Stories about Language from May, 2008
Kuwait: Mixed Signals Over Name
Ansam, a male blogger from Kuwait, is receiving mixed signals over his name.
Guyana: The Art of Blogging
“I feel at home in my language–this brash, sexy combination of Standard-American-slang-Guyanese-creolese in which I speak and write. I own it. I am comfortable in it. I have no problem showing it off”: Blogging has helped Signifyin’ Guyana realise how much she loves to write.
Jamaica: Alluding to the Fact
Jamaican litblogger Geoffrey Philp explores the question of how to use allusions in creative writing.
Uzbekistan: Unwanted Changes
After the disintegration of the USSR, the Soviet communist identity and ideology ceased to exist and the new countries confronted the vital problems of defining new identities and ideologies. Most of the ex-Soviet countries were quick to give up the past and embrace the new life with new national values...
Jamaica, Guyana: The Life of Das
Jamaican Geoffrey Philp blogs about the life and work of Guyanese poet Mahadai Das, and features one of her poems.
China: Google Kingsoft Translation
William Long introduced the release of a new Chinese-English translation tool by Google and Kingsoft [zh]. Fons also writes about it at China Herald.
Angola: On the reform of the Portuguese language
Gociante Patissa [pt] invites readers to debate the proposed reform of the Portuguese language. Talking about language, the blogger is also responsible for the first ever blog in Umbundu language, language spoken by the Ovimbundu people in the central highlands of Angola.
On Somalis in the new Kenyan cabinet
What issues are dominating the Somali blogosphere? Let's take a quick tour: Kenya-Somali writes about the new Kenyan cabinet and the Somali representation in it: It's good to see many Somalis who are serving in the Grand Coalition. Mr. Yussuf Haji as Defence Minister, Elmi as Minister for Northern Kenya...
Macedonia: Sakura – Cherry Blossom Celebration in Skopje
Even though very few ethnic Japanese live in the Republic of Macedonia, many locals took part in the second annual celebration of Sakura - the festival of cherry blossoms in Macedonia's capital, Skopje. Organizers of the festivals included some prominent bloggers who recently started a collaborative blog, Japan@mk, and initiated spreading the word through the Macedonian blogosphere.
Russia: “Putinisms”
Scraps of Moscow writes about “Putinisms” (and “Bushisms”).
Jamaica: Poem for Bob
Geoffrey Philp posts Jamaican Rachel Manley's poem Bob Marley's Dead.
Caucasus: Geopolitical Linguistics
Window on Eurasia examines the role of Russian language in former Soviet republics based on the findings of a Eurasia Foundation report, Russian Language in the Newly Independent States, which divides the countries into three groups. The blog comments on suggestions by one Russian newspaper on how Moscow should use...
