“… a language is not just a body of vocabulary or a set of grammatical rules. A language is a flash of the human spirit. It’s a vehicle through which the soul of each particular culture comes into the material world. Every language is an old-growth forest of the mind, a watershed, a thought, an ecosystem of spiritual possibilities.” -Wade Davis
News Articles of Interest
- Endangered Languages: articles about endangered languages
- Multiple Languages: articles about hyperpolyglots, the bilingual brain, and the untranslatable
- Tech/Education: articles about technology and education
- Linguistics: articles about linguistics
- TEDx: TEDx videos and articles
TEDx Playlist
Language Playlist
Blog Posts
Columbus Day & Word Loans
A few weeks ago, my best friend lent me a heating pad after I injured my back. It was a very thoughtful gesture and much…
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Pirahã
Let’s travel to South America, specifically to the indigenous tribe called the Hi’aiti’ihi, who speak the Pirahã language deep within the Amazonian jungle. This tribe has…
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Atlantean & Basque
My initial encounter with the Basque language (Euskara) was a bit of a shock, particularly since I was in Spain and, well, expected Spanish/ Castellano…
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A Serious Rabbit Hole: Language & The Brain
Introduction It all began with a couch. If it hadn’t been for that blue couch, I don’t know what would have happened. You see, when…
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The Moken
The Moken If people without numbers are not enough for you today, the Moken Tribe–living near Thailand and Burma–will fix that. They do not have a…
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Study: Japanese and Mandarin
To continue with the theme of grammatical and syntactical differences between languages, and whether or not that could possibly determine if language shapes or influences…
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Aymara & Quechua
About Time Aymara and Quechua are spoken in the Andes mountains and highlands of South America. While many fewer people speak Aymara compared to Quechua…
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Colors In Other Languages
When it comes to colors, it is easy to assume that the associations we were once taught in art class–blue is paired with sadness, yellow…
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Linguistic Development
Before Birth “About 3 months before birth, while still in their mother’s womb, babies start to hear. Consequently, every day of the last few months before…
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Rate of Speech & Repetition
Rate of Speech “The trick to get children to listen to really hear and comprehend, whether they’re toddlers or high school students, isn’t speaking up, Hull…
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Syntax & The Un-Translatable
If you are reading this and a language enthusiast like yours truly, it is likely that you have established some sort of language-learning routine. Now,…
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Translation & Interpretation
Learning a language–and mastering it!–allows for countless job opportunities and possibilities when entering the workforce. An obvious career is language teacher, but there is so…
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Music- Other Languages
DISCLAIMER TO PARENTS: I do not speak all of these languages, and therefore have not vetted all of the lyrics–some may be explicit. I think…
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Despacito and Dr. Seuss
Nowadays, the song Despacito is probably as well known as Dr. Seuss. What you might not think about are the translation jobs that allow this information to…
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Translations Gone Wrong
Recently, students have been talking about translation (written) and interpretation (spoken) in Spanish class. This week, they focused more on translation, after taking a moment…
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Wukchumni
There is an endangered language in the US called Wukchumni, that only has one living speaker remaining. Intent on preserving her language for future generations and documenting it for…
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Endangered Languages
“An endangered language, or moribund language, is a language that is at risk of falling out of use as its speakers die out or shift to speaking…
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Multiple Languages
“The hyperpolyglot is someone who is both a gifted and massive language accumulator. They possess a particular neurology that’s well-suited for learning languages very quickly and being…
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TEDx
“In order to attain the impossible, one must attempt the absurd.” -Miguel de Cervantes Playlist TEDx- Direct Links TEDx- Articles
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Linguistics- News
Linguistics is the scientific study of language and its structure, including the study of morphology, syntax, phonetics, and semantics. Linguistics
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*”Bulletin Board Fun” slides are credited to James Chapman.
COMMAS: “Rabbit hunting.” vs. “Rabbit, hunting.” “‘Let’s eat Grandpa!’: Use commas. Don’t be a psycho.” This Is How Confusing Life Would Be Without Proper Punctuation– Fun Article!