The Language Learning Specialists
Tomorrow is a very special day that occurs once every four years: Leap Day! Now, we all know that it’s added to correct for the fact that one cycle of the Earth around the Sun isn’t actually 365 days long, but where did it come from, and how is it observed around the world? As … Read more
uTalk’s regular guest blogger and all-round language guru, Brian Loo Soon Hua, is back with our 500th published post, all about Valentine’s Day! Learn what to call your loved one in different languages—and maybe try some out on the 14th! It’s that time of year again; Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. If you’re … Read more
Here at uTalk, we’ve spoken a little before about the traditions surrounding the Chinese New Year, which involve all kinds of things, chief among them wearing red, eating a reunion dinner with your family, and not washing your hair. But what about the origins of Chinese New Year—and why are there so many animals involved? … Read more
Greetings are so important that every language on Earth has a different way to say hello. Have you ever wondered what hello actually means and why we greet people with it? What are some more colourful ways to say hello in other languages around the world? Are there languages where greetings don’t exist? Brian Loo … Read more
Happy Cappuccino Day! In today’s post, uTalk’s guest blogger Brian investigates the many different ways of saying ‘coffee’—and where the word used around the world actually originates! Forget about tea. Linguistically speaking, coffee is the one beverage whose name sounds the same in almost every language in the world today. Just landed in South Africa … Read more
Children everywhere look forward to Halloween with glee. And why wouldn’t they? They get to dress up in fun costumes, galavant about town with their friends and have all sorts of sweet treats to look forward to. In this post, uTalk’s guest blogger Brian explores festivals that are similar to Halloween and are celebrated around … Read more
Today is National Comic Book Day, so if you can tear yourself away from stories of superheroes or zombies, then why not check out our very own uTalk origin story? Spoiler alert: there are no angry aliens set on wiping out half of the universe’s population, but there are some comics involved! Way back in … Read more
Every language has its own tongue twisters—words or phrases that are difficult to say without making mistakes. In this post, we’ll show you ten different tongue twisters in ten different languages; can you say them all? How many tongue twisters do you know in English? Red lorry, yellow lorry is a fun one, though perhaps … Read more
Halloween is the favourite holiday of many people all over the world, and its origins can be traced back to ancient traditions. It has, however, been deeply influenced by a traditional Celtic harvest festival: Samhain, where the boundary between this world and the Otherworld could be more easily crossed. In the UK, at least, Halloween … Read more
You’ll now be able to listen to music in the background while learning which, according to the people who know, can ease stress, create a positive mood and aid learning. And, to show we’ve thought of everything, the music turns off automatically when you’re recording. You’ll also be able to adjust the text size from … Read more