Linguistics

Into the Silence: The Nordic World as Encapsulated in Skaldic Poetry

By Johanna Weissing University of Wisconsin–Madison Words, after speech, reach Into the silence. Only by the form, the pattern, Can words or music reach The stillness, as a Chinese jar still  Moves perpetually in its stillness.1 In any attempt to study and understand a culture, one must take into account the material and artistic products of that culture, including its architecture, tools and traditions of music, and visual art. Perhaps the aspect of a culture that conveys the greatest insights…

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How Finns Swear and What This Tells Us About Their Culture

By Emily Malone University of Wisconsin–Madison The first thing many people studying a foreign language for the first time want to learn is how to swear. To them, learning how to say “fuck you, asshole!” is much more important than being able to introduce themselves or have a basic conver­sation. The good thing for people that love to swear and curse is that these phe­nomena are universal. All cultures and languages have plentiful means for people to spew obscenities. Where…

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