Entries with the tag: ‘Language’
As I mentioned in a previous postcard the Oxford English Dictionary declared selfie as the Word of the Year for 2013, citing its rapid increase in usage as the reason for their choice. Well, the selection of the guardians of the English language has a competitor … in the choice of the American Dialect Society: because. Now, […]
Today is International Translation Day. The day was established in 1991 by the International Federation of Translators, (an international grouping of more than 100 professional associations – representing over 80 000 translators in 55 countries.) For the record: The Federation was established in 1953 to promote professionalism, improve conditions for the profession in all countries […]
One of my favourite anecdotes tells of a couple of Japanese tourists that end up in a bar in New York. They have a few drinks and then some more … one thing leads to another and, sure enough, they begin to get louder, more emotional and more belligerent … an argument ensues and the […]
I have often noticed that when people speak in different languages, they seem to take on a whole new voice, if not a whole new character/personality. In a way, it shouldn’t be all that surprising … the phonetics of different languages vary considerably. The letters of the alphabet are represent different phonemes – sounds associated […]
When it mes to learning Kyrgyz, I have an interesting little problem. Because I don’t take proper lessons and only dip n and out of exercises every now and again, my knowledge of Kyrgyz vocabulary and grammar is very haphazard. As a result, I am not really surprised when I come across a word that […]
When I first moved to London, (yes, London – not Kyrgyzstan), I took a week of my holiday before starting work to explore the city. Although I had visited London before, it was only on specific trips to attend a conference or visit a theater, or something like that. So, I bought a travel […]
A few years ago I was talking to someone about literature, (books, poems and plays), and whereas I was being asked about Shakespeare and who was my favourite author … I also got asked if I had ever read anything by Alexander Sergeyevich. I was confused and had admit my ignorance – “Who?”, I asked. […]
There’s a lot of controversy here at the moment about proposed changes to the law about the State Language which would require that all government documents appear only in Kyrgyz and that all civil servants to pass a Kyrgyz-language exam and impose fines for those who slip into Russian in official meetings. I confess to […]
Today’s postcard is dedicated to the fact that it’s International Mother Language Day. Yes, it’s another one of those special, United Nations designated days. It’s been celebrated on 21st February every year since 2000 in order to promote linguistic and cultural diversity and multilingualism; multilingual education, and to develop fuller awareness of linguistic and cultural traditions […]
The other day someone posted a photograph on Facebook and I immediately moved my mouse pointer over the “Like” button. It’s not the first time I had seen this particular picture but it summed up my own feelings and experience so, so well. Doctors are supposed to have handwriting which is virtually indecipherable … well, […]
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