Monthly Archives: October 2011
Corporate Spelling Experiments and Fear of a Chinese-Speaking Planet
For our once-a-month-ish gab fest, Carol and I just couldn’t pass this one up. Sometime, corporations knock it out of the park with their inventions, or re-inventions, of words. Who can argue with Coca-Cola? And it’s not like they’re alone. … Continue reading
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Are Chinese Kids Losing a Part of Their Language?
In China, authorities are worried that the technical ease of typing Chinese characters means that people are forgetting how to write them. As a result, they are urging schools to re-introduce mandatory calligraphy classes. I’m learning Chinese, and so I … Continue reading
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Fry’s Planet Word, Belizean Creole and Steve Jobs’ global speech
Writer and actor Stephen Fry has made a documentary series for BBC TV. It’s a five-part history of language that draws on academic research but is intended for a general audience. Not unlike The World in Words. The pod features … Continue reading
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