One of the barriers faced by the LGBTQ+ community (and in particular the trans community) in gaining acceptance from wider society, is a lack of inclusive language. The languages we speak, which have often evolved in times of strict societal gender norms, include a plethora of gendered terms which exclude and erase the existence ofContinue reading “Non-binary pronouns: are some languages more inherently inclusive than others? “
Category Archives: Language learning
Why Name Studies should be part of language learning
Do you often forget names in your target language? Do you sometimes struggle to identify names within a text or distinguish the names of characters in a TV show? Do you ever feel embarrassed because you can speak a language fairly well but you have to ask a native speaker for their name several times before you can pronounce it or identify it?
Why the pandemic is the perfect time to learn a language
Have you always wanted to learn a language but it’s never the right time? Here’s why during a global pandemic might the perfect time to start.* Many of us thought that by this point in the coronavirus pandemic we would have rescheduled our romantic getaway in Corfu, the city break in Amsterdam, or perhaps evenContinue reading “Why the pandemic is the perfect time to learn a language”
My complicated relationship with the Scots Language.
Due to its history, the people of Scotland have a particularly complex relationship with one of our native languages – Scots. I share how studying linguistics at university helped me to change my perspective: from thinking that Scots was “improper”, to realising that “speaking properly” had no meaning at all. I hope I can takeContinue reading “My complicated relationship with the Scots Language.”
Linggow 