- Library
- Guides
- Library Guides
- Languages and Literatures
- Websites on Languages/Cultures
Languages and Literatures: Websites on Languages/Cultures
General Websites for Languages
Below are some selected Websites on the different languages and national literatures/cultures. It is not a comprehensive list to resources on the World Wide Web, but can serve as a starting point for exploring the various language-learning tools, e-text and other digital collections available to students in language and literature courses.
Below are some general Websites on multiple languages/cultures.
- BBC LanguagesLanguage-learning links and content for over 30 languages from the British Broadcasting Corporation.
- Country Information (OSU Library)Detailed list of links to information resources on countries around the world from US government and international organization Websites maintained by the OSU Library Government Documents Department.
- Europeana.euMulti-lingual online collection of millions of digitized items from European museums, libraries, archives and multi-media collections.
- Online Bilingual and Multilingual DictionariesA directory of many free bilingual and multilingual dictionary resources on the Web.
- Peace Corps Language Courses Archive (Live Lingua)is a free online archive of introductory languages courses first developed by the Peace Corps. It includes PDF language books and audio lessons.
Spanish/Latin American Websites
- Spanish Grammar in Contextdetailed grammar explanations of the Spanish language. Unlike traditional reference grammars, each topic is explained using authentic video examples from the Spanish in Texas project along with practice quizzes.
- Wikiversity - Spanish IAn open source online course in Spanish for English-speakers.
- BBC Langauges: SpanishA comprehensive and lively collection of free audio and video courses for both beginners and intermediate learners.
- Biblioteca Digital Hispánica (BDH)A project of the Biblioteca Nacional de España which makes thousands of Spanish books, manuscripts, and other archival materials available online in high quality digital images.
- Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes (cervantesvirtual.com)The largest digital collection of Spanish-language literature on the Web.
- Coffeebreak SpanishExcellent Spanish Podcast aimed primarily at beginning and early intermediate learners.
- LANIC: Latin American Network Information CenterA comprehensive site devoted to the study of information on and from Latin America provided by the Lozano Long Institute of Latin American Studies (LLILAS) at the University of Texas at Austin.
- LatindexLatindex es un sistema de Información sobre las revistas de investigación científica, técnico-profesionales y de divulgación científica y cultural que se editan en los países de América Latina, el Caribe, España y Portugal.
- Quijote InteractivoInteractive digital edition of Miguel de Cervantes' classic novel Don Quijote de la Mancha (1605-1615). Sponsored by the Biblioteca National de España.
- Spanish Langauge and CultureMaintained by a Spanish professor at Colby College, this website contains grammar exercises and some excellent activities which use songs, videos and even poems to help improve your Spanish.
- Study Spanish.comFeatures a wealth of tutorials for grammar, pronunciation, vocabulary and verbs available for free. Mostly for beginners and intermediate learners, with advanced lessons available if you sign up for their premium account.
- OpenStax CNXOpen textbooks in Spanish language, literature, and culture from OpenStax
French Websites
- Francais Interactifwas developed at the University of Texas at Austin in the Department of French and Italian to improve both the textbook and online materials and share pedagogical best practices..
- Afrique FrancophonePage of links that is focused on, but not limited to, Francophone Africa.
- ARTFL: American and French Research on the Treasury of the French LanguageOver 2,000 full-text titles of French literature, philosophy, art, and sciences from the University of Chicago.
- Athena E-Texts in FrenchLinks to full-text electronic texts in French.
- CIEF (Council for International Francophone Studies)A nonprofit with aims to encourage interdisciplinary studies within French speaking communities and all those interested in the Francophone world. This page contains a list of recommended links.
- French Culture (ex French Connection)Est un recueil de ressources culturelles françaises et francophones, sélectionnées pour leur qualité, pour vous divertir et vous informer.
- GallicaThe digital collection of the Bibliotheque nationale de France with over 70,000 digitized books and other works, more than 80,000 images, and many audio resources. It has a chronology of French history from the Middle Ages to the 19th century, and a vast number of literary works, travel guides, sources on French colonization, etc.
- Learn FrenchLinks to resources on French vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, and other sites on French language and culture.
German Websites
- Duden Online German DictionaryFree online German dictionary from Duden containing ca. 135,000 German words, including spelling, definitions, synonyms, pronunciation and etymology, as well as usage tips.
- German Studies (WESS Web)Links to online resources for the study of German language, literature, and culture from the Western European Studies Section of the Association of College and Research Libraries. It has links to German newspapers, reference sources, digital texts, and sites on politics, the arts, etc.
- Germany.infoOperated by the German Foreign Ministry and the Federal Press and Information Office, the GIC is a resource center for everyone with an interest in Germany.
- Goethe InstitutThe Goethe-Institut is the Federal Republic of Germany’s cultural institution operational worldwide. It promotes international cultural exchange and fosters knowledge about Germany by providing information on its culture, society and politics.
- History of German: Primary DocumentsPart of the EuroDocs site with historical documents (related to German) that are transcribed, reproduced in facsimile, or translated.
- Learn GermanLinks to resources on German vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, and other language-learning tools.
Classical Greek/Latin Websites
- Advanced LatinA step-by-step online tutorial with 12 lessons to teach medieval Latin to an advanced level.
- Electronic Resources for ClassicistsLinks to various online resources for the study of Classics made from the University of New Hampshire.
- Forum RomanumA comprehensive listing of Latin texts and translations of those texts.
- Perseus Digital LibrarySearchable Classical Greek and Latin texts, images, reference works, public domain resources, and other material
- TextkitLinks to Greek and Latin grammars, readers, and other language-learning resources.
Russian Websites
- FSI Langauge Courses: RussianDownloadable language courses on Russian from the Foreign Service Institute.
- Fundamental Digital Library: Russian Literature and FolkloreA scholarly full-text digital resource devoted to Russian literature, folklore, literary scholarship, folklore studies, and bibliography.
- MasterRussian.comComprehensive website offering free grammar lessons; includes words and phrases, tips, audio clips of Russian sounds, idioms, proverbs, games, quizzes, cultural information.
- REESWeb (Russian and Eastern European Studies)REESWeb is the Virtual Library covering Russia and Eastern Europe. In its 15 year history, REESWeb has sought to help users identify high quality web content that is located in or focuses on the region stretching from Bohemia to Central Asia.
- Russnet Language Learning ModulesRussian language learning modules on various topics in history, literature, culture, and science. Modules include: texts and video on the topics; reading comprehension, grammatical, and lexical exercises; and writing prompts.
Japanese, Chinese, Arabic, Other Language Websites
- Japanese Text InitiativeA collaborative site provide by the University of Virginia Library and the University of Pittsburgh East Asian Library to make classical Japanese texts available on the World Wide Web.
- Learn JapaneseThis guide was created as a resource for those who want to learn Japanese grammar in a rational, intuitive way that makes sense in Japanese. The explanations are focused on how to make sense of the grammar not from English but from a Japanese point of view.
- Online Japanese Dictionary: Denshi JishoDenshi Jisho is an easy-to-use and powerful online Japanese dictionary. It lets you find words, kanji and example sentences by searching in many ways.
- ChinaLinksOver 600 links to Web resources on Chinese language, linguistics, writing, and cultural information.
- Online Chinese Tools: MandarinTools.comOffers tools for learning and using Chinese, as well as reference and computer tools.
