Online English Linguist

When I was young and discovered that linguistics is the study of the basis of all language and communication, I decided I wanted to study it. I have also always had an interest in the human body and how our muscles work. So when I was at university, I studied linguistics and dance. When I was studying the sounds of language, also called phonetics and phonology, I was studying human anatomy and physiology, at the same time. I realized there is a lot of cross over between the two disciplines. I became fascinated by the idea that the tongue placement and lip shape that allows for verbal speech could also be seen as a physical exercise. In dance, or any other physical activity, we have to strengthen certain muscles to do certain movements. Speech is the same. When we speak, we have to strengthen certain muscles to make certain sounds. Think of it like going to the gym. You wouldn’t go to the gym and just start lifting the heaviest weights the very first time, right? Language is the same. Sounds, and how they are made, vary from language to language. You need the right muscles to be able to speak a language comfortably. English is no exception.