milly studies

Hi anon!!! Ahh thank you so much for allowing me to ramble about linguistics <3 this got super long I hope you don’t mind!! I’m just really passionate about this topic lol but here are some of my favorite random facts:

Languages see colors differently! Russian, for example, has two different words for light blue (голубой) and dark blue (синий), whereas in English we classify them both as “blue”. Weirdly, English does distinguish between dark red and light red (“pink”). But some languages even group colors like green and blue together! Vietnamese, for example, uses the same basic word for both (xanh) and then additional descriptors for whether it’s light blue (sky), dark blue (ocean), or green (leaves). There’s a lot of debate on how language affects the way we see colors because of this. This is called linguistic relativism and it’s honestly fascinating! (Sources: x, x, x)  

You know that meme with the trolley problem? You’d probably think you’d give the same answer no matter what, right? But some studies have found that our moral decisions are sometimes affected if we’re speaking a second language! The theory behind this is that:

The difficulty of speaking a foreign language makes people pause and give the question more thought. Interestingly, this usually relates to utilitarianism! So, in the trolley problem, people speaking a foreign language are more willing to sacrifice one person to save many, for example, and/or  

Listening/reading in a foreign language often produces a lower emotional response than your native language! So, if you picked up your native language from your family, friends, community, etc. it has a LOT more emotional connections than a foreign language you learned in a classroom, for example. And these emotions can affect the way you make decisions! This is actually fascinating because it shows that our responses to moral dilemmas are not just about our values. They can also be affected by the language we’re using! Now imagine all the forums like the United Nations etc. where people from all over the world are constantly deciding on moral issues. How many of those decisions have been affected because they’re being discussed in a foreign language? Makes you think, right? (Sources: x, x)

Blind people actually gesture when they speak. So even people who have never seen someone else gesture will do it themselves, with the same frequency and types of gestures as sighted people! Not only this BUT different languages will actually use different types of gestures! So for example, to gesture that someone ran into a house, English speakers typically use one gesture, whereas Turkish speakers tend to separate gestures for both motion (running) and path (into a house). And the research showed that both blind Turkish and English speakers gestured in the same way as their respective sighted speakers! This is honestly so cool because it means 1) there’s something inherent about languages that makes people gesture to convey meaning! And 2) there's also something about the type of language itself that makes people gesture differently across the world. (Sources: x, x)  

Weirdly, spoken filler words like uh or uhm usually appear before nouns! As opposed to verbs, for example. The reason is that nouns typically convey additional information, so we normally have to pause to search for the right word. And precisely because we usually pause before nouns, this likely affects the way grammar evolves over time! This makes it more difficult for nouns to evolve to complex forms. In German for example, it’s much more typical to add prefixes to verbs rather than to nouns (ent-kommen, ver-kommen, be-kommen, etc.) Also this is completely anecdotal BUT when I was attending a university in Germany, I was shocked that the professors barely seemed to pause or use filler sounds as opposed to my native language. I thought a lot about this and the way I could explain it was like the language in the movie Arrival, where writing a word means you have to know how it ends. Some sentence structures in German actually end with the verb, so you have to know how your sentence ends when you start speaking! And that leaves less room for pause. So, the use of those filler words before nouns could change depending on the sentence structure of the language! Again, this is entirely my own experience, but it sort of matches up with the study, with less pauses before verbs. (Source: x)  

Sort of related to the point above, but filler words also change a LOT depending on the language! Some languages use mostly meaningless sounds like e in Spanish or euh in French. But some others like German often use modal particles, which are words that actually modify the meaning! But they’re mostly used for emphasis rather than actual meaning. Such as schon (kind of / actually) or eigentlich (actually). Here's a Wikipedia link with a list of some of the most common ones, it’s honestly one of my favorite features of spoken language: (x)  

Finally, I covered mostly scientific studies, but I also love works of fiction that touch on linguistics! If you’re interested in this topic I’d recommend:

Manhunt on Netflix, a series that showcases forensic linguistics

Arrival, the movie I mentioned above, is overall a pretty cool sci-fi take on how language influences the way we think and relate to the world

Last but not least, one of my all-time favorite short stories is Tlön, Uqbar, Orbis Tertius by Jorge Luis Borges. It’s about a fictional country where the language denies the existence of nouns. One hemisphere focuses on verbs and the other on adjectives. Which means there are no objects, only conditions, and therefore no object permanence. The original is in Spanish, but I found a link to an English version here. I honestly LOVE this one!

And if you're looking for even more educational content, I'd recommend you check out Tom Scott's videos on language. They're pretty well researched and he explains the topics in a very simple and clear way! (Link: x)

Again thank you for indulging me anon!! I could honestly go on even longer about linguistics but I have to stop at some point lol

No reason to reblog this 👀

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learning to be a good friend/partner

healing from depression, failures or heartbreak

becoming amazing at an art or skill

overcoming anxiety, insecurities and low body image

overcoming the need to isolate yourself

changing self-hating thoughts to kinder ones

making a real connection with someone

overcoming self-defeating and self-sabotaging thoughts

learning how to study effectively

finding a sense of stability and calmness at your core

quitting habits or addictions

leaving people and behaviours that turn you into the worst version of yourself

getting used to healthier coping mechanisms & mindsets that feel fake

treating yourself like you truly care about yourself

It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer amount of literature we can learn from. Baby books bore you, but you’re not ready for any type of novel, so what’s left?

Here are some tips 

For beginner/A1/A2 learners

Watch a YouTube video in your target language, then read the comments

you’ll already have vocabulary from watching the video, most of the comments will probably use that vocab

it’s a short enough text that you won’t get fatigued

the only downside is that sometimes people utilize abbreviations and slang terms, but even these are good to know

Read news headlines and if you find one you understand almost fully, try to read the full article

sometimes the vocabulary used is not common in everyday usage, but it’s a total win for an A1 learner to fully read and mostly understand any text

while vocab is not used everyday, it will give you the ammunition to talk about that particular topic

Watch Netflix in target language with subtitles in the same language

believe it or not, you will learn to read better, especially because you don’t have to understand written description of visuals (usually uses very niche vocab) or emotion

and now you can slow down or speed up 

I watched DARK in German before I felt like I could read a book, and I understood 85% of it. This is because I looked up some vocabulary in the first episodes and they continued to use it throughout the show so it really cemented in my head to the point where I don’t even think about it. Now, I had to rewatch some conversations the characters had, but that’s much better for understanding than switching it to English or looking up full phrases and sentences. 

For intermediate/B1/B2 learners

read fanfiction

it’s ALWAYS good to read about something you’re interested in so if you like any major movies, books, television, this is the perfect option for you

most people use relatively basic language and you can choose the length 

find a comic book or graphic novel

like watching tv, that visual aid really helps with understanding of the plot without all those tricky descriptions

read a book in your target language that you’ve read and loved in your native language

this is by far my favorite way

you don’t have to worry about trying to understanding the bigger picture because you already know what’s happening/what will happen, you really have to discover the meaning of each sentence and then you begin to picture the scene using only your target language

Some days I feel colourless, empty and unmotivated. Maybe you do too. So, here’s what I do (hehe): 

wear a lot of accessories. Even if I’m not going anywhere, I put on my biggest earrings, shiniest bracelets, a chic scarf and - OMG WHO IS THIS BEAUTIFUL WOMAN???

go for a walk with some good music. Even if it’s raining, or maybe especially when it’s raining. I put on some ABBA, Queen or any music from the 00′s (because let’s face it, it’s iconic) and start walking. I swear to God, the day gets better with every kilometre I finish

make a fancy meal - I always feel too lazy to make a proper meal, but the thing is, the hardest part is deciding to do it - once you start it’s not only easy, but also therapeutic. And you can make something that you like to eat and then decorate it like it’s your personal masterpiece 

take care of your skin - you have to agree, that there is nothing more pleasing than the feeling of your skin after a face mask

make your notes/journal pretty - it’s like therapy, but free. But the best part is, you’ll make your future self happy, because pretty notes will make you happy whenever you look back on them <3

As always - with love, 

I have restructured the folders to make them easier to use and managed to add almost all languages requested and then some

Hello, lovelies! I’ve gotten a couple of asks about studying so I decided to condense them into one post for you guys! I’m trying to hit a bunch of different topics so if you need an even more specific post you can send an ask! Without any further ado, have some tips! My studyblr is @spacey-scholar​

Prep

First, you always need a good base for your day! Especially if you’re studying a lot.

Make a good full breakfast! Ex. Eggs and Toast, Smoothie and fruit, Pancakes and a cup of juice. 

How’s your hygiene? Do you need to shower, brush your teeth, wash your face, condition your hair? Do it! You’ll be distracted if you feel messy!

Get dressed like it’s a normal day. Staying in PJ’s is okay! But being ready for the day seriously helps focus!

Likewise, your space should be clean. A clean space is a clean mind! Remove dishes, trash, scrap paper, and extra items. Wide down your desk, organize your pens and books. Your space should feel like your space!

Now make a list of what you need to get done! What needs to be done Now, what needs to be done Soon, and what needs to be done Later? 

Order your list how you want your day to go, and don’t put super-tough subjects back to back, or subjects that are similar exercises i.e. reading thirty pages of two different books back to back is no fun.

The Studying

It’s important to buckle down with No Distractions! If you find yourself distracted put your phone away! If you need your phone, put it on Do Not Disturb until you’re done. I also do this at night for better sleep. 

Pick the best technique for you, Pomodoro, reward-based, group studying, etc.

Play music but only if it will not distract you! If you sing along or daydream it’s the wrong music! Classical, Lo-fi, and White noise are all good! My Spotify Here has some good ones.

Use a nice journal (I don’t mean expensive!) and pens/pencils you enjoy using. I like to have a specific journal and color dedicated to each subject. 

Take notes on recorded lectures and classes, if you’re doing online classes right now try to screen record or record the audio! That way if you space out you can play it later and take notes, and you can absorb the lesson better instead of being distracted.

Don’t worry about your notes, stationary, pictures, being beautiful and your grades being perfect. Life doesn’t always look the way it does on Instagram. And the people who spend hours trying to get a good photo of their coffee are not studying! 

Use flashcards! Quizlet is good if you need premade ones! If you can save up and buy them, Barrons AP Flash Cards are the best in my opinion. Very clean, not too long, very durable, and cover all subjects.

Feeling Distracted 

If you catch yourself drifting off and getting into your head, get up and take a quick walk, stretch, or energizer. 

It’s okay if this happens, don’t guilt yourself! practice affirmation. The best and smartest still get distracted. 

If you are drifting, why? Are you hungry? Tired? Thirsty? Bored? Get a snack and some water, take a break and rest, find a way to make your studying more enjoyable. 

Remember that Motivation and Discipline are different things. Sometimes we just won’t be motivated, we won’t want to do it and it will be rather frustrating. But the cure to this is not shaming its discipline. Remind yourself “This may be hard, and I may not want to do this, but I want to reach my goals and If this is what It takes I will make it happen. 

Always do just one more page of you’re tired. One at a time and oh you did it! Maybe just one more? One more? Eh, one more just to finish the train of thought, Oh just- I’m done? Nice!

If you really can’t focus just move on and come back to this subject, you can always ask for help.

Supplementary Things

There are so many apps you can use to study, for free! My favorites are Tide, Quizlet, Focus Keeper, Forest, Flora, Egenda, SpanishDict, Photomath, and Kahn Academy. 

You can also join a study group! You may know one, but if you don’t, there are a lot of online ones! I’m in a study Discord and have been for a while! it helps a lot and motivates me to finish my work!

You can make a studyblr, but don’t do it just for the aesthetics! It’s about studying, and sometimes that gets messy! Sometimes we fail a test, we spill our tea on our notes, we cry because we don’t understand the formula. That’s the part you don’t see!

Having cute stationery can really help, as well as nice organizers and decorations for your space! I don’t have much money so I get a lot of stuff on Amazon or FB Marketplace.

Health

Remember that no matter what you are good enough. It’s okay if you fail, it’s okay if you struggle.

It’s also okay if your path doesn’t go the way you expected! Maybe you go to a different school than expected! Or choose a trade instead! Maybe you take a gap year! Maybe your passion changes! Maybe it changes six times!

Your health is always more important than your school. If you are in pain, mentally or physically, if you are anxious, exhausted, burnt out, talk to your teachers about it! You matter more than a grade.

Your best is good enough! And your best doesn’t look the same as someone else’s best! Don’t compare!