After exploring how accents are perceived, evaluated and adapted, a final question remains: Why does all of this feel so personal? Accent is not just pronunciation. It is your linguistic biography. Among all features of language, accent may be the most intimate. Vocabulary can be learned from textbooks, grammar can be practiced and […]
Continue readingCategory Archives: Expats/Internationals
From ‘Zoning Out’ to Understanding: Rethinking Communication Across Accents
Communication across accents is often treated as if it were the speaker’s responsibility alone. It is not. From the very first moment, communication is a shared responsibility. And when listeners “zone out” after a few seconds, this is rarely just about how something is said. It is about how communication is co-constructed or fails to […]
Continue reading
Why Names Matter: Accurate Pronunciation Signals Inclusion and Respect
Practical strategies for educators, multilingual families, and policymakers to honor identity through name pronunciation.
Continue reading
Riding the Waves of Grief: Navigating the Loss of Loved Ones
Grief is one of the most universal human experiences, and yet, when it arrives, it feels like a singular storm: ours and ours alone. Whether it is the death of a beloved family member, a friend or a beloved pet who shared our daily rhythms, grief comes in waves.
Continue reading
10 Ways to Stay Cool Naturally During the Summer
Although we all may long for a warm summer, when the temperature get too high, we look for ways to stay cool. Here in the Netherlands, we can have very warm summers too. Our summer might not be as long as in the Mediterranean area and even hotter countries, but we have pretty warm days […]
Continue reading