The Power of the Written Word in the Mother Tongue

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Today it is Romani language day. Anastasiia Tambovtseva-Koval writes about her experience as an educator teaching the Romani language in a written form.

It is well known that while the mind can perceive many languages, the heart is most deeply touched by the native one. Good teachers understand this and take it into account when educating their students. However, an interesting phenomenon arises with so-called “non-written languages.” I would like to share my personal experience with this in relation to the Romani language.

Romani is often considered an unwritten language. Although no single official standard for Romani writing exists, a significant number of written sources in the language can be found. These are typically based on the local alphabet, the …

NOW THAT’S WHAT I CALL LINGUISTIC CHRISTMAS – Vol. 2

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I think we can all agree that if there’s one thing that’s better than a compilation album, it’s the second volume of a compilation album! Back in 2020, I brought you this collection of Christmas songs in languages and dialects you might not be used to hearing them in, and now I’m back with a whole new batch! No matter if you are a Christmas song fanatic, or if you roll your eyes and turn down the volume when “All I Want for Christmas is You” starts playing, this list is sure to bring you something new and fresh to spice up your Christmas playlist! This is: NOW THAT’S WHAT I CALL LINGUISTIC CHRISTMAS – Vol. 2!

Jólakötturinn (Icelandic)

On …

Free Ukrainian! Special linguistic operation for the Ukraine: Free Ukranian-Danish-Ukrainian dictionary for displaced Ukrainians and their helpers.

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(див. український текст нижче)

When I visited an old friend, a farmer, in the countryside, he told me that he had given a safe haven in his farmhouse to a couple of Ukrainians who had fled the violence in their homecountry. The ladies and their families were very happy with their new place. In the meantime, they have moved on to Horsens and Hammel.

The challenge was, that my friend and the Ukrainians could not communicate with each other, because they had no language in common. The Ukrainians only spoke Ukrainian. It is an illusion that “everybody” speaks English. I estimate that one in 30 of the refugees speak some (some) English.

Then I thought: there is a task for …