Stories about Language from March, 2011
Macedonia: A Proofreaders’ Five Commandments
Biserka Velkovska of the Lektor blog writes [MKD] about five most common mistakes when writing in the standard Macedonian language, and how to correct them.
Guyana: Choosing Happiness
“Every day, I does try to fill the bucket and pour it over me”: Guyana-Gyal says that happiness is a choice.
Cambodia: Use of Khmer language in the web
The Mirror is a bit worried that many Cambodian internet surfers are using Romanized Khmer instead of Khmer Unicode.
Trinidad & Tobago: “Bocas” Launches
“Literature doesn’t just mean fiction and poems — it’s also about ideas, questions, and debates, and using the tools of reading and writing to understand the world”: The Bocas Lit...
Malaysia: ‘Offensive’ Novel Creates Controversy
A recent controversy that has arisen in Malaysia is the issue of a novel used as a textbook for literature in secondary schools. Critics claim the book, which discussed the caste system, has racist content. The Indian community in Malaysia is demanding the removal of the book in the school syllabus
Mali : Internet and African languages
For the International Mother Language Day [Fr], Boukary Konaté [Fr], a French language Global Voices contributor, held a conference on “Internet and African languages”. The presentation [Fr] is on the...
Taiwan: Problems with Chinese-language pedagogy
Lao Ren Cha discusses problems with the pedagogy of teaching Mandarin in Taiwan. She wants to see a mutiny that will result in an overhaul in how Mandarin is taught.
Côte d’Ivoire: The making of a new language
Dr. Peter Vakunta speaks to Mema Bamba about the making of a new Ivorian language, Nouchi: “Nouchi is a vernacular language, nonstandard French of sorts, spoken predominantly by the urban...
Mozambique: A Brief Analysis on Language Issues
Sandra Flosi, on the blog Mosanblog, writes [pt] about the mix of spellings and the lack of explicit rules in the use of Portuguese language in Mozambique. Flosi comments on...
Japan: Social Translation in Times of Crisis
When disaster struck on March 11, 2011, Japan was thrust into the center of attention. As inquiries, goodwill, advice, and donations pour in from around the world, citizens have stood up to participate in social translation.
Africa: African language Wikipedia update
African language Wikipedia update from South African blogger Greeman: “The process for forming a local chapter of the Wikimedia Foundation was jumpstarted at a workshop at Wits University in August...
India: The Dictionary – An Obituary
“Every Bengali home had an English dictionary,” comments Anirban, but now many people use embedded dictionaries in their devices or online dictionaries instead. Is it time to say goodbye to...
Taiwan: Social Media Makes Indigenous Voices Loud and Clear
Stories about the Taiwanese indigenous population's struggle for identity, sustainability and dignity are missing from the country's public sphere, as a result of relative social and political domination by the majority Han Chinese population. Now, thanks to social media, indigenous youth are making their voices heard and reconnecting with their traditions.
Russia: Maslenitsa Vocabulary
Some Russian vocabulary and other relevant info for the welcoming-of-spring holiday of Maslenitsa – at Russian Blog.
Nigeria: Jesus Film in Hausa
The “Jesus film”, a 2 hour docudrama on the life of Jesus Christ based on the Gospel of Luke is now available in Hausa.
China: In Memory of Post-80s Trash Poet, Xiao Zhao
On February 14, 2011, 25-year-old poet Xiao Zhao ended his life by jumping off a bridge near his home in Hunan province. While the urban post-80s generation blogging star Han Han has caught the world's attention and become one of "The World's 50 Most Influential Figures in 2010", Xiao Zhao's short life tells a completely different story of the same generation in China.
Macedonia: What About the Census?
A number of Balkan countries were scheduled to run a census this spring: Macedonia, Bulgaria, Kosovo, Albania, and Bosnia & Herzegovina. Filip Stojanovski reviews what Macedonian bloggers are writing about the political aspects of the procedure.
