Pick a language to speakRight Arrow
Ready to learn?
Pick a language to get started!

Learning with the heardrum

Foreign words often don’t have a representative image in our brains.
Learning with the heardrum

eardrum

“Neural tissue required to learn and understand a new language will develop automatically from simple exposure to the language” – that’s Paul Sulzburger’s main argument . The PhD graduate of Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, taught Russian for several years to Kiwi students and watched them consistently drop out. What makes it so hard to learn words in foreign languages when we learn new ones in our own language every day? Sulzbeger wondered. His answer is: “When we are trying to learn new foreign words we are faced with sounds for which we may have absolutely no neural representation. A student trying to learn a foreign language may have few pre-existing neural structures to build on in order to remember the words.”
The Victoria University press office speaks of Sulzberger’s work as a “revolutionary approach” – but isn’t being exposed a language and learning it bit by bit the most well known way to learn a language anyhow?

Babbel
We are a team of more than 750 people from over 50 nations with a shared passion for languages. From our offices in Berlin and New York, we help people discover the joys of self-directed language learning. We currently offer 14 different languages — from Spanish to Indonesian — that millions of active subscribers choose to learn.
We are a team of more than 750 people from over 50 nations with a shared passion for languages. From our offices in Berlin and New York, we help people discover the joys of self-directed language learning. We currently offer 14 different languages — from Spanish to Indonesian — that millions of active subscribers choose to learn.

Recommended Articles

What Is A Lexicon?

What Is A Lexicon?

Its meaning is used a little differently depending on the context.
7 TikTok Accounts To Practice Your Language Skills

7 TikTok Accounts To Practice Your Language Skills

Here are some cool creators and content to help you level up your language skills!
Would It Be Better To Learn A New Language Like A Child Does?

Would It Be Better To Learn A New Language Like A Child Does?

It might seem like children are natural language learners, but it’s not so simple.