In today’s society, we have, over time, become a melting pot of various cultures and ethnicities. All thanks to the internet and social media, we have emerged into each other’s lifestyles more than ever before. As we become a more interconnected world, it is important for us to understand and respect one another’s perspectives and ways of life. A great way to do this is by learning a second language.
The app Duolingo offers courses in over 40 different languages!
Background:
Duolingo was launched to the public in June 2012. It originally started off as a project between a professor and his grad student at the University of Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh. Professor Luis Von Ahn wanted to develop a tool to provide free language education since he experienced firsthand how expensive it was for people in his home country of Guatemala to learn English. The app is available in over 100+ countries and is completely free of charge to its users. One of the best things about Duolingo is that, unlike in a class, you are able to learn however many languages all at your own pace. Lessons are short and only take about 5-10 minutes to complete. They typically consist of reading comprehension, speaking, listening, and vocab recall.
Limitations:
Although Duolingo is available in multiple countries, it is still in development and has its own set of drawbacks. For English speakers, the app offers over 35+ different languages. However, for those whose first language is not English, the options are more much limited. Hopefully, over time, more content will be developed for the non-English speaking users.
Another issue is that it is difficult for users to become fluent in any language when only committing about 10 minutes a day (if they keep up) to it. While Duolingo does provide users with speaking and listening exercises in their lessons, it is difficult for anyone to authentically speak a language without being immersed into it and the culture.
Conclusion:
I am a current user of Duolingo myself and I love it! Right now I am using it to keep up with my Spanish skills. I did have some prior knowledge about the language so after downloading, the app had me take a short assessment to better understand my speaking level. From there it placed me in the correct unit so I did not have to start from the beginning. Each day I commit a short amount of time to lessons and I have noticed some improvement in my vocab and pronunciation of certain words. It’s almost impossible to forget about your daily lesson, thanks to the app’s consistent notifications reminding you. Although I may not become fluent, the app provides me with a basic knowledge that I am able to build off of if id like to in the future. I highly recommend it to anyone who is looking for a fun and easy way to expand their speaking abilities and open themselves up to another culture.
References:
Blanco, Cindy. “The 2021 Duolingo Language Report.” Duolingo Blog, Duolingo Blog, 13 Dec. 2021, https://blog.duolingo.com/2021-duolingo-language-report/.
“Duolingo.” Forum, https://forum.duolingo.com/comment/33809133/The-History-of-Duolingo.
inGuides, Posted, et al. “The Complete List of Every Duolingo Language.” Duo Planet, 7 Dec. 2021, https://duoplanet.com/duolingo-languages-list/#:~:text=How%20many%20languages%20does%20Duolingo,of%20which%20for%20English%20speakers.
“Learn a Language for Free.” Duolingo, https://www.duolingo.com/info.
Ravenscraft, Eric. “500 Days of Duolingo: What You Can (and Can’t) Learn from a Language App.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 4 May 2019, https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/04/smarter-living/500-days-of-duolingo-what-you-can-and-cant-learn-from-a-language-app.html.