Items of Interest

Spring 2026 SDLC 105 Syllabus

Spring 2026 SDLC 105 Calendar of Activities, Assignments, and Deadlines

Spring 2026 SDLC 110, 111, 112, 113 General Syllabus

Weekly log for language partners

Global Studio Catalog of Learning Materials and Resources

 

Self-Directed Language Acquisition Program

Sept. 3- Recorded Presentation by Derek Miller, UR Bonner Center for Civic Engagement, Guidelines and Resources for Community-Based Language Learning

Sept. 3- Bonner Guidelines for Community-Based Language Learning, PPT.

 

Benny Lewis: TEDx Talk on Rapid Language Hacking

https://youtu.be/HZqUeWshwMs

 

ACTFL Inverted Pyramid Proficiency Scale

 

New Electronic Catalog of Global Studio Language-Learning Materials

Over the last few weeks, our fantastic team of Global Studio Fellows have been creating an electronic catalog of language learning materials on reserve in INTC 226. There are interesting resources for Korean, Turkish, Hindi, Hebrew, and Portuguese See the ongoing collection, here. Use the tag list to focus your search.

 

Vocaroo for sharing audio files with language partners

Vocaroo is a great free tool to share audio recording files with your language partners. Check it out! https://vocaroo.com/

 

Open-Source Repository of Grammar Reference Textbooks

In internet searches, I came across an open-source repository of grammar reference books pertaining to a wide variety of different languages. Feel free to peruse the collection, here

 

Lang-8 and HiNative Communities for Native Speaker Feedback

This is a great free resource to get free feedback from native speakers of your target language. On the site, you can receive commentary on submit writing samples, or address questions of grammar and usage to an active online community. You can access the site, here. **Note: Lang-8 stopped accepting new members, but you can still access similar networking resources for writing feedback on their new site, HiNative

 

WikiTongues

Library of recordings from endangered languages.

https://www.youtube.com/user/WikiTongues

https://wikitongues.org/

 

International News Resources

Check out this curated list on interesting foreign-language news resources!

 

World Atlas of Language Structures

http://wals.info/

 

Endangered Languages Project

http://www.endangeredlanguages.com/

 

Which languages are the hardest to learn?

Here's a chart! What is difficult about the language you're learning?

 

Try Mango Languages 

Just starting a language?  The University now provides Mango Languages, which offers beginning or 'survival' language lessons in many languages.  To try Mango, go the Boatwright Library web, click Research Databases > M, and look for Mango Languages.  Once you have created an account through the Library site, you can download the Mango Languages app and use it on your mobile device.

 

Infographic on word etymologies and historical trade routes

https://www.visualcapitalist.com/mapping-words-along-trade-routes/?fbclid=IwAR2IQRiSW3KqaFGi_kjkrSbkjXUri_PZI7tAMEB4iKH5W0DPrp_yQj1OzuE

 

 

Articulatory Phonetics Memes

https://goo.gl/bzVfCL

 

Preserving Regional German Dialects

This article from Deutsche Welle discusses what is lost when regional variants of a language are lost. It also discusses the difference between a language and a dialect and why 'dialects' are losing ground in Germany.

 

Radio Segment on North Koreans on South Korean TV

On Sunday, January 31, 2016, NPR had a radio feature on the appearance of North Koreans on South Korean reality TV.  You can listen to the segment here: http://www.npr.org/sections/parallels/2016/01/31/464798910/south-koreas-newest-tv-stars-are-north-korean-defectors .

 

An Interview with Linguist K. David Harrison on When Languages Die

 

 

Slate article:  Photos of Women Who Could Go to Prison for Singing for Men


A series of photographs and a very brief discussion of things women in Iran are forbidden to do, including singing for me and studying English literature.

 

The 'Halal Internet'


A Deutsche Welle article about the 'Halal Internet' coming to Iran has been posted as a discussion item in the Persian group.  Join the discussion!

 

The Free Dictionaries Project


Looking for a free dictionary?  Check out the Free Dictionaries Project!  Especially interesting are the picture dictionaries.

  

Alphabet Blocks for Hebrew, Korean, and Arabic

The Global Studio now has alphabet blocks for Hebrew, Korean, and Arabic.  (The Arabic may be useful for the Persian learners.)  There are also magnetic letters for Hebrew.

What can you do with alphabet blocks and magnetic letters?  Quiz yourself on the letters, put them together to form words, and learn the names of the animals pictured on one side of the blocks.  The Korean blocks seem to have a puzzle, too.  Want to try?  Ask at the Global Studio desk!

 

Visit the Conflict Kitchen, a take-out restaurant that serves food from countries with which the US is in conflict.

 

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Finding Books in Your Language


A number of people have asked about finding children's books, 'easy readers', and popular fiction in the SDLAP languages.  The Global Studio has children's books in Swahili and Turkish (thanks to Professor Grove), and I'm willing to buy more.  However, I prefer to buy books that are culturally authentic, i.e., not translated from English.

 

I have found the following online bookstores that seem to have a good selection.  Please send me (Prof. Scinicariello) a list of things you…

Read more…

What is Social Bookmarking? (That's Diigo)

Wikipedia: A Short Explanation

YouTube: Social Bookmarking in Plain English--This is about Delicious, but the theory is the same.

YouTube: Diigo V.3--This video has information about Diigo groups.

Latest Activity

Grayson Charlton posted a discussion
One part of Chinese culture that interests me is what it’s like traveling there as a foreigner and learning about how visitors are expected to interact within the social norms of China. From what I’ve seen, everyday interactions place a huge emphasis on respect, indirect communication, and awareness of what  role you have in society, especially when you're talking with strangers or people older than you. I’m also interested in Chinese business culture because I potentially may want to work…
18 hours ago
Newton Liu posted a discussion
I was initially drawn to the Catalan language because of my interest in Football Club Barcelona. I often saw the club’s motto, Més que un club. At first I just assumed it was Spanish. One day I learned that it was, despite the difference coming down to only a letter (Cat. “Més” vs Sp. “Más”), not Spanish at all. Instead it was Catalan, a distinct language with its own history and identity. That discovery made me become interested in the Catalan language and culture more broadly. I also learned…
23 hours ago
Emma Butcher posted a discussion
For my final presentation, I plan to research Korean skincare and how it has been affected by the culture and language in Korea. Korea has always been known for its skincare, but in recent years, it has become even more popular. I want to look more into the culture of it and where its history began.After doing some research, I found out that skincare has been around since the Silla Dynasty, and it was popular amongst men and women. Its popularity was because the clearness of your skin was…
yesterday
Krystal Lin posted a discussion
The LIttle Prince is one of my favorite tale of all time. The Korean musical adaptation of The Little Prince (어린 왕자), based on the original novella by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and performed in South Korea with Korean lyrics and dialogue.The Korean musical version of The Little Prince (어린 왕자) transforms a globally familiar story into something emotionally and linguistically distinct. While the narrative framework remains rooted in Saint-Exupéry’s philosophical tale, the Korean adaptation places…
yesterday
Emma Butcher posted a discussion
                My experience learning Korean has been going well, but I have noticed that it is going slightly slower than priorly anticipated. With that said, I have truly been enjoying everything that I have been learning. I have realized that the most helpful and beneficial practice that I have been participating in is when I am with Emily. I feel like I have been getting the most benefit when I work with her on the alphabet and pronunciation. My lessons with Emily have also been the most…
yesterday
Krystal Lin posted a discussion
During this period, my primary tasks focused on improving my pronunciation of Korean tense and aspirated consonants, learning the changes in the consonants, and engaging more actively with reading content. My goal was to strengthen both my speaking, reading and writing skills, also expand my vocabulary. I hoped to become more confident in communicating with others and to gain greater control over switching between formal and informal speech styles.In my interactions with my language partner, we…
yesterday
Krystal Lin posted a discussion
One topic that particularly interests me in Korean target culture is contemporary Korean popular culture, especially K-POP music and K-musical. I am interested not only in its global influence but also in how popular culture reflects generational identity, shifting social norms, and evolving language practices within Korean society. Through preliminary research and observation, I have come to understand that pop culture is not merely entertainment; it functions as a space where language change,…
yesterday
Krystal Lin posted a discussion
While learning Korean, I am aware of how its phonetic inventory differs significantly from that of American English. Korean has a relatively simple vowel system compared to English, but its consonant system contains contrasts that do not exist in American English. One of the most distinctive features of Korean phonology is the three-way contrast among plain, aspirated, and tense consonants. This distinction is particularly challenging for English speakers because English does not phonemically…
yesterday
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A network of participants in and friends of Richmond's Self-Directed Language Acquisition Program.

Diigo: Persian Learners

Diigo: Turkish Learners

Diigo: Asian Language Learners

Diigo: SDLAP at UR