Moving between languages can dislocate you, but creatively reorient you. I’ve been thinking about this with a group of philosophers and artists. At the final event of the HARMAA project, Disclocations, Irina Poleshchuk moderated a panel on language, experience, and art. Comics artist Sasha_D, project artist Pauliina Mäkelä, joined me as their translator and editor. WeContinue reading “Languages, dislocations, reorientations”
Category Archives: language
The Wordhord
The Wordhord is indeed a treasure trove of old English words, written with deep affection and expertise by Hana Videen. If you speak a Scandinavian or Germanic language, you will be delighted to meet many older cousins of English words here. For instance, I knew that a dead body was a Leiche in German. ButContinue reading “The Wordhord”
English in the Nordic Countries
Would you enter an establishment offering fifty shades of skrei?* If you would, is that still English? Who decides who gets a piece of the English (fish?) pie? Who is English for? “Native” speakers, scholars, professionals, politicians? Or children, teenagers and gamers? It was an absolute delight to discuss all these questions and more atContinue reading “English in the Nordic Countries”
New year, new words
At the end of the year, the English dictionaries hit us with words of 2023 thick and fast. In 2024, which ones do you think will stick? Artificial intelligence (Collins) was the obvious choice. In 2023, this meant generative AI based on large language models you could ‘talk’ to, like ChatGPT (the Economist). But theseContinue reading “New year, new words”
Ridge Writing Retreats 