Tag: learning resource

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Hindi [Beginning Resources]

Hindi is an Indo-Aryan language given the status of being the official language of India, although other dialects may be more prevalent than Hindi in several areas. It currently has over 540 million speakers, with 425 million native speakers. Hindi is written using the Devanagari writing script, in which fourteen characters are vowels and thirty-three are consonants. There are several dialects of Hindi, including Khadiboli, Haryanvi, Braj Bhasha, Kannauji, Bundeli, Bagheli, Awadhi, and Chhattisgarhi.

Resources [For Beginning Students]:

Learn Hindi with HindiPod.com: This YouTube channel is based off of a separate website (https://www.hindipod101.com) , but it has tons of really helpful videos.

Omniglot Website: This website contains a brief overview of Hindi, including the writing script, and also has several links to other resources.

 

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Bayrisch (Bavarian) Dialect

Bayrisch (Bavarian) Dialect

Bayrisch (also Boarisch or Bairisch) is widely considered a dialect of German, although Old Bayrisch actually predates Old German by a few centuries. Spoken widely throughout Bayern (Bavaria) as well as Austria, there are approximately 14 million speakers worldwide. Although written Bayrisch is decreasingly used, as Hochdeutsch or Schriftdeutsch (Written German) is taught in schools, written Bayrisch survives in the form of slang or texting. Bayrisch speakers can understand Hochdeutsch, but the relationship is not mutual. Here are some resources for learning about the dialect, as well as a few guides to the language itself.

Standard German vs. Bayrisch: A funny video comparing the sounds of the two languages.

Dialects of German: A video comparing twelve different dialects of German.

Boarische Wikipedia: Read Wikipedia articles written in Bayrisch.

Why learn Bavarian?: A blog post about why you might want to learn Bayrisch.

Bayrisch Lernen: A grammar, pronunciation, and vocabulary guide, written in German and Bayrisch.

Bayriches Wörterbuch: A Bayrisch – German dictionary and pronunciation guide, searchable by letter.

Deutsch – Bayrisch Translator: An online translator from Hochdeutsch into Bayrisch. Unfortunately, it is not reversible.

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Practise German on the go!

So you want to practice your German, but you’re always busy. Maybe your regular coursework takes up too much time or you’re not currently enrolled in a German class and are scared of losing the language; maybe you can’t devote precious hours to reading or even watching TV in order to sustain your skills. What do you do? Enter the German language podcast to the rescue! The Deutsche Welle site is a great place to find and download podcasts on a variety of topics that you can listen to at the gym, in the car, or during your other unproductive errand-time. They run podcasts that stream both free from iTunes or an RSS feed.

Deutsche Welle Podcasts (http://www.dw.com/en/media-center/podcasts/s-100977)

FOR BEGINNERS:

If you want something more instructive, check out their course Warum nicht? which guides you in English as well in German. There are four parts, each with 26 episodes about 12 minutes long. The course takes you through many different types of German media while also incorporating German culture. It can get a little pedantic but it is incredibly helpful when you are coming from a background with little to no previous German experience.

The Mission Berlin series also takes place in English and in German and follows various characters around the city as they try to solve crimes. It’s a fun follow-along story that will get you more familiar with the language without being completely immersive or overwhelming if you don’t have a lot of experience in German.

FOR INTERMEDIATES:

The series Wieso Nicht? is the next level up from Warum Nicht? and is completely in German. It is full of short (approx. 10 minutes long) stories about life in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. The pacing is slower than some of their other entirely German-language podcasts and so it is easy to follow along if you’re still trying to become more comfortable in an immersed German situation. The stories are often funny and fit perfectly in that 10 minute gap as you walk to your next class!

FOR ADVANCED GERMAN SPEAKERS:

Most of the website is dedicated to space for the 20+ podcasts dealing with a huge variety of topics aimed at a German audience. The same podcasts are also available entirely in English, just in case! Just switch which language you’re viewing the webpage in to access either. Some of the podcasts include a video component but you are still able to just listen to them if you don’t have the time. There is definitely something for everyone on this website, so if you’ve been looking for a new podcast to start, this is a great place to find one!

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News in Slow and Easy German

It’s easy to find German-language podcasts, videos, and radio stations that are aimed at either absolute beginners, or those for native speakers. But what if you want to immerse yourself in intermediate German without having to strain yourself or be bored? Here are a few resources for listening comprehension for the intermediate German learner (i.e. German 220).

Nachrichtenleicht by Deutschlandfunk: The best resource for slow German news, Nachrichtenleicht presents short German audio clips (approx. 2-3 minutes) about relevant news, accompanied by a written transcript, so you can follow along while you listen.

Langsam Gesprochene Nachrichten by Deutsche Welle: Daily German news on current topics. Episodes are about 10 minutes long, and can also downloadable on iTunes.

News in Slow German by Linguistica 360: Dialogue-based German news, released weekly in slow German, accompanied by written transcripts. Episodes run approx. 8 minutes, and can be downloaded from iTunes as well.

Slow German mit Annik Rubens: Short segments in German on just about every topic, from contemporary German slang to an introduction to German literature. Episodes are about 4-7 minutes long, and are downloadable from iTunes as well.