Analysis //

Time, Curious Time: how we put abstract concepts into words

Time is an abstract and nebulous concept – it’s not something we can see, and its nature is difficult to physically determine. Because of this, much of the language we use to describe time relies on metaphor. While these metaphors are typically consistent within a language, they tend to differ cross-linguistically.

Perspective //

The love we have known

Through stuttered sobs, I thanked him for being a good grandad. He snorted; “I haven’t done much”. I said that he had, trying to articulate through my running nose and gasping breath how much he had done for me, but in the moment, I couldn’t.

Features //

Inarticulate

Every comma I added, split infinitive I repaired, hung preposition I cushioned in noun phrases was proof that I was articulate. Articulate was the last few marks on my English assignments, the judge’s feedback from the debates I won, the glowing words printed on my report card. To be articulate was to be intelligent. To be worth listening to.

Analysis //

 Y, oh y?

A, E, I, O, U… and sometimes Y. How can it be that the relatively exclusive set of vowels has a member that only sometimes counts? Is y a consonant, or a vowel? Is “rhythm” really the longest word without a vowel? And, if y is a vowel, perhaps we should ask the most apt…