Linguti

http://www.linguti.com

Linguti vs. Duolingo: A face off?

At first glance, it looks like Linguti might just be the new Duolingo. It has many similar features, including a streak, money to buy power ups, and a general gamified learning environment. I decided to review Linguti and find out what made it stand out! And whether it's competition has anything to worry about. 

Linguti offers a few languages that Duolingo doesn't. Korean and Japanese, for example. But I decided on French, because I struggled with it on Duolingo. (Mostly due to the robot voice.)

The course starts out with vocabulary. The first thing I noticed, and this is definitely a pro, was a human voice said the words. Not a robot voice! I think Duo is great, but that robot voice is horrible and will always be a con in my book.

After the vocabulary, you start learning simple sentences right away. This is similar to Duolingo, but you are treated to real pictures throughout the course, not just for vocabulary. This is a huge pro for visual learners. 

The listening tests and midterm reviews were also nice features. Unlike Duolingo, Linguti makes you take two tests, a midterm review and a review, before you can move on to the next part of learning. Definitely a pro!

Now for the downside, because there always seems to be one. Linguti didn't seem to have any community or forum discussion. So unlike Duolingo, you can't discuss grammar concepts with other learners. This might be a pro for solo learners who would be distracted by the community environment, but for me it was a definite downside. I did see a spot for notifications of friend requests but no actual place to find friends. 

Another con of Linguti is that they don't accept alternative correct answers. They do allow you to report bugs like this, though. While this definitely can hinder the learning experience, I think it is something the site will improve over time.

They are also very strict about accents. But for those who want to make sure that they are always spelling the words correctly, with accents in place, this is definitely a pro!

Overall, I did like the look and feel of the Linguti learning experience, and I will probably visit this site from time to time.

If your target language is Japanese, Korean, or (coming soon) Chinese, you'll definitely want to give Linguti a chance!

Pros: Completely free

Human voice

Many pictures 

Tests

Offers Japanese and Korean

Cons:

Strict about accepting answers

No discussion forum

Languages: French, German, Japanese, Korean, Polish

Similar to: Duolingo, Mondly, Rosetta Stone

Games For Language

http://www.gamesforlanguage.com

 

 

I found this course a while back, but it wasn't really complete when I found it. Now that it is, I want to review it for you. Okay, actually I'm addicted to it.

 

It's super fun.

 

First off, they treat learning languages entirely as a game.

 

 

There are five or six different games that teach you selected vocabulary and phrases. Oh, and these aren't random either. All of the vocabulary being taught is going to be used in a story that you get to read after you are finished with the lesson. There is no rote repetition at all. Just fun games that test you on your listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills. The collection of games covers all the important bases of language learning.

 

You can also record yourself speaking which is a huge bonus and benefits you. Oh, and this another site that's completely free. You just need to register. So go sign up!

 

 

Hope you enjoy it,

 

Love Destiny

 

 

 

Languages: English (for Spanish speakers), Italian, German, French, and Spanish.



Babbel

Babbel  is a language course that I have been very hesitant to review because it appears that you only get a very, small amount for free.

Well, it's true. You don't get much for free. About one lesson, that's it.

They have 13 languages to choose from.

I like the feel of the course. Once I got into it I was really disappointed that they didn't offer more for free because I love the format. It kind of reminded me of Rosetta Stone but it has a much better value ($44.70 for a six month subscription). I'm not a fan of subscriptions myself but if you try out Babbel and like it then it something your Mom and Dad might find affordable as a birthday present for you.

There are some really good features here. I liked the "gamey" feel of the site and the writing practice where I was asked to type in letters or even whole words. I even got to listen to two native speakers have a conversation and write in some of the vocabulary.

All in all, it's a good language learning course, but it shouldn't call itself free because it only has a "free demo" of each language. It is worth checking out, though, as you may find it is the language course that will work for you.

Love,

Destiny

Languages: German, Danish, Dutch, English, French, Indonesian, Italian, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish

The Angry Family

The Angry Family, arggggh! No, they were really just hungry, but now they are called the angry family. 

Mr. Angry Cloud just wanted to learn a language but he needed a group of like minded people so he could start a language family. This way they could practice and learn the language together!

He met Carrot, Lightbulb, Mr. Angry Potato Head, and Mr. Angry Wolf.

Together they make up the Angry Family.

So, now you might be asking me what exactly is the Angry Family?

It's a series of videos that are meant to funny and educational.

They make you laugh while helping you learn and practice your language.

Some videos are mostly educational while others will make you laugh so hard you cry!

This is Faith's favorite. Partly because she loves funny cartoons about talking objects. Partly because she is lazy and this requires no effort on her part.

Yes, I did just call my twin sister lazy on the internet! Ha!

You can watch the videos on Linguacast's website. The links are all below!

You can also watch them on Youtube but I think they are easier to find and better organized on Linguacast's website.

Go check them out! You will laugh. I promise.

Love, 

Destiny

Links to Angry Family Series

Arabic

Chinese

English

French

German

Japanese

Spanish

Languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, French, German, Japanese, Spanish

Languages Online: Destiny's Review

Languages Online is a fun language course that makes learning a language a lot like playing a video game. The lessons start out really simple. 

You click the button to hear the words. 

Then you listen and repeat. Once you have done this you can play the game and see how will you remember the words. You will be surprised!

There are plenty of games and music and surprises to help you learn a language.

Below I have found a Youtube video that gives you an example of one of the games in German. 

Languages available: Chinese, ESL, French, German, Indonesian, Italian, Macedonian.

Duolingo: Destiny's Review

Today, the language course I want to talk about is called Duolingo. 

Duolingo looks like it is going to be a big hit! When learning a language Duolingo gives you community in the truest sense of the word.

You get a profile page and a stream where you share your thoughts (that is very similar to Twitter, so if you are Twitter fan who has always wanted to learn a language this may just be the course for you.)

Show off your Spanish learning skills, earn points, share with your followers!

In each lesson, under the phrase is a place that says comment where you can talk about the word or phrase you've learned and ask questions. No matter how silly they are, someone may answer them and then you'll feel a lot smarter! The developers often lurk in the forums and one of them may even help you with your question!

Have a question? Duolingo members don't mind helping you out!

Duolingo's motto is "Learn A Language While Translating The Web."

Why is this their motto? Because on Duolingo they give you documents and you help to translate them using your newfound knowledge of the language.

Duolingo currently offers Spanish, French, Italian (beta), and Portuguese (beta) so if one of these is the language you want to learn you should go sign up. I almost forgot to mention, they offer English lessons for those of you who speak English as a second language and need to brush up.

One of the reasons why I like Duolingo is that it works like a virtual textbook and starts off with a really easy lesson. Every lesson builds on the things you learned in the previous lesson.

How easy is that?

It's also sort of like a game. You earn points, go up in level, and get to unlock new things making Duolingo a big winner