Stories about Language
15 January 2019
A year-long rotating Twitter campaign will share the voices of 50 indigenous language digital activists
Join Rising Voices as we celebrate linguistic diversity during the International Year of Indigenous Languages, with a Twitter campaign amplifying the experiences of indigenous language digital activists in Latin America
9 January 2019
Revitalizing the Inuktitut language on social media, one word at a time
"Learning, speaking-in and thinking-in Inuktitut helps young Inuit feel more connected to our community and traditional values."
4 January 2019
How preserving folktales and legends help raise environment awareness in the Mekong
"By means of stories, the communities search for ways to accommodate and/or resist changes that are taking place in the Mekong river basin."
14 December 2018
Removal of Filipino language and literature as required college subjects sparks opposition
"We believe that Filipino language and literature is vital in deepening the critical, creative, free, and liberating capacities of students and people."
10 December 2018
For the first time, a digital security app is available in Aymara thanks to Bolivian language activists
"For us, language is our identity. If we lose our language, we lose our traditions, our culture, our stories, our ancestral knowledge -- we lose everything."
17 November 2018
Cultural activist from Guyana's Wapishana tribe tries to revive a near-extinct language
"If we weaken indigenous culture, we weaken an integral part of Guyanese culture."
11 November 2018
A conversation with Gyani Maiya Sen, one of the last speakers of a dying Nepali language
"...her commanding tone was the evidence of the aura she might have carried around when she was young -- powerful like a ‘queen of the jungle'."
3 October 2018
This wiki is helping to keep the Balinese language alive in Indonesia
Basa Bali–which means "Balinese language" in Balinese–has an online dictionary, a library of Balinese culture, word games, translation materials and videos.
25 September 2018
A new indie film festival features the struggles and triumphs of indigenous Papua, Indonesia
The film festival "highlights the issues of the indigenous people of Papua through documentary films as well as to build public awareness of the important issues impacting them.”
13 September 2018
‘Bien Chabacano’ blog preserves and promotes Asia's only Spanish-based creole language
"Unless more aggressive preservation efforts will be implemented, the day will come when Chabacano will only be spoken inside the home."
10 September 2018
Jamaica finds new appreciation for beloved cultural icon and language activist, ‘Miss Lou’
"Underneath her wily comedic style, she forced the society to face unpleasant truths. But it is the unapologetic championing of the Jamaican language that so endeared her to many Jamaicans."
3 August 2018
No Shame: How an online initiative in Kazakhstan is helping youth protect their sexual health
UyatEmes.kz is out to tackle the stigma that surrounds sex education in the former Soviet republic.
26 June 2018
During the World Cup, Mexico gets in trouble when their fans’ chants are called ‘foul’
"In addition to being considered a homophobic scream, the “EEEEEH P…” could cause serious problems for the Mexican National Team" according to FIFA rules.
5 May 2018
‘Peppa Pig’ has gotten too naughty for China's censors
A subculture connecting the cartoon character “Peppa Pig” with “Shehuiren”, a term that refers to organized crime syndicates, has resulted in a muddy puddle for the popular porker.
31 March 2018
How English-Language Pronouns Are Taught Around the World
Globally, close to 1 billion people are learning English as a Foreign Language and all of them encounter binary gender pronouns from the earliest lessons.
27 March 2018
A Muslim Scholar Seeks to Link Israel and Indonesia Through the Hebrew Language
"I told my family that what I'm doing might have uncertain consequences, but it's something that needs to be done."
21 March 2018
On World Poetry Day, Some Verses Straight From Persia's Heart
"The sadness in my heart, like a mountain/The heart under your chest, like a stone."
7 March 2018
WordFrames: Are ‘Teens’ Getting a Bad Rap?
What do you think when you hear the word "teen"? In this post, we explore English-language media conversations around teens, adolescents, and youth.
5 March 2018
Language Lessons: Kazakhstan Still Torn Between Tongues
"Unfortunately, it has become a habit for us to speak in Russian because of a few folks who don't speak Kazakh. If we speak Kazakh those who don't should learn."
4 March 2018
Lantern Festival Riddles Outwit and Enrage Chinese Censorship Authorities
By posting riddles, Chinese netizens have found a way to safely criticize the recent constitutional amendment proposal regarding the abolition of the two-term presidential limit.
