Category: Online Resources

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Is Duolingo really worth it?

How’s everybody’s streak going?

To preface this post, no, the Lang Lab team is NOT urging you to delete the beloved owl app!

It’s not a surprise that many of us have been hooked on Duolingo: it’s simple yet entertaining interface along with straightforward tasks paired with audio and visual tools have aided many on their language learning journeys. Love it or hate it, as of 2024 Duolingo has reached 116.7 million active users and that number could even be 500 million if one takes into account not-so-frequent users.

As good as it is, Duolingo has been hit with AI accusations — experts claim the app has been firing workers preferring the low-cost AI algorithms. The topic of AI use in the contemporary tech industry has never been as controversial as it is right now — AI has been blamed for massive layoffs and “soulless” algorithms that deprive many apps and websites of human creativity and fact-checking. Duolingo isn’t an exception to this wave of artificially generated codes.

What should we do? Duolingo already holds a sizable monopoly in the online world of language resources and many have credited the app with its substantial help throughout their language acquisition paths.

It’s not a secret that AI generated content is (mostly) easy to spot — many of us have stumbled upon weird sentences such as “I like pink avocados” when doing our daily Duolingo tasks and that left us wondering as if that was ever human-checked. What’s really important in this scenario is to be in open communication with those who make decision in regards to Duolingo’s algorithms: leave feedback, comments, perhaps even write an email. Even a partial boycott could prompt the company to put its workers over AI bots but that’s a personal decision of every individual. What’s evident as of right now is that we should exercise awareness and AI consciousness to ensure that human intelligence and creativity remains in the core of every tech product

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Language Laddering with Duolingo

Perhaps we at the Language Lab have been too harsh on Duolingo—it can’t all be bad. While I believe that learning a language from a (human) speaker of the target language works the best for me, there are still ways to use Duolingo in a way that complements what I learn in a classroom. I’ve found that Duolingo can be an effective way to try out the language laddering technique. Language laddering is when you use your second language to learn a third. For example, as a native English speaker, I could use French to learn Chinese. This technique takes your native language out of the equation entirely. Not only will you build skills in your third language, but it strengthens what you already know in your second language. For anyone with dreams of becoming a polyglot, this technique may work well for you!

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YouTube en français

YouTube is a great resource for language-learning—you can learn new vocabulary, ways to use grammar structures, and hear different accents. If you’re just starting out your expedition into French YouTube, I’ve made a list of channels that can help you get started! These are more suitable for intermediate and advanced learners, as these videos only have auto-generated captions, and creators tend to speak quickly and use slang. (Sidenote – I found out the word in French is “youtubeur.euse” and I love it.)

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This is your sign to learn Icelandic! Do it with Drops!

This week’s recommendation is to learn Icelandic. It is believed to be the hardest Germanic language to learn for English speakers. It has some intense grammar and complex pronunciation. But you should learn it anyway! Icelandic is the closest living relative to Old Norse, which was spoken by Vikings. I’ve been trying to learn it and Drops is so far the best app to do it. One of the best features it has is lessons to teach you how to pronounce the extensive alphabet, which is tricky as there’s a mix of rolling r’s similar to Spanish, the eu sounds similar to French, and the gargling r’s from German. Some fun words I’ve learned are Hjàlp! (Hee-owl-fff-p, i.e. help!), tuttugu (impossibe to describe how it’s pronounced, i.e. twenty), and sveppur (sveh-prrr, i.e. mushroom). Some not so fun words I’ve learned are matvöruverslun (…, i.e. grocery store) and sjúkrahús (shoe-crah-whose, i.e. hospital).

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Master the AZERTY keyboard with French typing tests!

One of the first things I did while taking French 110 (now 111/112) was add a French keyboard to my laptop and phone. What I didn’t know as a beginning French student was that even the French keyboard layout is different!

Layout of a French AZERTY keyboard from the Mac keyboard settings.

This layout is called AZERTY, with all the additional French characters (ex. ç, é, and à) arranged on number and symbol keys. It also swaps the positions of Q/A, W/Z, and M, which actually helps you type in French faster, believe it or not! As you advance in French, improving your typing (“la dactylographie”) skills will make a difference in typing emails, essays, and texts. Here are two typing practice recommendations to boost your AZERTY typing skills!

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Petit Poulet, Henry Hühnchen, Pollito Tito… also known as Chicken Little

Petit Poulet, aka Chicken Little, looking at his computer. “Le ciel est en train de tomber!”

THE SKY IS FALLING, and you can read that in three other languages on TheFableCottage.com. I discovered this website with a friend as we attempted to read bedtime stories in each other’s languages. TheFableCottage is a multilingual library of bedtime stories written in French, German, Spanish, and also Italian! Each story has a few features that make it really helpful for beginning students: audio recordings, captioned video animations, illustrations, and English translations if you get stuck. All of their free short stories can be found on each language’s respective website: TheFrenchExperiment.com, TheGermanProject.com, and TheSpanishExperiment.com. (Stories can also be accessed on TheFableCottage, but not all of them are free.) This is a great resource for beginner-level students, as the grammar and vocabulary are written using everyday and simple language. These stories expand upon the beginner-level language you’ve learned so far using a story you’re likely already familiar with. Having an additional resource like this can supplement what you learn in class and in your textbook by creating a new context where you use your target language. For example, you may have introduced a photo of your family to your 100-level class, but you can practice that same family vocabulary in the context of Goldilocks and the Three Bears. I found the short stories on TheFableCottage to be the perfect resource for anyone in their first year of a language class, and I recommend that you check it out!

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Practice your French and learn some science!

Sometimes the best way to practice a language is by just passively listening to it. This could be in a movie with subtitles, or just an interesting video on YouTube. I see it as letting your subconscious absorb the language through osmosis. Is that even a thing? Maybe there’s a science channel that talks about science-y stuff like that. Wait… there is!

C’est Pas Sorcier is a TV show available on YouTube that explains all kinds of science-related stuff in French. They’re meant for middle and high school students whose first language is French, so they do speak a little fast. I would recommend it for intermediate French speakers (A2 level). My personal favorite is “Comment fonctionne notre électroménager?”, it’s very interesting and the characters are really funny. This show is shown A LOT in French high schools, it’s very nostalgic and even though they’re still releasing new videos, they’ve kept their vintage essence. Go check it out!

Here’s the link to the channel! https://www.youtube.com/@Cestpassorcierofficiel

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Italki: Not offered at Reed? No worries!

If you’ve ever wanted to learn a language that isn’t offered at Reed, give Italki a try! Italki has tutors and teachers from all over the world, and languages from A-Z (literally). If you’re looking to start learning anything from Azerbaijani to Zulu, check out the site to discover what else they offer! Whether you’re just starting out or want to meet with a native speaker to improve your conversation fluency, you can find the tutor you need at the time you’re available.

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Easy Languages: Something for everyone!

Easy Languages is a YouTube channel, a resource, and most importantly a community for language speakers and learners all across the globe. From Swahili to Arabic to Russian to Esperanto and Greek and Spanish, Kazakh, Turkish and many more, the scale of resources available for language learners is immense! They describe themselves as so:

“We are a non-profit project aiming to help people learn languages through authentic street interviews. Our videos show local language and culture in natural, everyday situations – something you can’t find in regular media. Each episode has a specific topic and is produced in one of our many partner countries around the world – Mexico, France, Vietnam, Russia, Egypt, to name but a few. We add subtitles in both the local language and English so that regardless of your level, you will be able to hear, read and “see” the language in its local habitat.”

Easy Languages also cover regional and dialectical differences, and are updating their channels all the time with new languages, locations, and people! Below I have linked only the channels corresponding to languages taught at Reed, but you should check out their website whether the language you’re learning is offered at Reed or not: chances are they’ll have it!

So what do you think? Would you be interested in a Reed College version? Stay tuned…