Languages Direct

What I've learned during a lifetime of language-learning It's all about discovering what works for your learning style and your learning objectives

What I've learned during a lifetime of language-learning buff.ly/mnUvvJq #langsky #xl8

The lost languages of ancient humans: Listen to stone-age chat The fossilised bones of our ancestors remain silent. So, how can we possibly imagine what our earliest languages sounded like?

The lost languages of ancient humans: Listen to stone-age chat buff.ly/y8Szdhx #langsky #xl8

Punto y Coma 119 cover.

Improve your Spanish with the latest issue of #PuntoYComa, N.119, marzo-abril 2026 audio magazine for Spanish learners. In this issue we profile María Moliner, the author of the best dictionary of Spanish usage. Subscribe today! #LearnSpanish #langsky buff.ly/3L2sBTA

RTÉ Ireland's National Television and Radio Broadcaster RTÉ news brings you the latest Irish news, world news, international news and up to the minute reports on breaking Irish news stories and news from around the world. Watch and listen to Irish news…

RTÉ Ireland's National Television and Radio Broadcaster www.rte.ie #langsky #xl8

Bien-dire 165 cover.

B1-C2 learner of French? Check out the latest issue of our intermediate to advanced #French audio magazine #BienDire, numéro 165, mars - avril 2026. #LearnFrench #apprendrelefrançais buff.ly/3Z2h2lQ #langsky #xl8

Inside the island in America where locals speak with a Cornish accent It's divided locals

Inside the island in America where locals speak with a Cornish accent buff.ly/fHpd8yJ #langsky #xl8

Calls for Romanian to become an option for GCSE students Romanian is the most widely spoken foreign first language in London with 159,000 speakers.

Calls for Romanian to become an option for GCSE students buff.ly/ZyXXQWR #langsky #xl8

UK universities turn to Duolingo to test foreign students’ English Try questions from the test used by more than 50 UK higher education institutions

UK universities turn to Duolingo to test foreign students’ English buff.ly/hm3dI8t #langsky #xl8

World Gaelic Week 2026 World Gaelic Week is full of activities to draw the attention of the wider world to the language of the Gaels

World Gaelic Week 2026 buff.ly/oJ7iOr9 #langsky #xl8

Song portal launch marks the start of World Gaelic Week It includes more than 700 songs, audio recordings and lyrics as well as biographical information.

Song portal launch marks the start of World Gaelic Week buff.ly/QEbTw1o #langsky #xl8

What's the best way to learn a new language? Krupa Padhy uncovers how we really learn foreign languages – in a dual challenge involving both Portuguese and Mandarin.

What's the best way to learn a new language? buff.ly/dYPzvK9 #langsky #xl8

How toddlers in Finland's 'language nests' are saving an endangered Sámi language Special nurseries are helping the Sámi people in Finland to bring their almost-lost language back from the brink of extinction.

How toddlers in Finland's 'language nests' are saving an endangered Sámi language buff.ly/P8a30a4 #langsky #xl8

Word of Mouth - Language Extinction - BBC Sounds Michael Rosen talks to Sophia Smith Galer about the languages we're losing from the world.

Word of Mouth - Language Extinction - BBC Sounds buff.ly/eqvK2CA #langsky #xl8

Español o française? Learn a language because you love it, not because it’s useful | Letters Letters: Readers respond to an article by Gary Nunn who says learning Spanish has never been cooler

Español o française? Learn a language because you love it, not because it’s useful | Letters buff.ly/ju6fZig #langsky #xl8

Multilingual families: ‘Many still feel pressure to leave parts of themselves at the door’ More than 70 languages are spoken in Ireland and the Mother Tongues festival is helping pass them on to the next generation

Multilingual families: ‘Many still feel pressure to leave parts of themselves at the door’ buff.ly/8Zyjcuj #langsky #xl8

6 ways learning a new language can boost your brain power later in life Taking up a new language offers a plethora of benefits.

6 ways learning a new language can boost your brain power later in life buff.ly/mK7qiTH #langsky #xl8

Susie Dent: Foreign languages help children decode English The Countdown wordsmith cautions against the decline in the study of French and German, saying it gives you a ‘huge perspective on human life’

Susie Dent: Foreign languages help children decode English buff.ly/nkJuBGC #langsky #xl8

'We talk more about being multicultural more than being multilingual': Why language degrees are in crisis and why we should all be worried Languages are in decline, and not by accident. As universities tighten budgets, the cost of cutting them may be far greater than we realise

"As UK universities continue to suffer tighter budgets and diminishing staff numbers, smaller, non-STEM based faculties are the first to fall. Questions of 'what makes a degree valuable?' inevitably come into play."

#languages #languageeducation #languagelearning

thetab.com/2026/02/12/w...

Why Sweden’s young people are so good at English Learning English in Sweden is so much more than what goes on in school.

Why Sweden’s young people are so good at English ift.tt/cvJYZVA #langsky #xl8

Source: "How many people speak Spanish in the world? 42 Statistics" by Marielle Poorte, from SpeakeasyBCN. A map shows dark colors on Mexico, the US, Ecuador, Colombia, Argentina, Spain.

As of 2025:

The country with the most Spanish speakers ("speak Spanish at home") is Mexico at ~135 million.

The country with the 2nd most: the USA, with 45 million.
If you include bilinguals, it jumps to 58 million.

About 10% of all Spanish speakers, globally, live in the USA.

Spanish is clearly now the world’s coolest language. So why do we push children to learn French? | Gary Nunn As Bad Bunny showed at the Super Bowl, español is the coming thing. No wonder it’s now the top GCSE language choice, says journalist Gary Nunn

Spanish is clearly now the world’s coolest language. So why do we push children to learn French? | Gary Nunn www.theguardian.com/commentisfre... #langsky #xl8

The crisis in foreign language studies | University Challenged | The Critic Magazine bit.ly/4rJUtht #langsky #xl8

Mississipi judge travels 4,000 miles to sit Welsh-language exam A US judge travels more than 4,000 miles after teaching himself Welsh.

Mississipi judge travels 4,000 miles to sit Welsh-language exam buff.ly/YsZ1Y7H #langsky #xl8

How to Improve Your Vocabulary as an Adult buff.ly/BxBtsRs #langsky #xl8

Things reek, stink and pong – but why are there no verbs for describing a delightful odour? | Adrian Chiles We don’t have a single verb to express smelling something nice. Welsh and Croatian, by contrast, are never caught short when something fragrant gets right up your nose, writes Guardian columnist…

Things reek, stink and pong – but why are there no verbs for describing a delightful odour? | Adrian Chiles buff.ly/zV3GaIm #langsky #xl8

Presse und Sprache 70-2 Februar 26

Speak German? Speak it Better with a Subscription to Presse und Sprache for #German Learners (A2-C2). No 70-2, Februar 2026, now out. buff.ly/3MD90bW #langsky

Bien-dire Initial 55 cover

Beginner or intermediate learner of French? The latest issue of #BienDireInitial French language-learning audio magazine, numéro 55, février - mars 2025 is out now! To subscribe or learn more: buff.ly/3LQNHTY #LearnFrench #apprendrelefrançais #langsky

Against Babel: Or, How to Talk to Strangers - Public Books Allegedly, some 45% of languages descend from one, ancient ”Proto-Indo-European“ tongue. But why focus on a hypothetical lost language, when we can work instead to hear one another today?

My #interestingread today:
Against Babel: Or, How to Talk to Strangers
www.publicbooks.org/against-babe...
#language #evolution #history #etymology #langsky

Language learning marketplace Preply's unicorn status embodies Ukrainian resilience | TechCrunch Language learning marketplace Preply is now valued at $1.2 billion after raising a $150 million Series D round that marks a new chapter for the 14-year-old company.

Language learning marketplace Preply's unicorn status embodies Ukrainian resilience | TechCrunch buff.ly/THumPIV #langsky #xl8

Five new words for 2026 - BBC Bitesize BBC Bitesize looks at five new words for the new year.

Five new words for 2026 - BBC Bitesize buff.ly/ONwi3S2 #langsky #xl8