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Tristin Ralston - The Linguistic Traveler

@linguistictraveler.bsky.social

260 followers 230 following 310 posts

When you travel to another country, do you usually speak English, or do you speak the language of the people there? I talk about how you can improve your travel experience through language! https://thelinguistictraveler.com

thelinguistictraveler.com

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Tristin Ralston - The Linguistic Traveler @linguistictraveler.bsky.social · Sep 24

There is so much work, thought, and effort that goes into language revitalization efforts.

Before you go trying to revitalize any languages by yourself, know that it's a very complicated process!

thelinguistictraveler.com/language-dea...

Language Death and How It's Prevented | The Linguistic Traveler

Language revitalization is a complicated process. Here's some of the big things linguists have to consider to make sure they do it correctly.

thelinguistictraveler.com

Tristin Ralston - The Linguistic Traveler @linguistictraveler.bsky.social · 2d

you might encounter in Romania. Now that I've been there, I can provide much better insight!

As an English speaker, I had no problem getting around in multiple cities!
thelinguistictraveler.com/language-in-...

Language in Romania: What to Expect | The Linguistic Traveler

Romania might not be the only language you encounter in Romania. What are the others that you might run into? Find out here!

thelinguistictraveler.com

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Tristin Ralston - The Linguistic Traveler @linguistictraveler.bsky.social · 2d

📌Brasov, Romania

Tristin Ralston - The Linguistic Traveler @linguistictraveler.bsky.social · 3d

I made a post earlier this year with some travel destinations I really want to visit. It's tough to make a short list when I want to visit every possible square inch of the planet, though!

Tristin Ralston - The Linguistic Traveler @linguistictraveler.bsky.social · 4d

It might surprise you to know that, for linguists, a "language" is not easy to define.

There are a lot of factors that separate languages from dialects, and they can often overlap heavily!

thelinguistictraveler.com/what-is-lang...

What is Language, Really? | The Linguistic Traveler

We hear the word language all the time, but the meaning of the word, at least for linguists, is much more complicated than you might realize!

thelinguistictraveler.com

Tristin Ralston - The Linguistic Traveler @linguistictraveler.bsky.social · 6d

The United Arab Emirates, and by proxy Dubai, hosts a great variety of immigrant populations. So, as a traveler or someone planning to move there, what languages should you expect to encounter?

I wrote a handy guide to help!

Language in the UAE/ Dubai

If you know Dubai, it shouldn't surprise you to hear that the UAE is a very diverse region with people from all over the world. As a tourist, you might worry about your ability to get around in the country with regards to language. Luckily, the country's diversity comes from language just as much as nationality. But what languages will you…

thelinguistictraveler.com

Tristin Ralston - The Linguistic Traveler @linguistictraveler.bsky.social · 7d

You know, that makes sense now that I think about it!

Tristin Ralston - The Linguistic Traveler @linguistictraveler.bsky.social · 9d

📌 Cliffs of Moher, Ireland

Tristin Ralston - The Linguistic Traveler @linguistictraveler.bsky.social · 9d

There are so many different methods to be able to travel, and some awesome experiences you can have from it!

I've excavated Mayan ruins in Belize and taught English in Romania. That's not an experience you'd get by going for the standard tourist approach!

Tristin Ralston - The Linguistic Traveler @linguistictraveler.bsky.social · 10d

When I'm at home, I find myself in front of a screen a lot; watching videos, playing games, or mindlessly scrolling.

But when I travel, all motivation to watch videos or play games vanishes.

Sometimes all you need to refresh your mind is a new experience!

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Tristin Ralston - The Linguistic Traveler @linguistictraveler.bsky.social · 11d

Did you know that there are over 7,000 languages in the world?

Did you know that Indonesia has 1/10 of them?

Some languages are obviously a lot more common, but I talked about the ones you're most likely to encounter!
thelinguistictraveler.com/language-in-...

Languages in Indonesia: Land of 700 Languages | The Linguistic Traveler

Indonesia is full of diverse languages. But as a traveler, which ones should you know about? Here's your guide to language in Indonesia!

thelinguistictraveler.com

Tristin Ralston - The Linguistic Traveler @linguistictraveler.bsky.social · 11d

If you're looking for some good places to visit in Dublin, it's easy to spend a whole day looking around at the National Museum of Archaeology. The best part is that it's free!

This means that if (like me) you don't have time to see everything, you can just come back the next day!

Tristin Ralston - The Linguistic Traveler @linguistictraveler.bsky.social · 12d

I found out yesterday that there's a Salish immersion school near me. Kids there can become fluent in Salish in 18 months!

It's a lot of work to revitalize a language like that, but the people in charge of it have put in a lot of effort to create an alphabet and translate all sorts of resources!

Tristin Ralston - The Linguistic Traveler @linguistictraveler.bsky.social · 12d

📌Xunantunich, Belize

Tristin Ralston - The Linguistic Traveler @linguistictraveler.bsky.social · 12d

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) can be an invaluable resource in language learning. But if you're not a linguist it can be quite a daunting thing to look at.

Here's a helpful explanation of how it works!

thelinguistictraveler.com/deciphering-...

Deciphering the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) | The Linguistic Traveler

The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) can be a useful tool for learning language. I'll explain what it is and how it can help you!

thelinguistictraveler.com

Tristin Ralston - The Linguistic Traveler @linguistictraveler.bsky.social · 13d

There's no better time than October to talk about my visit to Dracula Castle in Romania!

While I didn't enjoy it as much as some other sites, I would still recommend visiting as long as you temper your expectations.

So, here's what to expect!

Bran, Romania: In the “Home” of Dracula

It's October, so there's no better time to talk about my visit to Bran Castle, the castle that "inspired" Dracula! While it never served as the home of Vlad the Impaler--- the source of the stories of vampires and possible inspiration behind Dracula--- it is still a very old castle with an important history. Bran is located, unsurprisingly, in Transylvania, Romania.

thelinguistictraveler.com

Tristin Ralston - The Linguistic Traveler @linguistictraveler.bsky.social · 16d

There are a lot more languages out there than you might realize. Over 7,000 languages are spoken today.

The craziest part is that 10% of those are spoken in Indonesia!

Every single one encompasses its own worldviews and cultural background.

Tristin Ralston - The Linguistic Traveler @linguistictraveler.bsky.social · 17d

The distribution of languages around the world can tell you a lot about history. For example, Indonesia's biggest non-native language was Dutch for a long time! (Now it's English.)

Indonesian also uses the same writing script as English and Dutch!

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Tristin Ralston - The Linguistic Traveler @linguistictraveler.bsky.social · 18d

"Vigilante language revitalization" as I've been calling it, is not really a big issue.

But dying languages are. There are good and bad ways to help with the issue. How can you tell the difference, and what makes vigilante revitalization a problem?

thelinguistictraveler.com/the-problem-...

The Problem with Vigilante Language Revitalization | The Linguistic Traveler

Why might helping to protect a dying language do more harm than good? Here's an example where even good intentions can lead to bad outcomes!

thelinguistictraveler.com

Tristin Ralston - The Linguistic Traveler @linguistictraveler.bsky.social · 18d

📍The Black Church, Brasov, Romania

Tristin Ralston - The Linguistic Traveler @linguistictraveler.bsky.social · 18d

I think as an American I often don't realize how obvious my heritage can be. In Romania I met multiple people who could tell that I had Scottish, Norwegian, and Polish heritage just by looking at me.

I wouldn't even know what to look for!

Tristin Ralston - The Linguistic Traveler @linguistictraveler.bsky.social · 18d

Every inch of the place is so ornate! There's not a single wall, door, floor, ceiling, or piece of furniture that isn't adorned with tons of details!

Tristin Ralston - The Linguistic Traveler @linguistictraveler.bsky.social · 19d

I've mentioned many times that language death is a topic very dear to me. But be careful how you help out with it. You could end up doing more harm than good.

Here's my recommendation if you want to make a difference!

thelinguistictraveler.com/language-dea...

Language Death and How You Should Help | The Linguistic Traveler

Language death is an important issue, but there are important ways that you can help (and some ways you shouldn't).

thelinguistictraveler.com

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Tristin Ralston - The Linguistic Traveler @linguistictraveler.bsky.social · 19d

Went to my first ren faire this weekend. Had a great time, even if I did accidentally break something I bought the moment I got home!

Scotland did not win the joust, unfortunately. Spain beat them!

Tristin Ralston - The Linguistic Traveler @linguistictraveler.bsky.social · 19d

If you're traveling to Romania, your trip won't be complete without a visit to Sinaia. You can easily spend more than one day here exploring this beautiful tourist town nestled in the Bucegi mountains!

Sinaia: Home of Peleș Castle

Nestled amongst the forests in the Bucegi Mountains of Romania is Sinaia, a town named for the large monastery it was built around. This was one of my favorite destinations in Romania, probably in part because it reminds me of my hometown. It's deep within a forest, and the town itself is also full of trees! It has a very cozy atmosphere…

thelinguistictraveler.com

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Tristin Ralston - The Linguistic Traveler @linguistictraveler.bsky.social · 19d

I've had ChatGPT send people to my site before, which means it probably also took whatever else it said straight from my site.

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