As most of our readers know, UNESCO declared 2019 the Year of Indigenous Languages, and later on has declared the 2022-2032 will be the Decade of Indigenous Languages. This initiative will promote language preservation and awareness, and it has certainly had an impact on me. Since 2019, I have made it a goal of mine …
Language of the Month: Plains Indian Sign Language Read More »
Every year, millions of children write their letters to Santa Claus, and address their envelopes to the North Pole. While many countries have designated “North Poles,” including a town in Alaska for the US, have you ever wondered what would happen if the letter actually reached the North Pole? What language would Santa or his …
Growing up, many of our American readers learned about the first Thanksgiving in elementary school. While we learned varying accounts, with a varying accuracy, depending on what generation we are, most of us were made familiar with Squanto, the first “Indian” to make contact with the Pilgrims of the Mayflower. We now know more of …
As someone who frequently consumes news about languages and language learning, it’s always interesting to see what language will suddenly be put to the forefront of the public conscience, either because of its direct use, such as Kamala Harris casually using Tamil words in campaign speeches, or indirectly by bringing a country or people to …
Late last month, Vice Presidential candidate Kamala Harris (D-CA) was a minor sensation in India for her use of the word “chithis,” or auntie. Harris, who has visited Chenani, a town in the Indian Union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, before to learn more about her mother’s side of her family, with her father’s side …
We are extremely fortunate to be “based” out of Maryland as a Museum, as we always have a wide variety of voices and languages surrounding us every day. Recently, we had a linguist, Dr. Chelsea McCracken, reach out to us, and through her connection I learned about a wonderful language named Belep. While the word …
Due to the various government mandates, and several cancelled travel plans, I have taken time this summer to explore our great nation, and its even greater outdoors. From the Shenandoah Valley to the Great Smoky Mountains, there is plenty of beauty to explore without even needing a passport. One of my many adventures has been …
At the Museum, we respect those from backgrounds, races, and cultures all over the globe. Recent events have shown that the American ideals of liberty and justice for all have not yet been fully achieved. We are sharing this message to show our support for the massive movement for justice and equality that these events …
Since stay-at-home orders began, we have seen many advertisements saying that we are “all in this together.” I have personally seen this in several different languages, and it made me realize there have actually been a few attempts to bring all together linguistically. This month, we will be exploring Esperanto, probably the most popular attempt …
One of the biggest challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic has been disseminating the information regarding social distancing and other health and safety information. It can be difficult to provide this information to everyone even in the lingua franca of an area, and while many areas around the world are providing this information in …
