LANGUAGES
Russian-speaking New Yorker would rather her daughter learn Chinese
Alina Simone was born in the Soviet Union to Russian-speaking parents. She has given up on passing the language on to her daughter.
The roots of Catalonia’s differences with the rest of Spain
Language versus dialect, or why we're obsessed with Elena Ferrante
Why the English word 'black' became the new 'noir' in France
%20Looks%20to%20parents%20in%20audience%20from%20stage.%20.JPG&w=1920&q=75)
Once, students were punished for speaking Spanish. Here, they are honored.
This isn’t the spelling bee that you watch on ESPN. This is Concurso nacional de Deletreo en Español, the National Spanish Spelling Bee.
In parts of Europe, speaking six languages is no big thing
Dutch-born writer Gaston Dorren grew up speaking two languages, fell in love in a third, and added a fourth, fifth and sixth along the way. His book about Europe's many languages is called "Lingo."
Three mother tongues in one
Many Lebanese speak a full-on mix of Arabic, French and English. Calling this linguistic melange a "mother tongue" started out as a joke, but now it's become a part of Lebanon's national identity — even if it means that sometimes people don't understand what they are saying.
Talking Texas in Iran
What is it about Texas that sparks the global imagination? Persian and Turkish both have an expression that means, "This is not Texas." The Norwegian adjective, 'Texas' means out of control.
If you want to convey a sense of lawlessness in Persian, Turkish or Norwegian, just say 'Texas'
"Inja Texas nist" means, "It's not Texas here" in Persian. You say it to someone who is flouting the rules or behaving obnoxiously.
Nothing challenged my readiness to live in the US more than a chicken sandwich
When he first arrived in America, Afghan student Ali Shahidy knew his English was ready to tackle the tough language of academia. But he never expected to be tripped up by lunch at a fast food restaurant.
From its beginnings to today, the English language has always been a hodgepodge
Despite what grammar sticklers think, there was never a golden age of pure English: the language has always been an unruly mishmash of other languages. Just consult the Venerable Bede, a 7th century monk who documented the beginnings of English.
A history of Hebrew, told one word at a time
Before it became the predominant language of Israel, Hebrew hadn't been spoken for 1,700 years. That's presenting a challenge for the editors of the "Historical Dictionary of the Hebrew Language."