Category Archives: Languages/Linguistic curiosities

A study on accent bias in Britain, titled “Speaking up”, has recently been published by the Sutton Trust, a UK charity whose work focuses on social mobility issues. The study, based on the experiences of sixth-formers, university students and professionals, reveals that 30% of university students, 29% of university applicants (mainly 17-18-year-olds), and 25% of …

“Recent study reveals the extent to which accent bias is pervasive in British educational and work settings”

With 300 million speakers in 106 countries across 5 continents, French is the world’s fifth-most spoken language. For centuries French was a prestigious and élite language in which many of the world’s influential political, commercial, intellectual and artistic discussions were conducted. Over the last three decades times French has lost ground to English, which has gradually established itself …

“President Macron’s new €185 M project aims to promote the French language as an international lingua franca”

It refreshing to be reminded, in a very enjoyable article by sociolinguist, academic and best-selling author Ingrid Piller, for Language on the Move, that the concept of “correct spelling” in English is much younger than the language. When the monks transcribed biblical texts in medieval times, they did not regard orthography as an issue or …

“The challenge of spelling in English and how a knowledge of language history can help make sense of it “

by Pisana Ferrari – cApStAn Ambassador to the Global Village Since 1982 the Bulwer Lytton Fiction Contest has challenged participants to write “an atrocious opening sentence to a hypothetical bad novel”. Every year there are thousands of entries (5,000 this year) and the 2022 list of winners is now out . The contest is named …

“A whimsical literary competition hosted by the San Jose State University, USA, honours the worst first lines in fiction”

Gender-neutral language is a highly controversial issue across the world and the debate is now also becoming part of a culture war in Latin America, says the author of a recent article in The NY Times. In 2021, Uruguay’s public education agency issued a memo limiting the use of inclusive language. Proposals to ban gender-neutral …

“Argentina’s ban on gender-neutral language in schools reignites a debate that is reverberating across the world“

Three books, from three different continents, have recently been translated into English. They all deal with the aftermath of French colonialism, in Tahiti (French Polynesia), Vietnam and Cameroon, through the lens of “anticolonial translation”. What exactly does this mean? In a recent article for NPR (US National Public Radio magazine) writer, critic, and translator Lily …

“Books in English Translation: Three tales touching on French colonialism”

The immensely popular Cambridge Latin Course, which has been used to teach generations of British schoolchildren and has sold over 4 million copies, is undergoing its biggest revision in 20 years to improve the representation of women, minorities and enslaved people. This is in response to a consensus that it needs updating for 21st-century students and …

“Cambridge Latin Course revised to improve representation of female figures and ethnic mix in Roman Empire”

by Pisana Ferrari – cApStAn Ambassador to the Global Village July 26, 2022, marked the 135th anniversary of the publication of the book “Unua Libro“, which introduced and described Esperanto, the language invented by Polish ophthalmologist Dr L. L. Zamenhof. In Esperanto, the word “Esperanto” means “one who hopes.” Having grown up in the multicultural …

“Esperanto Day, July 26, celebrates the birth of a language aimed at fostering harmony among peoples. How is it faring today?”

The use of “Hinglish”, a combination of Hindi and English, is becoming increasingly common in India in the everyday conversations and online communications of millennials, Gen Z and Gen Y. (1) English lexicographer, etymologist, and media personality Susie Dent says Hinglish is “the hippest slang on the streets and college campuses of India“. In recent …

“The rise of “Hinglish” from everyday use by Indian millennials, Gen Z & Y, to different sectors of the Indian economy”

Acclaimed UK poet and translator Nancy Naomi Carlson is the winner of the Oxford-Weidenfeld Translation Prize 2022 for the translation from French to English of Mauritian poet, essayist, and semiologist Khal Torabully‘s book titled “Cale d’étoiles: Coolitude?” (1) Torabully’s work narrates the odyssey of “indentured” labourers across the Atlantic and the Pacific oceans. The “indenture …

“Translating literary works related to indentured migration as an act of social justice”

“Hench, peng, shook … if you don’t know what any of these mean, you’re nothing more than a wasteman. MLE is sweeping the country!” These are the opening lines of recent article in The Guardian, which refer to “Multicultural London English”, a dialect which has its roots in the patois spoken by Caribbean migrants who …

““Multicultural London English” (MLE) due to become the UK’s dominant dialect, linguists say”

Indian author Geetanjali Shree and translator Daisy Rockwell were recently awarded the 2022 International Booker Prize for the novel Tomb of Sand. This prize is awarded annually to a translated work of fiction published in the U.K. or Ireland. The £50,000 prize money is divided equally between author and translator. Winning the 2022 prize  not …

“First ever International Booker Prize for Indian language novel gives boost to Indian literature as a whole”