language

Babelification

Language, as a social instrument, is more than its content. It’s also a signifier defining the speaker. Therefore language, whether expressed as slang, dialects, patois, or accents, is a marker of cultural identity. The language you use signals to other people: am I like you? Do we come from the same place? Do we share perspectives?... See more

To share parts of ourselves as a way of undoing aloneness, as a method of connection, as a form of putting words to something someone else might not yet have the words for, feels like shining a flashlight on something that would otherwise stay hidden, or as Ocean Vuong said, building fire escapes for each other.

Moreover, we should embrace the fact that what we are witnessing is the creation of a new branch of engineering. The term “engineering” is often

invoked in a narrow sense — in academia and beyond — with overtones of cold, affectless machinery, and negative connotations of loss of control by humans. But an engineering discipline can be what we want... See more