Wabi-Sabi: Translating the Beauty in Imperfection
Wabi-sabi. It’s a concept, an aesthetic, and a worldview. It’s also a phrase that doesn’t translate directly from Japanese into English, and the ideas behind it may not immediately translate in the minds of those who haven’t encountered it before. Put simply, it’s an intuitive way of living that emphasizes finding beauty in imperfection, and […]
Interjection Junction
Hurray! Yipee! Wowee! Let’s hear it for my favorite part of speech: the interjection! Interjections help to express emotion on the part of the speaker in written language. They are usually separated off from the rest of a sentence by commas or exclamations points. In any language, interjections make the written word more expressive. Here […]
Soldier Slang: Top 10 New Fightin’ Words from the Front Lines
You remember FUBAR, right? Who better to create new words than soldiers with their constant supply of military jargon, initialisms, and acronyms. Through films, memoirs, and stories, soldier slang often makes it into the mainstream. Without further ado, here are the top ten new slang terms coined by U.S. soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan: Single-digit […]
Etymology of Heavy Metal
Heavy Metal started out as a simple chemistry term referring to the weight of certain metals. Somewhere along the way, Heavy Metal became far more sinister. And dark. And awesome! Here are a few tasty tidbits on the etymology of Heavy Metal: Disclaimer: This is by no means a comprehensive guide to the history of […]
Lions and Tigers and Grolars?
Oh my, indeed. Canadians have suspected for quite some time that the Grizzlies and the Polar Bears have been doin’ the dirty out on the tundra, but until now their claims have fallen on deaf and frostbitten ears. Although this grizzly and polar bear hybrid has been in existence for some time in captivity, it […]
Mythical Baidu Deity | The Grass Mud Horse
In the desert of Mahler Gobi there lives a herd of Grass Mud Horse. Their diet consists of grass, and they’re able to adapt to harsh conditions as there is little water available in Mahler Gobi. The peaceful life of the grass mud horse is threatened by the encroaching migration of river crabs. A battle […]
The UNESCO Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger
Donna Parrish over at Blogos, just informed us that United Nations Educational, Social and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has released the most recent “Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger”. Now in its third edition, the Atlas’ release was especially poignant considering that UNESCO had proclaimed 2008 to be the International Year of Languages and its […]
Cryptozoology – Weird Word of the Week
Bigfoot. The Abominable Snowman. Aliens. The Mothman. Nessie. The Jersey Devil. Chupacabra. In addition to collectively scaring the crap out of little kids and captivating audiences with campfire tales, these ghoulish entities all fall under the umbrella of a pseudo-science known as cryptozoology. Cryptozoology can be loosely defined as the study of unknown creatures and […]
Simultaneous Interpretation at Nuremburg
I recently read a book titled The Origins of Simultaneous Interpretation: The Nuremburg Trial that I thought I would recommend given that the pool of information regarding the history of interpreting can be somewhat limited, or difficult to find. Written by Fracesca Gaiba, Origins describes how the Nuremburg Trial, conducted from November 1945 to August […]
The Linguists to be Broadcast on PBS
Our friends over at Blogos just published a blog post on the film “The Linguists“. The documentary, made possible by major funding by The National Science Foundation (NSF), chronicles two ethnographers’ endeavor to record endangered languages around the world. It has steadily garnished recognition since premiering early in 2008 at the Sundance Film Festival in […]