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Where is Home? — Wandering Through Identities as a Third Culture Kid
Where is home for those who have lived in many places but never fully belonged to any? As a third culture kid (TCK) born to American parents in Japan and now living in Melbourne, Shana spent her life navigating the blurred lines of cultural identity. In this piece, she explores what it means to belong everywhere and nowhere at once, revealing how growing up between cultures has shaped her unique perspective and given her the ability to see the world through multiple lenses.
The Girl Who Caught the Gods — Chiri Yukie’s Last Gift to the Ainu
Chiri Yukie (知里 幸恵), just nineteen, was no scholar by training. She was a young indigenous woman born into two worlds—one that demanded she conform, and another that she couldn’t bear to see disappear. The Ainu, her people, had long been swallowed by Japan’s attempts at assimilation, their language, Ainu-itak, fading to little more than whispers among the old. But those whispers were loud enough for her to hear.
IL POLACCO: Una Lingua di Cultura e Gruppi Consonantici
Un viaggio nelle profondità del polacco, una lingua dalle affascinanti complessità e da un ricco patrimonio che attraversa i secoli. Dalle sue caratteristiche grammaticali uniche ai suoi significativi contributi alla scienza e all'arte, il polacco è una lingua slava potente, sia all'interno della Polonia sia nella vasta diaspora polacca in tutto il mondo.
IL DYIRBAL: Una Lingua Unica dell'Australia Nord-Orientale
La straordinaria storia di una lingua australiana di cui rimangono circa trenta locutori, che presenta un sistema linguistico unico sull'orlo dell'estinzione e sfida le nostre percezioni su quanto rapidamente una lingua possa trasformarsi.
TE REO MĀORI: From Suppression to Celebration
Te reo Māori has been in contact with English for less than 200 years but has been spoken in Aotearoa (New Zealand) for centuries. How did a language in decline become a central part of Aotearoa's national identity?
Google Translate’s Latest Update Is Reshaping The World — for Better or Worse
If you have opened Google Translate in the past few days, you might have noticed a significant number of new languages added. Google Translate, owned by Alphabet (Google), had its biggest update to date, incorporating 110 new languages, including many minority and endangered ones. As one of the largest global corporations and with a near-monopoly in this field, Google is responsible for languages and their communities.
手話という言語：私の人生にもたらしたもの
私は生まれた瞬間、産声をあげなかったという。しばらくしてから泣き出した時、母は私の泣き声を聞いて安堵した。聴覚障害があったのはこの頃からだったのかもしれない。
The Life-Changing Gift of Sign Language
They say I didn't cry immediately when I was born. It was only after a short while that I finally made a noise, and my mother felt a great sense of relief when she heard me. Looking back, this might have been the first sign of my hearing condition.
Una conversación de corazón a corazón sobre las lenguas de herencia
Existen más de 7.000 idiomas en el mundo y casi ocho mil millones de personas que los hablan. Con tanta diversidad, combinada con la globalización de la vida moderna, no es sorprendente que algunos idiomas y sus hablantes puedan terminar aislados y rodeados de hablantes de otra lengua.
Una Conversazione a Cuore Aperto sulle Lingue Ereditarie
Ci sono oltre 7000 lingue al mondo e quasi otto miliardi di persone che le parlano. Con così tanta diversità, unita alla globalizzazione della vita moderna, non è una sorpresa come alcune lingue (e le persone che le parlano) possono essere isolate o circondate da persone che si esprimono in lingue diverse.
POLARI: A Language of Queer Survival
Polari was a secret language used primarily by gay men in the UK up until about the 1970s. They were able to talk about sex and other topics in Polari without others understanding them. Given the strict anti-homosexuality laws in place at the time, this was a matter of great significance.
MILLENNIUM PARADE: Japanese Band Changes Name To Endangered Yi Script
The renowned Japanese band formerly known as MILLENNIUM PARADE has changed its name across all platforms to ꉈꀧ꒒꒒ꁄꍈꍈꀧ꒦ꉈ ꉣꅔꎡꅔꁕꁄ. This new name adopts characters from an endangered script used by one of the Yi language varieties, a group of minority languages spoken in China.
“Joshua's Japanese is so Good!” — How Looks Shape Language Perception
Despite Japanese being Joshua’s first language, viewers often fail to recognize this fact in the comments section of his Japanese-language videos. Instead, they commend his command of the language, expressing surprise and admiration at his fluency.
Design for Language, Language of Design
When I first enrolled in a Design university, I struggled to see how visual design could connect with something as invisible as linguistics. However, I gradually began to uncover the subtle yet profound connections between these two seemingly disparate fields.
A Heart to Heart on Heritage Languages
There are over 7000 languages in the world and almost eight billion people who speak them. With so much diversity, combined with the globalization of modern life, it should come as no surprise that languages (and their speakers) can end up isolated and surrounded by speakers of another language.
CANNIBALS: A Hauntingly Beautiful Japanese Novella
Shinya Tanaka’s award-winning novella Cannibals was originally published in 2011 and adapted to the big screen in 2013 after achieving great success in Japan. Now, thanks to Kalau Almony and Honford Star, English readers can enjoy this novella, too. Though “enjoy” might not be the right word.
ELISAPIE: Reviving Inuktitut in Pop Music
Inuk singer-songwriter Elisapie has been sharing her music with the world for over ten years. Her latest album, "Inuktitut" (ᐃᓄᒃᑎᑐᑦ), is a heartfelt tribute to her community, delving into personal experiences of both joy and sorrow, the enduring impact of colonial oppression on her people, and fueled by her profound passion for music.
Peeking Into a Whole New World: An Experience Learning Singapore Sign Language
“An outsider looking in,” that’s how I feel about my journey in learning Singapore Sign Language. Not having anyone in my social circles who uses Sign Language, my foray into it was purely out of curiosity and wanting to connect if the situation arose.
Ein Blick in eine ganz neue Welt: Die Singapurische Gebärdensprache und ich
Beim Erlernen der Singapurischen Gebärdensprache fühle ich mich oft wie eine Fremde, die von außen hereinschaut. In meinem Freundeskreis gibt es niemanden, der Gebärdensprache benutzt, daher habe ich aus purer Neugierde begonnen, mich damit zu beschäftigen und wollte Kontakte knüpfen, falls sich die Gelegenheit ergibt.