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Christian College Sex Comedy: Part 7 Zane s Kappa Sigma Cock Legend In 30 parts, By FinalStand. Listen to the podcast at Explicit Novels.             Domestication may be our second greatest accomplishment, exceeded only by Fire       Rhaine had clearly heard something and was trying to make up her mind if she could both check it out and keep me contained when I decided to change her train of thought. I gave an exaggerated sigh, took off my towel, threw it over my shoulder, and headed to my room. "Put, put, put, put that towel, back on," Rhaine stammered. "Why? There are not supposed to be any girls out on the fifth floor at this hour. It is all mine, according to the Chancellor herself," I said over my shoulder. "Now, are you coming along or do I get to shut my door in your face?" "We don't care," Rhaine tried to recover the momentum, "we have a key." "I don't believe you," I accused her as I stopped and kept looking over my shoulder. Barbie Lynn must be right, I have a really fine ass, because that was what they were all staring at. "Well, I have one," she taunted me as she brandished it in my face, from ten feet away. I just had to beam a smile her way. Her key was silver; mine, which hung around my neck on a light chain, was bronze, as were all five of the original keys. Someone was giving out copies of my room key; what a bunch of fuck-nuts. I turned and walked right up to her, which entailed backing her into a wall since she was trying to backpedal away, her eyes torn between my fiery gaze and awakening erection. The other two made to grab me but were flummoxed by my lack of clothing. I took the opportunity to press myself into Rhaine, who was giving me the deer-in-the-headlights look, ran a hand along her jaw and curled a lock of hair. I tickled her cheek with that lock, causing Rhaine to blush and her eyes to flutter. "Thanks, Rhaine. You are helping me out more than you know. If there is anything, I mean anything, I can do for you, let me know," I softly growled with a wolfish hunger to her, but still loud enough for her companions to hear. I stepped back and strutted away again, my semi-rigid rod swaggering back and forth. "Let's go to my room," I laughed. "Weren't we supposed to hurt him if he tried anything like that?" one girl whispered. "But he was naked," responded Mercy quietly. "What would happen if, you know, we touched, IT?" "We are not going to your room with you," Rhaine shouted at me. "Fine, suit yourself, because it isn't like I'm going to avail myself of any of the three fire escapes that lead off the roof," I chortled. "Also, touching IT can lead to blindness and sterility in the elderly under twelve and children over 65," I purposely attempted to confuse them. Children over 65, sometimes I need to show the whole world that I'm not getting enough sleep. Double Dating I was still laughing at my screw-up as the door swung shut. At the last second I failed to hear the 'clunk' of the latch hitting home, though I was already to my bed, when I heard the first hesitant footfalls on steps. I was well into my morning meditative trance, lotus style, when Rhaine crested the stairs. My eyes were shut but I could tell by her sharp intake of breath where she was and what she was staring at. "Put on some clothes!" she barked. I remained blind and silent. "I said 'put on some clothes'," she repeated. I hardly had more reason to do so now than I had a second ago. "Put on your clothes," she now sounded petulant; no response. We remained silent for almost a minute, I normally remain still for ten minutes, when she said the magic word. "Would you please put some clothes on?" "Please?" I responded, cracking open one eye. "Come over right now and give me a kiss; then I'll get dressed. Otherwise, you have to wait nine more minutes while I remain in prayer." "Prayer?" whispered Mercy; strangely, I prayed to the Christian God when I meditated, drawing upon Psalms and the Songs of Solomon mostly. "I will not kiss you; you sex, sex, sex fiend!" Rhaine shouted with disgust. I closed my eye and went back into my own little dream demi-plain. "Get dressed," she insisted once more. I could keep this up for another eight and a half minutes. Finally, in frustration, she stalked up to the side of my bed, the other two in tow. "If we need to, I'll escort you straight to the gymnastics facility where Coach Gorman can administer another lesson in humility." Since I hardly felt humiliated by our last encounter, I felt no necessity to slip out of my Center. My carpets were thin cast-offs from an earlier college epoch so they hardly aided any stealth attempt. Rhaine walked up to me, weighed her options, then pushed me lightly. "Get dressed, Zane," she said, neither convincingly angry nor commanding. That didn't work so she repeated the phrase and pushed harder. The third attempt used more strength but got the same results. Rhaine decided that her problem was in the application of force, not her message, so to increase her push, she placed a knee on the bed and pushed harder. "Get dressed, she squealed as I fell over, grabbing her wrist and pulling her with me. I leapt on top of her even as she rolled from her stomach to her back. Rhaine's eyes were wide as I dove in for a kiss. Her lips were locked shut so nothing more happened. She was still struggling for words when Mercy and the other girl grabbed my arms and yanked me up and back. "Get off of me," Rhaine shouted, a little too late to be effective or believable. Experienced leg-breakers usually keep their victim's arms up or to the side; they never stick them between their thighs. As it was, I was being pulled back on my knees, pinning Rhaine's shins to the bed and my hands merely inches away from their pussies. Was it Christmas already? So much of life is about leverage of one kind or another and in this case, the leverage was all in my captor's favor, so I needed to change things up. "Let go of me!" I shouted, struggled, and slipped my hands higher up their thighs. I'm not going to win an Oscar but I did make Rhaine smile at my feigned discomfort, to the point she propped herself up and grinned wickedly at me. "Now you are going to do what I say," she gloated. "Oh, I don't think so," I grinned right back. I rolled my arms in my shoulder joints and launched my upper body toward Rhaine. For those fans of physics, when the shoulder goes down and they've made the elbow a pivot point, then the lower arm goes up, science is my friend. I rolled my fore- and middle finger into one stiff rod and prodded Mercy's and her partner's perineum. They yelped and pulled back, drawing my fingers onto their slits and along them until I flicked their slumbering clits. Their faces flushed crimson as they stumbled back and released my arms. This allowed me to descend on Rhaine unimpeded. Her mouth open in a surprised 'O', our lips met and then our tongues touched inside her mouth. I was quick enough to wrap my arms around her before her back hit the bed. "Umm" she protested inside our oral embrace. "Umm" she mumbled, before, "Umm, she ended up moaning. I was a bit curious why Mercy and the as-of-yet named accomplice weren't all over this, breaking us apart, when I felt Rhaine's legs move from beneath me, to up my sides until they crossed over my ass and locked me in. "Is that, your, I'm not sure what to call it, cock?" she whispered between kisses. How she had become oblivious of her cohorts was beyond me. "I prefer the term cock," I responded with great gentleness but with a hungry stare, "but if cock works for you," I added with a slow, steady, downward pressure with my hips upon hers. Rhaine groaned from deep within, her head lolled back, and her eyes became somewhat unfocussed. "Oh, yes," she mouthed, barely audible. "Rhaine?" Mercy inquired. "Get, get off of Rhaine," the third girl said weakly. "Please?" Since she said please, I obliged. I flipped us over so that Rhaine was on top. I'm not sure how happy the girl was because Rhaine showed no haste in dismounting me, though we did stop kissing once more. "Would you, would you please get dressed now," Rhaine panted. I would have been more impressed, and able, if Rhaine hadn't been humping me at the moment. Clearly, my cock had wedged itself right against her panty-covered love box, her lips divided and her clit rubbing along my shaft. "You really are quite beautiful," I complimented her, as I brushed some loose hairs out of her eyes. Her face softened and she gave me her first compassionate smile. She also ground down on me harder, biting her lip as she did so. The two companions decided something, technically, it could be called a rescue mission, but I never really figured out who was being rescued as they grabbed my arms that encompassed Rhaine. The unnamed girl grabbed my unresisting hand and pulled it to her chest and kept it pinned tightly there. Mercy made even less pretense of actually helping out. She grabbed my other hand and put it in her lap. This would have been minutely more believable if her skirt hadn't 'accidentally' ridden up her thighs so that when I curled in my fingers, my hand slipped between her thighs. Any guess as to what happened when I flexed them again? As best as I could tell (I was still dealing with a face full of Rhaine), she had raised her closest thigh to block her friends from seeing what she was doing and was thrusting my hand into her crotch like it was some sort of fleshy dildo, with the 'finger-tickler' function. Heavy breathing, five seconds grinding my hand in deep, fifteen seconds figuring out that I was working my fingers underneath the elastic bands of her panties, twenty-two seconds. After that, she spread her thighs open slowly and as wide as she hoped she could get away with without being caught. She remained absolutely still as I slipped two fingers underneath her virginal armor and into her cream-covered labia while rubbing my thumb against her clit from the outside. Back to Rhaine: "I hope, ugh, ugh, you have learned, ugh, ugh, ugh, oh, God, your lesson, ugh, ugh, and we won't, Oh, have to force ourselves on, oh, yeah, ugh, ugh, you again." By this time, Rhaine had soaked her panties so thoroughly that she was making squishing noises as she rode me. "If you give me one more kiss," I grinned at her, "I'll do what you want and get dressed." I've rarely seen someone so arrogant and conceited so utterly baffled about what they should do. Obviously, if she kissed me and I stood up, we would stop having 'safe sex,' but she was truly, in her heart, trying to enforce her will on me too. "Fine," I saved her, "if you kiss me until I surrender to you, I'll go quietly and do what you say all day long." At no time was it ever discussed between us what it would take to make me surrender; she never gave me the chance. She grabbed my head with both hands and proceeded to suck the air out of my lungs and use her tongue to wrestle my tongue into submission. No-Name Girl wasn't humping me like a kitten on speed or pretending I was blind and her cunny was Braille, imparting knowledge by touch; she was playing the nervous virgin. I gave the slightest nudge toward her left breast, she stopped me. I repeated the motion and she stopped me again. On the third try, she controlled my gradual migration over her breast and centered my fingertips over her nipple. Mind you, I still had a face full of Rhaine so I couldn't see what I was doing, but I've had sex on moonless nights and I've even had sex blindfolded once (we both were and it was really fun), so I had some experience at sexual navigation by touch alone. I didn't grab, grope, or shake her orb around; I palmed the breast and slowly contracted the hand up, letting the fingers and thumb bring the areolas and nipple into a tantalizing squeeze, then re-extend hand and repeat. Her nipple was pretty average but it soon made an appearance, so on the seventh stroke, I migrated my hand toward the middle of her chest. She groaned in disappointment until I tapped on two of her buttons rapidly before going back to the breast. She understood right off the bat and that shirt got unbuttoned in three seconds flat. Another squeeze and I rolled like a gentle breeze back to the sternum, under the shirt, and to her surprise, under the bra, and started tweaking the nipple and letting her breast roll in my palm. You know, it would be easier to tell my friends from my enemies if they weren't both trying to fuck me to death. I guess all my girl-'friends' do it out of love; my enemies are trying to bring me closer to God, as long as I get there from outside the campus grounds. There are a million worse ways to die and I shouldn't complain; the most important point is that I do have friends after all. Making the Most of Punishment I had barely gotten Nameless to suck two of my fingers and my thumb to slippery goodness and returned them to working her nipple when I heard someone not on the bed speak. "Do you think we have enough footage now, Iona?" Rio purred in a lethally seductive voice. "In the words of the immortal Rio Talon," Iona recited, "these bitches are toast." Dedicated readers will recall how I once claimed that I didn't live in the real world; I lived in Crazy Town. I still do. Rhaine rolled off me, into Nameless, and they clutched each other to avoid tumbling off my bed. (I have a newer, far bigger bed on order for the very reason that I'm tired of lovely ladies nearly taking headers off my favorite sexual encounter spot.) Rhaine was bosom to bosom with a girl whose shirt was wide open with one boob pulled out of her bra. My hand was yanked free in the exchange so I rapidly pushed myself into a semi-reclined position. Why was I not getting all the way up, you ask? Reference: Crazy Town - Mercy decided that being secretly included in a sex video was a huge turn-on. She started riding my two fingers like they were a mini-cock and she was going off like gangbusters. "Yes, yes, yes, yes, ahah." Mercy's whimpers kept rising in volume. "Oh, here it comes," was Barbie Lynn's assessment, based on deep personal experience with me. "Ah," Mercy continued with even more vigor. "Don't you worry, Barbie Lynn," Rio patted her on the shoulder, "she's not nearly as loud as you are." "Uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, uh," Mercy's whimpers became hiccups as I redoubled my efforts on her clitoris. "She's no Leigh either," Opal pointed out. "Ai, ai, ai, ai, ai, ai," Mercy began yelping louder still. "What is he doing to her?" Brandi gasped in wonderment. "Ba, ba, ba, ba, ba," Mercy's diaphragm began building up a terrible tension deep inside. "Ask him to show that to you in the shower tomorrow," Opal sighed, reliving her own tactile experiences under my care. "I'm not fixated on his cock; if I can't have it, I'll settle for his hands and mouth on me whenever I can get it." "Mother Fucker!" Mercy's head rolled back and she howled at the ceiling, killing all conversation in an instant. Silence hung over the room. Mercy started to fall forward but I caught her and let her drop onto my chest. I held her close until I felt her breathing start to come under control. She pushed up enough to look at me with eyes brimming with tears. "I'm ruined," she told me in a tired, raspy voice, then put her face into my shoulder and began wailing uncontrollably. I stroked her back and hair with my free hand. My other hand was covered in Mercy's fluids, and while some chicks might get off on being covered in their love juice, I doubted Mercy was into that kink; and besides, she was in her school uniform. "You are fine," I cooed. "No one is showing that video to anyone so you are safe. You are one of us and we'll protect you." That last bit was pulled 'outta my ass' so to speak. Every one of my friends up here had their own idea what our relationship was about and I could hardly speak for any one of them, much less all of us. "Speak for yourself, Num-nuts; I'm going to sink these skanks," Rio growled. "Rio, please," I requested in a calm and tender voice. She glared back with ill-concealed rage. "Do you have any idea what these bitches have been doing to me and the other freshmen?" Rio spat back. "Only the vaguest. And I am not saying they shouldn't make amends but there are two things we should consider," I began. It is a testament to how close Rio and I had grown that she permitted me to continue talking uninterrupted. "If we turn them in, we are precisely the type of people they think we are, immoral degenerates. This is supposed to be fun and liberating; if we start breaking people because they cut loose, actually express themselves and have fun, we become what they are and what we despise. I'll leave first," I told her. "Also, as strange as it sounds, probably more to you and me than anyone else on campus, we are Christians," I continued. Rio scoffed and clearly thought I'd lost my mind, or sold out. "You don't bend, Rio. You know right and wrong, and while you often choose wrong, you don't make excuses about it, and I've never had a better friend because I know you mean what you say and say what you mean, no matter how cutting," I explained. "You have clearly lived a socially deprived life, Rio taunted me, but her words cracked under her emotional turmoil ", if I'm what you consider to be a good friend, you stupid bitch moron cocksucker." "Let's put it to a vote," Iona volunteered the notion. "I think that's a good idea," Barbie Lynn stated, with Brandi and Opal agreeing. "Fine, whatever," grumbled Rio. "Okay. We are voting on whether or not we use the video as leverage against Rhaine, Mercy and, I looked to the nameless girl. "Joy," she provided. "Joy Jefferson." "Okay, and Joy Jefferson," I finished. "I vote 'no'." "I vote 'No'," Barbie Lynn went first, but Iona was right behind her with the same vote. "I'm actually with Rio on this one," Brandi said. "They are trying to get rid of Zane. I vote 'Yes'." "I vote 'Yes' as well," Opal agreed. "They shouldn't even be in our dorm or in Zane's room." The most surprised person in the room was now Rio. She clearly expected all the girls who had 'fallen under my spell' to do what I said, leaving her to be in the too familiar spot of being the Odd Woman Out. "I vote 'Yes' for both those reasons," she beamed hate at Rhaine, "plus I am Evil and I want your parents' heads to explode when they see you humping a guy in his dorm room while your lesbian buddies hold him down." "It is a tie," Iona pointed out. "What do we do now?" "It isn't a tie," I countered. "Not every FFU student has voted." "Oh, fuck no," Rio snapped. "They don't get a vote. I'll run and get Cappy and she'll sink their asses." "Okay," I told her. "I'm sure you can relate to having your fate boned by forces beyond your control. You go out and get as many people as you think are necessary to get them expelled and possibly tossed out by their parents. Take your time; there is nowhere they can run." Rio got halfway down the stairs before she came storming back up in a fury that would make a tornado proud. "Move, Bitch," she screamed at Mercy. I pushed Mercy out of the way because I knew what was coming while she had no clue. I scooted to the edge of the bed closest to where Rio was charging. Slap! Oh, fuck, that hurt. "You motherfucking, cock-smoking, son of a bitch," she seethed. Slap! resounded from my other cheek. I caught a glimpse of Iona coming to my aid but she was corralled by Barbie Lynn in time. Opal looked concerned and Brandi was totally stunned. "Don't you ever talk to me like that," she screamed, Slap! "I am not the Better Person. People fuck with me and I make them burn! Do you hear me?" "I understand," I responded with quiet, sincere intensity. Rio hauled off to hit me again and stopped. "Give them to me, Zane. Don't fight me on this. You'll be sorry," she threatened. "I'm doing this because I am your friend, Rio. From 6:00 a.m. on Day One, it has been you and me, and in four years when we earn our release, it will still be you and me," I related. "I don't fucking need you or your fucking pity, Shit For Brains," she growled. "Did it ever occur to you that I'm doing this for me, not you?" I explained. "Look around you right now; mostly really special people but none of them have lost their family and been sent off to live in exile." "My family is not dead, Zane," she replied, her anger misting away like fog before the Sun. "They may live and breathe but you lost them some time ago just the same," I prodded her. Rio said nothing for the longest time, then a lone tear escaped down her cheek. "Sorry, Bro," she stroked my tenderized cheek. "I'm seriously awake now, if that's any consolation," I smirked. "Smart ass," she chuckled back. "Are they okay now?" I overheard Brandi asking the other three girls on my side. "Oh, they are fine, Brandi," drawled Barbie Lynn. "They are like feuding twin brother and sister, somewhat incestuous, mind you, but they are about as close to kin, without being kin, as anyone I've ever seen, save Christina and Heaven." "Rio?" I requested once more. "Fine, the dumb bunnies can vote," she snarled, "but I am praying to God they screw it up anyway." "How do you ladies vote?" I looked to Rhaine but addressed them all. "Um, 'No'," Rhaine said quietly. When no one said anything, Joy rapidly agreed. That left everyone looking at Mercy not that her vote mattered to the final outcome; Rhaine and company were safe by at least one vote no matter what. "I," sniff, "okay, yes," gak, "I mean No!" she corrected, then added, "thank you." "The Noes have it; the video will be archived, not to be seen again until my funeral, which might convince Rhaine to let me live in peace," I teased. The three seniors sighed with relief. "Now for the punishment," Barbie Lynn pronounced. "What?" Rhaine blanched. "I thought we covered that. Are you going back on your word?" "No," Barbie Lynn smiled. "The video is out of bounds but there is still the matter of this being my dorm and me finding you in one of my student's rooms sexually molesting him. Re-read the Handbook if you doubt me or my authority, Rhaine." "We were told to be here by Dean Gorman," Rhaine countered. "Coach Gorman told you to go into Zane's room, sit on his lovely piece of male reproductive perfection, and ride it like you were in the Pony Express?" Barbie smirked. Rhaine, Joy, and Mercy realized that they had no plausible defense and too many witnesses. "What about you all being here?" Rhaine reposed desperately. "We heard his cries for help," Rio beamed. "I think Zane's cries went something like, 'Help, help, I'm trying to remain pure but these scantily clad babes are tearing off their clothes and partaking of my muscular, well-toned man-flesh'." "But that's a lie," Rhaine wailed. "Rhaine, we just salvaged your college career, if not your entire life, and you are worried about Rio's colorful recreation of events?" I inquired. "What is the punishment?" I looked to Barbie. "Spanking," she declared. "Three swats from each of us should do it - barehanded." Rhaine, Joy, and Mercy looked unhappy but not horrified. They looked decidedly less happy when Rio perked up. Morphing Intentions "Iona goes first," Rio said gleefully. "And it has to be on the bare, naked bottom, no panties; three spanks from each of us on each of you, no more than three minutes between the first and last." "No way," Rhaine snapped. She moved to the edge of the bed and stood up. "Fine. Let's go to Gorman's office right now," Barbie Lynn declared. "Zane, you come along as soon as you get dressed. "I'll do it," Mercy sniffled. "I'll take my spanking." "Me too," Joy joined in. Rhaine looked around for some lifeline but there was none. "Very well; let's get this over with," Rhaine conceded. The three girls took off their panties, which probably needed replacing anyway, turned around, bent over, and put their hands on the bed. "No, no, no," Rio denounced their efforts. "All three of you, on the bed, hands and knees with your knees at the edge." When Rhaine looked ready to object, "You agreed to this, Ladies. It is this or else!" The Condemned looked at one another, then slowly obeyed, but Rio wasn't satisfied. She pushed their tushes around and forced them to spread their legs farther apart and generally harangued them until she was happy with the arrangements. It didn't take a 'Doctor Ruth' to figure out what Rio was really doing but the three victims, plus Brandi and Iona, had no idea what they were in store for. "Iona, you first; give them something to remember you by. I'm next, followed by Barbie Lynn, Brandi, Opal, and Zane bats clean-up," (snicker) Rio directed. Barbie Lynn walked down the line, lifting up each skirt onto their back while I scrambled off to get dressed. (Okay, I walked six feet to my wardrobe and dresser.) Iona stood somewhat timidly behind Rhaine, took a deep breath, and, did a rather lukewarm smack. As soon as it fell Iona flinched, and she looked over to a glaring Rio. The next smack was hard enough to make Rhaine give a startled jump but not really cruel. The third, on the other cheek, was about as forceful. Iona stepped down the line and administered her share of the punishment. When she shuffled over to Rio, she looked embarrassed. "I'm sorry, Rio. I'm not sure about all of this. I don't want to hurt them," she explained. "It's cool," Rio soothed her. "You did exactly what I wanted you to do. Now," and whispering followed. Iona shrugged, raided my towel shelf, and headed downstairs quickly. Now it was Rio's turn. She walked up behind Rhaine, knelt between her legs, pressing them apart. "What the, Rhaine began. "Shut up and take it!" Rio growled with such menace that Rhaine turned forward and lowered her head in shame. When Rio placed a hand against Rhaine's rump, it wasn't in anger, though, but to rub it softly. "Very soft," Rio purred sensually. "Did Iona hurt you?" "Ah, not too bad," Rhaine stammered, confused by Rio's sudden affection. "I see a handprint," Rio told her. She was seeing something the rest of us were missing was all I could think. She leaned in and kissed that invisible mark, which caused more of a reaction than any of Iona's slaps. "Hey, what are you doing?" Rhaine squawked. Slap! "Ow!" cried Rhaine. She tried to pull away but Rio grabbed her hips with two hands and pulled back. "You agreed to this," Rio threatened her. Rhaine shuddered but she stopped trying to escape. "Are you going to behave so we can get this over with or do we need to make up an excuse for why we missed breakfast?" "Fine, fine, let's get this over with," Rhaine said dejectedly. "Good girl," Rio cooed. She began massaging Rhaine's right ass cheek with one hand while holding tight with her left hand on Rhaine's left hip. Rio placed a kiss on the cleft between the thigh and ass; Rhaine gave a tiny gasp, twitched, and tried to incrementally pull away. Rio was having none of that. "Bad girl," she murmured, but there was no slap this time. Instead, she slithered between Rhaine and Joy and whispered into Rhaine's ear. "Would you please get on your elbows, Sweet Rhaine?" I'd have bet money that Rhaine would have shot off her mouth if not physically resisted, but Rio was Mistress of the Moment and Rhaine meekly complied. Rio was so dominant, she even kissed Rhaine's ear and nipped the earlobe before resuming her station at Rhaine's posterior. "Is this punishment?" Brandi whispered. "Just you wait and see, Brandi," was my reply. Rio reached out with her hands, separated her ass cheeks, and soaked in the view. Right when Rhaine started to look underneath herself, Rio pushed her face into her cunt and made a loud sucking sound. "Ah!" Rhaine gasped, startled yet aroused. "Umm," Rio slurped, as she rubbed her face deep into Rhaine's Love box. I recognized the tongue technique of darting deep into the cunt, alternating with a vigorous suction of the clitoris. Instead of trying to get away, Rhaine went from resting on her elbows down to her chest touching the bed, her arms crossed, and her head resting on them. Slap! "Ow!" Rhaine whined, "That hurt." Rio was too busy giving Rhaine's cunt a world class swirly so it fell to Barbie Lynn to explain. "That's why it is called punishment, Rhaine," she said, but Rhaine was already moaning in ecstasy. A thin sheen of sweat had just started covering Rhaine's exposed flesh when Iona returned with a wicker basket full of wet cloths. I was buttoning my shirt and enjoying the show when I caught Joy and Mercy studying Rhaine with some concern and exchanging worried glances with one another. Rio seriously worked over Rhaine's cunt for another minute, then launched one more stinging slap. This time Rhaine screamed into her arm instead of out loud and didn't protest. Rio stood up and kissed the small of Rhaine's back. "You have one hot cunt, Bitch. I look forward to tearing another piece of you off later," Rio told her, voice heavy with heated passion. "Iona, towel." Iona tossed her a towel; Rio caught it one handed and used it to wipe off her face. She smiled at Barbie as the blonde came up and knelt behind Rhaine. Barbie Lynn's first spank was hardly brutal but it did get Rhaine's attention. She then began kissing each cheek as her hands parted the Senior Class President's (presumptive) ass cheeks. Her attentions wandered between the twin sets of firm muscle, her tongue flicking along Rhaine's pink, puckered star. "Gak!" Rhaine gasped. She followed it up with a serious tremor throughout her body. Barbie Lynn glanced over to me, gave me a devilish grin, and flexed her eyebrows in sheer delight. Barbie returned to Rhaine's rump and set to work using her extensive skills on her cunt, parting her lips with the fingers of one hand, pinching her clit between the thumb and forefingers of the other hand, and licking along her entire slit with her tongue. Between Joy's thighs, Rio was putting on a performance that would make Jenna Jameson proud, maybe even envious. Apparently her teenage exploration of the Arizona nightlife had not been the waste of time her parents thought it was. I doubt it mattered to Joy, who was already pushing her ass against Rio's face. On this victim, instead of spanking, Rio was biting her ass hard enough to leave marks and make Joy squeal. Two minutes into this round, Rhaine lost it and squirted all over Barbie Lynn's face. This was apparently her first squirter because Barbie tried to back away from the eruption, which only guaranteed that it splashed all over her body from eyebrows to both bodacious breasts. "Rhaine," Barbie Lynn scolded her fellow senior, "you could have warned me." Rhaine didn't respond; her face nestled down on her arms and her whole body wracked with waves of orgasmic bliss and her lungs fighting for air - she was in no state to respond. As Barbie stripped off her shirt, I gave her a washcloth and one of my white shirts. I tossed Rio her second cloth of the morning and motioned Brandi forward. "She's, she's still having her orgasm," Brandi questioned. "That's why this is called punishment," I explained with a knowing smile. Brandi opened her mouth in surprise, followed by understanding, and then a race to get between Rhaine's legs and take her first lick of Rhaine's quivering quim. "Ah, ah, ah,  Barbie Lynn, I've, Rhaine finally articulated ", never done that before, I swear. I am sorry." That was all she could muster; right after that, her fists crumpled up the quilt on my bed and she bit down on the folds in an attempt to stifle the increasingly slutty moans Brandi was bringing forth. Barbie Lynn decided not to put on my shirt, maybe not comprehending that her lacy beige bra had been rendered virtually transparent by Rhaine's ejaculate. Besides myself, Opal was also fixated on the view of her pendulous orbs and gorgeous engorged nipples. The blonde took a different approach with Joy. She lifted up the girl's hips, elevated her to the point Barbie could lick her from pubic mound to ass and back again. I knew Barbie Lynn was strong, but I'd never exploited that quality in that manner. I made a note for experimentation tomorrow night. "No, no, no, no," Joy repeated in a desperate effort to fight off the sensations that were pulsating in an irresistible current surging up from the wellspring of her womanhood. "I can't do this," she sobbed. "Lord, please save me." I hurried around the bed and slid beside Joy's head. I took her by the chin and made eye contact. "Joy, if you really want this to stop, it will end right now," I promised her, though I was sure I was getting a dirty, if unseen, glare from Rio. "You gave your word but if you honestly believe you have been punished enough, take my hand and I'll escort you out of here." I offered my hand to her and she stared at it. "Get me out of here," she panted, tears trickling down her cheeks and gathering at her chin. "No, you get yourself out of here. Give up and agree to leave Mercy and Rhaine to take the punishment you agreed to." "Take my hand, abandon them, and I'll clean you up and escort you back to the fifth floor. That will be the end of it and nothing more will be said," I defined my terms. Barbie Lynn was still going to town on Joy's clit and the poor victim so desperately wanted to escape her nearly impossible battle with her own incendiary sexuality, which was no longer begging for release but tearing its prison down brick by brick. Joy almost reached my hand but fell short at the last moment. "God forgive me," she wept. He breathing began spiraling out of control. "Ugh, ugh, ugh, oh, please, stop, I beg, beg you." Divine intervention or not, Barbie Lynn's session ended and Joy was given breathing room. She even had a moment to look up at me and give a weak smile as if she had gained some small triumph. Her self-deception was made evident to her the moment Brandi exploded onto her scene. What the girl lacked in technique and experience, she more than compensated with raw, hungry enthusiasm. Joy's eyes grew as wide as limpid saucers, "Oh, No!" she wailed. Gurgling came next, and finally, "This can't be happening. God Forgive Me!" and what may have been her first sexual climax. She did grab my hands then and pulled them to her. Her face was slack, her mouth open and panting, and her eyes had this far-off look, so I lowered my lips to her face and licked her lips before settling my lips on hers and basically coaxing her tongue as it struggled to deal with several more waves of orgasm. I kept her kiss going with the occasional rest break so she could continue to breath. "Thank you," she whispered to me as she started to stabilize. "We FFU have to stick together," I both reminded her and boggled her shaken mind at the same time. Half an hour ago she had no doubt I didn't belong here and wasn't really FFU material, male and immoral. In her regard for me, I could see her blind acceptance of traditional FFU dogma weakening. "I've got to go now; it is almost my time to start punishing Rhaine," I softly informed Joy. Her hormone-trampled mind struggled to grasp that she was halfway through her torture. Brandi would finish soon, then it would be Opal, and then it would me, a male; me, face first at the gateway to her sacred womb. Her virginity would be spared from extinction by my will alone and I could tell that scared the hell out of her. She'd been chosen for her belief that Zane was a corrupter and that extraordinary measures were necessary to drive him out, no matter how sinful they may appear, and now she was face down and bare ass up, surrounded in his room by him and his friends. The most terrifying thing of all may well have been that we had made her feel more like a woman than she'd ever felt before. Where Rhaine had divorced her feelings and pleasure from her grasp of reality, and Joy was beating herself up every step of the way, Mercy had completely submerged herself in the transformation her body was going through. Mercy had already experienced one orgasm and come crashing down into doubt and self-loathing, only to be shown that her life wasn't over and no one thought the worst of her for actually enjoying sex. She didn't feel like a tramp or a slut; she felt alive and burning bright, so when Rio gave her that first hard spank, she'd moaned instead of crying out, and when the 'felon' gave her first few licks, Mercy reached under her body with one arm and started rubbing her slit in tandem with Rio's face dance. Even Rio's snicker didn't dampen her ardor, and when Rio took Mercy's hand and pushed two of Mercy's fingers deep in, Mercy thrust back with her hips so that her fingers touched her hymen. When Rio pulled Mercy's hand out of her twat, Mercy whimpered in need, but when she felt her fingers go into a different damp, warm orifice, she stopped, and when Rio's mouth started sucking the juices off of those fingers and twirling her tongue around each individual digit, Mercy couldn't help herself from wiggling her hips like a bitch in heat. With the fingers clean, Rio inserted them, along with two of her own fingers, back into Mercy's cunt, extremely stretching it out. Rio then came around the far side of Mercy, away from the others, and whispered into her ear. Later she related what was said: "You like that don't you?" Rio teased. Mercy nodded vigorously. "Come to Zane's room tonight and I'll fuck you all night long. You'll be my bitch. Do you understand that?" Another vigorous nod. "I've got to leave you soon to these other girls and Zane, but don't you forget you are mine now; my property, my mate. Don't make me hunt you down and put my brand on your ass, clear?" One final, excited nod. I live in Crazy Town. On par with that information was the fact that I had promised the night to Heaven and I had no clue how in the hell that was going to work out. My bed barely held three people, four was asking too much. If you made one of those people Heaven with her secret, the term 'impossible' came to mind. At the start of the line, Opal met Rhaine. She landed two very loud, wet smacks on Rhaine's behind, causing the senior to rock forward. Having gotten most of the 'cover story' (the spanking) out of the way, Opal rolled Rhaine onto her back with only the weakest of protests. She started a few gentle teases and kisses with her lips to Rhaine's cunt while Rhaine's legs dangled off the floor. Once she got Rhaine back into an erotic state, Opal began lifting Rhaine's thighs up and out until she'd pushed Rhaine's knees almost back to her breasts and feeding like a ravenous succubus on every inch of thigh, cunt, ass, and stomach. Opal hadn't been gentle with Brandi, but she'd been absolutely gentle, kind, and caring compared to the treatment Rhaine was getting. Rhaine held it in as long as possible but when she cut loose, she cut loose in a big way. Her fists pounded the bed repeatedly, her head swept back and forth, and her lower torso kept thrusting off the bed and into Opal's mouth, lips, and tongue. "Damn!" she screamed through clenched teeth as her body expended one last spasm. Opal succeeded in catching most of Rhaine's fluid eruption, rolled the heavily panting Rhaine to one side, and administered the proscribed last spank. "You're up, Zane," she winked with a smile, before cleaning her face and moving on to the nearly as devastated Joy. I settled between Rhaine's legs and began administering kisses. "Please, Zane," she begged, "it hurts. I'm so sore. Please just spank me." "Sorry, I can't do that," I told her sternly. Rhaine closed her eyes and muttered some kind of prayer, though she made no attempt to shield her body from me. I doubt she even knew I was lying beside her until my first kiss played upon her eyelids. "You are not going to, to me?" she inquired with a desperate hope. "No. I'm going to spank you so hard you can't sit for a week," I threatened, "unless I forget my three-minute time limit. I can't imagine what would possibly distract me, though." It took Rhaine's sexually fatigued mind a moment to catch on but when she did, she clasped her hands on either side of my face and kissed me with an inspired intensity. I let my fingers play along her breastbone and stroke her breasts through her shirt and bra. About a minute into this little game, I discovered Rio leaning over us, clearing her throat. "This monster made us jump out a second-story window," she stared intently. Fear crept back into Rhaine's eyes as she glanced from Rio to me. "I am biting her tongue, I promise," I grinned. "I'm not joking, Zane," Rio warned me. "Fine," I groaned. "Rhaine, roll toward me," I instructed, as I propped myself up, and she reluctantly rolled toward me. I put a hand on her hip, hiked up her skirt and rolled her farther to me until I got a good look at her rump. "Rio, take a look at this, please," I motioned to Rhaine's ass. Rhaine blushed and lowered her head. I doubt having her ass naked and on display on my bed was what she intended or even imagined possible when she got up this morning. I ran a hand along her spine to the cleft between her cheeks and squeezed the upper one tightly. "This is a thing of beauty," I told Rio, but clearly wanting Rhaine thinking about what was being said. Rio knew me too well to think I'd turn that ass cheek red so she took the other path. Rio reached out and stroked it too. "Okay, Zane; it is damn sexy," Rio acknowledged grudgingly. I took Rhaine's hand in my own and placed it on her side, just below the ribs, and led it in a wandering trip to her lower back, then to the cheek I'd displayed to Rio. "See, Rhaine, you have a fantastic ass. God knew what he was doing when he made you," I told her. "It is a pity we can't see you in shorts or a bikini from time to time." "That is sinful and leads men into the Sin of Lust," Rhaine said with absolute conviction. "This is the work of the Devil, not God." Rio ground her teeth but I grinned. "Did God create the male peacock?" I questioned, while I kept hold of Rhaine's hand and stroking her ass from tailbone to the dip into the bottom of her sopping wet cunt. "Yes," she cautiously replied, her breath coming faster and faster. "Yet we don't run around putting them in garbage bags because they are enticing to the eye," I reasoned. "You make it sound like it isn't a man's fault that he can't control his own impulses, even though he is supposed to lead his household." "God made you beautiful and he made me with will enough to look at you and respect any decision you make about your body," I hammered away. "I'm not going to say I don't want to have sex with you because that would be a lie, but the important thing to me is that you took a Purity Pledge and I have to respect that." Rhaine had nothing to say at that moment. I was clearly a randy bastard who preyed upon good Christian girls and tricked them into surrendering to my dark desires. "You are trying to trick me," she panted, while I leaned in and kissed her neck and ear. "Rhaine, I've been trying to avoid you since we first met. You are the one who cornered me in my dorm," I pointed out. "You came into my room when you knew I was either naked or getting dressed. You chose to crawl onto my bed when I was sitting down, meditating and clearly naked. I was hoping my blatant sexuality would make you leave me alone, not attack me." "Don't blame Rhaine," Rio joked to me. "Rhaine, Zane's like sex candy," she directed to Rhaine. "You won't be the first bunch of Christian bitches we've had to rescue Zane from. It is not his fault; it is ours. He's masculine, kind, and available. You know that he has been in three fights since coming here; right?" "Uh, uh, uh, yes," Rhaine panted. "It makes him dangerous, he's a man." "Really?" Rio chortled. "Two of those fights were to save me from you ladies, and he stopped fighting the moment I was safe. The third fight was caused because two of our girls were being set upon by those University guys and Zane put his body in the way, they hit him first." "I, is this true?" she said with a heavy breath. "Ask Mercy to tell you the truth, not what they've told her to say. Ask Cappadocia about that first fight and the fight off campus. You may not like Iona but she wouldn't lie to you and she knows how that second fight started," Rio sounded so reasonable. I slowly rolled over onto Rhaine while I kissed her neck and shoulders. "Ah, ew, yes," Rhaine cooed passionately. "Tricking me," she sighed but that didn't stop her from slowly moving her arms and legs around me. "Do you want to be on top?" I whispered to Rhaine. "I, uh," she stammered, then nodded. We rolled to the very foot of the bed and started a serious make-out session. I began rubbing down her mid- and lower back for a bit before moving to her ass cheeks and giving them a firm squeeze. "That doesn't hurt too much, does it?" I asked compassionately. "Umm, no, feels good," she managed to get out between kisses. "Okay," Rio smirked as she tapped Rhaine's shoulder. "Tap out; your time is up. Now get off my bitch (meaning me). He's got two more of you to go through before we can leave." "Huh? What?" Rhaine sounded confused, then, "it's over?" Her eyes betrayed how little she wanted this to stop right now. "Good," Rhaine sighed sadly. She began sliding down my body. When she saw that I was rising slower than she was receding, Rhaine waited until our lips met before continuing. We remained lip-locked until we stood up, my hands cupping her ass (now covered by her skirt once more) and her arms wrapped around my neck. "Have you learned your lesson?" I inquired when we finally came up for air. Rhaine looked at me for several seconds, unsure what to say. "Joy's waiting," Barbie Lynn reminded us both. Rhaine let her hands drop to her sides and stepped back. Barbie Lynn pressed something into her hands which turned out to be a fresh pair of panties. "I doubt you want to put on your old pair," Barbie Lynn pointed out, "and these are fresh out of the bag." "Thank you, Barbie Lynn," Rhaine said with embarrassment. "Here is a washcloth," Iona added as she handed one over. "You can go behind my wardrobe to change," I offered. The thought of any of the girls going behind a veil to avoid exposing themselves as they cleaned up and put on underwear might appear pointless, but after everything those three had gone through, handing them back a piece of their dignity was a kindness we could all afford. Rhaine disappeared from sight and I turned to Joy. Opal was still giving her a seriously hard time despite the time limit expiring and gave me a wink as she went to displace Brandi on Mercy. I put a knee on the bed and lifted Joy up. She squealed but didn't squirm and I carefully maneuvered her onto her feet. I held her tight while she reoriented. "Are you okay?" I voiced my concern. Joy gave a brief nod. "Are you ready for your last punishment?" Joy looked me in the eyes, then gave the tiniest acknowledgement. "Now stand on your tiptoes, put one hand around my neck, and use the other to hold up the back of your skirt while you press tightly against me." When she had done as I directed, I looked deep into her eyes. I spanked her cheeks, left-right-left, drawing forth a sharp breath, gritted teeth, and tears brimming in her eyes. I had not been gentle but sometimes a person needs punishment to forgive themselves for feeling good about something they've been told is wrong. That was the pop psychology I was running on at the moment. If I got it wrong, forgive me; I'm only eighteen. No sooner had Barbie Lynn and Iona supplied Joy with her parting gifts did Mercy howl. Her further outbursts were muted by her grabbing my much abused pillow and using it as a muzzle. Her body tensing and recoiling time and again was both frightening and erotic combined, and I was suddenly trying to remember if anyone close by knew CPR. Opal fell back on her ass and looked at the rest of us. "That was wild," she smiled, and licked her lips, "but I think I need to go change." I helped Opal stand and we exchanged a rich yet messy, sticky kiss. "Best intervention ever," Opal joked with me, then skipped off down the stairs. I turned to Mercy and plopped down beside her. A quick examination showed a sweaty, tired young lady with a sensual smile on her lips. "I think she's had enough, but" , I swatted her ass lightly three times and stood up. "Breakfast anyone?" Dorm Life, Heaven, and Mercy too. We were late heading out of the dorm so, under Rhaine's watchful control, the group jogged toward the dining hall. As we made the final approach, Rhaine grabbed my arm. Rhaine, Joy, Mercy and I slowed down while the rest headed in ahead of us. "What are we going to say?" Rhaine hissed in a panicky voice. "I was childish, blocked the door, and you caught me sneaking down a fire escape," I suggested. "You will get in trouble," Rhaine said with utter confusion. "I can take it better than you can," I related. "I don't understand. Why are you, all of you, doing this for us?" Joy asked. "Because," I snorted, "we are the good guys." They clearly thought I was a nut but going inside cut off the conversation. "Besides, I need to do something that's going to be rough on both of us." The Smartest Girl on Campus Looking back on things, that first Monday when it was only Rio and I realizing what I was became the only time I entered the Dining Hall or Assembly without being noticed. First I had been a novelty, now I was the freakish center of the storm. I sort of held my reactions in reverse; the hateful looks my enemies gave me made me laugh while the hopeful looks my allies gave me scared the hell out of me. I was dwelling on that quirk in my nature when I reached the spot my gang was sitting; we had our own location and the majority of the school had given it their blessing. Weird? Only the Class Presidents had their own preordained spots. Speaking of which, "Hey, Jungle Boy," Rio teased in such a dangerous way that I felt my balls crawl up into my body. "Iona nominated you for Freshman Class President." "Ha, ha, ha," I joked dryly, then looked to Iona. She couldn't meet my gaze. "Iona, why? Why didn't you at least ask me first?" "I knew you would say 'no'," she replied softly, then she looked up with more determination, "but I know you would be a great Class President." "Don't sweat it, Zane," Rio chuckled. "You need fifty signatures to be on the ballet." "He has seventy-two," Iona informed us. "Gak! How long have I been out there?" I gasped. "Nine minutes," Iona smirked bashfully. I looked around the room, humbled and disturbed. You have to remember that there weren't 250 freshmen and nearly one-third had decided that I should lead them; the faculty must be having kittens. I was thinking that over when a previous bit of theater came back to bite me in the ass. A girl I vaguely knew, Arielle, a fellow freshman, put her hand on my shoulder and waited. It took me a second to clue in but thankfully she and the others were patient. I put my hand on top of hers. "Thank you," I told her. She smiled and moved away, immediately replaced by another freshman. Over 80 freshmen followed and I could feel the disgust emanating from the head table were Chancellor Bazz sat. Friends like Brandi and Dove came over to congratulate me on my nomination but I realized my more savvy friends stayed away. They knew the struggle I was in for and the very real possibility that even if I was elected, Chancellor Bazz would simply kick me out. I'd be going to them for advice and counsel. I guess I might actually have to ask Iona who the Sophomore and Junior Class Presidents were. In fact, "Iona, who are the other Class Presidents?" I inquired. "They would be those haughty bitches in pleated skirts," Rio interrupted. "Funny like a crutch," I replied snidely. "Besides, that describes about half the girls here." "These would be the ones avoiding you like the plague," Rio snickered. "Here you go," Iona intervened, showing me two pictures on her phone. "Besides, you aren't that alone; the Science Club and Botany Club both support you." "Whoop-de-do," Rio huffed. "What are they going to do? Send nasty e-mails and throw clods of dirt on our opponents?" "Could I meet with them?" I asked Iona, ignoring Rio's snide asides. "They've both agreed to help with your Solarium," Iona shot a 'that will show you' to Rio, "and you already know the head of the Science Club but I can set up a meeting if you like." "Make it so," I commanded loftily. "Zane, if you become Class President Iona will be your Personal Assistant, but what does that make me?" Rio inquired. "My House Assassin," I suggested. Rio seemed to like the idea, it fit with her violent tendencies, but she wanted an explanation. "You are almost always underestimated, and like me, you have nothing to lose." "House Assassin," Rio mulled it over. "Okay, but I prefer the title 'Ninja Reaper Angel'." Rio and I exchanged looks; hers mischievous and mine one of amusement. "N R A"

Slang words like skibidi, inspo, delulu and tradwife have been popularized by Gen Z and Gen Alpha, and they’re spreading fast through social media, memes, and even professional settings. They’re so popularised that the Cambridge University Press recently announced that those words, among the 6,000 entries, have been added to the online edition of the Cambridge Dictionary. According to the publisher, such words reflect on growing trends and how the internet culture is shaping the English language in ways both playful and serious. But should Gen Z slang like this be officially added to the dictionary? Or, should dictionaries maintain a boundary between casual, online language and the formal language used in professional and academic settings? On The Hot Seat, Hongbin Jeong speaks with Dr Daniel Chan, Former Deputy Director and Senior Lecturer of French at the NUS Centre for Language Studies, and Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Studies at the NUS Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences and Sascha Stollhans, Professor of Language Education and Linguistics & Pro-Dean for Student Education (Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures) at University of Leeds, to find out more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A team of researchers at Trinity College Dublin has received €500,000 in funding to develop an AI-enabled platform to help teachers create assessments and provide formative feedback to learners. The project is called Diotima and is supported by The Learnovate Centre, a global research and innovation centre in learning technology in Trinity College Dublin. Diotima began its partnership with Learnovate in February this year and is expected to spin out as a company in 2026. The €500,000 funding was granted under Enterprise Ireland's Commercialisation Fund, which supports third-level researchers to translate their research into innovative and commercially viable products, services and companies. Diotima supports teaching practice by using responsible AI to provide learners with feedback, leading to more and better assessments and improved learning outcomes for students, and a more manageable workload for teachers. The project was co-founded by Siobhan Ryan, a former secondary school teacher, biochemist and environmental scientist, and Jonathan Dempsey, an EdTech professional with both start-up and corporate experience. Associate Professor Ann Devitt, Head of the Trinity School of Education, and Carl Vogel, Professor of Computational Linguistics and Director of the Trinity Centre for Computing and Language Studies, are serving as co-principal investigators on the project. Diotima received the funding in February. Since then, the project leaders have established an education advisory group formed of representatives from post-primary and professional education organisations. The Enterprise Ireland funding has facilitated the hiring of two post-doctoral researchers. They are now leading AI research ahead of the launch of an initial version of the platform in September 2025. Diotima aims to conduct two major trials of the platform as they also seek investment. Co-founder Siobhan Ryan is Diotima's Learning Lead. After a 12-year career in the brewing industry with Diageo, Siobhan re-trained as a secondary school teacher before leaving the profession to develop the business case for a formative assessment and feedback platform. Her experience in the classroom made her realise that she could have a greater impact by leveraging AI to create a platform to support teachers in a safe, transparent, and empowering way. Her fellow co-founder Jonathan Dempsey is Commercial Lead at Diotima. He had been CEO of the Enterprise Ireland-backed EdTech firm Digitary, which is now part of multinational Instructure Inc. He held the role of Director of UK and Ireland for US education system provider Ellucian and Head of Education and Education Platforms for Europe with Indian multinational TCS. Jonathan has a wealth of experience at bringing education technologies to market. Learnovate Centre Director Nessa McEniff says: "We are delighted to have collaborated with the Diotima team to secure €500,000 investment from Enterprise Ireland's Commercialisation Fund. Diotima promises to develop into a revolutionary platform for learners in secondary schools and professional education organisations, delivering formative feedback and better outcomes overall. We look forward to supporting them further as they continue to develop the platform in the months ahead." Enterprise Ireland Head of Research, Innovation and Infrastructure Marina Donohoe says: "Enterprise Ireland is delighted to support Diotima under the Commercialisation Fund. We look forward to seeing them continue in their mission to transform teaching practice through AI enabled assessment and feedback. We believe that the combination of excellence in AI and in education from Trinity College, expertise in education technology from the Learnovate Centre and focus on compliance with the EU AI Act and other regulations will see the Diotima team make a global impact". Diotima Learning Lead and co-founder Siobhan Ryan says: "We're delighted to have received such a significant award from the Enterprise Ireland C...

With the stock market tanking, Alex has fled the country to verify family artifacts are still in a vault in case we go back to bartering. Meanwhile, David and Greg have replaced him this week with The New Thinkery's most prolific guest, Eric Adler, professor of classics and chair of the department at the University of Maryland at College Park.  The trio discuss Adler's latest article, The Hypocrisy of English-Only ‘Decolonization', diving more into the future of language studies and the humanities in higher ed as colleges and universities race to eliminate what are often key, but misunderstood, pieces of higher ed curriculua. 

Human language is uniquely complex, with children instinctively grasping advanced linguistic principles without formal instruction. This exceptional ability sets humans apart from animals and aligns with the biblical view that humans are unique beings, purposefully and intelligently designed. To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1232/29

Tune in as Doug from Studying the Biblical Languages gives 5 tips for language study. This is stuff you don't want to miss! ***GlossaHouse resources are available at our website! - https://glossahouse.com/ ✏️ ***Sign up for classes with GlossaHouse U - https://glossahouse.com/pages/classes

In this episode, veteran judiciary interpreter Janis Palma and our host Maria Ceballos-Wallis, delve into the evolving ethics of judiciary interpreting. They explore the foundational impact of the Court Interpreters Act of 1978, the influence of early conference interpreting standards, and the challenges interpreters face in maintaining ethical practices while ensuring fair due process. They also touch on how technology and collaboration are reshaping the field and the necessity of bridging linguistic and cultural gaps to enhance communication for limited English proficient individuals.About this week's guest:Janis Palma has been a federally-certified judiciary interpreter since 1981. She is also certified by NAJIT (the National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators) as an English-Spanish interpreter and translator, and by the State of Texas as a Master Licensed Court Interpreter.She holds a Ph.D. in Language Studies, a Master's in Legal Studies, and a Master's in Puerto Rican and Caribbean History and Literature. She is now enrolled in the Rhetorics, Communication, and Information Design Ph.D. program at Clemson University.She has been teaching judiciary interpreting through professional associations, private organizations, higher education institutions, and government agencies since 1986. As an independent researcher her interest is focused right now on the intersections between judiciary interpreting theory and practice, law and legal language, but is also starting to explore the rhetoric of justice for language minorities in the U.S.Her most recent published work includes “Literary metaphors in legal English and their conveyance to Limited English Proficient (LEP) individuals in the context of U.S. courts.” (Oct. 2024) International Journal for the Semiotics of Law.; “When interpreting does not remove the language barrier: interpreter ethics at odds with due process rights in U.S. courts.” Texas Hispanic Journal of Law & Policy, U. of Texas at Austin Law School, Vol. 29, Spring 2023. (pp. 25-45).; The Legal Duty of Care: What is it and how does it impact the role of the judiciary interpreter? (Available at The ATA Chronicle. Vol 52)

Join us to hear Marine Malad, a Local Dean at the Faculty of Language Studies at the Arab Open University in Kuwait, as she explains how incorporating AI into the classroom can benefit teachers and students. She gives examples of barriers to AI integration and how teachers and students can best use AI to make learning easier. Listen to hear more! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/ttelt/support

In this Season 4 finale of Love, Joy, and Languages podcast, I share and celebrate language learning wins from listeners across the globe. Real life stories from real life language learners, inspiring us to see every bit of progress along our language journeys. In this episode, you'll hear stories from four language learners who recognize a variety of wins in their language lives. The achievements they've shared with me for this episode are inspiring for language learners of all types, ages, and levels. The languages they're celebrating include Spanish, Esperanto, Chinese, Catalan, and Occitan, plus my own wins regarding German and Italian. Some of these language lovers are still at the beginning of learning their languages, and others are futher along, but one common theme is that they see the value in celebrating the multitude of accomplishments along the way. This episode is made for you, my listeners. Every win we have matters. No achievement is too small. Every success is significant, and every win is worth celebrating. Join me in today's season finale episode by cheering on those who shared their stories with me and for everyone else out there working on your new language. Take a moment to reflect on your own wins, and celebrate them! Feel the pride. Give yourself a round of applause. Brag about it on social media. You're doing great, and you can be proud of yourself and your achievements. Instagram or X accounts for those who shared success stories in this episode: IG: @lafamillelyons, @vanessapatriciaoh X: @martinrue, @TimothyELDougl1, @kubacki__ Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found here: http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/. Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages X (Twitter): @LoveJoy_Lang More language learning podcasts for you to check out: The Language Confidence Project (https://anchor.fm/emily-richardson1), by Emily Richardson Speaking Tongues Podcast (https://speakingtonguespodcast.com/), by Elle Charisse How to Learn a Language (https://howtolearnalanguage.fireside.fm/), by Lindsay Williams The Future is Bilingual (https://thefutureisbilingual.wordpress.com/), by Heather Talking to Grandma (https://languagepreservation.mykajabi.com/podcasts/talking-to-grandma), by Veronica Benavides Insecurities About Languages (https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/alexandria-robinson2), by Alexandria Robinson Shhh, I'm Learning! (https://open.spotify.com/show/6v0GrjOA5UfLRd5vilj5lF) by Martha Summerlin The Fluent Show (https://www.fluent.show/), by Kerstin Cable Actual Fluency (https://actualfluency.com/actual-fluency-language-learning-podcast/), by Kris Broholm My favorite Italian podcasts: Il paradiso é qui (https://open.spotify.com/show/0uj2dwVPkz1QMqLgalRv48), by Gianluca Gotto Simple Italian Podcast (https://simonepols.com/simple-italian-podcast/), by Simone Pols Stivale Italiano (https://www.stivaleitaliano.com/copy-of-home-1), by Alessandro and Carolina Vaporetto Italiano Podcast (https://anchor.fm/vaporetto-italiano/episodes), by Francesco Cositore The Teacher Stefano Show (https://www.teacherstefano.com/podcast), by Stefano Psicologia per eroi (https://open.spotify.com/show/5iJsp9pgAEW8UPkDfQQeg4), by Dott. Luca Proietti Curiosità della Storia (https://www.radio-italiane.it/podcasts/curiosita-della-storia), by Storica National Geographic Italiano in Podcast (https://www.ispeakitaliano.it/italiano-in-podcast-5/), by Paolo of I Speak Italiano My favorite German podcasts: Natural.Fluent.German (https://open.spotify.com/show/66RoY4vSCSiSmyNV84NfHe) & Deutsches Geplapper (https://naturalfluentgerman.com/my-blog/podcast-transkripte/), by Flemming Boldbecher Deutsch Podcast (https://deutsch-podcast.com/podcast-hoeren/), by Virpi Hach & Sandra Durán Muñoz Feminismus mit Vorsatz (https://www.feminismusmitvorsatz.de/), by Laura Vorsatz Eine Stunde History (https://www.deutschlandfunknova.de/podcasts/download/eine-stunde-history), by Deutschlandfunk Nova Other language learning podcasts I've been on: Shhh, I'm Learning! (https://open.spotify.com/episode/079VZM8YYpPzHuUemtGaV6) with Martha Summerlin How to Learn A Language (https://open.spotify.com/episode/3pNaW4b6aRl1R1oSpyp2TQ?si=93fa2099ca514ccc&nd=1) with Lindsay Williams Actual Fluency Podcast (https://open.spotify.com/episode/4IYoo07RctdUz2EV4CfKWQ?si=a26ea3fec92640b7&nd=1) with Kris Broholm The Italian Escape Podcast (https://open.spotify.com/episode/3gSJaCTJVjwqRlnirZFw08?si=dd4029bb75d84908&nd=1) with Angelique Lusuan & Gabriele Minucci The Future is Bilingual (https://open.spotify.com/episode/4ZmWsHawlLrtPuoFzuNeOA) with Heather About Esperanto: Actual Fluency archive episodes about Esperanto can be found here (https://actualfluency.com/tag/esperanto-3/). Esperanto website: Esperanto.net (https://esperanto.net/en/esperanto-the-international-language/)

This episode of Shakespod dives into the history of theatre in China and when and how Shakespeare made his arrival there. Special Guest: James Lucas performing Marc Antony from Julius Caesar. Sources: SHAKESPEARE IN CHINA Ho Hsiang-Lin The ComparatistVol. 13 (MAY 1989), pp. 11-21 (11 pages)Published By: University of North Carolina Press Shakespeare Reception in China by Yanna Sun Theory and Practice in Language Studies, Vol. 2, No. 9, pp. 1931-1938, September 2012 © 2012 ACADEMY PUBLISHER Manufactured in Finland. Why China's Love Affair With Shakespeare Endures Enid Tsui, Post Magazine https://www.scmp.com/magazines/post-magazine/long-reads/article/1996061/why-chinas-love-affair-shakespeare-endures Shakespeare in China L.E. https://legrandcontinent.eu/fr/2017/03/12/shakespeare-in-china/ Royalty-Free Renaissance music provided by:Pixabay --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/svshakes/support

I invited a very special language learning and language loving friend to co-host this episode with me and chat all about the joys of language learning. This is a very familiar voice in the language learning community, and it's such a pleasure to have Kerstin Cable of Fluent Language and The Fluent Show on Love, Joy, and Languages! We had an absolute blast talking about loving languages and finding joy in learning them. This chat is extra special for me because I don't think this show would exist without Kerstin and her Podcasting 101 course (https://www.kerstincable.com/podcasting101). Big thanks to Kerstin for putting so much goodness out into the world! In today's episode, Kersin and I talk about celebrating our language achievements, the value of self-work and appreciating your own personal journey, language exams and the excitement of the process, lots of German language, the link between language and culture, Kerstin teaches me a bit Welsh (you'll see why this language can easily become an obsession!), and Kerstin shares some of her favorite language things and people. Learning a language is a long road, and there are so many challenges along the way, but something that keeps us in the language learning world is all the joy we find in the process and the community. I hope you enjoy listening in to my chat with Kerstin, and I hope it reminds you of all the exciting things you find in your own language life. The Fluent Show episodes mentioned in this episode: Words of the Year 2023 (https://www.fluent.show/243) The Farewell Episode: The Joy of Finishing Good Things (https://www.fluent.show/240) I'm Not Dead Yet, So I'd Like to Keep Learning: Interview with German Learner Randy (https://www.fluent.show/8) Reviews of the Year with Shannon Kennedy: 2021 (https://www.fluent.show/234), 2020 (https://www.fluent.show/203), 2019 (https://www.fluent.show/166), 2018 (https://www.fluent.show/118) Marc Okrand on Creating the Klingon Language (https://www.fluent.show/172) Interview with Language Creator David Peterson (Game of Thrones, Dune, The 100, Doctor Strange) (https://www.fluent.show/158) Good bye Chemistry, hello Linguistics! with Sarah F. Philips (https://www.fluent.show/209) Other content mentioned in this episode: German Uncovered (Beginner) (https://learn.storylearning.com/german-uncovered-level-11674240494503) by Olly Richards Lindsay Williams of Lindsay Does Languages (https://www.lindsaydoeslanguages.com/) Episode 59: A Joyful Chat with a Special Guest Co-Host, Love, Joy, and Languages with Lindsay Williams (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/episode-59) Shannon Kennedy at Eurolinguiste (https://eurolinguiste.com/) Emily Richardson of The Langauge Confidence Project and Tea with Emily (https://www.languageconfidenceproject.com/) Yabla Language Immersion (https://www.yabla.com/?a=1568&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwoJa2BhBPEiwA0l0ImDGlNae3Gj4g5NA4ZKbfPPdyHedENu_e2DlpUXLmNFuqM-BhhiYfwBoCVZ4QAvD_BwE) Language Habit System (https://www.fluentlanguage.co.uk/lhs), by Kerstin Cable AI Language Club (https://www.ailanguageclub.com/), with Kerstin Cable & Josh Goldsmith Kerstin can be found at: For language learning: Fluent Language Blog, Podcast & Language Tuition (https://www.fluentlanguage.co.uk/) For business: Kerstin Cable (https://www.kerstincable.com/) Kerstin's Podcast: The Fluent Show (https://www.fluent.show/) Instagram: @kerstin_fluent X (Twitter): @fluentlanguage Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found at http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/. Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages X (Twitter): @LoveJoy_Lang

Affirmations, or statements that affirm positive beliefs to you about you, are an excellent way to build yourself up. I use affirmations in many areas of my life, both general and specific, inlcuding language learning. They help remind me of my truth and keep me aligned with my morals and identity. Affirmations aren't about lying to ourselves or trying to fake it 'til we make it. They're about affirming true statements that we believe, at our core, so that we don't forget who we are, and that help us act in accordance with our true selves. Today's episode is full of meditative affirmations geared toward language learners. Have you ever considered what you believe about yourself as a language learner? Especially when things are stressful, and we feel like we're failing, we start to believe things that aren't true. We start to believe that we can't learn a language, that we're failures, that we're lazy, and so much more. These negative thoughts, while they feel true in the moment, aren't our real truths. Affirmations help keep us grounded in who we really are and in what we're really capable of. They pull us out of the negative spiral more quickly and remind us that negative moments don't define us. I hope you enjoy today's episode and are able to find many affirmations that you know are true to you. Take what you know to be true, what you really believe, and let that be a foundation of truth that you can tell yourself always, especially when you start feeling out of alignment with who you know yourself to be. Write out more affirmations that you know are true, and don't forget to be kind to yourself. If you want to read more about affirmations, here are a few sites to get you started: Using Affirmations (https://www.mindtools.com/air49f4/using-affirmations), from Mind Tools Positive Affirmations: Too Good to Be True? (https://www.healthline.com/health/mental-health/do-affirmations-work) by Crystal Raypole Affirmations: The Why, What, How, and What If? (https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/smart-relationships/201403/affirmations-the-why-what-how-and-what-if) by Kathryn Lively, PhD Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found at http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/. Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages X (Twitter): @LoveJoy_Lang

In today's episode I talk about extensive reading for effective language learning. Like I said in last week's episode, extensive input can be an excellent part of any language journey, but it can also go wrong. I feel very lucky that I didn't give up when it went very wrong for me. During my year-long project to boost my Italian to B2, extensive reading was one of my main (and favorite!) methods. Today I share a bit of my language journey and the early struggles I had trying to read in Italian, and then I share exactly what I did to make this method work for me in improving my language throughout the intermediate levels. I talk about all the reading sources I used, and also the ways in which I saw my Italian language improve. Language learning can be a very long journey, and it can feel like we're never going to get where we want to be. So it's very exciting and motivating to be able to look back and see exactly how my language has improved and what worked to get me there. I hope to inspire you all, as well, not just to read more (though that's always something I hope to inspire), but also to keep going. Find what brings you joy in languages, stick with what's working for you, and take note of all the ways your language journey is improving. I guarantee it really is improving. Other content mentioned in this episode: E76: Good Advice Gone Wrong: Input, Input, Input: http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/ E67: Let's Talk About Flashcards: http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/episode-67 Profondo Come il Mare, Leggero Come il Cielo (https://www.ibs.it/profondo-come-mare-leggero-come-libro-gianluca-gotto/e/9788804745440), by Gianluca Gotto List of International websites for National Geographic here (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Geographic) Simple Italian Podcast (https://simonepols.com/simple-italian-podcast/), by Simone Pols Vaporetto Italiano Podcast (https://anchor.fm/vaporetto-italiano/episodes), by Francesco Cositore Stivale Italiano (https://www.stivaleitaliano.com/copy-of-home-1), by Alessandro and Carolina iTalki (https://www.italki.com/en/i/ref/6eFGAf?hl=en&utm_medium=user_referral&utm_source=copylink_share), where I find language teachers and tutors (this is my Refer a Friend link) Italian CILS B2 Exam Prep Book I used: Traguardo CILS B2 (https://www.cdl-edizioni.com/tienda/esamecils/traguardo-esame-cils-b2/) Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found at http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/. Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages X (Twitter): @LoveJoy_Lang

In this fourth episode of "Good Advice Gone Wrong," a segment in which I highlight some really good language learning advice that can also go wrong, I talk about input, input, input. Do all the reading and all the listening all the time! Language folk give this advice all the time, and I can't deny that it's got some amazing benefits, but it isn't a guaranteed path to success. Today I share three ways in which tons of input is great for languages bubut also three ways in which it could go wrong and has gone wrong for me. I finish up with three things you can do to make this method go right for you, if it's something you want to do. There are countless methods for learning a language, and I believe that all of them are good, but they aren't all good for everyone. Instead of just giving language learning advice, this recurring segment focuses on reasons specific pieces of good advice may not work for everyone. So if this method isn't for you, that's okay. I love sharing this segment in order to spark creative ideas for how we can mold advice and shape it into something that does work for us, if desired, and I hope to inspire you to discover your own creative, personalized language learning journey. If you like this episode, you can check out the other Good Advice Gone Wrong episodes: - Season 1 here: http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/episode-9 - Season 2 here: http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/episode-28 - Season 3 here: http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/episode-49 Other content mentioned in this episode: E64: What I Love About Language Dabbling (curiosity): http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/episode-64 E67: Let's Talk About Flashcards: http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/episode-67 Profondo Come il Mare, Leggero Come il Cielo (https://www.ibs.it/profondo-come-mare-leggero-come-libro-gianluca-gotto/e/9788804745440), by Gianluca Gotto Read more about getting lots of input for your language learning: Intensive Listening vs. Extensive Listening in English (https://www.leonardoenglish.com/blog/intensive-vs-extensive-listening#toc-4), by Emile Dodds on Leonardo English blog What to Know About Input-based Langauge Learning (https://www.fluentu.com/blog/learn/input-based-language-learning/), by Rachelawan on FluentU How I self-taught German to C1 using immersion - despite being busy and disorganized (https://www.monoglotanxiety.com/blog/how-i-learned-german-to-c1-using-immersion-despite-being-busy-and-disorganized/), by Elise Cutts (The title says "immersion," but read up! She talks about comprehensible input.) Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found at http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/. Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages X (Twitter): @LoveJoy_Lang

It's inevitable in our language learning that the reality of where we are on our journeys or what we're able to do doesn't match up with what we expected to happen. I know for me, this usually leads to be feeling frustrated, getting mad at myself, wishing I'd made different choices, and many the guilt and shame are overwhelming. What can we do to bounce back from this? What can we do when reality doesn't meet expectations in our language lives in order to move forward in a positive and helpful way? Today I share one of my very personal realities that hasn't met what I expected. I work through the feelings I've felt about it, the negative thoughts, and then the process of working toward a way ahead instead of remaining in my anger and frustration. Something interesting I realized as I was talking this out is that the journey I go through when reality doesn't meet expectations mirrors the five stages of grief, ending in acceptance and being at a place where I can logically decide what to do next. If you struggle with langauge journey expectations, especially with how to handle things when your language reality doesn't match up, give this episode a listen. Hopefully it sparks some inspiration for all language learners to process your own feelings and find a place from which you can continue the language learning that you love. Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found at http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/. Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages X (Twitter): @LoveJoy_Lang

Today's episode is not to be missed! I had the distinct pleasure of sitting down with Emily Harris, the language loving woman behind Language Travel Adoptee, a YouTube channel aimed at helping others gain confidence in their language learning through self awareness and personal growth. Emily shares a lot of her own personal experiences learning languages as a high achieving perfectionist, a transracial adoptee learning the language of her birth country, and all the very intricate intersections of her life. Today we focus a lot on authenticity in language learning, but particularly from the aspect of content creation in a world like YouTube where content is often tailored toward clicks and likes and less about the authentic reality of oneself. It was so good to finally get to sit down with Emily and talk about some of the harder things many of us face in our language lives. She and I share many similarities in the history of our personalities and mindset, as well as similarities in our growth stories through navigating language learning in a holistic way. Don't miss the links below, where you can find and connect with Emily. Connect with Emily: Emily's Newsletter: Language Travel Adoptee (https://language-travel-adoptee.ck.page/5b31fef91b) Emily's YouTube: Language Travel Adoptee (https://www.youtube.com/@languagetraveladoptee) Emily's Podcast: Language Wellness and Identity Podcast (https://open.spotify.com/show/2eVbzHTByRNVbxlkPPoICO) Instagram: @languagetraveladoptee X (Twitter): @LangTravAdoptee Other content mentioned in this episode: How to Learn a Language (https://www.lindsaydoeslanguages.com/podcasts/), Lindsay Williams of Lindsay Does Languages The Language Confidence Project (https://www.languageconfidenceproject.com/podcasts), by Emily Richardson Shhh, I'm Learning! (https://open.spotify.com/show/6v0GrjOA5UfLRd5vilj5lF), by Martha Summerlin Burt Goldman and Quantum Jumping (https://www.mindvalley.com/quantum) More interviews with Emily: Self-Compassion & Identity in Language Learning (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzcDijthsJ8), How to Learn a Language, by Lindsay Williams Use Spiritual Practices to Quantum Leap to Fluency (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L93U0dcrY_M), Laid-Back Languages Episode 143. Speaking Mandarin (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2J9f8KfsT1Y&list=PL4LpnS_O2PEuRtPkJg9mOi4UlIvuTNFYE&index=5&t=1s), Speaking Tongues Podcast, by Elle Charisse AFP 189 - Emily Harris: Language Learning, Culture, and PErfectionism as a Transracial Adoptee (https://open.spotify.com/episode/1NEh8DXZdGwXtjfT61Na9K), The Actual Fluency Podcast by Kris Broholm Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found at http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/. Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages X (Twitter): @LoveJoy_Lang

While we may not have instant pillar-of-light experiences, many rays of light fill our lives, and as we gather them, our testimonies grow. Ellen S. Knell, associate director of curriculum and instruction at the Center for Language Studies, delivered this devotional address on July 2, 2024. You can access the talk here.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Today's episode is just a little reminder to meet your language learning energy where it is, not where you want it to be. It's too easy to push ourselves too hard or to be hard on ourselves when we aren't pushing, especially when we start to compare the intensity of or time spent with our languages to what it was a few days or months ago. What's important is to give yourself grace and realize that any tiny thing can change our energy. We move forward in a healthier way, and we maintain a better relationship with our languages and our entire language journey when we accept our energy as it is, meet it there, and do only what we really can. Go easy on yourselves, language learners. If you're feeling low on energy, don't push yourself beyond what you can do. And definitely don't make yourself feel bad for it. Know that just as your energy went down, it will go back up. You're doing amazing! Related Episodes From The Language Confidence Project: S4E20: Take that break (https://www.languageconfidenceproject.com/podcast/s4e20) S4E23: Teach the person you arrived as this morning (https://www.languageconfidenceproject.com/podcast/s4e23) S4E43: Start with the times you're in (https://www.languageconfidenceproject.com/podcast/s4e43) S5E45: Showing up vs taking a break (https://www.languageconfidenceproject.com/podcast/s5e45) S6E20: How will you tell your brain it's time to rest? (https://www.languageconfidenceproject.com/podcast/s6e20) S6E35: You can be dedicated to something and still need a break (https://www.languageconfidenceproject.com/podcast/s6e35) Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found at http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/. Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages X (Twitter): @LoveJoy_Lang

In today's episode I'm talking more about what I think of language projects, the benefits of framing language activities and goals as projects, and what types of projects you could jump into in order to boost your skills, confidence, and motivation in your languages. Anything can be turned into or framed as a project, and for some it may just seem like semantics calling some of these things projects. I can't explain it, but for some reason, framing regular ol' language exercises, activities, and goals as "projects" actually makes a difference in how I approach the thing and the likelihood of me finishing it while gaining the language along the way. I hope you get something out of today's episode, and I would love to hear from you! Please reach out to me or leave a response below if you're listening on Spotify, and let me know what language projects you've taken on, what ones you want to do, or just what you think about this way of framing language tasks. I look forward to learning from you! Links from this episode: Related episodes of Love, Joy, and Languages: Episode 22: Am I Even Making Progress? (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/episode-22); (on Spotify here (https://open.spotify.com/episode/2qRTY6TKjongoIl8ldRqIN?si=qIdKIK2fQ1-IjPt5TnYBbg)) Episode 70: A Polyglot's Journey of Discovery, Struggle, and Finding His Way (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/episode-70); (on Spotify here (https://open.spotify.com/episode/2LVQyHUJyv9iopMa3HnT7A)) Episode 67: Let's Talk About Flashcards (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/episode-67); (on Spotify here (https://open.spotify.com/episode/2CibOLaUHzWbBYmmSq78v2)) Episode 5: Facing Language Tasks We Tend To Avoid (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/episode-5); (on Spotify here (https://open.spotify.com/episode/220mGXrwh6K0wxkKQgDqnc?si=yxrzUwtJQdKLnjyh5CrYMQ)) Lingua.com (https://lingua.com)* for learning languages through reading short texts. Speakly App (https://speakly.me)* *Not affiliated Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found here, at www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/). Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages X (Twitter): @LoveJoy_Lang

After a break to finish preparing for and actually taking my Italian CILS B2 exam, I'm back with a few reflections on this project I took on to take my Italian to the next level. As I studied and prepared for this exam, I noticed a lot of differences between how I was approaching it versus how I used to study and prepare for tests. It was a much less stressful experience, and no matter what my results are, I know I've got a lot to be proud of! Links from this episode: Ultralearning (https://www.scotthyoung.com/blog/ultralearning/) by Scott H. Young Sara Hasbun's website, Miss Linguistic (https://misslinguistic.com/) Episode 10: Solidifying My Language Level (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/episode-10), Love, Joy, and Languages Podcast Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found here (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/). Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages X (Twitter): @LoveJoy_Lang

In today's episode I'm chatting with my dear friend, Kuba, a polyglot and passionate language learner who has a fascinating history with languages. As a native Polish speaker, Kuba learned Spanish and English in school, Hungarian at University and through immersion, and Catalan through immersion before diving into a world of self-study. After becoming a polyglot in this way then dabbling in many languages for several years, Kuba started learning Turkish and realized that it wasn't as easy as his previous languages. He knew he could learn it because he'd learned so many languages before, but he struggled in a very unexpected way. Join Kuba and me today we we explore language curiosity, frustrations, and expectations. We dive into beliefs and doubts, avoiding and changing focus languages, goals versus projects, immersion and the weight of learning a language. Kuba brings so much experience and depth to conversations about languages, and what he brings is so much more than simple, cursory tips and tricks of what's worked for him. His openness about his struggles, especially while already being a polyglot and already having multiple fluent languages, is insightful, inspiring, and something from which I think each one of us can learn. Connect with Kuba here: X (Twitter): @langatu_ Instagram: @kubacki__ Other content mentioned in this episode: Kenny from Something Polyglot (https://somethingpolyglot.com/) Turkish Short Stories (https://us.teachyourself.com/products/short-stories-in-turkish-for-beginners) by Olly Richards Ultralearning (https://www.scotthyoung.com/blog/ultralearning/) by Scott Young Episode 14: Navigating Language Learning Abroad - Interview with Sarah Knight (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/episode-14); Love, Joy, and Languages Episode 49: Good Advice Gone Wrong: Move to a Country of Your TL (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/episode-49); Love, Joy, and Languages Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found here (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/). Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages X (Twitter): @LoveJoy_Lang

Probably all of us have, at one point or another, had a goal of being fluent in our target language(s). When we think of being fluent, we often think of easily speaking the language, not having to think about what we're going to say, and just being able to spontaneously use the words and grammar we've acquired. There's this weird place I've found myself in with German where I can use the language in all the spontaneous situations I find myself in living in a German-speaking country, and yet I'm not fluent. I am very functional in the language, and I do use it with ease in most situations. But I'm far from fluent. This is a place on my language journey that's both exciting and frustrating. I'm excited to feel comfortable living in the country using the language. I'm frustrated because I can't fully express myself and be me in the language. I can function, but I don't feel like myself. I can't really showcase my personality, exhibit my intelligence, or converse about deep and meaningful things. Being functional but not fluent comes with a lot of complex thoughts and feelings, so in today's episode I start getting some of those thoughts out and guide a conversation that you can use as a starting point for your own unraveling of thoughts. Being functional in a language is a huge milestone. Be proud of that, and don't lose sight of it when you focus on getting to fluency. Links from this episode: Episode 25: What Is Fluency, Anyway? (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/episode-25) Episode 68: Planning, Confidence, and Reflection w/Bront'e Singleton of The Polyglot Fox (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/episode-68) The Language Confident Project (https://www.languageconfidenceproject.com/), by Emily Richardson Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found here (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/). Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages X (Twitter): @LoveJoy_Lang

Today's episode is one you won't want to miss! I recently sat down with Bront'e Singleton, the incredible woman behind The Polyglot Fox, to chat about her experiences learning languages and coaching others, guiding them to finding the right language path for themselves. Bront'e has a long list of languages she speaks and learns, and she is so inspiring. Bront'e shares some of the struggles she faced over the years trying to learn multiple and very diverse languages often at the same time, and she's built her coaching program, The Polyglot Fox, out of the lessons she learned along the way. The best part, I think, is that she demonstrates amazing openness and flexibility in how she guides language learners to reaching their goals at every single level. She understands that each one of us is different, and how we succeed will look different and fluctuate as we go along. Bront'e shares so much wisdom with us in this chat, especially when it comes to language study planning, building confidence, and allowing time for reflection to discover where we are and be honest with ourselves in order to choose the best next step. Speaking with Bront'e was an absolute delight, and I have no doubt you all will get something out of this conversation, as well! Connect with Bront'e here: The Polyglot Fox website (https://thepolyglotfox.com/) The Polyglot Fox blog (https://thepolyglotfox.com/category/blog/) The Polyglot Fox YouTube (https://www.youtube.com/@thepolyglotfox) The Polyglot Fox on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/thepolyglotfox/) Instagram: @thepolyglotfox TikTok: @thepolyglotfox Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found here (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/). Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages X (Twitter): @LoveJoy_Lang

As language learners, we always want progress, right? We all want to move forward, learning new words and taking in the grammar. Yet, many times in my language journey, I've found myself making some progress just to look back and realize that the progress I made was actually the opposite of helpful. Instead, it was holding me back from reaching my goals faster and in a more enjoyable way. And it really comes down to hanging on to tools, methods, or resources that just aren't right for you and your goals. I'm talking here about ignoring red flags. We all want to make progress in our languages, but if we're making progress in a resource just for the sake of finishing the resource or just because someone else said it's good or because we're afraid of change, then that progress isn't the type of language advancement that we want. I've forced myself, several times, to keep using a resource just because I was seeing some results. I was learning new words. I was remembering a few things. I did learn some of the language. But, I hated opening the program. I dreaded coming back to it. But I was afraid that ditching it would be worse because I was making some progress. Looking back, it's easy to see that I would have been better off leaving the thing behind and seeking out language tools that were more effective for my needs and that would lead to greater progress. Looking back, it's easy to see that those negative feelings of dread and loathing were huge red flags screaming at me to change things up. But instead, I let my fear of failure get in the way, and I stuck it out far longer than was helpful...because there was some progress. It doesn't help anyone to stick with something that just isn't working. If there are red flags, do not stay. Move on to a new method, a new resource, a new tool. Sometimes "progress" is actually an illusion. Sometimes progress is slower than it needs to be. Sometimes we keep progressing, but we're simultaneously forging a negative bond with our languages because of the negative feelings we have for a resource. So today I share some of my experiences making unhelpful progress and provide some questions you can ask yourself if you find yourself in the same situation with your language. Related Episodes: Episode 16: Forging A Joyful Bond With Your Languages (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/episode-16) Episode 29: Sunk Costs in Language Learning (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/episode-29) Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found here (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/). Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages X (Twitter): @LoveJoy_Lang

U.S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Michael Ratney joins The 966 to talk diplomacy and U.S.-Saudi relations. In recent years, he was the Acting Deputy Director of the U.S. Department of State's training center, the Foreign Service Institute, where he had also been Dean of the State Department's School of Language Studies.  He was Chargé d'Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem in 2021, and earlier served on the faculty of the National Defense University.Ambassador Ratney was the U.S. Special Envoy for Syria from 2015 to 2018, and also served as acting Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Levant and Israel and Palestinian Affairs.  He was the U.S. Consul General in Jerusalem from 2012 to 2015, where he was responsible for U.S. relations with Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza, and Jerusalem.  He has been Deputy Assistant Secretary for International Media, overseeing a network of State Department media hubs throughout the world, and was Spokesman for the State Department's Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs.

Are you a language dabbler? Do you enjoy playing around with new languages in a fun and non-committal way? Language dabbling isn't for everyone, but I really enjoy it, and I find several benefits to dabbling that actually help me keep my main languages going. Of course there are often connections between languages that help to strengthen our understanding of them, but I've also found that language dabbling helps me prevent and work through burnout, and it keeps me curious. It helps reignite the fire and preserve the joy I need to move forward in my main languages. If you're a language dabbler or if you're curious about playing around with new languages in a way that doesn't take away from your main focus languages, give today's episode a listen, and see if you can find language dabbling benefits for yourself. Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found here (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/). Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages X (Twitter): @LoveJoy_Lang

Do you find that you doubt yourself way more than you believe in yourself when it comes to your language knowledge and skills? I certainly do, and it isn't always warranted. No matter your level, I think we can all find a balance in our language lives where we can trust what we know and also take time to verify when we come across something in the language that doesn't seem right. The thing is, all language resources have mistakes and/or language variance. Textbooks have printing errors, tutors and teachers also make mistakes, and then there are just differences in how languages are spoken within various regions or spans of time. When we come across these things, if we immediately doubt ourselves and doubt our abilities, then it just makes our learning journey more difficult and much less joyful. I think we can find a sweet spot where we trust the "pros" but also trust ourselves. Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found here (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/). Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages X (Twitter): @LoveJoy_Lang

This episode of the EdCuration Podcast is brought to you by Sanako Connect at Multimedia Solutions Inc.   Guest Stephanie Knight from the Center for Applied Second Language Studies, explores the paradigm shift in world language learning catalyzed by technology integration, the significance of starting foreign language study early, and how global economy shines a spotlight on the shifting educational landscape. We also discuss the ingenious iAgents 21st Century Global Competence Curriculum, a CASELS initiative aimed at solving 'resource scarcity' with creative approaches. This curriculum makes language learning an interconnected endeavor by introducing 18 different languages to elementary learners intersecting with fundamental subjects like math and English. The episode also uncovers crucial insights into the rising demand for bilingual skills in the job market due to increasing globalization, cognitive boosters derived from learning a foreign language, the role of AI technologies in facilitating multilingual transactions, and the transformative potential of the Intercultural Pragmatic and Interactional Competence Framework.  We scrutinize the effectiveness of language learning strategies in the modern digital age and the use of mixed reality for enhancing language learning experiences. Further, we discuss opportunities provided by the Center for Applied Second Language Studies to diverse learners, teachers, and leaders, and how to select high-quality language instruction programs that aligns with defined learning objectives. This episode gifts you with practical strategies and tools to amplify your language-learning experience in the digital era.   Resources: Sanako Language Lab from Multimedia Solutions is an agile, easy to use full-featured live online language lab. Teach any language in classrooms and remotely at the same time. No additional workload. Web-based. Runs on all browsers using PCs, laptops, tablets, smartphones & Chromebooks. Teach synchronously or asynchronously. Connects speaking pronunciation and listening activities develop students' fluency and confidence in any language. Developed following highest standards in accessibility guidelines to be accessible also for students including with disabilities such as deaf and visual impairments   Explore the resources of University of Oregon's Center for Applied Second Language Study   Learn more about Stephanie Knight here, or reach out at knights@uoregon.edu   Check out the Radio Ambulante podcast, with Spanish study and educational resources!   Micro Professional Learning ExPLorations - fun and free, 1-hour digital Professional Learning for teachers from all content areas and grades levels EdCuration's Blog: Learning in Action EdCuration's upcoming Online Events  

Have you ever noticed that the word "excuse" has grown a very negative connotation? It's far too easy to internalize the idea that we should be in our languages all the time, every spare moment of every day, and if we aren't, then whatever the reason, it's "just an excuse." While perhaps once intended to motivate, this phrase and similar others more often lead to guilt and shame, leaving us farther from our goals instead of closer to them. In today's episode I talk about the word "excuse," its negative undertone, and do by best to remind you that your excuses are valid. They are, in fact, excusable. There are an infinite number of reasons we have for not studying our languages or immersing in our languages every single day, even if we do find 15 minutes of space. No matter your level, no matter how long your pause, and no matter your reason, phrases like, "There are no excuses," only seek to blame and shame. But really, blame and shame have no space in language learning, and honestly in life. They don't motivate. They don't inspire. And they certainly don't validate the reality of our everyday lives. So listen in if you're tired of feeling the heavy burden of "excuses," and see how you can change your inner dialogue to give yourself some grace and get back into spending time with your languages in a more joyful and accepting way. Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found here (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/). Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages X (Twitter): @LoveJoy_Lang

Welcome back! Season 4 is finally here, and I'm just starting off with a quick chat about what you're going to find in these episodes and also what I've been doing with my language learning for the last four or so months. I've been doing a ton of intensive language time with both Italian and German, I've been dabbling in a couple languages, and I've been trying to find a good balance between pushing forward and resting. Today's episode is light and, well, about me, but don't worry. Season 4 will be packed with a lot of versatile content that hopefully helps you feel confident in your own language learning life. Links from this episode: Simone Pols website (https://simonepols.com/) and podcast, Simple Italian Podcast (https://simonepols.com/simple-italian-podcast/) 6 Week Challenge (https://6wc.learnlangs.com) Lingua.com (www.lingua.com) website for learning languages through reading (English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, and Portugal & Brazilian Portugese) Leggero come il cielo, profondo come il mare (https://www.ibs.it/profondo-come-mare-leggero-come-libro-gianluca-gotto/e/9788804745440) by Gianluca Gotto German travel blog, We Travel the World (https://wetraveltheworld.de/) Sprachen lernen Blog (https://www.sprachenlernen.blog/), by Carl Duisberg Centren Sprachenlust Blog (https://sprachenlust.de/blog/), by Lena Müller Natural.Fluent.German (https://open.spotify.com/show/66RoY4vSCSiSmyNV84NfHe) & Deutsches Geplapper (https://naturalfluentgerman.com/my-blog/podcast-transkripte/) podcasts, by Flemming Boldbecher Verena König Podcast für Kreative Transformation (https://www.verenakoenig.de/blog-und-podcast/alle-folgen/) Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found here: http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/. Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages X (Twitter): @LoveJoy_Lang

Researchers Sarah West and Andreas Liesenfeld join Alex and Emily to examine what software companies really mean when they say their work is 'open source,' and call for greater transparency.This episode was recorded on November 20, 2023.Dr. Sarah West is the managing director of the AI Now Institute. Her award-winning research and writing blends social science, policy, and historical methods to address the intersection of technology, labor, antitrust, and platform accountability. And she's the author of the forthcoming book, "Tracing Code."Dr. Andreas Liesenfeld is assistant professor in both the Centre for Language Studies and department of language and communication at Radboud University in the Netherlands. He's a co-author on research from this summer critically examining the true “open source” nature of models like LLaMA and ChatGPT – concluding.References:Yann LeCun testifies on 'open source' work at MetaMeta launches LLaMA 2Stanford Human-Centered AI's new transparency indexCoverage in The AtlanticEleuther critiqueMargaret Mitchell critiqueOpening up ChatGPT (Andreas Liesenfeld's work)WebinarFresh AI Hell:Sam Altman out at OpenAIThe Verge: Meta disbands their Responsible AI teamArs Technica: Lawsuit claims AI with 90 percent error rate forces elderly out of rehab, nursing homesCall-out of Stability and others' use of “fair use” in AI-generated artA fawning profile of OpenAI's Ilya SutskeverYou can check out future livestreams at https://twitch.tv/DAIR_Institute. Follow us!Emily Twitter: https://twitter.com/EmilyMBender Mastodon: https://dair-community.social/@EmilyMBender Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/emilymbender.bsky.social Alex Twitter: https://twitter.com/@alexhanna Mastodon: https://dair-community.social/@alex Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/alexhanna.bsky.social Music by Toby Menon.Artwork by Naomi Pleasure-Park. Production by Christie Taylor.

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In this Season 3 finale of Love, Joy, and Languages podcast, I share and celebrate language learning wins from listeners across the globe. Real life stories from real life language learners, inspiring us to see every bit of progress along our language journeys. In this episode, you'll hear stories from four language learners who recognize a variety of wins in their language lives. The achievements they've shared with me for this episode are inspiring for language learners of all types, ages, and levels. The languages they're celebrating include German, Turkish, Spanish, and French plus my own wins in Italian and German. Some of these language lovers are still at the beginning of learning their languages, and others are futher along, but one common theme is that they see the value in celebrating the multitude of accomplishments along the way. This episode is made for you, my listeners. Every win we have matters. No achievement is too small. Every success is significant, and every win is worth celebrating. Join me in today's season finale episode by cheering on those who shared their stories with me and for everyone else out there working on your new language. Take a moment to reflect on your own wins, and celebrate them! Feel the pride. Give yourself a round of applause. Brag about it on social media. You're doing great, and you can be proud of yourself and your achievements. Links from this episode: The Talking Ticket blog (https://thetalkingticket.blog/) by listener Lucy, also found @talkingticket on X Langatu (https://langatu.wordpress.com/), listener Kuba's blog Speak in Spades (https://www.speakinspades.com/), listener Tiara's website Melissa can be found on Instagram at @melsouz_a Love, Joy, and Languages episode with Tiara as a guest: http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/episode-56 Info on the The New Year, New Language Summit (https://2024.newyearnewlanguage.com/) is linked here (free tickets available!). Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found here: http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/. Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages X (Twitter): @LoveJoy_Lang More language learning podcasts for you to check out: The Language Confidence Project (https://anchor.fm/emily-richardson1), by Emily Richardson Speaking Tongues Podcast (https://speakingtonguespodcast.com/), by Elle Charisse How to Learn a Language (https://howtolearnalanguage.fireside.fm/), by Lindsay Williams Talking to Grandma (https://languagepreservation.mykajabi.com/podcasts/talking-to-grandma), by Veronica Benavides Shhh, I'm Learning! (https://open.spotify.com/show/6v0GrjOA5UfLRd5vilj5lF) by Martha Summerlin The Fluent Show (https://www.fluent.show/), by Kerstin Cable The Language Learning Show (https://open.spotify.com/show/2KqaP5uKhR6oTYsRKIX7gS), by Azren Insecurities About Languages (https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/alexandria-robinson2), by Alexandria Robinson A Language I Love Is... (https://dannybate.com/2023/09/04/introducing-a-language-i-love-is/), by Danny Bate Actual Fluency (https://actualfluency.com/actual-fluency-language-learning-podcast/), by Kris Broholm My favorite Italian podcasts: Italianglot (https://www.italianglot.com/podcast-feed/), by Carmine Albanese Stivale Italiano (https://www.stivaleitaliano.com/copy-of-home-1), by Alessandro and Carolina Simple Italian Podcast (https://simonepols.com/simple-italian-podcast/), by Simone Pols Vaporetto Italiano Podcast (https://anchor.fm/vaporetto-italiano/episodes), by Francesco Cositore The Teacher Stefano Show (https://www.teacherstefano.com/podcast), by Stefano Psicologia per eroi (https://open.spotify.com/show/5iJsp9pgAEW8UPkDfQQeg4), by Dott. Luca Proietti Curiosità della Storia (https://www.radio-italiane.it/podcasts/curiosita-della-storia), by Storica National Geographic Italiano in Podcas (https://www.ispeakitaliano.it/italiano-in-podcast-5/)t, by Paolo of I Speak Italiano My favorite German podcasts: Natural.Fluent.German (https://open.spotify.com/show/66RoY4vSCSiSmyNV84NfHe) & Deutsches Geplapper (https://naturalfluentgerman.com/my-blog/podcast-transkripte/), by Flemming Boldbecher Deutsch Podcast (https://deutsch-podcast.com/podcast-hoeren/), by Virpi Hach & Sandra Durán Muñoz Feminismus mit Vorsatz (https://www.feminismusmitvorsatz.de/), by Laura Vorsatz Eine Stunde History (https://www.deutschlandfunknova.de/podcasts/download/eine-stunde-history), by Deutschlandfunk Nova Other language learning podcasts I've been on: Shhh, I'm Learning! (https://open.spotify.com/episode/079VZM8YYpPzHuUemtGaV6) with Martha Summerlin How to Learn A Language (https://open.spotify.com/episode/3pNaW4b6aRl1R1oSpyp2TQ?si=93fa2099ca514ccc&nd=1) with Lindsay Williams Actual Fluency Podcast (https://open.spotify.com/episode/4IYoo07RctdUz2EV4CfKWQ?si=a26ea3fec92640b7&nd=1) with Kris Broholm The Italian Escape Podcast (https://open.spotify.com/episode/3gSJaCTJVjwqRlnirZFw08?si=dd4029bb75d84908&nd=1) with Angelique Lusuan & Gabriele Minucci The Future is Bilingual (https://open.spotify.com/episode/4ZmWsHawlLrtPuoFzuNeOA) with Heather

Though "parent" is in the title, this is an episode for all. Language learning was the first area in my life where I started being able to face some of my personal demons and really start on a path to self-acceptance and growth. The skills I've gained through this journey of learning languages have absolutely been useful in other areas of my life, as well, like in parenting. There are so many similarities between how I used to approach language learning and how I've approached parenting. While it may sound odd at first, this shouldn't be surprising because there's one common factor here - me. The perfectionist language learner in me is also the perfectionist parent. The part of me that lacks confidence and always assumes I'm wrong when it comes to languages is the same part of me that always assumes I'm screwing up in parenting. And the side of me that beats myself up over language mistakes and just wishes I could go back in time to prevent the mistake? Yep, she's there in my parenting, as well. It just so happens that, for me, language learning was the first area of my life where I could start facing these things, questioning them, and figuring out how to overcome them or at least live with them in a better headspace. So when I started finding better ways to deal with these things in my language life, of course I eventually started asking myself if they'd work in my parenting, as well. I'm not at the end-state of this story, though. I absolutely still have down days and troubling times when I fall back into my old ways, both in languages and in parenting, and I'm not here to paint a picture of perfection that simply isn't reality. But let's start talking about these intersections of life because none of the challenges we face exist alone, and recognizing what challenging parts overlap can be incredibly useful to accelerating your personal growth, as well as your language growth. Links from this episode: New Year New Language Summit (https://2024.newyearnewlanguage.com/), Online, 10-14 January 2024 Multilingual Parenting Websites: The Language Preservation Project (https://thelanguageproject.co/) Bhasha Kids (https://bhashakids.com/) Multilingual Parenting (https://multilingualparenting.com/articles/) Multilingual Family (https://www.multilingual.family/https-multilingualfamilypodiacom-about) Multilingual Parenting Podcasts & Videos: Talking to Grandma Podcast (https://languagepreservation.mykajabi.com/podcasts/talking-to-grandma) The Future is Bilingual (https://thefutureisbilingual.wordpress.com/) Bilingual Parenting Podcast (https://open.spotify.com/show/31Ae68sigZ1kL60Qz6fEO0) Speaking Tongues Podcast (https://speakingtonguespodcast.com/latest-episodes-language/) (Not multilingual parenting specifically, but Elle has tons of guests who grew up multilingual and/or are multilingual parents, so there's a wealth of resources and networking here) Multilingual Family (https://www.youtube.com/@MultilingualFamily/featured) on YouTube Multilingual Parenting (https://www.youtube.com/@Multilingualparenting) on YouTube Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found here (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/). Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages X (Twitter): @LoveJoy_Lang

In today's episode I share 4 (or 4.5) tips for creating benchmarks along your language journey to guarantee that your future self will recognize and believe that you're making progress. In language learning, it's really easy to be so down in the weeds and the details of studying and practicing that progress feels slow or even stagnant. Yet, every single word we learn is a tiny bit of growth, and the more progress we see, the more we keep coming back for more. But it can be difficult to recognize that progress, especially if we don't work toward a particular measure of progress like taking a level exam or counting the number of words we learn or something like that. But why wait for those big measures of progress to happen? At any point in your language journey, you can intentionally create meaningful bencharks that will set you up for future moments of progress recognition. I hope today's episode allows you to brainstorm some creative ideas that bring a little extra excitement, motivation, and pride into your language life. If you like the idea of making sure you see the language progress that you're making (because you are making progress), check out episode 22 here (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/episode-22), where I talk about the role mindfulness also plays in seeing and believing our language progress. Links to other resources for getting ideas on how to realize and measure your language progress and growth: Blogs & Articles: * How to Record Your Language Learning Progress (https://www.lindsaydoeslanguages.com/how-to-record-your-language-learning-progress/) by Lindsay Williams of Lindsay Does Languages * Language Learning Progress: 9 Ways to See How Far You've Come (https://www.fluentu.com/blog/language-learning-progress/) by Meredith Kreisa on FluentU * Keeping Track of Your Learning (https://lindiebotes.com/2021/04/07/how-to-track-language-progress/) by Lindie Botes * The Ultimate Language Learning Guide Part III: Commitment -- Drops (https://medium.com/languagedrops/the-ultimate-language-learning-guide-part-iii-commitment-drops-d42b597ad3) by Shannon Kennedy, published in Languagedrops Podcasts & Videos: * Signs That You're Making Progress with Language Learning (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2U71LB9nLk) by Grace of Guresu * Don't Let the Intermediate Plateau Scare You (https://anchor.fm/emily-richardson1/episodes/S2E13-Dont-let-the-intermediate-plateau-scare-you-e1o2rf3) by Emily Richardson of The Language Confidence Project * 5 Steps for Creating Your Language Habit (https://www.fluent.show/130) by Kerstin Cable of The Fluent Show * Tracking Your Language Learning Progress (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9y-QvN_9u5o) by Lindie Botes Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found here (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/). Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages Twitter: @LoveJoy_Lang

In today's episode I'm talking about overstimulation and how it affects my language learning. As language learners, I think we often get the message that speaking and listening are the most important skills to work on. I've struggled with getting in a significant amount of speaking and listening practice in both of my languages, which comes with a lot of guilt. Lately, though, I'm coming to realize that my struggle is more than the usual fear of making mistakes, not being confident, and feeling uncomfortable when I don't understand something or can't find the words I'm looking for. Although all of those things have definitely been true for me, there's a lot more to unpack here. Even though I have conversation lessons, speak with friends in my languages, and use one of them almost daily in my community, I feel a lot of guilt when I don't speak to myself in my languages when I'm in the car alone or while getting myself ready in the morning. Even though I listen to Italian music daily and hear German all around me, I feel a lot of guilt when I don't listen to a podcast on my languages on my commute home or while I'm cleaning up after dinner. But ya know what, sometimes I just can't do it. For my own sanity, I can't listen to anything in any language. For my own sanity I can't listen to anyone talk, even if it's myself, and even if it's a language I absolutely love. Instead, I just need to process my thoughts, reserve my energy for my kids, or just...be. Some days or weeks, I find joy and comfort in filling the little moments with language time, but other times, I don't. And then I feel guilty. My negative thoughts tell me that I just don't have it in me, I'm not the kind of person who does, and I'm never going to reach the level I want because I'm slacking too much. But instead of giving in to the guilt and the negative thoughts, I'm trying to question them and allow myself to see and believe the bigger picture of me. More often than not, I'm just feeling overstimulated, overwhelmed, and/or completely drained of energy, and I need to seek out silence instead. And that's okay. There's no reason for any of us to feel guilty for taking care of what we need for our mental health, so I really needed to explore that today, and I hope it reaches those who need to hear this message, as well. Links from this episode: Stephen Krashen's Comprehension Hypothesis (http://sdkrashen.com/content/articles/comprehension_hypothesis_extended.pdf) The Language Confidence Project (https://open.spotify.com/show/5nM0fRi9tUDvl2XNHhsuqt) podcast, by Emily Richardson (link to Spotify) Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found here (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/). Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages Twitter: @LoveJoy_Lang

In today's episode, I'm speaking with Dr. Veronica Benavides. Veronica is a Harvard-trained doctora of education with several years of experience in creating meaningful learning environments for children. She is also the founder and CEO of The Language Preservation Project and host of Talking to Grandma podcast, both of which were created as resources for other heritage language learners and for building community around reversing the trend of language loss across generations. Veronica is a heritage Spanish speaker and also a mother raising her children in Spanish as part of a multilingual/multicultural household. In our chat, Veronica shares her story of growing up in the U.S. with Spanish-speaking parents who chose to raise their children in English. While she gained some Spanish in childhood, she walks us through her path to discovering a passion for her heritage language in college. She shares her experiences living in Mexico City as a Fulbright Scholar and raising her children in Spanish even as she herself was still learning so much about the language. Veronica and her husband maintain three languages with their children, and she tells us what that looks like for their family on a day-to-day basis. Her experiences raising her children in her heritage language is an amazing example of perseverance and strength, rebellion and acceptance, love and grace. She shares inspirational words of advice and encouragement for all parents raising multilingual children, but especially for those passing on their heritage language to their kids. She talks about emotional and technical challenges she's faced in her journey and also about the moments that pushed her forward. Something really incredible about Veronica's story is what she and other Latina women are building to help other heritage language speakers on a multilingual/multicultural parenting journey. They've seen and experienced the gaps in resources for cultural and linguistic diversity in Spanish language resources, despite the incredibly diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds of Latinx communities in the United States, and they are actively bridging that gap. Please check out and share The Language Preservation Project and Talking to Grandma podcast, linked below. Find Veronica's Work Here: The Language Preservation Project (https://thelanguageproject.co/) Instagram: @languagepreservationproject Talking to Grandma Podcast (https://languagepreservation.mykajabi.com/podcasts/talking-to-grandma) Instagram: @talkingtograndma Where to find me: Love, Joy, and Languages Blog (https://lovejoyandlanguages.com/) All podcast episodes can be found here (http://www.lovejoyandlanguagespodcast.com/). Instagram: @love.joyandlanguages Twitter: @LoveJoy_Lang

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HUNGRY? Well, we're serving up a feast of verbs right here, right to you, on a nice platter. Indulge yourself! Pull up a chair and dig in. #Verbs #Language #Linguistics #Grammar #Greek #Koine #KoineGreek #LanguageStudy Verbs, Language, Linguistics, Grammar, Greek, Koine, Koine Greek, Language Study, --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/glossahouse/message

NERD ALERT! In this GrammarPoint episode, Dr. T. Michael W. Halcomb and Dr. Fredrick J. Long continue plumbing the depths of verbs. Think you can keep up with the? Tune in and find out! #Grammar #Language #Linguistics #Study #LanguageStudy #Verbs #ProveText Grammar, Language, Linguistics, Study, Language Study, Verbs, ProveText, --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/glossahouse/message

The podcast episode features an interview with Dr. Ledesma, a language access and equity expert with a PhD in Educational Leadership and Policy Analysis. Dr. Ledesma discusses his personal background and experiences with language and cultural diversity, as well as his research on language access and equity in public education. He emphasizes the need for a strategic and systematic approach to managing quality communication with families who speak languages other than English, and the importance of promoting communicative equity in public education. The episode concludes with a call to action for everyone to join in the conversation and take responsibility for communicative equity.Don't miss out on this insightful conversation. Tune in now!-------------------------------------------

Taiwan Literature in the 21st Century: A Critical Reader (Springer, 2023) is an anthology of research co-edited by Dr. Chia-rong Wu (University of Canterbury) and Professor Ming-ju Fan (National Chengchi University). This collection of original essays integrates and expands research on Taiwan literature because it includes both established and young writers. It not only engages with the evolving trends of literary Taiwan, but also promotes the translocal consciousness and cultural diversity of the island state and beyond. Focusing on the new directions and trends of Taiwan literature, this edited book fits into Taiwan studies, Sinophone studies, and Asian studies. Chia-rong Wu is an Associate Professor in the Department of Global, Cultural and Language Studies at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand. Dr. Wu received his Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA. He specializes in Sinophone literature and film through the lens of postcolonial theories, indigenous studies, diaspora, and ecocriticism. Dr. Wu is the author of Supernatural Sinophone Taiwan and Beyond (Cambria Press, 2016) and Remapping the Contested Sinosphere: The Cross-cultural Landscape and Ethnoscape of Taiwan (Cambria Press, 2020) and has published in such academic journals as the British Journal of Chinese Studies, Sun Yat-sen Journal of Humanities, Journal of Chinese Cinemas, and American Journal of Chinese Studies. Ming-ju Fan is a Distinguished Professor of Graduate Institute of Taiwanese Literature at the National Chengchi University in Taiwan. She is the author of Spatial/Textual/Politics, Literary Geography: Spatial Reading of Taiwanese Fiction, Chronological Searches of Taiwanese Women's Fiction and Critic Artisan, Like a Box of Chocolate: Criticism on Contemporary Literature and Culture; Co-Editor of The Columbia Sourcebook of Literary Taiwan. Li-Ping Chen is Postdoctoral Scholar and Teaching Fellow in the East Asian Studies Center at the University of Southern California. Her research interests include literary translingualism, diaspora, and nativism in Sinophone, inter-Asian, and transpacific contexts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/new-books-network

Taiwan Literature in the 21st Century: A Critical Reader (Springer, 2023) is an anthology of research co-edited by Dr. Chia-rong Wu (University of Canterbury) and Professor Ming-ju Fan (National Chengchi University). This collection of original essays integrates and expands research on Taiwan literature because it includes both established and young writers. It not only engages with the evolving trends of literary Taiwan, but also promotes the translocal consciousness and cultural diversity of the island state and beyond. Focusing on the new directions and trends of Taiwan literature, this edited book fits into Taiwan studies, Sinophone studies, and Asian studies. Chia-rong Wu is an Associate Professor in the Department of Global, Cultural and Language Studies at the University of Canterbury in New Zealand. Dr. Wu received his Ph.D. in Comparative Literature from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, USA. He specializes in Sinophone literature and film through the lens of postcolonial theories, indigenous studies, diaspora, and ecocriticism. Dr. Wu is the author of Supernatural Sinophone Taiwan and Beyond (Cambria Press, 2016) and Remapping the Contested Sinosphere: The Cross-cultural Landscape and Ethnoscape of Taiwan (Cambria Press, 2020) and has published in such academic journals as the British Journal of Chinese Studies, Sun Yat-sen Journal of Humanities, Journal of Chinese Cinemas, and American Journal of Chinese Studies. Ming-ju Fan is a Distinguished Professor of Graduate Institute of Taiwanese Literature at the National Chengchi University in Taiwan. She is the author of Spatial/Textual/Politics, Literary Geography: Spatial Reading of Taiwanese Fiction, Chronological Searches of Taiwanese Women's Fiction and Critic Artisan, Like a Box of Chocolate: Criticism on Contemporary Literature and Culture; Co-Editor of The Columbia Sourcebook of Literary Taiwan. Li-Ping Chen is Postdoctoral Scholar and Teaching Fellow in the East Asian Studies Center at the University of Southern California. Her research interests include literary translingualism, diaspora, and nativism in Sinophone, inter-Asian, and transpacific contexts. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices Support our show by becoming a premium member! https://newbooksnetwork.supportingcast.fm/east-asian-studies

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Join Casey and Ingrid as they discuss yet another idiom about cats. To which they are both allergic. Support the show

Join Casey and Ingrid as they discuss an idiom that horrifies, disgusts, and completely unsettles Casey. Support the show

Thirty years after D.H. Lawrence died, his book "Lady Chatterley's Lover," which had been banned for decades in many countries, was central to a trial in Great Britain over whether the novel was obscenity or whether it had literary merit. Research: Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Obscene Publications Act". Encyclopedia Britannica, 17 Apr. 2017, https://www.britannica.com/event/Obscene-Publications-Act Delavenay, Emile. “A SHRINE WITHOUT RELICS?” The D.H. Lawrence Review, vol. 16, no. 2, 1983, pp. 111–31. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/44233723. Rothman, Lily. “How a Book Reminded the World That Sex Sells.” Time. Nov. 2, 2015. https://time.com/4087851/lady-chatterleys-lover-1960/ Temple, Emily. “Why exactly is this book obscene? (Skip to the Dirty Bits.)” Literary Hub. Nov. 22, 2017. https://lithub.com/why-exactly-is-this-book-obscene-skip-to-the-dirty-bits/ com Editors. “D.H. Lawrence Biography.” https://www.biography.com/writer/dh-lawrence Booth, Howard J. “D. H. Lawrence and Male Homosexual Desire.” The Review of English Studies, vol. 53, no. 209, 2002, pp. 86–107. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/3070410 Panter-Downes, Mollie. “The Lady at the Old Bailey.” The New Yorker. Nov. 11, 1960. https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1960/11/19/the-lady-at-the-old-bailey Black, Michael H.. "D.H. Lawrence". Encyclopedia Britannica, 7 Sep. 2022, https://www.britannica.com/biography/D-H-Lawrence “KINGSLEY PICTURES CORP. v. REGENTS.” United States Supreme Court. June 29, 1959. https://caselaw.findlaw.com/us-supreme-court/360/684.html Bo, Ting. “An Analysis of Lady Chatterley's Lover from the Perspective of Ecofeminism.” Theory and Practice in Language Studies, Vol. 8, No. 10, pp. 1361-1364, October 2018. https://www.academypublication.com/issues2/tpls/vol08/10/15.pdf Wood, Marie. “William Will Be Interested.” Johnson City Press. May 11, 1959. https://www.newspapers.com/image/586923561/?terms=chatterly&match=1 Lahey, Edwin A. “Old Days Recalled by ‘Lady Chatterly.'” The Philadelphia Inquirer. July 2, 1959. https://www.newspapers.com/image/177983457/?terms=lady%20chatterly&match=1 “Controversial Lady Scores KO.” The Journal Times. July 1, 1959. https://www.newspapers.com/image/342268994/?terms=lady%20chatterly&match=1 “Lady Chatterly After 30 Years.” Asheville Citizen-Times. April 30, 1959. https://www.newspapers.com/image/202268589/?terms=lady%20chatterly&match=1 Hoyt, Robert E. “An Amorous Lady Stirred Senate.” The Charlotte Observer. August 10, 1959. https://www.newspapers.com/image/619998471/?terms=reed%20smoot%20chatterly&match=1 Flood, Alison. “Obscenity judge's copy of Lady Chatterley's Lover to stay in UK.” The Guardian. Oct. 1, 2019. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2019/oct/01/obscenity-judge-lady-chatterley-lover-book-stay-in-uk Baksi, Catherine. “Lady Chatterley's legal case: how the book changed the meaning of obscene.” The Guardian. August 1, 2019. https://www.theguardian.com/law/2019/aug/01/lady-chatterleys-legal-case-how-the-book-changed-the-meaning-of-obscene “GROVE PRESS, INC. and Readers' Subscription, Inc., Plaintiffs, v. Robert K. CHRISTENBERRY, individually and as Postmaster of the City of New York, Defendant.” July 21, 1959. https://scholar.google.com/scholar_case?case=15811131582924106766 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.