Gender in language

  • Posted by Stephen Whiteley
  • On 27/07/2019
  • Chinese, English, Linguistics, Spanish, words
Gender in language – A mysterious thing For most native English speakers, gender in language is a mysterious thing. Why is an inanimate object like a chair feminine in Italian but masculine in Russian?   Examples of gender in languages The first thing to note is that the gender isn’t so much a property of […]
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Top five language learning questions answered

  • Posted by Stephen Whiteley
  • On 16/07/2019
  • Chinese, English, etymology, French, German, language learning, poetry, Portuguese, Spanish
Learning a new language can seem like a difficult task. But when you go through the process you will enjoy the rewarding experiences that a new language will offer you. However, next time you come across those funny ads that guarantee you’ll learn a language in 2 weeks or 1 month, don´t believe it!
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The history of dollar

  • Posted by Stephen Whiteley
  • On 29/12/2015
  • English, etymology, Linguistics, literary translation, literature, Spanish
The word dollar has a curious and convoluted history: It is derived, as a word, from Thaler, which itself comes from the  Joachimsthal silver mine in Bohemia. In 1519, the silver from Joachimsthal was first used to mint the Bohemian coin Guldengroschen (‘great guilder’, made of silver but equal in value to a gold guilder). […]
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Spanish in the United States – Part 2

  • Posted by Stephen Whiteley
  • On 07/12/2015
  • Spanish, Translation blog
Spanish in the United States Part 2 After the Spanish-American War (1898), the United States gained control over Cuba, Guam, the Philippines, and Puerto Rico. The Spanish-speaking immigrants who came to the United States as a result settled mostly in California, Florida, New York, and New Jersey, where they kept their culture and language alive. […]
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Spanish in the United States – Part 1

  • Posted by Stephen Whiteley
  • On 02/12/2015
  • Spanish, Translation blog
How did Spanish come about in the United States? Juan Ponce de León was one of the first Spanish speakers to set foot in what is now the United States. In his search for the mythical fountain of youth, he came upon what he thought to be an island, naming it after either its profuse […]
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