Hello, GV'ers!

Apologies for the delay in this week's newsletter. I've been battling a silly cold and spending the past few days looking a lot like this:

Photo from www.corgicorner.com

Now that I'm slowly getting my energy levels back up, let's talk about…

Teaching Yourself A Language

Screenshot taken from www.newyorker.com

Jhumpa Lahiri is one of my favorite authors of all time and she wrote a wonderful piece in the New Yorker called “Teach Yourself Italian“. She talks about what language means to her and goes through her journey of learning a new language in a completely foreign place and how it shaped her identity. Italian is a character in this beautifully written article and I couldn't stop reading it. Hope you enjoy it too!

Language Networks

Screenshot taken from wespeke.com

WeSpeke is a great network for people looking to build their linguistic & cross-cultural skills. They say,

WeSpeke helps build these skills by delivering a free global network where people from any country, culture, and religion can connect in a safe platform to learn languages, share cultures, and make international friends.  Members can chat with anyone from anywhere at anytime using text, audio, and video.

Check them out by downloading their fun infographic here and learn more about joining!

Your First Language

Screenshot from www.fastcoexist.com

According to Fast Company, the first language you learn can change how you interpret all other languages afterwards — even if you forget it later! In this article, they talk about an MRI experiment conducted by McGill University and the Montreal Neurological Institute that talks about the science behind interpreting new languages based on a person's mother tongue. Read on & let us know what you think!

Social Media & Language Minorities

Screenshot from termcoord.eu

Terminology Coordination explores the effect of the internet & social media on small and endangered languages in this post entitled, “Internet and social media – blessing or curse for linguistic minorities?” Is the internet a threat to small languages or does it encourage their revival? Click the link above to read the debate & decide for yourself!

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As always, thank you all for your hard work and dedication to GV!