Throughout history, an unfathomable number of languages have appeared and disappeared, and have been used by humans at different times and places throughout the evolution of civilization. Some languages manage to adapt, disperse and survive the passage of time. Others are not so lucky, and their usage becomes lost until they eventually die out. These […]
According to Greek mythology, it was the Titan Prometheus himself who gave mankind the gift of fire, primordial symbol of progress and technology. From his holy spark, humanity evolved into the dominant species that has ruled the Earth to this very day. Annaud’s epic “Quest for Fire” shows us how the first primitive cavemen fought […]
“And there is also verbophobia, which is the fear of words. In that case, it is best to keep quiet, said Juan de Dios Martínez. It’s a bit more complicated than that, because words are everywhere, even in silence, which is never complete silence, isn’t that so?” Roberto Bolaño (2666, Barcelona: Anagrama, 2004). Also […]
Our collective imagination is not very kind toward people who are passionate about writing. Largely, we imagine writers out on a ledge somewhere, spewing melancholy all over the place, in the form of sappy rhyme. We often place them in a sort of Bohemian nightmare, in humid, squalid apartments, bent over a typewriter, with messy […]
A few days ago I was struck by a sign that was written as: BEWARE OF “DOG”. This sparked a thought on the correct uses of quotation marks. Many times, they are used to draw attention to a word, as in this case; however, this option is not among the uses mentioned by the Real […]
Is the English language perfect as it is? As it continuously evolves (and sometimes regresses) and transforms, should there be a body in charge of regulating it? These are some of the questions that are being asked when it comes to establishing rules regarding the use of our widely spread language. The French language has […]
All humans are able to make the same sounds. However, each language has its own particular way of employing them. Just as each language follows different grammatical rules, it also uses different sounds to express emotion, though some may seem more similar than others. Depending on our mother tongue, some sounds will be more or […]
As the famous Chilean translator, Marina Orellana, once said, “Translation is not transliteration, that is, the transcription of words from one language to another. (…) What really matters is to grasp the ideas and express them successfully.” If this is, indeed, the essence of translation, then the craft of the linguist would seem to resemble […]
When you’re on vacation you want everything to be easy and relaxing. And for many, apart from resting and exploring our destination of choice, we would also like to be able to communicate with the locals. Since English is my native language, and I also speak Spanish quite fluently, traveling through any English-speaking country, […]