Winners of Nobel Prize in literature since 1980
The 2014 Nobel Prize in literature will be announced Thursday by the Swedish Academy. Here is a list of previous winners of the award since 1980: The post Winners of Nobel Prize in literature since...
View ArticleYou say ‘lady’ I say ‘feudal slave’– Korea’s language divide
North and South Korea have never found dialogue easy, but academics from both sides currently meeting in Pyongyang are trying to steer things in the right direction by at least getting them to speak...
View ArticleLost words
Alila is a servant, later evolving into the more democratic katulong, ate, or the classier “maid.” Once I visited a gay friend whose also gay katulong opened the door, in a uniform and ruffled apron,...
View ArticleOpus Dei tutors Francis: English only, please
The “Vatican official” who is helping Pope Francis practice and polish his English for his apostolic visit to Sri Lanka and the Philippines next week is American Greg Burke, a former Time magazine and...
View ArticleLost words and phrases Part 5
Tagalog lessons from an English teacher. Oración. Six p.m., to Catholics before WWII, meant time for the oración or evening prayer. The church announced it to the neighborhood by the well-spaced...
View ArticleUS group: Foreign authors censored in China without knowing
WASHINGTON — A US-based advocacy group is warning Western authors to be vigilant of censorship of their work in China’s fast-growing book publishing industry, which is sometimes done without their...
View ArticleYour mileage may vary
If you are an old person, conservative and easily disturbed, please skip this column. It is about today’s unpalatable language of the young which is contrary to good manners and proper conduct....
View ArticleKids learn to pick veggies over chips at Read-Along
It's not easy to convince children to choose vegetables and fruits over sweets and junk food, but storytelling definitely helps. The post Kids learn to pick veggies over chips at Read-Along appeared...
View ArticleRaul Roco: ‘Best President PH never had’ immortalized in De Quiros book
A poignant hush fell over the crowd when Inquirer columnist Conrado de Quiros was wheeled into the room during the launch of De Quiros’ biography of the late Sen. Raul Roco, his friend of many years....
View ArticleKWF to launch new titles for National Language Month
The Komisyon ng Wikang Filipino (KWF) is holding a monthlong series of activities this August in connection with National Language Month or Buwan ng Wika. The post KWF to launch new titles for National...
View ArticleCarry mo?
I used to know English and I used to know Tagalog. Or so I thought. Now I’m lost when English is treated as Tagalog. Carry mo bang ano? Carry mong isuot—ano pa? Dare to wear mo ba, go against the...
View ArticleComedian Patton Oswalt remembers wife in touching essay
Comedian Patton Oswalt has authored a touching essay nearly two weeks after the unexpected death of his wife, crime writer Michelle McNamara. The post Comedian Patton Oswalt remembers wife in touching...
View ArticleWrite ‘old-fashioned’ letter, win P50, 000
THE PROJECT to revive the “old-fashioned” practice of impassioned letter writing has been launched this year by the Department of Education (DepEd), which urges students to send a letter of gratitude...
View ArticleScholastic: Championing literary in the PH
Aliteracy, the phenomenon of children choosing not to read despite being able to, is a cause for concern in many nations, including the Philippines. The loss of a reading habit among children is...
View ArticleRita Avila laments Duterte’s habit of cussing: ‘We’re the receivers of this...
Being allergic to hearing cuss words, actress Rita Avila has started a challenge which she and her daughter took on – putting up a “mura box.” The post Rita Avila laments Duterte’s habit of cussing:...
View ArticleSpanish as language has waned in PH, but can make comeback
When I was growing up in Manila in the 1960s and ’70s, the Spanish language was no longer as vibrant as it had been in the prewar era, when Filipino poets such as Jesus Balmori or Fernando Maria...
View ArticleREVIEW: The app that got me speaking basic Deutsch after six months
In July of last year, I committed to learning German via a PHP2,990 annual subscription to Babbel. It’s my equivalent of making sourdough or adopting 10,000 plants. Today, I set my MacBook and iPhone...
View ArticleFinalists announced for best translated books
Poetry by the late Chilean author Roberto Bolano and fiction by best-selling Norwegian novelist Karl Ove Knausgaard are among the finalists for the Best Translated Book Awards. The post Finalists...
View ArticleTaking in the new technology with neither glee nor gloom
In this age of instant communication, I attract attention every time I attend a presscon with mostly young media people in attendance. The post Taking in the new technology with neither glee nor gloom...
View ArticleUniversity: Poet, author Maya Angelou dies at 86
Maya Angelou, who rose from poverty, segregation and the harshest of childhoods to become a force on stage, screen, the printed page and the inaugural dais, has died. She was 86. The post University:...
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