Category: Culture
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I am the only one who cringes when I hear the word “savage”?
Are we the only ones who cringe when we hear the word “savage?” We are not the politically correct police, but now that Gen Z is using it to mean “amazing,” “cold-blooded” or “wild”- sometimes in a positive light – it makes explaining our “cringiness” even more complicated. Many at Barbier grew up learning through…
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Let’s start a movement to stop saying ‘your guyses’.’
Are the Barbier linguists getting cranky? Or does everyone else cringe when they hear this English language atrocity? After breaking down the use of this unofficial term referring to the possessive form of ‘you guys,’ we think that by starting a petition against its use will inspire English language speakers to find a better and…
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How Influential are Portmanteau Words?
In the 1500’s, A Portmanteau was originally used to describe a two sided suitcase, packing two different items into one space. Lewis Carrol in 1882 coined this word to identify the creation of a new word from two other words or names, like smog= smoke + fog. Some old words that impressed us are: motel = motor…
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Coronavirus: 14 questions and answers about the virus
COVID-19 is an infectious disease caused by a new strain of Coronavirus. This new strain was discovered back in December 2019, when an outbreak occurred in the city of Wuhan, China. This virus has led to the biggest health crisis in modern history, and it has spread to more than 170 countries, infecting more than 2 million people around the world. Below…
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Mayan Languages Spoken in Guatemala
Known for exquisite recipes, beautiful landscapes, breathtaking volcanoes, and natural wonders, Guatemala is a beautiful country located in Central America. Guatemala has been a place of interest for many professionals from different fields. Hikers, social activists, photographers, chefs, singers and even movie directors like George Lucas have found inspiration from this multicultural land. Even though the official language in Guatemala…
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Does Spanglish Improve or Worsen the Quality of a Translation?
Spanglish, or “the act of combining words and idioms from both Spanish and English” is a term that almost every Spanish or English speaker is familiar with. We hear it on the street, at the malls and we may even use it in our everyday conversations. It is also when the word we are looking for is on the…