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New Indian Express
19 hours ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Language row: Whose tongue is it anyway?
Language remains an attractive business opportunity in Indian politics. Union Home Minister Amit Shah joined a long line of political entrepreneurs when he recently said, at the launch of a book by Hindi poet and administrator Ashutosh Agnihotri, that the days of English are numbered, and that English-speakers in India would soon 'feel ashamed'. But what exactly was the venture about, and was it a losing proposition? In the language business, north Indian politicians usually propose to replace English, the working language of the British Raj, with Hindi, the language in which governments after independence hoped to bind together the states, which were demarcated on linguistic basis. Indira Gandhi established the department of official language in the 1970s to give teeth to the Official Language Act, 1963. Its core project was to promote Hindi in the work of the Union government. The first step was to create vocabularies to describe the functions and processes of government. Words like nyayalaya (court) were not in common use in the 1970s. The Urdu adalat prevailed. And newfangled terms like urja mantri (minister for energy) sounded unnatural. Delhi's governments had always relied on English, Urdu and Persian to conduct affairs of the state. Now, a new Hindi vocabulary had to be assembled quickly―and awkwardly. The news on state-controlled media baffled millions. State-sanctioned school curriculums featured monstrosities like vismaya dibodhakchinh, Hindi for the exclamation mark. Only a language bureaucrat could have dreamed that one up. But yesteryears' monsters are now familiar friends. Across the land, we know what a nyayalaya is. Sporadically, political leaders from Devi Lal to members of the present government have even sought to make technical education accessible in Hindi, But the task of making up a fresh vocabulary is challenging. What's the Hindi for albedo? For the sternocleidomastoid muscle? It's better to teach children English, the language in which most of the world's useful knowledge is encoded today. The children of so many people in government have been educated in precisely that language, often overseas, and they do not want to be ashamed.
Express Tribune
6 days ago
- General
- Express Tribune
Americans rudest on the internet
Almost two billion words — just under 600 of them swear words — were carefully assessed, and the United States then handed the dubious honour of being the most cursing country in the English-speaking world, at least online. For the Australian duo behind the research, it came as a surprise that the inhabitants of their own country did not lead the way, such is the stereotype that Aussies are easy-going and relaxed, in actions and words. But Australians were only the third-most likely citizens to drop a swear word in conversation online. The reason that America — viewed by some to be a more conservative and polite culture among English-speakers — is the most profane community online may be the anonymity of the screen, according to the study's co-author Martin Schweinberger, a linguist at the University of Queensland, Australia. "Especially when you're not tied to what you write with your name, for example," said Schweinberger. "There are also cultural differences on what is allowed in social situations." "Different cultures have different norms on when and what is permitted. It seems as if the Americans, basically, are more forgiving online," he said. Billions of words Schweinberger and collaborating linguist Kate Burridge evaluated 1.7 billion words used in online news stories, company websites, institutional publications, blogs and other web sources, across 20 English-speaking regions. From these sources, they created a list of around 600 obscenities, including modified words and abbreviations, like "WTF", and dozens of variations of the "F" and "C" words and other vulgarities. They then analysed how frequently those vulgarities appeared in the documents they had found online. In their results, Americans topped the list with a curse word appearing 0.036 per cent of the time. That is equivalent to 36 curse words in a 100,000-word text. The British were next, with 25 curses per 100,000 words. Then the Aussies with 22, Singaporeans with 21 and New Zealanders with 20. Bangladeshis are the politest among English-speakers — just seven vulgarities per 100,000 words. Polite in the real world While a broad range of internet sources were used for the study, social media was excluded from the dataset. That was done deliberately, said Schweinberger, because social platforms require more "weeding" of material that is not suitable for analysis. However, he said they have analysed the use of vulgarities on social media — compared to face-to-face interactions — in a separate study. The results, which have yet to be published, are quite different: On social media, New Zealanders top the list, ahead of the Irish and Australians, said Schweinberger. And in face-to-face interactions, the American stereotype for conservatism is evident. "Face-to-face, the Americans are way down the list," Schweinberger said. "But social media basically had the same pattern that we find in general online data." Swearing culture For linguists, a data-rich analysis of the use of language online provides insight into how humans behave and interact. Andrea Calude, a linguist at the University of Waikato, New Zealand, who was not involved in the study, said it was important to have a scientific approach to how words are used. "Sometimes you think you know things which you don't, so you have to look at [the] data," said Calude. "We think of English as one thing — one language — but look at how different English [is used] around the world," Calude said. In particular, the context in which speakers use vulgarity is a useful way to help non-native speakers integrate into a new environment. "Even in this connected world, we each have our own idiosyncratic way of speaking locally," said Calude. "If you break those patterns, you identify yourself as not one of the locals. It speaks to this idea that there are local communities, even when you have a globalised world." Schweinberger, who hails from Germany, knows it from personal experience. He once used vulgarity in the company of American colleagues and said he "could see their faces shift completely, as if I'd said something really horrible. I just wasn't aware of these cultural constraints." Analysing vulgarity, he said, was not only a valuable tool for linguists but for people in all walks of life. "When we think of these bad words or bad language, it's not that you need to avoid it, it's to learn when to use it appropriately," Schweinberger said, "and then it can be really effective for improving your communication style and skills."
Hindustan Times
14-06-2025
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
A stroll down Jane street: Poonam Saxena on Austen as the ultimate comfort read
Everyone has a few comfort films or comfort books that bring them special joy. I have a set of comfort books or, perhaps more accurately, a comfort author. She wrote only six major novels in her lifetime but, no matter what I am reading, one of these is almost always open on my Kindle alongside. Since this year marks the 250th birth anniversary of this globally celebrated writer, I'm happy to dedicate this week's column to the peerless Jane Austen. Most English-speakers are familiar with Austen, but I suspect many know her more through the countless TV and movie adaptations of her works than through her books themselves. And that is a pity. The six novels (Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Mansfield Park, Emma, Persuasion and Northanger Abbey, all published between 1811 and 1817) illuminate a small, cloistered world of village landlords and clergymen, army men and navy officers, matrons, dowagers and spinsters, young girls waiting to make suitable marriages, and a genteel rural life of country dances, card games and tea. But what makes Austen special is that she populated this frankly-fairly-dull world with the most delightful and diverting characters. There were her heroines and heroes, of course, but also a supporting cast so entertaining, they can eclipse the main actors themselves. Her sharp observations on society, class and the predicaments of women were spot on and strike a chord even today. The final stroke of genius: her ironic humour, which lands even at the nth reading. These gifts that she brought to the page are why her stories are still being retold centuries on, as Hindi and Tamil films, as manga works in Japan, even as the Bridget Jones film franchise. (In fact, it wouldn't be a stretch to see Austen as the original template-creator of the modern romcom.) Pride and Prejudice is the tale retold most often, and the one that invariably tops the list of Austen's best-loved work. I yield to none in my love for this wonderful novel. But the book I keep gravitating to is one of her least-popular novels, Northanger Abbey. Published in 1817, soon after her death, this is the frothiest and funniest of her works. Its heroine is 17-year-old Catherine Morland, daughter of a clergyman, who is invited by her kindly neighbours, Mr and Mrs Allen, to accompany them to Bath. Catherine is an unexceptional, sweet-natured girl, slightly naïve as a result of her youth and sheltered upbringing. I find her the most appealing of Austen's heroines (followed by Elizabeth Bennet of Pride and Prejudice). While in Bath, Catherine falls in love with the charming, witty clergyman Henry Tilney, and strikes up a close friendship with the effusive Isabella Thorpe (only to discover later that she is a vain and selfish coquette). The characters are sketched with Austen's signature drollness. She writes, for instance, that Mrs Allen was 'one of that numerous class of females whose society can raise no other emotion than surprise at there being any man in the world who could like them well enough to marry them.' Her descriptions of Isabella's dull brother John and his obsessions with the latest carriages, their new features, how many miles they can cover in an hour etc are hilarious (and remind me of all those boring men one meets who are obsessed with the latest cars). Catherine is youth itself: light of heart, prone to flights of fancy. She has an all-consuming passion for Gothic romances. So taken up is she with thoughts of sinister castles, ancient housekeepers, gloomy passages and 'secret' doors that she becomes convinced at some point that Tilney's father, a formidable retired general, has either murdered his wife or is keeping her locked in a secret room on the family estate. (Northanger Abbey is often seen as a satire on the Gothic novel.) But Catherine also has one of the most memorable lines of dialogue in any Austen novel. Asked for her thoughts on the subject of history, she says, 'The quarrels of popes and kings, with wars or pestilences, in every page; the men all so good for nothing, and hardly any women at all – it is very tiresome: and yet I often think it odd that it should be so dull, for a great deal of it must be invention.' Comfort reads that combine sharp insight, wit and humour with engaging storytelling and happy endings are rare. Rarer still is the ability to do this while creating characters one wants to meet over and over again, as if they were old, beloved friends. Austen delivers on all of the above. Every single time. (To reach Poonam Saxena with feedback, email poonamsaxena3555@
Local Sweden
10-06-2025
- Business
- Local Sweden
Almost 17,000 summer jobs still available in Sweden
If you're looking for a summer job in Sweden, don't give up just yet – there are still thousands of job openings in everything from the hospitality industry to healthcare. Advertisement 'There are almost 17,000 summer jobs available right now,' Alva Johansson, analyst at the Swedish Public Employment Service (Arbetsförmedlingen), told the TT newswire. A total of 130,314 summer job ads have been posted via the service's job site, Platsbanken, this spring, somewhat fewer than the 133,144 job ads last year. Although hiring for more permanent positions often grinds to a halt during the summer, it can also be an ideal period for breaking into the Swedish labour market. Full-time employees are legally entitled to four consecutive weeks off during June-August, so there are plenty of temporary substitute openings available on top of seasonal work. While many jobs require Swedish, the summer season often offers more opportunities than usual for those with limited Swedish skills. The majority of jobs are found in the healthcare and social services sector, but there are also plenty of openings at for example cafés and restaurants and in cleaning. Even if the summer job does not exactly match your level of experience or future career aspirations in Sweden, it can be an opportunity rather than a step down. In Sweden, seven out of ten jobs are obtained through personal connections, so using the summer to build networks and industry knowledge can be particularly useful for newcomers. Advertisement Seasonal jobs for English-speakers may for example be available in major cities or tourism destinations, where it is more important that you can communicate with international tourists than have fluent Swedish. In the healthcare industry, there may also be opportunities to work as a personal care assistant for someone whose native language you speak. Another option could be to look for entry-level jobs such as a cleaner. Although many foreigners in Sweden need a work permit to work in the country, EU citizens, as well as non-EU citizens here on other permits, such as student permits or permits as accompanying family members, are able to work without needing a work permit first.
Otago Daily Times
09-06-2025
- Otago Daily Times
About both journey, destination
While Japan welcomed an incredible 37 million international visitors last year and is targeting 60 million per year by the end of the decade, there are still parts of the country that host few foreign tourists and don't seem to have changed much in the past few decades, Queenstown travel writer Craig McLachlan finds. Two-thirds of international visitor nights are spent in Tokyo, Kyoto and Hiroshima and few stray far from the beaten path. I've been writing Japan guidebooks for Lonely Planet since 1998 and it's part of my job to tell visitors how to get off that beaten path and inform them about parts of Japan that they've never heard of — and I can't think of a more enjoyable job. Island-hopping My wife Yuriko and I are in Japan at present, island-hopping from Kagoshima, at the southern end of Kyushu, Japan's third-largest island, to Naha, the main city in Okinawa. Didn't know you could go island-hopping in Japan? Well, this is one of the world's great boat journeys. Nothing luxurious at all; these are inter-island ferries that have delivering freight, the lifeblood of the islands, as their primary purpose. In return, they cart agricultural products from the islands to market. Moving islanders to and from the various islands to Kagoshima and Naha comes next, with carting tourists, especially non-Japanese-speaking ones, as an afterthought. If you want to take this on, be aware that island-hopping through the Amami Islands is like an old-style backpacking adventure. It's about both the journey and the destination, an extremely satisfying trip with experiences to be had along the way that you'll never forget. But it's a trip that's going to require a bit of effort — not many English-speakers, English-language menus or much in the way of Western-style food out this way — but the locals are friendly, you'll face a lot of smiles and most will try to help you make your visit work out for everyone. The journey It's a 25-hour journey from Kagoshima to Naha, with stops at four islands along the way — Amami Ōshima, Tokunoshima, Okinoerabujima and Yoron-tō. Each day, there's one ferry heading south — Kagoshima to Naha — and one ferry heading north — Naha to Kagoshima. Outside of the Japanese holiday seasons — Golden Week (late April to early May) and summer holidays (July 20 to the end of August) — you can pretty much turn up an hour before a sailing and get the cheapest ticket to ride to the next island. You'll want to pre-book a spot in Japanese holiday periods. If you want to go the whole hog, a 14-day norihōdai (ride as much as you like!) pass costs ¥30,000 yen (about $NZ344) and you could ride the ferry from Kagoshima to Naha and back (or vice versa) over two weeks. One thing to keep in the back of your mind — June to October is typhoon season in Japan and typhoons tend to play havoc with ferry schedules. Think of it as part of the adventure! On this trip, Yuriko and I opted to take the ferry from Kagoshima and spend two nights each on Tokunoshima, Okinoerabujima and Yoron-tō, then a few nights in Naha, before flying back to Osaka. It's just as easy to fly to Naha from any number of mainland cities, then ride the ferry north to Kagoshima. Leaving Kagoshima We were surprised at the number of schoolkids in uniform milling around at Kagoshima port. It was spring holidays in Japan. The new school year starts in early April each year and school was out. If all those kids were getting on the ferry it would be a very crowded ship, indeed. Once we boarded the ferry and looked back, however, all became clear. The crowd of students had come to farewell a beloved teacher who was being transferred to one of the Amami Islands for a year or two. About 200 waving students lined the railings at the port, with unfurled banners wishing the teacher good luck. Equally, when we arrived on Tokunoshima, a group of students and parents was there to greet and welcome their new teacher with much excitement to the island. Both the Kagoshima departure and Tokunoshima arrival were moving sights, testament to the value of a good teacher. Tokunoshima The first island we hopped off the ferry at, Tokunoshima, proudly claims a couple of remarkable records. This tiny dot on the ocean, with a population of around 22,000, has had not one, but two Guinness World Record-holders for the world's oldest person. Shigechiyo Izumi got the big prize in 1979, then lived another seven years before dying aged 120 years and 237 days. Kamata Hongo became the world's oldest person in 1999 and lived to 116 years and 45 days. Dubbed "the island of longevity", Tokunoshima also hit amazing highs at the other end of the scale, recording Japan's highest total fertility rate of 2.25 (the number of children a woman has in her lifetime), in figures released last year. That's an interesting number, considering that Aotearoa's total fertility rate is 1.66 births per woman and Japan, as a whole, is at 1.26 (both 2022). Unfortunately, despite this encouraging figure, the island's population is still declining, with young people leaving Tokunoshima for work and opportunities on the mainland. We loved our time on Tokunoshima, staying in Kametsu, the largest town on the island, by the port of Kametoku. The only way to really see what the island has to offer is with a set of wheels and rental cars are available in the port. There is a great passion on the island for tōgyū, a kind of bovine sumō, that has a 400-year history on Tokunoshima. The best English translation of tōgyū is bullfighting, but this is nothing like the Spanish version that pits man against bull. In tōgyū, it's bull against bull, the two locking horns and trying to force each other backwards. The bout is decided when one bull tires, retreats and runs away. The bulls are ranked, much like in sumō, given inspiring "fighting names" and are much loved and cared for by their owners. There are three big tournaments on Tokunoshima each year, and while there is prize money, we were told that it is minimal when compared with the costs of keeping and training a bull. It's all about pride on the island. Owners tend and train their bulls like pets and after 5pm each day, once owners have finished work, huge 800kg-1000kg bulls can be seen being led down roads and along beaches as part of their training. We were taken to meet Kokuhō, whose proud owner spends from 5pm-8pm daily with him — feeding, exercising and even massaging his giant pet. When I asked more about tōgyū at the Tourist Information Office, the manager swiftly brought out his smartphone to show us photos of his two bulls. Okinoerabujima Next island down the line, Okinoerabujima is a raised coral atoll, about 20km long, with a population of 14,000 people. Its main industry is agriculture, and it was potato and sugar cane harvesting season when we turned up. There aren't enough hands available during harvesting season and a number of young Japanese show up from around the country to help. A young guy running a bar in Wadomari, the main port, told us he originally came from Osaka five years ago to help with the potato harvest and never left. You'll also want to rent some wheels on Okinoerabujima to see the sights. Some 200 limestone caves are dotted around the island, the easiest to visit being Shōryūdō, with 600m of the 3.5km-long cave system open to visitors. It takes about 30 minutes to walk through these truly remarkable caverns. The island is also renowned for the Erabu lily. The large, white trumpet-shaped lilies bloom in April and May and were just coming into bloom when we were there. Bulbs are cultivated and sent to the Japanese mainland as a major earner for the island. They have also been exported overseas, due to being introduced to Europe through World Expos from 1870 onwards, to become known as "Easter lilies", their white petals being a symbol of purity for Christian events around the globe. Yoron-tō My favourite island, though, was the speck that is Yoron-tō, home to 6000 people. This raised coral island, surrounded by reef, is home to some 60 magnificent beaches, with Yurigahama, a sandy islet that appears at low tide, being Yoron-tō's renowned highlight. Only 23km in circumference, this is an island to ride around on a bike. Rentals are readily available. Kiwis will be surprised to find the island's museum and information building is called the Southern Cross Centre. Did you know that the Southern Cross could be seen in the northern hemisphere? At 27° 22' north of the equator, Yoron-tō is the most northerly point in Japan from which you can view the Southern Cross, though the guy in the museum admitted it was hard to spot, more or less right on the horizon. I was overjoyed to hear something that has largely disappeared from most parts of regional Japan. At noon, loudspeakers around the island cranked up with tropical Yoron island music, then announced to everyone working in their fields that it was lunchtime. At 5pm, the music was followed by an announcement thanking everyone for their hard work, saying that it was time to go home, and telling workers to be careful of children playing — and not to drink and drive! Our island-hopping adventure through the Amami Islands happened all too fast and suddenly it was time to hop on the ferry to the final stop and one of my favourite cities, vibrant Naha, the capital of Okinawa. I've flown there many times, but this time, it was about the journey, not the destination. — Craig McLachlan is a Queenstown-based "freelance anything" who has been writing Lonely Planet guidebooks for over 25 years.
