There is a federal election coming up in Canada on Sept 20, 2021. Here are some common but quirky Canadian election terms you might be hearing and wondering about.
Many of us speak English, but what do we use it to speak about? How often do we use this language to name and understand the beings beyond human civilization? When we cannot name Micah White, a community organizer and author of The End of Protest, worries that, “when we cannot name th
My Secret Cure for Insomnia I often have a hard time falling asleep, but a few years ago I came up with a simple language game that often does the trick. When other techniques such as trying to relax each part of the body or deep breathing aren’t working, or when my brain is buz
The Importance of Language Play We’ve written many times about the importance of having fun with language, and my recent linguistic adventures have got me thinking about an important aspect of language play: making up words. I often tell my students that when they don’t kn
Language within a language When I lived in Turkey, I began to learn some political language in Turkish, by capturing vocabulary from conversations, photographing and analyzing election billboards, and talking about political resistance with friends. Now I often wonder what it’s like f
Is a seahorse a ‘sea’ ‘horse’ in any language? In English, we know that the marine fish with the long snout and the curled tail is called a ‘seahorse’. It makes sense; the shape of the head resembles the those of our familiar land horses. Evidently
Diferenças no nível de comunicação O primeiro desafio de quem está estudando uma nova língua, é ter a capacidade de se comunicar de forma eficiente. Conseguir entender e ser entendido. É uma alegria quando, enfim, podemos aposentar as mímicas e o uso de cem frases diferentes para expl
Vocabulary of the Social Change Community Over a year a ago, I took a position as Provincial Organizer with Dogwood, an organization that brings together local people to defend air, land, and water in B.C. I notice that since then, I have adopted a new set of words and ways of using c
Observations of a Linguaphile OK, I guess I can’t speak for all language nerds so this is actually a list of thoughts I have on a fairly regular basis. Do you have them too? (How many language lovers have to agree before the post title is accurate?) 1. I wonder how many language
How to Memorize New Words without Lists or Flash Cards Most people who have learned, or tried to learn, multiple languages know the phenomenon where you try to speak one language and another comes out. This especially seems to happen with third or fourth languages – somehow your
