When I first moved to Germany I expected to encounter prejudices. The Germans would certainly have pre-formed opinions of me as an American, as I myself would have towards my new country of residence. I was prepared to challenge and be challenged over the validity of these preconceptions. But to my surprise I had also to contend with prejudice from an unexpected source: my fellow Americans.
Maybe I’m just glad to justify all my efforts to learn another language. Or maybe I’m glad to have scientific backing for my own observations I’ve written about in the Adventures in German series. Either way, this article totally confirms my own experience.
The findings suggest that after learning a second language, people never look at words the same way again.
“The Neural Advantage of Speaking 2 Languages” (Scientific American)
The academic study of history makes a strong distinction between “primary” and “secondary” sources. While secondary sources are narratives, opinions, or analysis produced after the fact, primary sources are the real artefacts of the time in question: contemporary documents produced by those with direct experience of events. Primary sources are as close as you can get to experiencing the time during which they’re created; they are snapshots of a few droplets of water rushing along in the ephemeral river of time. You hope as a historian to be able to view as many of these multi-faceted drops as you can to formulate a theory as to the shape of the river’s path.
I’ve just stumbled upon this blog which features a wonderful varied collection of such sources. Letters of Note “is an attempt to gather and sort fascinating letters, postcards, telegrams, faxes, and memos.” Take a moment to peruse a few of these prismatic pieces of history. Fascinating!
Letters of Note: Correspondence Deserving of a Wider Audience
Two great classics that taste great together. A screenwriter has rewritten “The Big Lebowski” in the style of Shakespeare. Publicity stunt? Probably. But with this level of talent and iambic pentameter, he deserves all the attention he gets.
In wayfarer’s worlds out west was once a man,
A man I come not to bury, but to praise.
His name was Geoffrey Lebowski called, yet
Not called, excepting by his kin.
That which we call a knave by any other name
Might bowl just as sweet.