Articles tagged with: linguistics
Languages of the World: An Introduction
What do all human languages have in common and in what ways are they different? How can language be used to trace different peoples and their past? Are certain languages similar because of common descent or language contact?
A new book by Asya Pereltsvaig, published by Cambridge University Press, answers these and other questions about the world’s languages. Assuming no prior …
The linguistic and genetic mosaic of the Northwest Caucasus
The Northwest Caucasus – including Russia’s internal republics of Adygea, Karachai-Cherkessia, and Kabardino-Balkaria, as well as parts of Krasnodar Krai in Russia proper – presents a veritably kaleidoscopic ethno-linguistic picture. As can be seen from this ethno-linguistic map of Karachai-Cherkessia, based on 2002 census data, Indo-European-speaking groups such as the Russians (shown in blue) and the Ossetians (in brown) coexist …
How to create an “exotic” language: Na’vi and Dothraki
Although Klingon is by far the best known example of a “sci-fi language”, it is not the only one. Two more recent examples of languages artificially created for sci-fi films include Na’vi, the language of the aliens in the film Avatar, and Dothraki, a language created for HBO’s adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s epic fantasy tale, A Game of Thrones. …
Speculative fiction and language
While the alter-worlds of the sci-fi literature and film may not always be geographically accurate, if not “positively simple-minded”, as Martin Lewis puts it, they do a little bit better from the linguistic perspective. In older (American) series everyone on all planets spoke idiomatic English, and American English at that! (And in sci-fi films produced in other countries, alien creatures …
Language, Regionalism, and Political Protest in Thailand
The massive protests currently threatening the government of Thailand are generally described in the U.S. press in terms of class dynamics. The red-shirt demonstrators, followers of the deposed Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, are said to represent Thailand’s peasantry. Poor and politically marginalized farmers had benefitted from the
New Language Blog – Languages of the World by Asya Pereltsvaig
Geocurrents readers interested in linguistic matters should note Asya Pereltsvaig’s new blog, Languages of the World. Asya has commented insightfully on linguistic issues in a number of Geocurrents posts, and her new blog promises to be interesting and informative
Terranova: The Black Petaltail - A Novel
Diversity Amid Globalization: World Regions, Environment, Development (5th Edition)
Globalization and Diversity: Geography of a Changing World (3rd Edition)
