The Language Learning Specialists
uTalk The everyday potato has anything but an everyday past, notching up thousands of miles – and dozens of names – in a voyage that has taken it around the world. In this post, uTalk’s Language Guru, Brian Loo Soon Hua, charts the potato’s epic journey. Starting out in Southern Peru and Northern Bolivia, where potatoes … Read more
Learn Ancient Greek as it was spoken more than 2,500 years ago with the newest addition to the uTalk language learning app – and discover why there’s no word for socks! London-based language learning company uTalk made the app, in consultation with Classics experts, to recreate how hundreds of authentic Ancient Greek words and phrases … Read more
Both the US and Britain took a leaf out of the same book back in the 17th century when it came to naming seasons. Thanks to British settlers in the New World, the two British names for our third season – Autumn and Fall (short for Fall of the Leaf) – entered the American language. … Read more
Linguist Brian Loo Soon Hua helps answer the question. Walk along the streets of Beijing and listen carefully to the little toddlers calling for their mothers while out on an evening stroll and what do you hear? 妈妈 or māma. On the other side of the world you’ll hear Spanish children crying for mamá while … Read more
English speakers should be wary of receiving ein Gift from a German! That’s because Gift just happens to be the German word for “poison”! And more incredibly, both the English and German meanings stem from the exact same Proto-Germanic root – giftiz! Our friend and language guru Brian Loo Soon Hua explains all: The word … Read more
Why every language in the world uses the same two words for “tea” and why in fact, that assumption is wrong! (There’s actually only one word for tea!) Our friend and language guru Brian Loo Soon Hua explains all: The word “tea”, in almost every language in the world, is ultimately of Chinese origin. Whoever … Read more
By our multi-lingual friend Brian Loo Soon Hua aka uTalk’s Language Guru Did you know that Canada was almost named Efisga? Or, even more unusual, Hochelaga? Imagine the jokes Americans would have been making about their Efisgan or Hochelagan neighbours to the north! Thankfully, “Canada” came into official use in 1791 when the Province … Read more
Malaysian steamed buns – what a passer-by might offer you in a rural village. Brian, who grew up in Malaysia, is embarrassed at any suggestion that he’s a high-achiever. The 37-year-old, who works as a language translator, educator and blogger, is more interested in helping others learn languages than bigging himself up. “Where … Read more
New languages and a faster app are waiting for you when you update to uTalk 2.08. Languages added in 2018 are Ancient Greek, Southern Saami, Manx, Kinyarwanda, Dzongkha, Lingala, and Xhosa. Tech improvements – in FULL – are: *Sound effects now muted when your phone is in silent mode – we’ve listened … Read more
Check out this quick guide to tennis terminology and where it comes from. (Answer: mostly French!) According to some experts, love in tennis may come from the French word for egg, l’oeuf, because an egg looks like a zero. Others insist it’s so named because the game is being played for love ie without any … Read more