· July, 2011

Stories about Language from July, 2011

Estonia: Tower of Babel

Giustino of Itching for Eestimaa discusses how Estonia – contrary to preconceptions – is very much of a multilingual country, not least because of tourism but also in daily practicalities.

Jamaica: Public Outbursts from Diasporan Women

  27 July 2011

“How can we not say to ourselves – was any enterprise ever so doomed to failure? Was anything ever so sad?”: An eye-opening post from Under the Saltine Flag about the underlying issues that could possibly have sparked public tirades by two Jamaican women.

Trinidad & Tobago: A Poem for Amy

  26 July 2011

“I’ve never met Amy Winehouse. I’m not a musician. I’m not British or anything even remotely connected to her. I only discovered her music about three years ago and, honestly, there were people who were more ardent fans”: Still, Lisa Allen-Agostini was inspired to write a poem for the late...

Jamaica: Rivers & Mountains

  18 July 2011

“One of my favourite Caribbean proverbs comes from Haiti…‘Deye mon genmon’. Translated: behind the mountains there are mountains. It is such a fantastic description of the landscapes of both Jamaica and Haiti…Our hills roll on forever. Our mountains never end”: Under the Saltire Flag reflects on music, landscapes and the...

China: Political Terms

  12 July 2011

Qian Gang analyses Chinese President Hu Jintao’s report delivered on July 1, 2011, to the conference commemorating the 90th anniversary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) by looking into the frequency of CCP leaders’ trademark political terms in his speech.

Trydar y Cymry! The Welsh Language Thrives Online

  6 July 2011

"Trydar y Cymry" means "the twittering of the Welsh" or "the Welsh twitterers" (the verb "trydar" now being used in connection with Twitter) and is an example of the Welsh language adapting and developing as it is used online. Global Voices has spoken to blogger and researcher Rhodri ap Dyfrig about Welsh-language blogging and tweeting and the challenges Welsh speakers face online.