It’s Been A While, Y’all.

what knowing a second language is like

your brain when you don’t need to be using your second language: i am a font of knowledge; no word or grammatical form can escape my grasp!

your brain when you do need to actually know shit: the ancient greek verb for “become full of worms” is ἐκζωόομαι and this is the only word you know now

So I’m in the final semester of my undergrad.

Which means its grad school application time for me (I’m starting a little late because of personal reasons (-: ) Anyway, I was wondering if anyone out there on the great blue gradblr had any recommendations or tips for writing a personal statement? 

preach

apply for jobs you’re not qualified for! audit upper-level classes! get drunk with your TAs! see that poster advertising that lecture series? go there take notes and ask questions! thank the presenter for talking about this topic you love! if the class is full before you register, email the professor and ask if they can squeeze you in! RAISE YOUR HAND! tell the disability accomodation office to do their goddamn job! ask for help! file complaints! go to class in your pajamas and destroy the reading! you got this! you KNOW you got this! be arrogant enough to learn EVERYTHING! take your meds! punch a velociraptor in the dick! fear is useless and temporary! glory is forever! shed your skin and erupt angel wings! help out! spread your sun!

i had a really good morning! you deserve a really good morning! kill anyone who says you don’t and build a throne from their bones!

when the times get rough and I lose sight of the goal i just. reread “the orange” by wendy cope again & remember. that’s where I’m going folks. sooner or later, whatever it takes.

my korean apps

hello everyone :) in this post I want to share which apps I use to study korean on the go. I actually had around two dozen apps related to korean on my phone, but no person could use all of them together, so I limited it down to only 12 apps

of course, some of those I haven't used in ages, but I do think they're useful from time to time

LingoDeer

I cannot stop raving about this app, their courses are so well thought through, they teach grammar well and the sample sentences are actually useful!

Memrise

there's nothing new about memrise, I use it because it has all 10 ttmik levels on there, with audio recordings and grammar explanations. @ whoever created that memrise course, I'll love you forever

NAVER dictionary

it's not just a dictionary, it has the papago translator integrated, there are podcasts, each day there's a "word of the day" and "global sentences" where you can learn not only a new sentence, but also view entire sample conversations

KORLINK

it's an app that compiles all ttmik pdf lessons

Beelinguapp

this app has many well known (short) stories and even fairytales which you can read in your native and target language side by side. if you want you can listen to the audio recordings as well, and even slow them down if you need

Grammar Haja

okay this app is amazing, it has nearly all grammar of the korean language, gives in-depth explanations and sample sentences. there's even a "confusing grammar" section where the difference between, well, confusing grammar points is explained

Hanji

you can type in a english or korean verb in any conjugation and it will not only give you the translation (they aren't always on point tho7), but also all the possible conjugations for the verb. it includes all tenses, politeness levels and all possible suffixes

HiNative

HiNative allows you to ask questions about a country or a language to natives. you can phrase any question or use the options provided, such as 'does this sound natural', 'what's the difference between x and x' etc. you can even record your pronunciation or ask natives to send you a audio recording

HelloTalk

this app is mostly about language exchange, so making friends with natives or finding a studdy buddy. you can also post pictures and texts or read others public entries as reading / writing practice. if you want to meet up with someone you can enter your location and see who's near, but beware of the creeps that are on this app and stay safe

세종한국어 apps

these apps are provided by the king sejong institute foundation. there are different apps for different levels, but I downloaded the 회화 초급 and 문법 초급 (conversation and grammar for beginners) as well as the beginner to intermediate vocabulary app. I haven't really taken the time to go through the first two apps to check if there are basics that I still don't know by now, but I'm planning to check that once I have the time. so far I think these apps would be a really good way for beginners to ease into the language and learn the basics. they also provide mini games where you can test your knowledge

that's it for now, I hope you enjoyed this little 'tour' of my korean apps. if you have any questions, feel free to leave a message in my ask :)

have a lovely day everyone 🌸🌺

academia is 50% crying, 20% research, and 30% coming up with funny titles for every paper that you write

Boost your Spanish with more complex synonyms for words you already know

Here you have some words/expressions (in bold) that you can use to show off while speaking Spanish. A native will know them, but if you use these you will impress them. Also, in your writings these words will look quite good. NOTE: Some of them are quite formal and not used in conversations.

similar - semejante, afín, cercano, aproximado, símil, parecido (adj.) (similar)

parecerse - asemejarse, semejar, darse un aire, recordar a (to resemble)

divertido - ameno, entretenido (adj.) (fun)

difícil - peliagudo, arduo, espinoso (adj.) (difficult)

fácil - sencillo, factible (adj.) (easy)

empezar - emprender (to begin)

terminar - concluir, ultimar, finiquitar (to finish)

la misión -  la empresa, el cometido, la tarea, la labor, el quehacer  (mission, duty)

caro - costoso, prohibitivo (adj.) (expensive)

barato - asequible, económico (adj.) (cheap)

distraer, desentender, simular - hacerse el sueco (expression, lit.

to do the Swedish. To avoid doing something that you must do)

enfermo - aquejado, indispuesto, alicaído (adj.) (sick, ill)

la historia - el cuento, la leyenda, la fábula (story, tale)

el cotilleo - chisme, chismorreo, enredo (gossip)

aprender - cultivarse, formarse, educarse, empollar (to learn)

gustar - cautivar, embelesar (to like)

saber - estar al corriente, estar al tanto (to know about something)

siempre - perpetuamente, constantemente, continuamente (always)

malo - diabólico, maléfico, maldito, ruin, infame, sinvergüenza, insolente, maligno, malicioso, depravado, inmoral, pérfido (adj.) (bad, as in “a bad person”)

malo - nocivo, dañino, perjudicial, nefasto (adj.) (bad)

comprar - adquirir, obtener (to buy)

la tienda -el comercio, el establecimiento, el negocio, la botica (shop)

continuar -prorrogar, prolongar, preservar, aguantar, proseguir (to continue)

buscar - indagar, rebuscar, escudriñar, revolver (to search)

contestar - objetar, contradecir, rebatir, refutar, rechazar, disputar, discutir, argüir (to reply, as in refute)

abandonar - marcharse, desaparecer, largarse, ausentarse (to abandon, as in “to leave a place”)

feliz - radiante, contento, risueño, campante (adj.) (happy)

triste - afligido, apenado, desconsolado, abatido, entristecido, apesumbrado, desolado, deshecho, desamparado, mustio, taciturno, tristón (adj.) - sad

antipático - desagradable, enojoso, aguafiestas, pesado (adj.) (obnoxious)

la ciudad - la urbe, la localidad, el municipio, la población

 (city)

el país - la nación, la patria, el pueblo, el estado (country)

la familia - la estirpe, el linaje (family)

los padres - los progenitores, los ascendientes, los antecesores (parents)

la casa - el domicilio, la vivienda, la residencia, la morada, el inmueble, la edificación (house)

HUGE news for researchers, writers and journalists! JSTOR drops paywall

JSTOR Makes Database Accessible to the Public

“The online academic resource has made over 6,000 ebooks and over 150 journals accessible without the need for an online login.”

“Online academic resource JSTOR has announced it is making its database accessible to the public, amid the widespread closure of universities across the world due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The database, frequently used by university students for research and essay work, announced on Twitter today that it has made over 6,000 ebooks and over 150 journals accessible without the need for an online login.

Previously, students needed a university login to access these resources.

This is the first time that the database has been openly accessible to non-subscribers.

The database is also working to expand on the amount of free content available online to students accessing the database through their subscribed universities.

In a statement on its website, JSTOR said that it has “an expanded set of content that is available to institutions where students have been displaced due to COVID-19 through June 30, 2020”.

“We are working with publishers to make more than 20,000 books available at no charge for JSTOR participating academic institutions and secondary schools that do not participate in our books program”, the statement said. “The number of books available through this effort is growing daily as more publishers opt in.”

Universities that previously only had access to some areas of JSTOR will also have unlimited access to the complete archives, at no extra cost.”

PLEASE SHARE - THIS IS A PRICELESS OPPORTUNITY FOR JOURNALISTS, RESEARCHERS, AND WRITERS!!!