The study of linguistics is frequently about language in its most theoretical form. Syntax and morphology focus on the form of words and language; semantics are about meaning. However, none of these fields exist in a vacuum. In fact, linguistics as a whole tries to observe and understand language in a social context—as the central…
On average, 30 million people each year attempt to learn a new language. From experience and observation, learning a new language intrigues people. While doing so, people often expect rapid results. In reality, learning a new language requires time, dedication and patience. Set Realistic Goals According to research, some of the easiest languages to learn…
English spelling is a bit of a mess. Often, spelling a word seems unintuitive compared to its pronunciation. Why “Wednesday”? (What’s that first “d” doing in there?) Why “onomatopoeia” and not “onomatopia”? Why “ingenious” and “minuscule” instead of “ingenius” and “miniscule”? A Brief History There are seemingly endless examples of this sort of inconsistency between…
With life online becoming more repetitive as the days pass, I feel like we need a fresh change in our lives. Trying out and learning new things is one of the best ways to revitalize our daily life. Here are five new things you can learn this spring: 1. Learning a new instrument Learning an…
The black deaf community is wholly shaped by two marginalized communities: deaf and African-American. For women, the prejudice may reach an intersectionality of three, experiencing sexism, racism, and communication barriers. The history of prejudice and segregation against black folk invented a dialect of American Sign Language (ASL), known simply as Black ASL. The discriminatory practices…
When it comes to demonstrating proficiency in the French language as someone who is not French, the DELF is an official qualification that does just that. DELF stands for Diplôme d’Études en Langue Française, or Diploma in French Language Studies. It can be used to enhance your resume, give you an advantage for postsecondary studies,…
It’s always fun to learn neat things every once in awhile. In the past year, I pushed myself to learn how to knit, solve a rubik’s cube and whistle. Morse code has always been one of those things where it’d be cool to learn but: 1. It’s not exactly applicable to my daily life and,…
We are living through a series of evolutions- of clothing, of science, of technology, etc… But I have noticed the most discernible change of something in this generation: emojis. That’s right, emojis. Emojis have been around for almost two decades now so it’s a relatively new concept. It’s something that is evolving day and day,…
Travelling is by far one of my favourite things in the world. I recently returned from a trip to France and Switzerland and despite being confident in my own abilities to adapt to wherever I find myself, there are still some differences between the metropoles of Paris and Geneva and my hometown of Calgary that…
(Original Image) “A different language is a different vision of life.” – Federico Fellini I am multilingual. Growing up here in Canada, I learned English as well as my parents’ native language of Chinese. Through my own choice, I took French as a Second Language courses throughout school, having just finished FSL 31 IB this year.…
First off, what is a hyperpolyglot? A ‘hyperpolyglot’ is a term coined by linguist Richard Hudson to describe a person with the ability to speak multiple languages. When I mean multiple, I mean 6 or more languages fluently. “That’s crazy!”, you might say – how could that even be possible? Believe it or not, there…
On a sunny Tuesday morning, four enthusiastic students sat down for an interview about WHOLE Churchill. WHOLE Churchill is a community created by Haroon M., Megan C., Rahul A., and Sidharth S., to promote awareness of mental health for all youth, starting with the students of Sir Winston Churchill High School. Shruti: What is…
“Every man dies- not every man really lives” – William Ross Statistics say that 95% of people procrastinate on their goals. Be different. In my spare time, I created a bucket list about the things I want to achieve before I die. Having a bucket list reminds you of what you really desire so eventually you…
(Source) What is the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows? John Koenig is the creator of the Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows, a project to fill in gaps in our language by inventing hundreds of original words to describe human emotions. What is the word for the realization that each random passerby is living a life as vivid…
Stumbling upon an interesting Wattpad essay, I wanted to pose some discussion questions regarding the thoughts expanded upon within. “This Blank Page” written by Elvin Limpin draws attention to the power of an idea, the difficulty in both evaluating writing and using it as a medium for thought communication. By conveying a struggle to write, readers…