Title Image Creator: Evan Vucci / Credit: AP / copyright: AP2006 Today I’m reposting a blog from September 13, 2017. The original inspiration for it came from watching coverage of Hurricane Irma. The American Sign Language (ASL) interpreter at the news conference, below, received a lot of attention. My current... read more
Most of my adventures these days happen in my arm chair. Watching foreign-language dramas on various streaming services. I’ve watched enough now to have noticed a curious phenomenon. Of course, I’ve long been aware that English is currently the world’s donor language. However, I’ve now become aware that one word... read more
Welcome back, Rose Vane! Her blog today on Nosferatu is her third on Romanian mythology. We hope this series sparks the imaginations of creative writers of all types. So, let’s get to it! I don’t want to wait until Halloween for this juicy topic. Rose Vane writes: Nosferatu: But First,... read more
Just this week alone I’ve encountered three new (to me) climate change names. And, by the way, they are all three terrifying. Climate Change Names: A Borrowing Now there are derecho storms? What in the heck? I first heard about them a few days ago when they hit Iowa. The... read more
Rose Vane is once again our guest blogger. In this period of global pandemic, adventuresome travel is less available for many of us. So I’m reaching out to fellow writers and friends who live in wonderfully interesting places. Today we’re going to armchair travel to Romania and learn about iele.... read more
I’m delighted to have guest blogger Rose Vane share her timely meditation of the role of Fates and Fairies during this period of global pandemic. JTA Title Image: A Golden Thread by John Strudwick, 1885, property of the Tate Museum, London The Fates: Some Origins In the last few months... read more
African American Vernacular English (AAVE) has a number of names, including Black Vernacular English. For many decades now linguists have studied AAVE. They understand it not as a defective form of Standard English. Rather it is a variety of English in its own right. It has its own lexicon, grammar... read more
My tag line touts love, language, adventure … out of the ordinary. Over the years I’ve shared with you experiences I’ve had around the world. From Kazakhstan to Cuba to California. But now? How does one engage in world travel in the present circumstances? World Travel: The Current Reality Europe is... read more
Eva Michelle Wheeler is our guest blogger this week. She will take us on a delightful linguistic journey through Colombia. Title image: Eve strolling through Comuna 13 in Medellín I chose Colombia as a travel destination. The vibrant culture and natural beauty drew me. Along with the food, the history,... read more
This week The Creative Penn published my blog on Using Authentic Dialogue From Languages Other Than English. The site, created by Joanna Penn, is a wonderful resource for writers. And I’m delighted for my work to appear there. As a linguist and a novelist I have always loved creating characters... read more
