Language Aficionados

29/10/2015

One really cool lady!

http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-34473589

09/10/2015

Since most of my students have issues with apostrophes, I thought "Hey, the song at the end of this article is awesome!" but I am posting the whole thing because it is unbelievably helpful and comprehensive.

http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/education/grammar/apostrophe-catastrophe-part-one

05/10/2015

An interesting read for this week. Practice your vocabulary people! There is nothing as exciting as learning new words ;)

http://www.economist.com/news/science-and-technology/21669609-watson-ibms-attempt-crack-market-artificial-intelligence-starting

IT IS a nice coincidence that IBM’s greatest boss and Sherlock Holmes’s sidekick shared a surname. But whether it was Thomas J. or Dr John H. who inspired the...

28/09/2015

Let's never forget that words shape reality, how we see it, how we face it!

Veteran poetry slammer Katie Makkai gave a powerful spoken word performance on defining the word "pretty." -- "This, this is about my own some-day daughter. When you approach me, already stung-stayed with insecurity, begging, 'Mom, will I be pretty? Will I be pretty?' I will wipe that question from your mouth like cheap lipstick and answer, No! The word pretty is unworthy of everything you will be, and no child of mine will be contained in five letters. You will be pretty intelligent, pretty creative, pretty amazing. But you, will never be merely 'pretty'."

This excellent piece is highly recommended for parents of Mighty Girls; older teens may also appreciate this thoughtful poem though it does contain some strong language. To watch Makkai's incredible performance on YouTube, visit http://bit.ly/1drHggo

For a fantastic picture book about a young girl who knows her worth, we highly recommend "I Like Myself" for ages 3 to 8 at http://www.amightygirl.com/i-like-myself

For two books to help tweens and teens appreciate how "pretty amazing" they are, check out "A Smart Girl's Guide to Liking Herself, Even on the Bad Days" for ages 9 to 12 (http://www.amightygirl.com/a-smart-girl-s-guide-to-liking-herself) and "The Self-Esteem Workbook for Teens: Activities to Help You Build Confidence and Achieve Your Goals" (http://www.amightygirl.com/the-self-esteem-workbook-for-teens)

And, for more Mighty Girl books to build general self-confidence, check out our blog “Confidence-Building Books for Mighty Girls” at http://www.amightygirl.com/blog?p=4411, or browse our full selection of books about self-esteem and confidence at http://www.amightygirl.com/books/personal-development/health-wellness?cat=214

27/09/2015

Music has a special place in our lives. We can feel it and, yet, we might not really understand how vitally important it actually is for our development.

"Language is typically viewed as fundamental to human intelligence. Music, while recognized as a human universal, is often treated as an ancillary ability – one dependent on or derivative of language. In contrast, we argue that it is more productive from a developmental perspective to describe spoken language as a special type of music. A review of existing studies presents a compelling case that musical hearing and ability is essential to language acquisition."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3439120/

Language is typically viewed as fundamental to human intelligence. Music, while recognized as a human universal, is often treated as an ancillary ability – one dependent on or derivative of language. In contrast, we argue that it is more productive ...

13/09/2015

Gosh, word games can be so much fun!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DCataNWjw-Q

Jimmy and Benedict Cumberbatch take turns telling stories three words at a time to get each other to guess a mystery word. Subscribe NOW to The Tonight Show ...

01/09/2015

Inspired on a post from a very intelligent lawyer friend, who also happens to be Dutch, we bring to you a keen and insightful reflection on race.

Border identities come as an very poignant, yet accurate way to describe those who do not really belong anywhere but are still part of the system and feel they should be grateful for it. What happens when you are neither white nor male? Neither a Westerner nor indigenous? Who are you then?

"...the historical amnesia of dominant institutions, and the privileging of only certain memories, or knowledges."

http://www.space-invaders.eu/2012/10/whats-the-use-of-race/ -307

Last Wednesday I gave this introductory text at a debate, which was part of the seminar ir/relevance of race. The debate took place in the university of Amsterdam. My location as a Q***r able-bodie...

30/08/2015

"I think libraries and schools have a quality of serendipity - it’s the fact that something can look interesting from the cover, you can pick it up, you can hold it. I think that having physical access to a book, or at least to the content of the book, is huge and important."

Neil Gaiman is no stranger to having his books banned. Here the author of Coraline and The Graveyard Book talks about controversial books in libraries, censorship threats to graphic novels and why freedom of speech is not the freedom to harass

29/08/2015

Colombia: A country full of breathtaking natural beauty, sublime and magical!

I wish the world could think only of wild and exhilarating landscapes, committed athletes, inquisitive minds and hardworking people when "Colombia" is mentioned --even if in passing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43gK9f_Pai0

Estreno 10 de Septiembre en los cines de toda Colombia. Entérate de más en http://www.magiasalvaje.org/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/magiasalvaje Twitt...

27/08/2015

Just to have something to think about... Love, seen broadly, covers every area of our lives. Our jobs, studies and interpersonal relations can use some passion!

21/08/2015

Because I love tongue twisters! and this lady is just awesome to practice French with!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbRqTz8HKPY

A short but rather difficult French sentence containing several /r/ sounds in various linguistic environments. Both the "back fricative" and the "back rolled...

21/08/2015

Because sometimes I make a mess out this in my head... I thought a beautiful graph would come in handy to help us remember!

http://es.gizmodo.com/el-origen-de-los-idiomas-explicado-en-una-preciosa-inf-1665139632?utm_campaign=Gizmodo_facebook_SF_es&utm_source=Gizmodo_facebook_es&utm_medium=Socialflow

¿De dónde vienen los idiomas que hablamos hoy en día? La ilustradora y dibujante de cómics Minna Sundberg nos ofrece algunas respuestas en este hermoso árbol genealógico que agrupa las principales lenguas de origen indoeuropeo o urálico. A continuación podéis disfrutar de la infografía completa. 5 g…