· November, 2008

Stories about Language from November, 2008

Jamaica: Austism Speaks

  25 November 2008

“In Jamaica, the word ‘Autism’ is just now becoming a familar word. Years ago, having a child that was ‘different’ can warrant just titles as, ‘baffon’ or ‘Lagga Head'”: A Fe Me Page Dis Iyah is pleased that autistic children are finally beginning to get the help they need.

Guyana: Snake Tales

  20 November 2008

A discarded snake skin reminds Guyana-Gyal of two stories that she learned through oral tradition, causing her to lament: “Instead of adding we stories to the grand history of man, to help illustrate the story of man, we the people is shedding we tales, leaving them to decay while we...

Syria: Art of Dialogue

  17 November 2008

“An argument in olden Arab times was like a dance. People wooed each other, rejected or accepted, negotiated, insulted and convinced each other using subtle messages & connotations, all applied courteously,” notes 50% Syrian.

Japan: 2008 Neologisms and Trendy Words

  17 November 2008

Presenting this year's 60 neologisms and trendy words [jp], among which only one will be elected representative for 2008, Kôgetsu describes briefly[jp] the events that influenced the choice and Japanese public opinion on the topic this year. His “best three” words are: subprime, tainted rise (事故米) and “Ponyo Ponyo, sakana...

Japan: Japanese Language in the Age of English

  17 November 2008

The Fall of the Japanese Language in the Age of English, the latest book by Japanese novelist and essayist Minae Mizumura, roused debate among many Japanese bloggers recently over the fate of their national language. Some wondered whether their country would one day adopt English as the mother tongue, and what that would mean for their national identity.

Lingua: The Making of a Global Online Translation Project

  15 November 2008

Ever wonder how to get dozens of people to work together over the internet to collaborate on translations to multiple languages? In nearly two years Global Voices Lingua translation community has grown to include 18 different languages and more than 75 volunteers. Honestly, we're astounded by the growth ourselves.

Syria: Bloggers Unite to Read

  12 November 2008

For the first time in the Syrian blogosphere, local Syrian bloggers have came up with a refreshing idea; forming an online book club in which they decide on reading a certain book, and after 10 days, each reader would offer her/his reading of the book on their personal blogs. The...

Malagasy Online Spell Checker is Now Available

  6 November 2008

Dotmg announces that the free Malagasy spell checker he has been developing is now operational. The software, which is, as far as I know the first of its kind, is:”opensource, and is released under the terms of the GNU Affero General Public License, version 3 (or above). It is part...

Brazilian myths and haunts in the Lusosphere – Part 3

  1 November 2008

To bring this series about Brazilian myths, legends and haunts as seen on the Lusosphere to a great close, we couldn't choose a better entity to speak about than Saci Pererê. After being introduced to mythic beings like Cuca, Boitatá and Curupira in the first article, and reading the intriguing narratives about Cabeça de Cuia and Caboclo D'Água, among others, in the second article of the series, now it's time to delve into the mysteries of the most famous being from Brazilian mythology.

Singapore: Advice for expatriates

  1 November 2008

Lam Chun See from Singapore has a message for expatriates: “If you want to come to work and live in Singapore, you should adapt to our ways and not expect us to adapt to yours.”