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Sometimes it’s hard to explain what a linguist actually does.  I mean, we work with languages.  And everybody uses language to some extent or another.  So how is being a linguist actually like a real job and anything more than what everyone else does?  That’s what I often wonder.  And then I heard a really […]

I’m currently living in Dakar, the capital of Senegal.  The estimated population of the city itself is 2.4 million (Chicago is 2.7 million; Milwaukee is 0.6 million) and the population of the greater metro area is about 3.2 million (Chicago is 9.5 million; Milwaukee is 1.4 million).  So it’s a big city and it’s also […]

“Hello, hello to all of you. As you know, we’ve all been here since the morning and we are so glad you could be here with us. Now, as you can see, there is a table set before you so I cordially invite you to come and choose a plate and we will serve you. […]

The dog, who has a red collar, just tried to bite me! The dog who has a red collar just tried to bite me! Can you tell the difference between those sentences? In each one, how many dogs are on the scene in your mind’s eye? According to “correct” English grammar, I believe that in […]

How many of you have those friends that you no longer see regularly, but that whenever you see them you can pick up right where you left off?  What a special kind of friendship that is, and it’s something I’ve been super blessed with over the last month – being able to spend time with […]

How many of you have ever taught a class?  That was my job last week, being “Madame la professeure” to a team in southern Senegal.  Is this how your teaching normally looks? It was easier for me to travel there than for all of them to come here to the capital for a week, so […]

And behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy! Wait, wait, that’s the wrong story.  That’s what we celebrate at Christmas, not Easter!   But if we really think about it . . . we celebrate good tidings of great joy at Christmas because that’s where we see a huge turning point in the story […]

Happy New Year from Senegal!  I hope you had a merry Christmas and happy New Year, even though it may have looked very different for many of you this year.  For me, it was my first Christmas in Senegal, and I had a lovely day celebrating with friends and colleagues. So what have these last […]

I made it to Senegal!  I was able to get a covid-19 test (needed for travel) and I even got my negative results almost 24 hours before I left for the airport.  🙂  I then had an uneventful trip and am adjusting to a new time zone (6 hour time change) and a new temperature […]

I have a ticket!  After months of “maybe I’ll be returning to Senegal in November,” I was finally able to buy a one-way ticket for later this month.  We all know that even a plane ticket doesn’t mean things will actually happen, but now at least I have a date and more of a plan.  […]