Why Bilinguals Are Smarter (Yudhijit Bhattacharjee, The New York Times)

Harriet Russell

 SPEAKING two languages rather than just one has obvious practical benefits in an increasingly globalized world. But in recent years, scientists have begun to show that the advantages of bilingualism are even more fundamental than being able to converse with a wider range of people. Being bilingual, it turns out, makes you smarter. It can have a profound effect on your brain, improving cognitive skills not related to language and even shielding against dementia in old age.

Gaming my way through Spanish with Duolingo (Alan Haburchak, The Guardian)

In his first week of the online language learning challenge, Alan Haburchak is hooked on his app. But is he actually learning?

Levels and lifelines make Duolingo feel more like a game you’d find on a Nintendo console. Photograph: Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images.

I’m one week into learning a language using only a smartphone app, and I have to admit that there have been some setbacks.

But, before I launch into my struggles, I’d feel remiss not to spend a little time talking about the app itself – how it works, the user interface, the experience etc. I know some people reading this will want to jump in on their own language journey and will definitely want to know if they should give Duolingo a try.

Can I successfully learn a language online? (Anna Codrea-Rado, The Guardian)

Technology has changed the way people learn and access education, particularly languages. But can you successfully master a language only using online tools?

Is it possible to learn a language only using technology? Photograph: Asia Photopress/Alamy.

 “There are more people actively learning a language through DuoLingo than in the entire US public school system,” says Luis von Ahn, founder of the free language learning app. Since its launch in 2012, more than 30 million people have downloaded the 2013 Apple app of the year, which gamified education and attracted new demographics of language learners.