WORDS

From the early Middle Ages, various European languages adopted and adapted the Latin alphabet. So why did English end up with a far more inconsistent orthography than any other? - Aeon

In the 19th century, French schools were forbidden to teach in Breton, Basque, Provençal, Corsican, etc. Starting in the 1970s, interest revived and some schools started to use them. Now a new law has forbidden immersive education in regional languages; activists are furious. - Global Voices

The kind of writing that Malcolm practiced so beautifully had been disappearing for a long time when she died, and today it is nearly gone. n+one

Jonathan Kozol: "There’s nothing wrong with treating children or yourself to a bit of whimsy and wonderment and unimportant foolishness in a world that’s all too full of tears." - The New York Times

Theoretically, things are different in a post-#MeToo Hollywood from when Mena Suvari was a young star. She thinks they should be, and adds, "If I can shave off a summer of suffering for someone, I want to.” - Los Angeles Times

Weird factoid: In Old English, people could be couth, kempt, and ruthful. - LitHub

LFLs are often criticized for their placement. A new program in Detroit aims to change that access, and the books behind the glass doors as well. - LitHub

When your book release happens the same week - or day - that most of your country locks down for a pandemic, well ... that was 2020 for many writers. - NPR

Artificial intelligence is an ethical quagmire. Its power can be more than a little nauseating. But there’s a kind of unique horror to the capabilities of natural language processing. - The New Yorker

"There is a kind of bibliomancy, the use of books in divination, to being a reader of fiction. This magical concept begins while book browsing." - LitHub

Begoña M. Rueda, 29, just won the prestigious Premio Hiperión (her seventh award, one for each of her books) for Laundry Service, a collection about her work washing the linens of the sick and dead through the pandemic in an unglamorous port town. (in English) - El País (Spain)

Zhi Bingyi had an engineering Ph.D. and a German wife, so when the Cultural Revolution hit, he was, of course, declared a reactionary. Trapped in solitary confinement, he began a thought process that ultimately helped transform China. - Psyche

Well, reunited digitally. The two pieces — one now at the Getty in L.A. and the other in Christchurch, NZ — are from linen inscribed with verses from The Book of the Dead that was used to wrap a mummy. - Smithsonian Magazine

In documents filed with the court last week, the Obama Foundation says an injunction that delays the Center will increase costs by "at least $2.2 million per month," and will likely have a negative impact on fundraising. - Chicago Reader

"Many African animators’ quest for representation goes beyond just having characters who look like them. Animation has also become a tool for preserving endangered African languages." - Global Voices