I’m excited to start planning a trip to Tibilisi, Georgia this summer, and I’m wanting to learn a bit of the country’s language before I travel. To study more popular languages, such as Spanish or French, Daniel Boone Regional Library provides materials in various formats to learn, such as books, eBooks and audiobooks. For Georgian, a less common language, I’ve decided to take a look at one of DBRL’s online resources — Bluebird Languages — to get started.
Bluebird Languages offers lessons in over 160 languages (yes, 160!) with a large selection of native language settings so that people can learn in their native tongues.
Accessing Bluebird Languages
- From the DBRL main menu, click on “? Research and Learn”
- Under “Topics” click on “>>See all topics”
- Next, click on “Language”
- Click on “Bluebird Languages” and then “Log in to This Resource”
- You may choose “Instant Access” to explore. Alternatively, select “Register;” to track your progress, create Personalized Courses and use on mobile devices
Selecting the Language
Here’s what the landing page looks like when I’m selecting Georgian as the language I’d like to learn:
My native language is American English, but note the thumbnail in the upper right corner depicting the American flag that can be changed to other languages.
Selecting Options
The Georgian menu offers the following options:
- Core Vocabulary
- Essential Verbs
- Creating Sentences
- Powerful Phrases
- Rapid Test
Some other languages offer additional choices. For example, Spanish also includes the following options:
- Daily Lesson
- Personalized Courses
- Conversation
Once you’ve reached this menu, it’s time to play around! For Georgian there are almost 100 Core Vocabulary topics, ranging from animals to film genres.
I’ve decided to begin to look at Eating/Food, where Lesson 1 includes a half-hour interactive video, flashcards, pronunciation analysis and voice comparison quizzes. Each video contains pictures, offers pronunciations, and displays spelling. As a beginner, I know that scrolling through the vocabulary sections could keep me occupied for a long time.
The menu section for Essential Verbs is constructed similarly. And while I’m noticing that most of the lessons for Creating Sentences are advanced, the Powerful Phrases section includes useful expressions such as “please” and “thank you.”
Conclusion
Are you planning for or dreaming about a trip? Are you inspired to learn another language as an armchair traveler? Whether you’re hoping to pick up some basics or to dive deeper into a language, check out Bluebird Languages to pick up some useful vocabulary and phrases.
Image credit: Map of Georgia via Wikimedia Commons (license)
