Meeting Darwin’s Last Challenge: Matching Genes, Languages, and Geogra...

Oct 4, 2015 by

Meeting Darwin’s Last Challenge: Matching Genes, Languages, and Geography (Part 3)

In my previous posts (see here and here), I have analyzed Svetlana Burlak’s critique of Longobardi et al. (2015), posted on the Генофонд.рф website. The second critical response posted there is by geneticist Oleg Balanovsky (“Two...

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Brawl Breaks Out in Ukrainian Parliament Over Language Law

Oct 5, 2014 by

Brawl Breaks Out in Ukrainian Parliament Over Language Law

[This post was originally published in May 2012] On May 24, 2012, debates in Ukraine’s Parliament, the Rada, turned physical after members of opposition parties blocked access to the podium for the ruling Regions party lawmakers who...

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Belarusian Language

Sep 8, 2014 by

Belarusian Language

[This post was originally published in March 2014.] The recent post on the status of the Ukrainian and the Russian languages in Ukraine has generated a discussion of the status of the third—yet often disregarded—East Slavic language:...

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“Language Nest” Program to Nurture the Enets Language

May 14, 2012 by

“Language Nest” Program to Nurture the Enets Language

A “Language Nest” program has recently opened at the local kindergarten in the village of Potapovo, Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia. The goal of the program is to maintain—and to some extent revive—the Forest Enets language, one of the many endangered native Siberian languages.

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“Hen” said, “hen” said

Apr 15, 2012 by

“Hen” said, “hen” said

In many Western countries concerns are raised about gender-specific language. The French hurry to get rid of mademoiselle. The Swedes are not far behind in wanting to get rid of ‘him’ and ‘her’. It has been...

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On language on film, again

Sep 8, 2011 by

In a couple of earlier postings, I’ve talked about language in films and specifically about my pet-peeves in this regard. Perhaps I am not supposed to be thinking about this, but I do. And more often than not, inappropriate or...

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