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Where is Home? — Wandering Through Identities as a Third Culture Kid
Where is home for those who have lived in many places but never fully belonged to any? As a third culture kid (TCK) born to American parents in Japan and now living in Melbourne, Shana spent her life navigating the blurred lines of cultural identity. In this piece, she explores what it means to belong everywhere and nowhere at once, revealing how growing up between cultures has shaped her unique perspective and given her the ability to see the world through multiple lenses.
The Girl Who Caught the Gods — Chiri Yukie’s Last Gift to the Ainu
Chiri Yukie (知里 幸恵), just nineteen, was no scholar by training. She was a young indigenous woman born into two worlds—one that demanded she conform, and another that she couldn’t bear to see disappear. The Ainu, her people, had long been swallowed by Japan’s attempts at assimilation, their language, Ainu-itak, fading to little more than whispers among the old. But those whispers were loud enough for her to hear.
TE REO MĀORI: From Suppression to Celebration
Te reo Māori has been in contact with English for less than 200 years but has been spoken in Aotearoa (New Zealand) for centuries. How did a language in decline become a central part of Aotearoa's national identity?
Google Translate’s Latest Update Is Reshaping The World — for Better or Worse
If you have opened Google Translate in the past few days, you might have noticed a significant number of new languages added. Google Translate, owned by Alphabet (Google), had its biggest update to date, incorporating 110 new languages, including many minority and endangered ones. As one of the largest global corporations and with a near-monopoly in this field, Google is responsible for languages and their communities.
POLARI: A Language of Queer Survival
Polari was a secret language used primarily by gay men in the UK up until about the 1970s. They were able to talk about sex and other topics in Polari without others understanding them. Given the strict anti-homosexuality laws in place at the time, this was a matter of great significance.
MILLENNIUM PARADE: Japanese Band Changes Name To Endangered Yi Script
The renowned Japanese band formerly known as MILLENNIUM PARADE has changed its name across all platforms to ꉈꀧ꒒꒒ꁄꍈꍈꀧ꒦ꉈ ꉣꅔꎡꅔꁕꁄ. This new name adopts characters from an endangered script used by one of the Yi language varieties, a group of minority languages spoken in China.
Design for Language, Language of Design
When I first enrolled in a Design university, I struggled to see how visual design could connect with something as invisible as linguistics. However, I gradually began to uncover the subtle yet profound connections between these two seemingly disparate fields.
A Heart to Heart on Heritage Languages
There are over 7000 languages in the world and almost eight billion people who speak them. With so much diversity, combined with the globalization of modern life, it should come as no surprise that languages (and their speakers) can end up isolated and surrounded by speakers of another language.
CANNIBALS: A Hauntingly Beautiful Japanese Novella
Shinya Tanaka’s award-winning novella Cannibals was originally published in 2011 and adapted to the big screen in 2013 after achieving great success in Japan. Now, thanks to Kalau Almony and Honford Star, English readers can enjoy this novella, too. Though “enjoy” might not be the right word.
ELISAPIE: Reviving Inuktitut in Pop Music
Inuk singer-songwriter Elisapie has been sharing her music with the world for over ten years. Her latest album, "Inuktitut" (ᐃᓄᒃᑎᑐᑦ), is a heartfelt tribute to her community, delving into personal experiences of both joy and sorrow, the enduring impact of colonial oppression on her people, and fueled by her profound passion for music.
Peeking Into a Whole New World: An Experience Learning Singapore Sign Language
“An outsider looking in,” that’s how I feel about my journey in learning Singapore Sign Language. Not having anyone in my social circles who uses Sign Language, my foray into it was purely out of curiosity and wanting to connect if the situation arose.
DYIRBAL: A Unique Language from North-Eastern Australia
The remarkable story of an Australian language with only around 30 speakers remaining, showcasing a unique linguistic system on the brink of extinction and challenging our perceptions of how rapidly a language can transform.
Script as a Cultural Lifeline: The Untold Story of Canada’s Indigenous Writing System
Contrary to widespread misconceptions, the Inuit communities are far from extinct; they are vibrant and flourishing. When asked why it matters to preserve her language, Inuktitut, Naulaq LeDrew (ᓇᐅᓪᓚᖅ ᓕᑐᕈ,) an artist, elder, and pivotal member of the Toronto urban Inuit community, replies as if the answer is self-evident: "It's important to me because I am alive. ᐃᓅᒐᒪ, ᐃᓅᒐᕕᑦ. Because you are alive."