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.
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.
It hits me in these moments that there are worlds – literary, familial, cultural – that are almost entirely inaccessible to me, in a language that was meant to be mine.
The psychology of streaks as a tool for learning, a student perspective.
Why does the phrase “I’m dumb” seem to bring me, and others, such comfort?
Grammarly was designed mostly to be used in business rather than academic contexts, proving its service as a colonial project targeted to the teleology of late-stage capitalism.
Fluency entails more than just speaking and understanding, but also regaining an appreciation for the behaviours, attitudes and values I had discarded long ago.
Democracy and liberalism form important, useful and core ingredients of student activism. However, their origins in Western heritage makes these concepts potential tools for past and ongoing colonialism if blindly separated from their historical violence.
Every word you read, even the ones in this article, was constructed with an intended impact in mind.