In Defense of Spanglish
Threats and fans have followed Ilan Stavans ever since he announced on Barcelona radio in 2002 his intention to translate Cervantes into Spanglish. This time, it's for real.
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Alas, Poor Webster, We Knew Him Well
In the old days of language usage, speakers took their commands from lexicographers who wrote the rules of what words meant. Thanks to the Internet, that chain of command has been called into deep question.
Back-Seat Rebel
Jackie Robinson's famous 1944 court-martial revealed not just the hierarchy of power in language, but also the tension between the U.S. Army's efforts of integration and the ongoing struggle of black soldiers in their fight against Jim Crow.
The Rhythms of Dissent
As global audiences deepened their involvement with hip-hop culture and created local rap scenes of their own, the language of rap came to play an important role as they developed their own hybrid vernaculars.
Cooking With Words
If the translation is tantalizing enough—and even if it isn't—language can transcend its boundaries beyond signifiers to land straight on the tongue. Novelist Qiu Xiaolong has the experience, and literary character, to prove it.
The Dead Language Society
Sholem Aleichem indisputably contributed to the golden age of modern Yiddish literature in a major way. But what does it mean for a writer to have contributed to a literature no longer flourishing?
Big On Japan
Famed jazz historian and author Ashley Kahn explains how, and why, jazz translates so well in non-western countries such as Japan.
That ’70s Band
Earth, Wind & Fire turned the "Me Decade" upside down, inside out, and all around. Lead man Philip Bailey's bio reveals the spirit behind the songs.
Why The Fiddler Sticks
It may be mere schmaltz from the shtetl, but the story and songs of Tevye, his daughters, and life in Anatevka has shaped Jewish identity to a surprising degree.
R&B Odes From Jim Crow’s Jailhouse
In life and in music, The Prisonaires never got the justice they deserved. John Dougan's new book The Mistakes of Yesterday, the Hopes of Tomorrow works to even that score.