Insights

I’ve spent my life from kid-hood through career learning about, thinking about, and being fascinated by language and culture. It’s a profound source of human understanding, and we each get a bit of the puzzle to enjoy and share. Here are my insights, where I share my experiences, observations, and learning with you, and ask you to do the same. Please share the site with others as you enter the conversation, and let me know your thoughts, insights, and suggestions for future topics, too.

The video blogs also appear on my YouTube channel, Fluency Online. All videos have captioning for accessibility… or just because you’d like to read along! By the way: what do you think of the word “vlog”? When I saw it the first time I loved it, but one of my family members really dislikes it. How about you? Interesting, isn’t it, how we have gut reactions to some words? My dad absolutely detested the word “webinars,” despite knowing full well that a seminar online would be efficiently called… a webinar. He never wavered in his distaste. 🙂

Also, visit Fluency Finds to see fun and interesting videos, articles, and more about language that I have found. There are so many interesting things to share.

I’m looking forward to sharing — and enjoying the exploration with you!

Read and Watch

Passports to Understanding

Sharing this small meditative gem from Maya Angelou on the power of exposure to languages and cultures, so critical for our times.

Words Matter

It is critical that we reflect right now in our country’s life on the role and power of language and words on the behavior and beliefs of individuals and groups.

Language and Music

How much seasonal music have you heard, and how many season’s greetings have come your way? We’ll finish the year linking language and music!

Language Truths

Watch my keynote at the GlobalCRED international conference on game-changing language truths for students and educators.

Identity

Identity: It comes from language, and we add to it as we use and study languages. I share insights and links to powerful podcasts – and invite you to listen also to one on which I was a guest, speaking about the power of language.

How does a word mean?

The words we know are intimately connected with the cultural environments we learn them in. Let me tell you some stories, and then let’s explore the cultural contexts of the words we know and use.

A Video Conversation on Language, Culture, Bread

Come with me on a language and culture journey — and it all starts with bread! What will you discover about YOUR language and YOUR culture? Watch, ponder – and enter the conversation! This video ties to the previous post, “Language, Culture, and Bread.” I welcome you to read my thoughts there as well, and…

Language, Culture, Bread

What is your word for these beautiful baked items? Done any extra baking lately? I’ve been on “bread overdrive” now for several months, and that got me thinking about bread – specifically, how, when I was in the fifth grade, I saw a loaf of sliced bread on our kitchen table and asked my dad,…

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