also get a better grasp on Greek spelling and possibly pronunciation as well.





Articles about Greek in different languages:

The Fascination for Greece and the Greek Language (in English)
Lengua griega (in Spanish)
Langue grecque (in French)
Griechische Sprache (in German)
Lingua greca (in Italian)
Griekse Taal (in Dutch)
Греция и греческий язык (in Russian)
Língua grega (in Portuguese)
Fascinatia pentru limba Greaca si cultura Greaca (in Romanian)

Arabic Lessons Are Loaded

Please visit http://www.internetpolyglot.com/lessons-ar-en to see the whole new set of cross-language Arabic lessons.

Arabic is spoken by roughly 270 million people in many countries mostly in the Middle East and Nothern Africa.

Translation for these lessons was done by a Syrian so some dialectic particularities may be encountered. Enjoy your language learning with InternetPolyglot!


A short history of the Arabic language



The Arabic language is spoken by roughly 220 million people spread along more than twenty two countries, from Iraq to as far south as Somalia, Sudan or on the Northern African shores of Morocco. Arabic is the language of Quran (which is the Holy book of Islam, an equivalent to the Christian Bible if you wish) and it is considered as an official language in Muslim states throughout the world. The history of the Arabic language starts in Saudi Arabia in pre-Islamic times, from where it spread hastily across the Middle East, Northern Africa and other locations where it is still spoken today.



Linguists have separated the Arabic language into three major categories. These are the following: classical or Qur’anical Arabic, formal or standard Arabic, and spoken or Colloquial Arabic. Among the three, classical Arabic is the form of Arabic that is literally found in the Qur’an, hence the category’s name. Quranical Arabic is only used in religious institutions and sometimes in education, but is not spoken in general. Formal Arabic on the other hand is the official language of the Arabic world and it is used in non-religious literature, institutions and so forth. Lastly, colloquial Arabic is the “slang” of the language, spoken by the majority of people as their daily dialect. Colloquial Arabic is different from area to area, more or less like any similar dialect of any other language.



Learn Arabic course



You can find a huge amount of free Arabic lessons online, as the fascination for this language has made many westerners interested in studying and teaching it. Most lessons will start off by teaching you basic sentences, how to write, how to count and with a scaling introduction to Arabic grammar. If you're absolutely fresh to Arabic, don’t fall in the trap of trying to learn too much at the same time. Take it slow as the Arabic language is not one of the easiest around to grasp. Focus on pronunciation and basic language rules first and then, if you think you got to a point where you can handle it, try what is perhaps the most fun part of learning Arabic: learning how to write.



If you want to try out a “Learn Arabic” course, you should complement it by finding a native Arabic speaker and asking him to help out with short conversations. Large Arabic communities can be found in most areas of the World and with Arabic being one of the official languages of the United Nations, there are more and more polyglots around that can speak it to perfection and help you out.



Improve your vocabulary while having fun



The technique of improving your vocabulary through fun games such as word games, puzzles, quizzes or language exercises can be applied to most languages and Arabic is no exception to the rule. Playing vocabulary games is a great way to memorize words and it also makes the overall learning process much easier. However, take note that improving your vocabulary skills requires constant attention so make sure you get a steady vocabulary increase each day.





Articles about Arabic in different languages:

Arabic Language (in English)
Una historia corta de la lengua árabe (in Spanish)
Langue arabe (in French)
Arabische Sprache (in German)
Lingua araba (in Italian)
Arabische Taal (in Dutch)
Língua árabe (in Portuguese)
O scurta introducere a limbii Arabe (in Romanian)
Краткие сведения об арабском языке (in Russian)

Articles in Arabic in dirrerent languages:

تأريخ اللغة الإنجليزية
جذور اللغة الإسبانية
عالم الفرانكوفوني
سحر اللغة الصينية
أشياء مهمة يجب معرفتها حول اللغة الألمانية قبل البدء بتعلّمها
لسان الشمس المتصاعدة
الحقائق حول اللغة الإيطالية
اللغة الهولندية، من بدايتها حتى اليوم
تعلّم الروسي - كيف و لماذا؟
نظرة خاطفة إلى تأريخ اللغة البرتغالية
السحر لليونان واللغة اليونانية
مختصر تاريخ اللغة العربية
تأريخ اللغة العبرية
جذر الحضارة
هندي - تأريخ وخصائص
جذور اللغة البولندية
تأريخ اللغة الرومانية
الحقائق التأريخية حول اللغة التركية
جذور وفروع اللغة الأوكرانية