wikipedia

Language Learning Tips on Using Free Wikimedia Resources

This article points out six useful ways to use Wikimedia content from Wikipedia, Wikibooks, Wikiversity, Wikinews, Wiktionary and Wikiquotes for learning languages free.

What's highlighted here is also great for teachers because it is licensed via Creative Commons and available to use for free.

Spanish is used as an example here, but the same ideas are applicable to all languages for which content is available.

1) Know General Info about Your Target Language

Find out general information about a language by viewing that language's Wikipedia entry. For example, here's the Spanish language entry on Wikipedia:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_language

It contains loads of general information, as well as specifics about grammar, alphabet, pronunciation, etc.

2) Use Wikibooks and Wikiversity Courses to Get Started

Summary

The now-ubiquitious Wikipedia.org has some multilingual gems tucked away in its folds. This article serves to point out one of the most powerful polyglot culture feaures that Wikipedia offers: the myriad articles in a multitude of languages at a single click away.

For instance, while browsing the topic "Language" on Wikipedia in English, down the left navigation bar you will find entries for the same topic in dozens of languages.

Summary

Wikipedia's Simple English Free Encyclopedia is an interesting concept that has actually created quite a following. The idea behind the wiki is to collectively create a free and open encyclopedia with articles that can be read by people with only a basic knowledge of English, and to help them learn and improve while discovering new topics.

I would recommend the Simple English Wikipedia for folks interested in learning about topics that intrigue them while simultaneously learning English. I enjoy this method because it is more meaningful to me than random texts that might not interest students, or have little information pertinent to what they are motivated to read about. Keep 'em interested!

When combined with the wonders of Wiktionary English, there is a lot of educational material and practice content to work with on Simple English Wikipedia. Enjoy!

From Website

About Us

This is Simple English Wikipedia. Wikipedias are places where many people work together to make encyclopedias in many languages. We only use very simple English words and simple ways of writing here.

There are tens of thousands of articles in this wiki. All of the pages are free to use. There is a discussion in the GNU Free Documentation License.

You are invited to help! You may change these pages and make new pages. Read the help pages and other good pages to learn how to write pages here. If you need help, you may ask questions at Simple talk.

What to Do

Use easy words and shorter sentences. This lets people with little English read them.

Write good pages, with care. The best encyclopedia pages have useful information. They are also carefully written.

Use the pages to learn and teach. These pages can help people learn English. You can also use them to make a new Wikipedia to help other people, if you change the words to your own language.

Visit Simple English Wikipedia.

Part of the content for this article is adapted from an article on Freestyle Language. If you are interested in reading about language bits and bobs that are "freestyle" in nature, have a look.

Summary

If you don't know about Wikipedia, now is the time to find out! Especially since it is so useful in learning languages.

Wikipedia is the "Free Encyclopedia", a collectively-authored, dynamic, online encyclopedia that is free not only as in price, but also as in freedom. This means that the content you find anywhere on Wikipedia is free and open in the Public Domain. You can reproduce, redistribute and rehash the information there. This is empowered by the GNU Free Documentation License. This same license protects and empowers the contant on Free Language! (How?)

This particular resource links to the Wikipedia entry on the German language. This entry contains loads of information for the curious reader as well as for the serious German language learner, including historical and linguistic data.

Use this resource to become familiar with the German language and its context in today's world, to discover facts and linguistic data about German and its many varieties, access further information about and resources for learning German, and much more.

From Website

The German language (Deutsch, [dɔɪ̯tʃ]) is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. Other English names for the language are Dutch (historical/informal usage, from Deutsch), and Teutonish/Teutonic. German is closely related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. Around the world, German is spoken by ~100 million native speakers and also ~30 million non-native speakers, and Standard German is widely taught in schools and universities in Europe. Worldwide, German accounts for the most written translations into and from a language (Guinness Book of Records). German is also the fifth most commonly spoken language in American homes.

Visit "German Language" on Wikipedia.

Content License

GNU Free Documentation License

Summary

If you don't know about Wikipedia, now is the time to find out! Especially since it is so useful in learning languages.

Wikipedia is the "Free Encyclopedia", a collectively-authored, dynamic, online encyclopedia that is free not only as in price, but also as in freedom. This means that the content you find anywhere on Wikipedia is free and open in the Public Domain. You can reproduce, redistribute and rehash the information there. This is empowered by the GNU Free Documentation License. This same license protects and empowers the content on Free Language! (How?)

This particular resource links to the Wikipedia entry on the Spanish language. This entry contains loads of information for the curious reader as well as for the serious Spanish language learner, including historical and linguistic data.

Use this resource to become familiar with the Spanish language and its context in today's world, to discover facts and linguistic data about Spanish and its many varieties, access further information about and resources for learning Spanish, and much more.

From Website

Spanish (español) or Castilian (castellano) is a Romance language originally from the northern area of Spain. It is the official language of Spain, most Latin American countries, and one of the official languages of Equatorial Guinea, in Africa. In total, twenty-five nations and territories use Spanish as their primary language. It is one of six official languages of the United Nations.

Spanish originated as a dialect of Latin along the remote cross road strips among the Cantabria, Burgos, Soria and La Rioja provinces of Northern Spain. From there, its use gradually spread inside the Kingdom of Castile, where it evolved and eventually became the principal language of the government and trade. It was later taken to the Americas and other parts of the world in the last five centuries by Spanish explorers and colonists. The language is spoken by between 322 and 400 million people natively, making Spanish the most spoken Romance language and possibly the second most spoken language by number of native speakers. It is estimated that the combined total of native and non-native Spanish speakers is approximately 500 million, likely making it the fourth most spoken language by total number of speakers.

The language is spoken most extensively in the Americas, Spain and to a small extent in Africa and Asia Pacific. It is also the second most widely spoken language in the United States and by far the most popular studied foreign language in U.S. schools and Universities. Within the globalized market, there is currently an international expansion and recognition of the Spanish language in literature, the film industry, television and music.

Visit "Spanish Language" on Wikipedia.

License

GNU Free Documentation License