Do Accents Matter? While listening to a radio interview of Vancouver mayoral candidate Meena Wong the other day, an acquaintance commented that her accent was going to be a problem for her during the campaign. Meena was born in China but came to Canada as a young girl and speaks perfe
Problems and opportunities in language learning Language is inherently a creative practice. We actually don’t realize it, but in our daily communication, an act of impossible creation is occurring. Of course this is a matter of perspective, but if you think about it, talking, wr
Why I am a teacher. Kath here! I’m so happy to be a part of the Esperanza Education team. As you already know, I am a teacher. I’ve often said that I don’t like that moment at a party or informal meeting, when the the talk goes to what people “do”. I feel
New Tools for Old Languages Last week, a friend sent me information about an upcoming gathering in Mexico for activists working with digital media to promote indigenous languages and culture online (información en español aquí). The invitation explains that over 300 indigenous languag
What’s does that squiggly line do? At the beginning of the year Nicole wrote about making mistakes in Spanish and how forgetting a little squiggly mark can drastically change the meaning of a word. The little squiggly line, called a tilde, is used in Spanish to make the letter ñ
Some thoughts on dabbling in a non-official language in Turkey The short answer No, I don’t need to learn Kurdish, but it will make my life more fun! Some background: Using Kurdish in southeast Turkey The Kurdish language (the Kurmanji dialect, if we are being more accurate) has
Things to do when you’re in love with language I like Valentine’s Day. I know it has a dubious history and is probably the most commercialized holiday after Christmas. But setting heart-shaped chocolates and saccharine advertising aside, I think it’s quite lovely to
I can speak Turkish. Why can’t I understand anything? These past few weeks I feel I can’t understand anything in Turkish. Meals are ordered, pleasantries are exchanged, buses are located, but as soon as someone speaks beyond a close range of familiarity, I become lost in a
A Journey in Multilingual Blogging On July 1st, 2013 we launched the Esperanza blog: Language, Learning, and Culture. Five women with a love for progressive language education, but different backgrounds and interests, came together to share their ideas. Today we have a growing archive
A language I thought I’d forgotten Last week I wrote about my insecurities about my Chinese proficiency and my fear that my skills won’t hold up when I go back to China in the spring. People I’ve spoken to since, who have been in similar positions in the past, assure me that it
