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How to teach yourself linguistics online for free

Wish you were enrolled in an intro linguistics class this semester? Starting a linguistics major and looking for extra help? Trying to figure out whether you should study linguistics and what comes after?  Whether you’re just trying to grasp the basics of linguistics or you’re trying to construct a full online linguistics course, here’s a comprehensive list of free linguistics websites, podcasts, videos, blogs, and other resources from around the internet: 

Linguistics Podcasts

Specific episodes:

The International Phonetic Alphabet and vowels

Constituency

Gricean Maxims and presuppositions

Kids These Days aren’t ruining language

Learning languages linguistically

Phonemes and palatalization

Prepositions, determiners, verbs

Morphemes and the wug test

Why do we gesture when we talk?

Syllables

Podcasts in general:

Lingthusiasm

The History of English Podcast

Talk the Talk

Lexicon Valley

The World in Words

A Way With Words

Vocal Fries

Linguistics Videos

Modular topics:

NativLang (cartoons)

The Ling Space

Tom Scott’s Language Files

Arika Okrent (whiteboard videos)

Structured video series like an online course:  

Introduction to Linguistics (TrevTutor)

Another intro linguistics series (DS Bigham)

Phonology (TrevTutor)

Mathematical linguistics (TrevTutor)

Syntax (TrevTutor)

Another syntax series following the chapter structure of a free online syntax textbook (Caroline Heycock)

The Virtual Linguistics Campus at Marburg University

“Miracles of Human Language” (on Coursera from Leiden University)

Blog posts

General

How much do I need to know before taking intro linguistics? (Spoiler: not much) 

28 tips for doing better in your intro linguistics course

How to find a topic for your linguistics essay or research paper

For typesetting linguistics symbols: What is LaTeX and why do linguists love it? (with sample LaTeX doc to download and modify).

An open access intro linguistics textbook, all freely available online

Further linguistics resources about specific areas, such as sociolinguistics, psycholinguistics, language acquisition (first/second), historical linguistics, neurolinguistics, prescriptivism. 

Phonetics & Phonology

How to make your own paper model of the larynx

Teaching phonetics using lollipops

How to remember the IPA vowel chart

How to remember the IPA consonant chart

IPA transcription practice

A detailed explanation of sonorants, obstruents, and sonority

A very elaborate Venn diagram of English phonological features

The basics of how Optimality Theory works, with coffee analogy

Allophones of /t/, explained with internet gifs

Several good visualizations and explanations of the vocal tract

How to type IPA on your phone (Android and iOS) 

Various ways to type IPA on a computer

Morphology & Syntax

Morphological typology cartoons

So you asked the internet how to draw syntax trees. Here’s why you’re confused.

Types of trees: a sentence is an S, a sentence is an IP, a sentence is a TP

A step-by-step guide to drawing a syntax tree, with gifs

Distributed Morphology

Garden path sentences: how they work, some examples

Structural ambiguity and understanding people in Ipswich

How to draw trees on a computer (TreeForm and phpSyntaxTree) 

Pronoun typology and “the gay fanfiction problem”

The solution to violent example sentences: Pokemon

Semantics & Pragmatics

The difference between epistemic and deontic, necessity and possibility (with bonus modals as Hogwarts houses)

Why learn semantics? Comebacks to annoying people.

Presuppositions, implicature and entailment, and more presuppositions in Lizzie Bennet Diaries

Gricean maxims in Welcome to Night Vale

Scalar implicature and a duck gif

Giving a shit about Negative Polarity Items, NPIs explained using Mean Girls references, and a follow-up on Free Choice Items

The lambda calculus for absolute dummies

The Lambda Calculator (software for practising in Heim & Kratzer style)

Teaching linguistics

Linguistics resources for high school teachers

Teaching linguistics to 9-14 year olds

On writing an IB extended essay in linguistics (& follow-up)

IPA Bingo

IPA Jeopardy and IPA Hangman

Practising syntax trees using cards and string/straws

Find a linguistics olympiad near you!

Editing linguistics Wikipedia articles instead of writing a final paper that no one but the prof will read (see also wikiedu.org)

Academic/career advice

Should you go to grad school in linguistics? Maybe

Figuring out if you actually want to go to linguistics grad school

How to decide which linguistics grad school to go to

How to look for linguistics undergrad programs

How to interact with someone who’s just given a talk

An extensive list of undergrad and/or student-friendly conferences - apply to one near you!

Advice for linguistics profs on increasing enrollment and supporting non-academic careers

Linguistics jobs - a series about careers outside academia

Languages

Linguistic approaches to language learning resource roundup

Will linguistics help with language learning? / Will learning a second language help with linguistics?

The problem with “economically useful” as a reason for language learning

Further link roundups

This list not enough? Try these further masterposts: 

A very long list of linguistics movies, documentaries, and TV show episodes

A list of books (fiction and nonfiction) about linguistics

A comprehensive list of language and linguistics podcasts, from Superlinguo 

A very long list of linguistics YouTube channels and other free online videos about linguistics 

20 linguistics blogs I recommend following

How to explain linguistics to your friends and family this holiday season

Procrastinating makes me feel really icky, but I can’t help myself. I always wait until the final moment to do something or study for something and then am always rushing, thus I’m always stressed out. This is the way I deal with procrastination. What works for me might or might not work for you, and that’s okay.

Make a list of every single thing you know you have to get done. This doesn’t have to be limited to a certain time, if you know your university applications are due in two months, put this down too! Also include the smaller tasks you may have ignored like changing your sheets or tidying up your room.

Put some sort of symbol next to tasks you want to accomplish first. These can be assignments due soon, or anything you want to get done quick. I usually use exclamation points and for ones with looming deadlines, I put multiple exclamation points.

Assign an estimated duration to each task, ranging from five minutes to two hours, see how much you can realistically get done today.

After making that list, you may have a rush of energy to start checking things off, so start with something that’s high priority and also has a longer time duration. Work on this for at least half an hour, or at most an hour and a half.

Try not to open Netflix or YouTube on this break. Use this time to get something to eat, you can also use this time to finish those small tasks you wrote out, or play with a pet! If you open any addictive apps, you’re probably going to have problems coming back to the tasks.

As soon as your alarm signifies the end of your break, come straight back and attempt a different task now. If you were to do the same task, you might get bored. Work on this task and follow the above mentioned techniques.

After feeling like you’ve accomplished a decent amount, you can reward yourself something. I usually reward myself an episode of Brooklyn Nine Nine or a face mask!

While doing the tasks, keep checking them off, it’s extremely satisfying and once every single task is complete, you’ll feel so good about yourself.

When at least three things have been checked off, you can take a bigger break. This can last anywhere between fifteen minutes to half an hour. During this break, you can use any of the apps previously banned.

Try to remind yourself why you’re studying. Is it because you want to get into a specific university? Is it because you want to make your parents proud? Is it because you want to prove yourself to haters? Whatever the reason is, channel the emotion attached to it and get back to studying.

Just know that no matter what happens, your grades do not define you. You are not just a number or letter on a sheet of paper, you’re a beautiful human being and you can do anything you want to do.

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One of the more profound things I’ve heard recently came from a Mr. Rogers documentary. In a clip from his show, Mr. Rogers had just visited with a musician, and tells his audience that some people play music, and some people don’t, and that’s okay.

And then he said, “The important thing is to find something you feel good about doing.”

That phrasing struck me. “Something you feel good about doing”. Most people would have phrased it as “something you enjoy doing”. Or “something you’re good at doing”. But Mr. Rogers’ subtly different phrasing leads to a profoundly different connotation. “Something you feel good about doing” may not be enjoyable–people who work in hospitals or in disaster zones might not enjoy much of their day, but they probably feel good about helping people. “Something you feel good about doing“ may not be something you’re particularly good at–you may be a terrible artist by any objective standard, but if you feel good about making your art, then it’s a worthwhile endeavor. Looking for “something you feel good about doing” can help you find a truly satisfying life path.

That phrase is also helpful with daily decision-making. Too often, I can make choices based on “what feels good.” I put aside tasks that are too stressful or avoid activities that seem too difficult, in favor of mindlessly browsing the internet. And I enjoy myself. I feel good while I’m doing that. But at the end of the day, I don’t feel good about how I spent my time. However, reminding myself to do “something I feel good about doing” can motivate me to accomplish those more difficult tasks. It can push me to do something outside of my comfort zone, to try something new that I might not be much good at. And maybe this is a blindingly obvious philosophy to everyone else. But I’m grateful for the reminder. 

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Holiday Giveaway!

Hi guys! I have decided to do a giveaway to celebrate the holidays and a milestone I reached! 

The giveaway starts today, December 15th, and closes December 22nd at 11:59pm EST.

The winner will receive their choice of one ebook (pdf version) from “Korean Made Simple” by GO! Billy Korean:

Korean Made Simple: A beginner’s guide to learning the Korean language: “Korean Made Simple is a book for anyone who wishes to begin learning the Korean language. No matter your age, you can learn how to read, write, speak and understand Korean.Learn the Korean writing system, Korean culture, and even history. Learn over 1,000 vocabulary words and phrases through 20 in-depth and fun lessons, filled with plenty of examples. Additionally, practice sections with answer keys are built into every chapter.This book also contains additional advanced level notes for more skilled Korean speakers looking for a review of basic grammar and concepts, including a full appendix covering sound change rules.”

Korean Made Simple 2: The next step in learning the Korean language: “Korean Made Simple 2 continues right from where we left off, and will help to bring your Korean language abilities to the next level. No matter your age, you can learn how to read, write, speak and understand Korean.Learn more about Korean grammar, culture, history, holidays, and even idioms. Learn over 1,000 new vocabulary words and phrases through 20 in-depth and fun lessons, filled with plenty of examples. Additionally, practice sections with answer keys are built into every chapter.This book also contains advanced level notes for more skilled Korean speakers looking for a review, as well as an appendix dedicated to additional reading practice in Korean.”

Korean Made Simple 3: Continuing your journey of learning the Korean language: “Korean Made Simple 3 once again continues from where we left off, with a focus on helping you to strengthen and expand your Korean language abilities. No matter your age, you can learn how to read, write, speak and understand Korean.Learn even more about Korean grammar, culture, history, idioms, onomatopoeia, and even dialects. Learn over 1,000 new vocabulary words and phrases through 20 in-depth and fun lessons, filled with plenty of examples. Additionally, practice sections with answer keys are built into every chapter.This book also contains advanced level notes for more skilled Korean speakers looking for a review, as well as an appendices dedicated to introducing Korean dialects and onomatopoeia.”

How to Enter:

Must be following this account, koreanstudytips. I will check!

Reblog this post to count as 1 entry. Additional reblogs will not count as extra entries!

To receive an additional entry comment your favorite part about learning Korean!

The winner will be chosen at random. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours another winner will be selected!

Good luck!

Social Media in Spanish and French

NOTE: some of these terms do not translate directly; this is because I based myself off of the vocabulary employed by each website. What they consider equivalent vocabulary might differ from what you might find in a dictionary.

Social media – Las redes sociales – Les médias/réseaux sociaux (m.)*

*Previously, in French, the expression Web 2.0 was also used, but nowadays it is being replaced more and more with the former term.

Facebook

Home – El inicio – L’accueil (m.)

Message – El mensaje – Le message

Notification – La notificación – La notification

News feed – Las noticias – Le fil d’actualité

To search – Buscar – Rechercher

Post – La publicación – La publication

Photo album – El álbum de fotos – L’album photo (m.)

Shortcuts – Los accesos directos – Le raccourci

Ad – La publicidad – La publicité

Event – El evento – L’évènement (m.)

Friend list – La lista de amigos – La liste d’amis

Profile – El perfil – Le profil

About – La información – L’information (f.)

Comment – El comentario – Le commentaire

To comment – Comentar – Commenter

Invitation – La invitación – L’invitation (f.)

Birthday – El cumpleaños – L’anniversaire (m.)

See more – Ver más – Afficher plus

Page – La página – La page

Game – El juego – Le jeu

To share – Compartir - Partager

Like – Me gusta – J’aime

To add – Añadir - Ajouter

Friend – El amigo – L’ami/e

Poke – El toque – Le poke

Tumblr

Dashboard – El escritorio – Le tableau de bord

Follower – El seguidor – L’abonné (m.)

Post – La publicación – Le billet

Activity – La actividad – Le trafic

Draft – El borrador – Le brouillon

Inbox – La bandeja de entrada – La boîte de réception

Account – La cuenta – Le compte

Text – El texto – Le texte

Chat – El chat – La discussion

Quote – La cita – La citation

Blog – El blog – Le blog

Reblog – Rebloguear – Rebloguer

Note – La nota – La note

Settings – La configuración – Le paramètre

App – La aplicación – L’application (f.)

Twitter

Username – El nombre de usuario – Le nom d’utilisateur

Bio – La biografía – La biographie

Block – Bloquear – Bloquer

Tweet – El tweet – Le tweet

To tweet – Twittear – Tweeter

Mention – La mención – La mention

Reply – La respuesta – La réponse

To retweet – Retwittear – Retweeter

Trend – La tendencia – La tendance

To unfollow – Dejar de seguir – Se désabonner

To suspend – Suspender – Suspendre

Poll – La encuesta – La question

Hashtag – La etiqueta – L’hashtag (m.)

Suggestion – La sugerencia – La suggestion

To pin – Destacar – Épingler

So many languages so little brain

Academic Writing Resources

General:

The Five-Paragraph Essay

Using Punctuation Marks

Deadly Sins Checklist

Formatting Your Paper

Writing About Literature

Basic Essay

Revision Checklist

Planning and Organization

Editing and Proofreading

Latin Terms

Essay Structure

Tips on Introducing Quotes

Academic Writing Tips

Introductions:

Introductory Paragraphs

Introductions

Writing an Introduction

Preparing to Write an Introduction

Introduction Strategies

The Introductory Paragraph

Writing Effective Introductions

In The Beginning

Introductions and Conclusions

The Introductory Paragraph

Writing Introductory Paragraphs

How to Write an Intro

Body Paragraphs:

Paragraph Development and Topic Sentences

Transitions

Transitions

Transitions

Four Components of an Effective Body Paragraph

Writing Paragraphs

Paragraph Development

Body Paragraphs

Body Paragraphs

Strong Body Paragraphs

Body Paragraphs

Writing Body Paragraphs

How to Write Body Paragraphs

Writing the Body

Writing Body Paragraphs

Body Paragraphs

Body Paragraphs that Defend a Thesis

How to Write Body Paragraphs

The Perfect Paragraph

Topic Sentences:

Topic Sentences

Writing Topic Sentences

Topic Sentences

Topic Sentences

The Topic Sentence

Paragraphs and Topic Sentences

The Topic Sentence

Topics, Main Ideas, and Topic Sentences

Writing a Good Topic Sentence

Good Topic Sentences

Conclusions:

Writing Effective Conclusions

Introductions and Conclusions

Conclusion Paragraphs

Conclusion Strategies

Conclusions

Tips for a Strong Conclusion

The Concluding Paragraph

Ending the Essay

Types of Conclusions

Writing a Strong Conclusion

How to Write a Conclusion

Writing Conclusions

Guide to Conclusions

Thesis Statements:

The Thesis Statement

Thesis Statements

Writing a Thesis Statement

Thesis Statement

Tips and Examples

Writing a Thesis

Writing the Thesis

How to Write Your Thesis

The Thesis

Thesis Statements

Guidelines for Writing a Thesis

Thesis Statements

Thesis

Thesis Statements

The Thesis

Create a Strong Thesis

How to Write a Thesis

Developing a Thesis

Guide to Writing Thesis Statements

Thesis Statements

Citing:

When to Cite

APA Documentation

MLA Documentation

Suggestions for Citing Sources

Research and Citation Resources

Citation Information

MLA Guidelines for Citing Poetry

MLA Style for Poetry

How to Format Your Paper

Argumentative Essays:

Argumentative Essays

Argument

Argumentative Essays

Persuasive or Argumentative Essays

Argumentative Essay

Argument/Argumentative

Argumentative Essays

How to Write a Good Argument

How to Write an Argumentative Essay

Writing Conclusions to Argumentative Essays

Argumentative Essay

Persuasive Essay Writing

Writing Concluding Paragraphs

Constructing the Argumentative Essay

Writing About Poetry:

Writing About Poetry

Writing About Poetry

Writing About Poetry Q & A

Poetry Explications

Writing About Poetry

Writing About Poems

Explicating a Poem

Writing About Poetry

Writing a Thesis Paper About a Poem

How to Start a Poetry Introduction

Poetry Essay Structure

Poetry Explication

Expository Essays:

Structure of a General Expository Essay

Expository Essay Examples

Sample Expository Essay

Expository Writing

Expository Essay Model

Elements of Expository Essays

Expository Writing Information

Expository Essays

Writing Expository Essays

How to Write an Expository Essay

Tips on Writing an Expository Essay

Expository Essays

Essay Map

Writing Expository Essays

How to Create a Strong Expository Essay

Expository Essay Writing

The Expository Essay

Research Papers:

How to Write a Research Paper in Literature

Writing a Research Paper

The Research Paper

How to Write a Research Paper

Five Paragraph Research Paper

Sample Research Paper

Writing a Research Paper

Tips for a Research Paper

How to Write a Research Paper

Writing a Scientific Research Paper

Writing Research Papers

Research and Writing

Research Papers that Rock

How to Write an Effective Research Paper

College Application Essays:

Application Essay Tips

Application Essays

Tips

10 Tips

Application Essays

How to Write a College Application Essay

Tips for an Effective Essay

Do’s and Don’t’s

College Application Essay

How to Write a College Application Essay

Narrative Essays:

Narrative and Descriptive

Narrative Essay Writing

The Personal Essay

Narrative Essays

Narrative Essays

Writing Narrative Essays

Narrative/Descriptive

Narrative Essay

Writing a Narrative Essay

Tips on Writing a Narrative Essay

I have a really cool Spanish edition of “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets!”

Would y’all like some vocab and example sentences?

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Just knocked out a first draft of my first ever academic CV. Is this what productivity feels like?

how did they learn to translate languages into other languages how did they know which words meant what HOW DID TH