6 MIN READ There is one place on earth I regret not having visited. Yet, it feels familiar through films and fashion oeuvres, delightful taste of its wines, sweet fruits, and savory dishes bringing the remote feeling of sunshine closer all the way to the Baltic shores. This place is a Caucasian country Georgia -ContinueContinue reading “Happy Georgian Language Day!”
Author Archives: ventralstriatum
Language (con)fusion
11 MIN READ Three long, turbulent years later, I am back in my hometown Vilnius. Its cupcake cream color and its scent of humid air and vaporating asphalt are precisely the way I remember. What is different this time is the way the city sounds. For centuries Vilnius has been a place of multiple languagesContinueContinue reading “Language (con)fusion”
Ten Years of Awareness of Indigenous Languages
3 MIN READ 2022 is the official start of the International Decade of Indigenous Languages. The Initiative taken by the United Nations* aims to raise awareness of the importance of the languages and their vulnerable status. What is an indigenous language? According to the Cambridge International Dictionary indigenous means naturally existing in a place or country andContinueContinue reading “Ten Years of Awareness of Indigenous Languages”
Love Barcelona? Learn Catalan
5 MIN READ Having looked back at 2021, another rather odd and tumultuous COVID-19 impacted year, one event, in particular, warms my heart – a brief August get-away to sunny Barcelona- a wonderful way to end the summer and start a busy school year. Since coming home from the trip, the days have been filledContinueContinue reading “Love Barcelona? Learn Catalan”
Swahili. Nobel Prize language, almost.
3 MIN READ As it is known, this year’s Nobel Prize in Literature has been given to the novelist Abdulrazak Gurnah for his prolific storytelling work on exile and refugee life journeys meeting new cultures and challenges, the works very much inspired by his own and other refugee lives. Originally from Tanzania or a former ZanzibarContinueContinue reading “Swahili. Nobel Prize language, almost.”
Viva Italia!
5 MIN READ The recent wins of 2020 in 2021, both of Eurovision Song Contest and UEFA Euro, taken by Italy, were to reclaim the year lost in hardship and despair. The country does not lack big names, wins, and achievements – from Marco Polo to Galileo Galilei, from Leonardo da Vinci and Tintoretto toContinueContinue reading “Viva Italia!”
He, she, and ze!
14 MIN READ As we are in Pride Month, it is time we talk about diversity, equity, and inclusion in language. Efforts to embrace diversity through language seem to have never been greater. Awareness of language use and the creation of new words and concepts recognize, welcome, and honor the diversity allowing individuals to proudlyContinueContinue reading “He, she, and ze!”
Singing in a mother tongue
4 MIN READ It would be fair to say that English dominates the lyrics of contemporary popular music considered world-class. With some exceptions of French and German, English remains the primary language choice to reach a wide audience and increase popularity. Even K-pop artists cannot resist it. Nevertheless, I would argue that it is arduousContinueContinue reading “Singing in a mother tongue”
Can you say it?
11 MIN READ Watching the BBC’s I can’t say my name (stammering in the spotlight) made me seriously think about and dedicate this month’s post to speech production and pronunciation. From severe speech impediments that require treatment to innocent speech errors that occur every now and then are not unfamiliar to most of us. Every spoken language isContinueContinue reading “Can you say it?”
Language Family Matters
14 MIN READ In January, the new language law was adopted in Ukraine to allow the Ukrainian language only to be used in the service sector, public organizations, and government agencies. Supermarkets, cafes, banks, and online shops staff are obliged from then on to communicate and serve their clients in Ukrainian only, including the informationContinueContinue reading “Language Family Matters”
Ventral Striatum 