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L’esprit de l’escalier

”L’esprit de l’escalier” is a French term that refers to the universal phenomenon of thinking of a clever response or comeback too late, usually after a conversation or argument has already ended. 

 

The term literally means “the spirit of the stairs”, as it would typically happen between neighbours bumping into each other in the stairwell of their Paris apartment block. 

 

Can you remember an occasion in which you had the perfect comeback too late?

 

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‘Gigil’ in Tagalog

Languages often capture nuances that are challenging to express in English. For example in Tagalog, also known as “Filipino”, there’s a word called “Gigil” that means the strong urge to squeeze something cute. Do you recognise this feeling? 



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Ella Minnow Pea

There is a thought provoking novel ‘Ella Minnow Pea’, that delves into the theme of language control within a fictional dictatorship. Set in a country where letters are gradually banned, the story unfolds as communication becomes increasingly constrained. It’s a captivating read that explores the adaptability of individuals and how they communicate.

 

For argument’s sake, I tried to rewrite the paragraph above without using the letter ‘e’. How do you think I did?

 

This fascinating book digs into a fictitious country living through a dictatorship that gradually bans symbols, constraining communication. It’s a thought provoking story that shows individuals’ and communication’s adaptability.



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Pangrams

Pangrams are sentences that contain all alphabet letters. In French, the phrase “Buvez De Ce Whisky Que Le Patron Juge Fameux” which means “drink some of this whisky which the boss finds excellent” illustrates this. Similarly, the sentence “the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog” serves as an English pangram.