#language and identity

[linguist-breakaribecca]

“Grandma’s House is not like a drop-off daycare or an immersion school where only the children learn. Through a grant from the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota Foundation, parents get paid to learn alongside and speak with their children in Ojibwe five hours a day, four days a week.

…

‘Learning Ojibwe in college and pursuing learning the language and teaching the language, I hadn't really thought about babies speaking it as their first language,’ Erdrich said.

‘It seemed like this impossible thing because of how much work it would be, how hard it would be to have a whole community and other babies to be speaking Ojibwe, but it's happening! And it's amazing because it's the peer language here so the kids are speaking Ojibwe to each other,’ she said.

…Grandma’s House is not like other college language programs. Learning a Native language in an academic setting is beneficial for language revitalization, but academic learning does not usually include learning the traditions, heritage or spirit within a Native community.

…

Although it’s common to refer to a language no longer commonly spoken as a ‘dead language,’ some people in the language revitalization movement instead refer to them as ‘asleep.’ The idea is that sleeping languages can be awakened through family and community efforts.

Waking up Native languages can also bring intergenerational healing.”

[iloveethnicities]

"She gorn by de shop, she coming back soon."

Bahamian Creole, also referred to as Bahamian Dialect, is an English-based creole widely spoken in the Bahamas. It emerged from a combination of English, African linguistic influences, and features of other Caribbean creoles. The language developed during the colonial period as enslaved Africans adapted English while infusing it with grammatical and phonological elements of their native languages.

Phrase Analysis

a) "She gorn"

— "She": In Bahamian Creole, pronouns are often the same as in Standard English but are used with different syntactic or pragmatic purposes. "She" here replaces "she has" or "she is" in Standard English.

— "Gorn": This is a non-standard representation of the word "gone". The vowel shift and omission of the final -e are characteristic of creole phonology, which simplifies or alters certain vowel and consonant sounds for ease of articulation.

b) "by de shop"

— "By": Unlike Standard English, where "by" often indicates proximity, in Bahamian Creole, "by" is used in contexts where Standard English would use "at" or "to." This demonstrates semantic broadening of the preposition.

— "De": The definite article "the" is pronounced as "de". This aligns with phonological patterns across English-based creoles, where voiced dental fricatives like /ð/ in "the" become /d/.

— "Shop": Retains its Standard English meaning but reflects how Bahamian Creole vocabulary is largely derived from English roots.

c) "she coming back soon"

— "She coming": Here, "she" functions as the subject pronoun without the auxiliary "is". This is a common feature of Bahamian Creole, where the auxiliary verb for progressive aspects (e.g., "is") is omitted. This simplification is typical in many creoles.

— "Back": Retains its Standard English use but often functions more flexibly in creole constructions, emphasizing the return action.

— "Soon": Carries the same semantic meaning as in Standard English but appears in a contextually redundant phrase. The redundancy enhances emphasis and reflects oral traditions of repetition for clarity or stylistic effect.

Grammatical Features

— Tense and Aspect: The phrase reflects a simplification of tense markers. Instead of using auxiliary verbs like "is" or "has", Bahamian Creole relies on context and adverbs (e.g., "soon") to indicate temporal relationships.

— Subject-Pronoun Agreement: While the pronouns remain Standard English, the agreement patterns differ. For example, "she" is used consistently, even in contexts where Standard English might prefer "her" (as in object positions).

— Article Simplification: The definite article "the" becomes "de", demonstrating phonological reduction, a common feature of creoles.

Phonological Features

— Consonant Simplification: Words like "gone" become "gorn" through vowel shifts and the influence of local accent patterns.

— Dental Consonants: The dental fricative /ð/ in "the" simplifies to /d/, as "de". This is due to a lack of voiced dental fricatives in many African languages, which influences the creole phoneme inventory.

Sociolinguistic Insights

— Code-Switching: Speakers of Bahamian Creole often switch between the creole and Standard English depending on formality and context. The use of a phrase like this is highly context-driven, often signaling intimacy, informality, or solidarity.

— Identity and Resistance: The maintenance of distinct linguistic features in Bahamian Creole represents cultural resilience and a strong Afro-Bahamian identity, despite the historical dominance of English.

Comparison to Other Creoles

Bahamian Creole shares many features with other Caribbean English-based creoles, such as Jamaican Patois or Trinidadian Creole. However, it is distinct in its pronunciation and vocabulary influenced by the Bahamian setting, including proximity to the United States and historical migration patterns.

Overall Linguistic Significance

This simple phrase encapsulates the essence of Bahamian Creole: a dynamic, rule-governed system that combines English vocabulary with African-derived grammar and phonology. Its construction reflects a creole's role as both a functional language and a marker of cultural identity.

[captaingimpy]

Thoughts on Media: Why I Can’t Do Anything Else

Hey everyone, originally I had a review of grotesquerie planned for today. But I ran across a YouTube video that really hit on something for me personally. And, with that, I had a very intimate realization about myself. And it was something that for a long time I could never articulate to myself nor anyone else, so I kind of wanted to take the opportunity to share the video itself with you, allow…

[xoxrevkitty]

Understanding the Term "People of Color": Context and Usage

Navigating the language around racial and ethnic identities can be complex and fraught with misunderstanding. A recent interaction highlighted the discomfort some individuals feel with the term “People of Color,” prompting a discussion on its appropriateness and historical context. The Term “People of Color” Explained: Historical Context: The term “People of Color” is not just a casual phrase…

[biggest-gaudiest-patronuses]

the fact that shakespeare was a playwright is sometimes so funny to me. just the concept of the "greatest writer of the English language" being a random 450-year-old entertainer, a 16th cent pop cultural sensation (thanks in large part to puns & dirty jokes & verbiage & a long-running appeal to commoners). and his work was made to be watched not read, but in the classroom teachers just hand us his scripts and say "that's literature"

just...imagine it's 2450 A.D. and English Lit students are regularly going into 100k debt writing postdoc theses on The Simpsons screenplays. the original animation hasn't even been preserved, it's literally just scripts and the occasional SDH subtitles.txt. they've been republished more times than the Bible

[wellhealthhub]

What If you had to give up one word that you use regularly what would it be?: What Would You Give Up?

If you had to give up one word that you use regularly, what would it be? Discover the power and peril of one word as we delve into the influence of language on personal identity and societal dynamics. Introduction Language is not just a tool for communication; it’s a lens through which we see the world. It shapes our thoughts, influences our identity, and even dictates our actions to a…

[bixels]

Scary Sunset.

I'm concepting things way outta order in this story, but I'm sure you can piece things together. Context is for a storybeat where, after defeating and capturing Adagio (thus having all three sirens in her possession), Sunset enacts her revenge plot to release the sirens on Canterlot as Thea discovers she's been manipulated. In a confrontation, the two scuffle and fight over the siren orbs while Sunset struggles with her conflicting wants and emotions.

[autiebiographical]

Whether someone prefers being called autistic or a person with autism, others shouldn't need us to remind them that we are, IN FACT, people.

Kindly cease your neurosplaining.

[fixing-bad-posts]

It's super sexist to define "women" by having a vagina

[linguist-breakaribecca]

Today, in “I’ll take any good news I can find”:

A production of Romeo and Juliet with Deaf actors signing their lines has been referred to as bilingual! Not just “accessible” or “diverse” but also BILINGUAL!

This makes me happy because the general idea of ASL (and other signed languages) is that they’re just a manual version of the spoken language. By that logic, Norwegian is just a higher-latitude version of German. Signed languages are languages of their own! With unique vocabulary, grammar, and dialects!

[dukeofthomas]

Here's my controversial opinion; if you're trying to write Bruce as a non-abusive, good parent, you should also write him respecting his kids' privacy, boundaries, and not stalking&surveying them.

[my-smial]

Hello hello. I have come with random The Sunshine Court language headcanons for Jean Moreau, because I cannot stop thinking about him.

Neil picks up on Jean's discomfort with speaking French at higher than a whisper and eventually decides to use Nicky's desensitization tactics about it. He ropes in Kevin, and the two of them will not stop yelling at him in French until Jean stops flinching whenever he hears it.

Neil lived in Montreal for 8 months; when he wants to get under Jean's skin, he switches to a strong Québécois accent and Jean acts like his ears are getting burned off.

Jeremy and a little Cat and Laila start learning French, mostly "picked up a tourist phrasebook at the library" level. It's 2008, they don't even have Duolingo. It's years and years before Jean deigns to actually speak French to him, but Jeremy eventually figures out that if he pronounces a phrase badly enough, Jean will correct him out of shear pain. Jean probably picks up that Jeremy knows more than he's letting on when he makes a comment in one of Jean and Kevin's conversations.

The most unlikely, but I find it fun: Jean's family is old money enough that they actually still speak the local Provençal language of southeast France. Jean mostly speaks standard French, but his parents ensured that he can carry a conversation in Provençal out of some twisted disdain for Paris as a power center. Evidence: this is also the kind of person who would name their child Jean-Yves, lmao, a name that was most popular in the 1960s.

Matching with 4, growing up speaking French, Provençal, and English in a massive port city means that Jean can get through a few phrases in most western Mediterranean languages. In addition, being raised as the theoretical heir to a smuggling empire meant he had to learn enough languages to "not get ripped off," as his father would say. He says he speaks 3 languages, because he's fluent in 3 (and it's common to consider Provençal just a backwards dialect, not a full language). But he can also understand random bits of Italian, Spanish, and Algerian Arabic. Some he learned formally, some he picked up from other kids while playing little league exy.

When he gets comfortable on the Trojan's court, he starts yelling back sometimes when little multilingual groups form and chatter, and every time he demonstrates a new language the Trojans lose their shit. Jean has his typical disdain for their excitement; his childhood exy court sounded exactly like this and he doesn't get why they're so impressed.

They keep pulling the "sorry, he doesn't speak English" trick to get annoying fans and reporters off their back for a long time after it should have stopped working. He's given full interviews, come on. Use your brain.

[loumandivorce]

"maitre is a coven endearment. armand for you." has so many insane levels ik im preaching to the choir here but saying that to finish a conversation where armand was undoubtably dominating like haha i am not your master. but the word endearment...a benefit given only to those who conform and join the coven. you do not get the privelege of calling me that name w affection and deference. but here's something else: armand for you. more or less intimate? both names given by other people. both roles he falls into with ease. armand for you. a gift and a courtesy but MOST IMPORTANTLY an order. not "you can call me armand" armand. for you. i am bestowing this order upon you. but at the same time he's saying you don't get the privelege of calling me master. which is it. you freak.

[dragon-in-a-fez]

it really says so much that we have data showing people aged 6-12 prefer being called "kids" over "children" by a ratio of about 30 to 1 yet there's a pervasive campaign behind the scenes in education to stamp out teachers' usage of the word "kids" entirely

[xmimikyuusx]

whenever I hear the shit like "trans men can't say tranny that belongs to trans women" "trans men using transandrophobia are just stealing language from trans women/trying to copy them for attention" "trans men can't use the egg cracking analogy because that belongs to trans women" "trans men are trying to appropriate trans women culture" (whatever the fuck that's supposed to mean) it reminds me of being 12 and changing schools, and being a child in the 2010's, I was obsessed with using the word coolio. However, the kids were very quick to inform me that there was Already another kid who was saying coolio and that word belonged to them/was their catch phrase, so I couldn't say it. Even though to me, I'd been using that long since I showed up there. I'd been saying dumb shit like that forever.

So like. Infantile shit. To try and say that certain words belong to your specific identity and anyone who might even remotely relate to you is doing it to steal your thunder. I promise if someone from a different identity uses a term that you use for yourself it literally doesn't affect anything other than your ego.

a note*: the above doesn't apply to indigenous/POC who have had their language essentially colonized, very much a different situation

[bookwyrminspiration]

it’s incredible how in a single generation you can completely and entirely disrupt the transmission of culture and language and by incredible I mean somebody sedate me