Notes:
a calendar with era names: 和暦
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This Thursday was a special day. Why? Because the date was 12/12/12. This was the last time that the year, month and day are the same for a long time. It won’t happen again for another 89 years. We have to wait until January 1, 3001. Then the date will be written 1/1/1. Japan also uses a calendar with era names. The era changes when the emperor changes. If we use that calendar, the next special day will be much sooner than 3001. (by Prof. Douglas Jarrell)
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Notes:
linguist 言語学者；
fluently 流暢に；
priest 聖職者；
describe～(as…) ～を…だと言う，評する；
dedication 専心;
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A new book has been published called “The Search for the World’s Most Extraordinary Language Learners” (2011) by Michael Erard, an author,　journalist, and linguist. The book asks the question, what are the upper limits of the human ability to learn, remember, and use languages? To answer this he looks at some polyglots (someone who uses many languages) and hyperpolyglots (someone who can speak six or more languages fluently.) In one example he looks at Giuseppe Mezzofanti, a 19th-century priest　who was said to be fluent in as many as 50 languages. The author describes these types of learners as language super learners and shows how much can be achieved with hard work and dedication. (by Prof. Simon Smith)
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