Tongues and Tongues: English Language Learners meet-up June 27, 2017

Tuesday, June 27, 2017

English Language Learners meet-up June 27, 2017

I've been volunteering every week at an English language learners meet-up for a long time now. I thought it would be interesting* to record all the vocabulary I taught people today. It's a snapshot of the life of an English learner.

drizzle
soothing
newcomer
prejudice
(right) over your head
period piece
twilight
dusk
dawn
air quotes
sarcasm
irony
chicxulub
comet
solar
lunar
eclipse
meteor shower
obsessed
"beat the heat"
pant
bless
shrine
thumbprint
lifeguard
"have a good nose for ___"
insight
Independence Day
the Fourth of July
cul-de-sac
dead end
central

*I was right! It's fascinating!

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The What and the Why

This blog explores language-related themes and topics from a common-sense, science-friendly (but not always explicitly scientific), descriptivist perspective. (What is language, how does it work, and how do we work it?) I'm not interested in a prescriptivist approach to language, one that deals in thou shalt nots or worships arbitrary standards of linguistic "purity." Language belongs to us all, not just to the self-appointed experts, the prigs, and the taste-makers. Language is far richer and languages far more admirable than the finger waggers know.

The Who

I love words, Language (as a symbolic system and a universal human faculty), and languages. I've studied plenty of languages, some dutifully, some less so: Russian, German, Latin, Ancient Greek, Old English, Finnish, Sanskrit, and Korean. I have two degrees in linguistics: a Bachelor's (1988) and a Master's (1997). I was a nonfiction book editor for 11 years, and currently I edit fiction. I've been a volunteer tutor of English language learners and GED students. I write (mostly) kids books for hire, and sometimes I work on my own fiction writing.

I believe that Language is the ultimate expression of the innate human genius and that languages are our most miraculous and useful cultural inventions.