Diskuto Launches World Cup of Languages 2014

Diskuto helps people practise their languages!

Diskuto, a group for language lovers which I run, is dedicated the next month to the World Cup.

See the World Cup of Languages, which kicks off in Toronto on June 12, the opening night of the FIFA action (game that night is Brazil vs Croatia).

This is a contest to see how many languages you can speak, learn or teach in one night. If you're interested, come practise the official languages of any 2014 World Cup team:

• Arabic • Bosnian • Dutch • English • Farsi • French • German • Greek • Italian • Japanese • Korean • Portuguese • Russian • Serbo-Croatian • Spanish • Any Other language you want!

 Rules

1.  Different points are given for practising, learning or teaching any language. Teachers get more points than learners, and new language learners get more points than people who just want to practise. 
2. Languages that are more difficult/'rare' get MORE points (so come practise Russian or Korean or Bosnian - even better, come to teach it). This will be explained more at the event. 
3. Bonus 'polyglot' points for engaging in multiple languages in a night.
4. Even more bonus points for languages relevant to one of that day's World Cup matches (e.g Brazil is playing Croatia on June 12; therefore you get extra points if you engage in Portuguese or Croatian on the night of the kickoff) 
5. Add up your points, winner gets a prize for top Diskuto World Cup score.

Sound like fun? Check it out at the Royal Conservatory atrium (273 Bloor St W), 6pm-9pm on Thurs June 12. Register online.

Getting Whipped with a Smile

South Korea 1-4 Argentina

I bike up to Clinton's at Bloor and Clinton but it's literally packed to capacity: I am refused entry 15 minutes into the first half by the bouncer/bartender who claims city inspectors will shut him down if he lets more people in. KILLJOY. LAME. So I watch from the outside looking in with a dozen others. At the back of the bar I see and wave hi to a writer I know, Joel, who lived several years on the island of Jeju-do teaching English. A couple years ago I actually helped hook Joel up with his hilarious all-things-Korean blog for The Walrus–a definite must-read.

Perhaps Joel would disagree when I say South Korea has the best-natured, most adorable fans. Is that a glib, patronizing assessment? Probably. When home-team goals are scored there is no obnoxious shouting nor aggressive chest-thumping among the Koreatown faithful– just joyous high-pitched cheers. Compared to the hated vuvuzela even Korean thundersticks are cute.

Too bad Argentina, machismo incarnate, took these well-behaved peninsularians and gave them a brutal 4-1 lesson in Footballish. But I still had a good time. If you're going to lose big, do it with a really nice crowd like this.