Tag Archives: language learning

The importance of enjoyment in language learning

Posted on 17 October, 2022 by bethhoudijk

Some cultures have an ambivalent attitude to enjoyment. Dutch Calvinists, for example, are suspicious of too much indulgence. It’s not for nothing that hard drugs are called ‘genotmiddelen’ – literally, ‘means of enjoyment’, along with coffee, alcohol and cigarettes. Too … Continue reading →

Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

Borrowed words – 2: When lawnmowers become hedge trimmers

Posted on 8 February, 2018 by bethhoudijk

“Never a borrower or a lender be…” That’s Shakespeare, but when it comes to languages, as we have seen, borrowing of words goes on all the time. And quite often, the words that get borrowed don’t always get treated in … Continue reading →

Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment