The challenge of claiming additional languages “So, what languages do you speak, anyway?” I am always reluctant to answer this question. I have spent time learning French, Spanish, Turkish, and two kinds of Arabic, and even dabbling in German and Mandarin, but I shrug and

Letting go of grades and levels A tutoring client recently asked me how to structure his learning of Turkish. He reads language books, writes grammar exercises, and watches YouTube videos, but he worries that this is too scattered and messy. “I can’t tell if I am making pr

The pleasures and frustrations of learning a new language From fully-functioning adult Speaking my mother tongue all day and being understood is a privilege. Whether I go to the library, the bike shop, the café, or the office, I carry all the necessary vocabulary and grammar and all t