Writing this week’s blog post has been difficult, because I have experienced significant trauma related to the topic of this post. In graduate school, I wrote an essay on the differences between written and spoken languages in a course called “diachronic linguistics”, in which I came to the conclusion that it is impossible to study… Continue reading Spoken vs. Written Language
Tag: languages
Virtual Milieus (vs. IRL Milieus)
A couple weeks ago, I pondered the question “What is a Milieu with No Location?” [ https://indigenous.news.blog/2025/02/12/distributed-milieus-what-is-a-milieu-with-no-location ] This week, I heard an interview with Silke Borgstedt (“Geschäftsführerin” at Sinus-Institut) — she was invited as a guest to a local news program in order to explain what insights her company might be able to provide in… Continue reading Virtual Milieus (vs. IRL Milieus)
We need to figure out what’s going on
This is something a Silicon Valley celebrity said recently — and I’ve decided to “steal” it because the meaning is actually rather ambiguous and depends a lot on context. The person who said it, simply said it in passing and didn’t contextualize what was meant at all — I actually have a vague “gut feeling”… Continue reading We need to figure out what’s going on
Mainstream and / or Main Stream?
Modern English and Modern German are closely related languages. Generally, when linguists say something like this, it mainly means something like “there once existed another language which was neither Modern English nor Modern German, yet which is common ancestor of both languages”. Of course something as complex as a language can hardly be described in… Continue reading Mainstream and / or Main Stream?
Rates of Evolution
Evolution is often thought of as a single thing. Yet’s it’s not even a thing at all — it’s a phenomenon, a figment of our imaginations, one way that we interpret the world we live in. It is perhaps one of our most abstract scientific concepts. At the same time, no one even just somewhat… Continue reading Rates of Evolution
Localization (or Localisation?) and Context: Das Gegenüber
Localization is a commonly used term to refer to translating content into other languages — but it’s almost never as simple as that. One of my German friends suggested I should write something for a German-speaking audience (alluding to some of my English language sites, such as this one or my indigena project). I felt… Continue reading Localization (or Localisation?) and Context: Das Gegenüber
Self Determination
Among the people I met up with in Porto last weekend (see chapter 21, “Social Business Regulation: Introduction & Socio BIZ Rule #1“) was a woman from Latvia who spoke really excellent English (probably because — as she mentioned in passing — she now lives in England). She noted that she feels it is wrong the… Continue reading Self Determination
Language & Community — Some More or Less Clearly Defined Definitions
I feel I need to make clear how I define some terms. Although I feel as though I use most terms in a very literal manner, I think some people misunderstand what I mean because these terms sometimes have connotations which differ significantly from the way the terms are (or “ought to be) understood in… Continue reading Language & Community — Some More or Less Clearly Defined Definitions
Linguistic Empathy & Community Boundaries
Languages are abstractions — they pretend to actually exist, but in reality they are more like amorphous relationships between the language’s speakers (or users). When one person uses a word and another person interprets that word’s meaning, there is no guarantee of absolute congruency — meanings can be laden with all sorts of connotations, there… Continue reading Linguistic Empathy & Community Boundaries
Infrastructure is a Historical Context that Can Span Several Centuries
Having become somewhat mindless and numb over the past few days, when I awoke this morning I had pretty much no significant topics swirling around in my brain. 😐 No worry — mainstream media came to the rescue! But first let me backtrack a little to the foundations … literally. Infrastructure is a part of… Continue reading Infrastructure is a Historical Context that Can Span Several Centuries
Socio Business blog 