WorldView Good Reads: Off the Press for May 2017
Published: May 30, 2017
Here are good reads from around the globe that have caught our attention this month.
You Can Still Remember a Foreign Language Even if You Think it’s Forever Forgotten
That's the conclusion of an international team of Dutch and Korean researchers. In a study for the journal Royal Society Open Science, they found that the earliest traces of a language can stay with us well into adulthood even if today we can no longer understand, let alone speak the language. Previously, researchers from McGill University in Canada found that those who know more than one language get distracted less easily, are better at multitasking, find creative solutions to problems more often, have increased memory capacity and lower risk of Alzheimer’s.
Why is China Trying to Learn Africa’s Languages?
The answer can be found in Chinese investments in African economies, and its “Belt and Road Initiative” to connect Asia with Europe and Africa along five trade routes. Along these routes live 63 percent of the global population, many of them do not speak Western languages.
What are the Benefits of Learning a Language?
The Modern Language Association tells us in this handy infographic.
The 7 Benefits of Summer Camp
The Canadian Summer Camp Research Project conducted a nationwide study on the effects of camp on kids. Here are the benefits they came up with:
- Building friendships and social skills
- Developing resiliency and confidence
- Becoming and staying physical
- Overcoming nature deficit disorder
- Learning the values of leadership
- Continuing education in the summer
- Carving time for “active play”
