Category: Entrepreneurial Wellness

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Three “words of the year” for 2023

With a new year now just around the corner, this is the time in December when analyses and “round- ups” for the preceding 12 months fill our news feed.

And it’s no different in the worlds of language and writing, where reporters count the dominance of certain words in the public’s online dictionary searches. Three that I read about since December began are (i) the American Merriam-Webster Dictionary (often used by newcomer ESL students), (ii) the Oxford English Dictionary (OED to all English majors, past, present and future), and (iii) the Cambridge Dictionary.

Recently Merriam-Webster Dictionary announced that their “word of the year” is “authentic.” Most years this term has a “high-volume lookup.” But searches for “authentic” “substantially increased in 2023, driven by stories and conversations about AI, celebrity culture, identity and social media.” Company writers say that “authenticity” is a “desirable quality,” but also “hard to define and subject to debate,” so readers and writers regularly search for its formal definition.

Some inauthentic words or phrases used in workplace emails, as aired on Consumer News and Business Channel (CNBC)’s “Make It” program, include these:

–“Not sure if you saw my last email”

–“Per our conversation”

–“I hope this message finds you well”

–A regular closing salutation, like “warmly,” “best,” or “sincerely.”

Merriam-Webster adds that “ ‘authenticity’ can be a double-edged sword. Trying too hard to be natural or relatable often seems fake.”

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In the offices of the Oxford English Dictionary we find an equally, if not more, “viral” word for 2023: “rizz,,” from usage examined of more than 22 billion English words.

“Rizz,” lexicographers say, is a short form of “charisma,” which refers to “someone’s ability to attract another person through style, charm or attractiveness.” “Rizz” is frequently used to refer to “the ability to attract a romantic . . . partner,” and can be used as a verb (“to rizz up” someone means to “seduce” or, as the Brits say, to“chat them up”).

The word “rizz” arose from internet culture, such as YouTube and social media, and particularly caught on when British actor Tom Holland referred self-deprecatingly to having “no rizz whatsoever.” Lexicologists estimated a “15-fold increase” in searches over the past year and see no sign of abating.

Caspar Grathwohl, president of Oxford Languages, says that one reason “rizz” is moving into mainstream use is that “it’s just fun to say. . . . When it comes off your tongue, there’s a little bit of joy that comes with it.”

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The offices of the Cambridge Dictionary reported that “hallucinate” has been its word of 2023.

Tapping into large language models (LLMs) as tools to harness the power of AI, writers have found that LLMs can draft “plausible prose,” but it contains made-up facts, thereby “hallucinat[ing] in a confident and sometimes believable manner.”

AI can, therefore, hallucinate “false information.”

Cambridge lexicographers note that the verb “hallucinate” denotes “to seem to see, hear, feel, or smell something that does not exist, usually because of a health condition or because you have taken a drug.”

To add to that definition, they write: “When an artificial intelligence hallucinates (i.e. a computer system that has some of the qualities that the human brain has, such as the ability to produce language in a way that seems human), it produces false information” (my emphasis).

What worries readers and writers is not only that AI hallucinations sometimes appear foolish and lack sense. But the hallucinations can also appear “entirely plausible—even while being factually inaccurate or ultimately illogical.”

AI hallucinations have resulted in the citing of fictitious cases in court (in the US) and when Google was producing its promotional video for Bard, the AI tool erred about the “James Webb Space Telescope.”

“Hallucinations” therefore remind readers and writers, says Wedalyun Nichols, Cambridge Dictionary’s Publishing Manager, that we still need “to bring [our] critical thinking skills to the use of these tools. AIs are fantastic at churning through huge amounts of data to extract specific information and consolidate it. But the more original you ask them to be, the likelier they are to go astray.

At their best, LLMS can only be as reliable as their training data. Human expertise is arguably more important—and sought after—than ever, to create the authoritative and up-to-date information that LLMs can be trained on.” As rumours, propaganda or “fake news,” false information has been with us for years.

University of Cambridge’s AI ethicist, Dr. Henry Shevlin, writes that “as this decade progresses,  . . . our  psychological vocabulary will be further extended to encompass the strange abilities of the new intelligences we’re creating.”

It’s the AI (not the user) that is hallucinating, and we tend to anthropomorphize technology as having human attributes, including the lapse into hallucinations.

Engineers and scholars across the world are working to limit AI hallucinations by grounding, “ cross-checking the outputs of LLM with “reliable sources and web searchers. Visiting “Snopes.com” can be an eye-opener.

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Generations ago, theorist Fredric Jameson referred to “the prison-house of language,” whereby we are always already hindered in our efforts to achieve self-expression and meaning, by the limitations of language. AI intensifies Jameson’s argument!

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With another New Year just around the corner, these  are three, international degree influence “top words” for the preceding year. These three dictionaries weigh in on the influence of each term on our culture and community.

Which, if any, of these three words strikes you as paramount for 2023: “authentic,” “rizz” or “hallucination?” And why?

Please write in; I’d be delighted to discuss further with you!

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Postscript:

If lexicography appeals to you (and you haven’t yet found the following title), please read Pippa Williams’ moving novel, The Dictionary of Lost Words. Williams explores in Britain of the 1910s, the significance of under-represented words (often describing and used by women) in shaping the country’s culture. The book has been the feature of many book clubs, nation-wide. But if you’ve missed it, I highly recommend you borrow or buy a copy!

 

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What can AI teach us about how we learn language? Some preliminary answers from “The Economist”

November 2023 Vol 5 Issue 11

Tell Your Story Newsletter (TYSN):

Specializing in Entrepreneurial and Linguistic Storytelling

Let me teach you to tell your story!

Welcome Mid-November, 2023!

As I prepare this issue of “Tell Your Story Newsletter,” Saskatoon continues to experience mild, but very grey, weather. Photos from the local TV news remind us that at this time, three and six years ago, we were inundated with snow!

 

By contrast, this year, fluffy white flakes descended only in late October and on November 9th; and snow on the latter date melted by midday. Bare ground in November creates such ambivalence for Saskatchewanians: while we know we need moisture for next year’s crops, the lack of snow and ice makes our daily activities so much easier.

 

This month, I was delighted to find photos (or descriptions) on social media of Hallowe’en hijinks! Parish Nurse extraordinaire, Laura Van Loon, dressed as a pirate, according to strict specifications provided by her grandchildren;. . . . Tech expert and community developer, Katrina German, appeared on X  as a cheerful red tomato, for a lucky 13th year! . . . . Marketing guru (and another community developer), Sara Wheelwright, appeared on Facebook as a very convincing female vampire! . . . Due to a deadline here, my paltry contribution to the festivities was to shun the candy bowl at my local gym, telling myself others needed the chocolate more than I did! (Note to self: please try to plan ahead for a costume in 2024!)

 

But such fun aside, has the mild start to winter 2023/24 felt significant to you, as we approached Remembrance Day? I know that the grey, mostly calm, skies and warmth (no need of heavy parkas or boots) have allowed me to reflect more consciously on the news of our world’s many conflict zones, the tragic loss of human life, and even our daily worries over escalating costs of living. Reflect–but not despair.

 

Readers, have you gone inward during these recent, grey  weeks, to “level-up” your emotions, as we observed Remembrance Day, again?

Turning inward to do some of this emotional work can liberate us to turn outward, again, with new hope.

No, the bombing in Ukraine and Gaza (to name only two hotspots) has not stopped, as we all want it to. But “levelling up” from despair to a calmer state of awareness, has enabled me to find at least provisional peace, as I teach, write and communicate with others.  I wish you, good readers, the same kind of peace, well deserved, even in these troubled times.

This month, in “Article One,” I share some insights from a recent newsletter of “The Economist,” on what Artificial Intelligence (AI) can teach us about how we learn language.

In “Storyteller’s Corner,” I cite the Merriam-Webster dictionary for “part two” of their posting of “bookish words for book lovers” of all varieties (continuing from last month’s issue).

In “Shop News,” I’m delighted to feature as “Entrepreneur of the Month,” Adele Paul, of “52 North.” Hailing from Saskatoon, Adele has both written and designed marketing and communications materials across multiple sectors, and has also honed her skills through studies at Centennial College (Toronto). Please visit the links shared in her promotion, to better appreciate her gifts and expertise.

And as the last six-and-a-half weeks of 2023 draw to a close, notwithstanding the conflicts around us, may each of us continue to cultivate peace, compassion and kindness for each other–to “let peace begin with us,” before moving outward.

Then, in the words our African newcomers, we will be able “to stay blessed.”

Sincerely,

Elizabeth

Principal

Storytelling Communications

www.elizabethshih.com

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IN THIS ISSUE:

–>ARTICLE 1: What can AI teach us about how we learn language? Some answers from “The Economist”

–> STORYTELLER’S CORNER: Five more words for book-loving readers (from Merriam-Webster Dictionary)

–>SHOP NEWS

–>ABOUT US

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Article One: What can AI teach us about how we learn language? Some answers from staff writers at “The Economist”

Last spring, several staff writers of the “language learning” newsletter produced by “The Economist,” adopting the collective name of “Johnson” (after Samuel Johnson, the great 18th century man-of-letters), wrote this about AI: “ChatGPT raises questions about how humans acquire language.” In the piece, the writers argue that AI developers and users have “reignited a debate over the ideas of Noam Chomsky,” who at age 94, remains the world’s best-known linguist to dismiss AI in popular media.

“Johnson” writers cite the much-touted victory of “Deep Blue,” a chess computer, over world chess champion, Garry Kasparov, in 1997, as a watershed moment in the development of AI.

The victory of AI in that match also caused many to fear that machines were triumphing over humankind. In the 26 years since that fateful match, AI has developed by leaps and bounds. But none of those advancements, “Johnson” says, have “captured the public imagination” the same way as that chess match—until now.

What’s changed?

Computers are now able to use “something that we consider our defining ability” (“Johnson” says)—language, itself.

ChatGPT, the best-known of AI’s large language models (LLMS) can produce what appears to be outstanding human writing. But cultural critics have been debating “what the machines are actually doing internally; what it is that humans, in turn, do when they speak”; and in academia, what is the validity of Noam Chomsky’s linguistic theories, in relation to AI.

Among Chomsky’s well-established insights are his belief that “human language is different in kind (not just degree of expressiveness) from all other kinds of communication” (“Johnson”). Therefore, Chomsky contends even the most diverse human languages bear more similarity to each other than they do to computer code or to the chatter of animals. Chomsky has frequently said that a visitor from outer space would say that “all humans speak the same language, with surface variation.”

Another of Chomsky’s most notable theories is that the ease and speed with which young children learn their native languages reflect a “predisposition for language [that] is built into the human brain.” Children astonish us by their capacity to learn languages until about age 12, despite the inaccurate and intermittent words and sounds they hear when they are young. Chomsky has argued that AI cannot match (much less outdo) that.

But, as “Johnson” writers observe, plenty of linguists disagree with Chomsky and are adopting the capacities of LLMS to communicate, in rebuttal to his theories.

Basic linguistics tell us (as “Johnson” says) that grammar has a “hierarchical, nested structure involving units within other units. Words form phrases, which form clauses, which form sentences, etc.” Chomsky theorizes that humans “merge” or glue together “smaller units . . . to form larger ones that can then be operated on further (and so on).”

He and at least some of his followers have argued that AI cannot think or use language in this kind of cognitive processing, as humans do, and that LLMS function only by predicting “the next word in a string of words.”

But as the “Johnson” writers say, we don’t yet know enough about AI to understand what LLMS “think.” The “programming and training data” of commercial LLMS (e.g. ChatGPT) are “proprietary. And not even the programmers know exactly what is going on inside.” AI is not at all a level playing field of functioning or influence.

But when linguists have tested LLMS’ knowledge, the models “seem to learn nested, hierarchical grammatical structures, even though they are exposed to only linear input—i.e. strings of text.”  LLMS pick up new words and discern parts of speech.

An earlier form of LLMS, GPT-3, was trained on about 1,000 times the data that a 10-year-old child is exposed to, suggesting that children do have an “inborn tendency to grammar, making [children] far more proficient than any LLM.” But in other experiments, LLMs trained on only the text that children are exposed to, have shown that computers can use even “rare grammar.”

The “Johnson” writers report, however, that when other researchers trained an LLM on only the words children hear, the LLM performs far worse than children. So Chomsky’s theory that the human brain is “built for language” cannot be too easily displaced.

Both camps of linguists (pro- and anti-Chomsky) are implementing LLMS to argue their theories; “Johnson” concludes that if Chomsky’s theories are to survive AI, “his camp will have to put up a stronger defense” than they have, thus far.

What do you think will happen if/when LLMS surpass our human capacities to speak and write?

And now it’s your turn: Do you think that AI threatens our acquisition of language?

What opportunities and threats should we identify and act on? And what action would could we take?

Please write in; I’d be delighted to hear from you.

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STORYTELLER’s CORNER . . . . 

STORYTELLER’S CORNER: Words, Stories, Riddles and Jokes on Writing and Editing . . .

This month: Five more words for book-loving readers

This month, I share a final five of 11 words that describe “bookish” and book-loving readers, as compiled in a recent blog posting of the American dictionary, Merriam-Webster. (The last issue of TYSN featured the first six.)

 

If you can’t think of any occasion when you could use the following words, why not have some fun by trying them out, in your daily parlance?

 

(7) “Omnilegent”: Formed from two Latin parts (“omnis” meaning “all,” and “legere” meaning “to read”), this word refers to someone who reads (or has read) everything—that is, someone known for encyclopedic reading.  For example, “a book by the usage specialist Bryan Garner (of Garner’s Modern English Usage), will allow even the most omnilegent to learn new words.”

 

(8) “Bookery”: An alternate word for a bookstore. Its ending (the “—ery”) adds the meaning of a “place of doing, keeping, producing or selling,” to the noun, “book.” For example, “I spent a fascinating afternoon in our local bookery, Peryton Books, unearthing titles that will make the best Christmas gifts for my family.”

 

(9) “Bibliokept”: A person who steals books. For example, “The charismatic collector of rare manuscripts turned out to be nothing more than a bibliokept.”

 

(10) “Bibliotaph”: Formed from the French “biblio,” meaning books, and the Greek word “taphos,” meaning tomb, this word refers to a person who hides away or hoards books. For example, “Among the artists in the community existed a bibliotaph who retained so many  overdue books that he deprived common library readers from their reading rights.”

 

(11) “Bouquiniste”: A term given to a dealer in second-hand books. This word comes from the French “bouqin” (meaning “old book”) and the ending of  “–iste.” For example, “When visiting Europe, readers should allow time to meet bouquinistes, often eccentric characters who sell used books, posters and memorabilia.”

 

With these five book-related words, Merriam-Webster lightheartedly concludes its blog posting on “11 Bookish Words for Book Lovers.”

 

Will you use one or two of these terms when conversing with colleagues or friends? 

Please share your words, stories, riddles and jokes on language. I’d be delighted to use them in another issue!

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SHOP NEWS:

Featuring Entrepreneur of the month: Adele Paul, of “52 North: Professional Writing and Design”

Adele Paul is a Saskatoon-based freelance writer and designer who is another member of my collaborative writers’ group, “Saskatoon Freelancers’ Roundtable.”

She joined our group in 2018 and is November’s  “Entrepreneur of the Month.”

Adele writes of her business, “52 North: Professional Writing and Design: “Idylwyld. Meewasin. Spadina. If you have a story to tell, and you have no doubt as to the pronunciation of these words, you are in the right place!”

Adele says that she “knows, loves, and lives in Saskatoon.” Her passion is helping local people and businesses develop beautifully written and designed communications that stand out from their competitors.

Her mission is to bring the stories of Saskatoon people and brands “to the wonderful people who call this city home: Whether it is a feature story for the University of Saskatchewan, a jazzed-up guide for Nutrien Wonderhub, or web content for a local business,’ ” Adele writes, “my  goal is to uncover the voice of your brand and to use it to deliver content that is meaningful to our community.”

After almost ten years of working in education, Adele decided to repurpose her skills into freelance writing. She began as an editor at Family Fun Saskatoon Inc. where she was pivotal in building the brand from the ground up.

Over the course of her five years there, she was lucky enough to combine the three loves of her life: family, writing, and her hometown of Saskatoon.

In the years since then, she has honed her craft and expanded her writing pursuits to include magazine writing, content creation, social media management, graphic design, ad copy, and web design.

In April 2021, she completed the Post-Graduate Communications—Professional Writing program at Centennial College in Toronto. There she dug “deeply into the art and science of successful communication in our digital age.”

In that program, Adele expanded her portfolio to include technical communications, plain language, policy and procedure writing, and visual design.

To talk projects with Adele about learn more about her services, you can find her at “52 North.”

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And in other spaces and places . . . .

A change of pace for me this month included taking in a concert by Canada’s Celtic songwriter, adapter, and singer, Loreena McKennitt, with my colleague and friend, Martha Fergusson. Thank you to my family, for the gift of my ticket–an early Christmas present!

McKennitt, who hails from Morden, Manitoba, sang once before in Saskatoon, nearly 30 years ago, at The Broadway Theatre. Since it was late April “final exam” time at the U of S, I missed that concert, to my great disappointment.

A friend who did attend, however, spoke warmly about McKennitt’s exquisite voice and her adaptation of Tennyson’s “The Lady of Shalott.”

 

But the friend spoke of being disappointed that the singer “said nothing between the pieces,” by way of stories and banter.

 

By contrast, during last Saturday’s concert, McKennitt shared vivid, humourous stories that reflected her international research of Celtic history and culture, her 30 years of experience as a performer in Inner Mongolia, Latin America, much of Europe (e.g. Royal Albert Hall, before royalty), the US (Carnegie Hall) and beyond. 

 

“The Visit,” McKennitt’s breakout album from the early 1990s, was well “revisited” last Saturday, as we heard live those familiar, enchanting melodies embodied in Loreena’s hauntingly lyrical voice. 

 

Named in 2014 as an Honourary Colonel in the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), a uniformed McKennitt also sang our National Anthem at Saskatoon’s Remembrance Day service, several hours before taking to the stage for her own concert.

 

McKennitt continues to live her aesthetic and community values by reading deeply, purchasing, renovating and now directing the Falstaff Family Centre in Stratford, ON, which offers programming pertaining to the Arts.

 

Her many international awards include The Order of Canada, Queen Elizabeth II’s Golden and Diamond Jubilee medals, and the rank of “Knight of the National Order of Arts and Letters” by The Republic of France. 

 

But when performed live, in particular, Loreena McKennitt’s music transports her listeners’ minds, so that both my friend Martha and I floated home, afterward.

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A deep thank you to the Board and staff of Luther Heights Intermediate Care Home, which my elderly mother now calls home.

 

It takes time for seniors to adapt to new surroundings and to make friends with whom to share conversation and activities. But Luther’s staff have been caring and supportive, earning my gratitude and that of many other families, too.

 

My visits during the past three weeks, including some moments spent with other residents, have reminded me of how many seniors in our communities could benefit from receiving more visits.

 

Do you have a contact who lives in a care facility, these days? Could you make time to visit them, even if just for 30 minutes, to brighten their day with some conversation and diversion? There are puzzles to be done, adult colouring books to colour, chair yoga and more to do!

 

So many beautiful souls languish in care homes. It takes as little as a half-hour visit for seniors’ neurological functioning to benefit—including memory and mood.

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Ten years ago, along with fellow freelancers Asheigh Mattern and Julie Barnes, whom I’d met at a local International Association of Business Communicators’ event (IABC), I co-founded “Saskatoon Freelancers’ Roundtable,” a writers’ group that continues to flourish, today. We invite new members but equally encourage other creatives to start their own groups.

 For more information about our group and what we do, please read our collectively written articles in the “Writers Ask” section, forthcoming in the next (quarterly) issue of the Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild magazine, “Freelance.” 

 

Co-authors include Julie, Ashleigh, Ashlyn George and Adele Paul—all blazers of diverse writerly trails in SK and beyond.

 

There are always new ideas, experiences and businesses to promote and discuss.

Please write me to share your stories.

But for now, this is a wrap for mid-November!

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ABOUT US:

Between 2011 and December 2018, Elizabeth Shih Communications chronicled the stories of B2B marketing and communications on the Prairies and across the country.

Effective January 1, 2019, I rebranded as “Storytelling Communications.” I now  help newcomers to Canada to secure better jobs by improving their language skills; I help small- and medium-sized businesses to close more sales by communicating more effectively; and I help major companies to tell their legacy stories.

Interested in learning more? Please contact me through my CASL-compliant website (www.elizabethshih.com).

After I receive your message, I’ll be pleased to discuss projects with you!

Please visit my website for more information (www.storytellingcommunications.ca).

 

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Why the hand-wringing on handwriting? On handwriting and technology, in this month’s issue of TYSN

 

October 2023 Vol 5 Issue 10

Tell Your Story Newsletter (TYSN):

Specializing in Entrepreneurial and Linguistic Storytelling

Let me teach you to tell your story!

IN THIS ISSUE:

ARTICLE 1: Why the hand-wringing on handwriting?  On handwriting and technology, from staff writers at “The Economist”

STORYTELLER’S CORNER:

From Merriam-Webster Dictionary: “Eleven Bookish Words for Book Lovers” (and what they mean!)–Part One

SHOP NEWS

ABOUT US

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Welcome Mid-October 2023!

As I prepare this issue of “Tell Your Story Newsletter,” Saskatoon is in the midst of several weeks of largely mild but also grey weather.

Many of us have indulged in Thanksgiving treats like turkey, ham, pumpkin pie or alternative, multicultural culinary delights. And online ads already promote Hallowe’en candy and (dare I say it, this early?) even Christmas festivities.

Yet, even thinking about these seasonal traditions shrinks before news such as the heightened conflict between Israel and Hamas; the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine and other world hot-spots.

And yet also, as a part of valuing our democratic freedoms, our daily lives and the service of what we do must continue–and that includes discussing issues of communication and entrepreneurship, which are often the fare of this newsletter.

So in this month’s issue, I share findings from a recent article in “The Economist,” co-authored by staff writers (named “Johnson” after Samuel, himself), on why handwriting (even cursive) still matters: How can we say that in our digital age?

In “Storytellers’ Corner,” I cite the Merriam-Webster dictionary for six of “11 bookish words for book lovers” of all varieties.

In “Shop News,” I’m delighted to feature as “Entrepreneur of the Month” my colleague and friend, Julie Barnes, of Julie Barnes Creative Services. My “Entrepreneur of the Month” continues to feature some of the remarkable contacts and colleagues I meet in Saskatoon and surrounding communities–found as a part of entrepreneurial networking. “Shop News” is, therefore, openly and unabashedly partisan.

Julie’s cv is both fascinating and impressive. I encourage you to read her profile, sample some of her work and consider the fine mind which authored them both.

Undergirding this month’s issue is my thanks to the many (often unnamed) friends who have helped me to stagger through another year of caring for an elderly mother in SK’s collapsed senior health care system; and to those who simultaneously have encouraged my entrepreneurial pursuits.

That gratitude can extend to the changing of our seasons, too, this month. Autumn can be lovely, especially when it delivers sun that illumines our dramatic skies and mitigates the chill of nature’s unpredictable winds.

As we begin to reach further into our closets for sweaters, shawls and blankets, good readers, may we consciously turn our minds indoors again: Although Old Man Winter will shortly enter our main stage as he has for millennia past, we can plan to keep ourselves warm by much great literature (past and present); films, performances and art exhibits; food and spirits to nourish us; and even the indoor watching of outdoor sports (!).

Through these and other blessings, while we traverse the remaining weeks of autumn 2023, I wish  you the very best.

Sincerely yours,

Elizabeth 

Principal

Storytelling Communications

www.elizabethshih.com

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Article One: Why the hand-wringing on handwriting?  On handwriting and technology, from staff writers of “The Economist”

In a recent monthly newsletter from “The Economist,” the magazine’s collective of staff writers, “Johnson” (named after the 18th C. British man of letters, “Dr.” Samuel Johnson), writes that even in these hyper-digital days, taking “pen to paper” can intensify the impact of one’s message.

In recent years, educational psychologists have found that note-taking by hand offers learners a significant advantage (across all age groups). As Lane Greene writes in an introduction to the article, “The very inefficiency of the medium is its advantage: it seems to force writers to think and compress information as they jot, rather than mindlessly transcribing verbatim.”

Despite the rush in recent years to digitize human activity, this research has been noticed: Many education programs in Europe now reduce the amount of technology in the classroom, especially for students in their early years, and have increased the teaching of handwriting, including cursive.

The “Johnson” writers note ironically that “two and a half millennia ago, Socrates complained that writing [i.e. handwriting] would harm students,” because it would provide a way to store ideas “permanently and externally,” so the need to memorize would evaporate!

But in our times, a related (now very familiar) debate has developed about the negative effects of using and typing on computers. Students ranging from kindergarten to PhD levels rely heavily (more than ever) on computers to take notes and write their papers.

Families of young students also express alarm that in some American classrooms, laptops have become compulsory for young children. Meantime, university-based academics complain that students are distracted when they should be listening to lectures, because they’re reading and sending email, text or social media messages, instead.

Add to this the power of generative AI (particularly for college and university students) and educators’ hand-wringing, over what medium/media we need to learn by, and how, intensifies.

But as the “Johnson” writers report, one area of pedagogical research shows that long before computers were built, handwriting was revolutionary: “Studies have found that writing on paper can improve everything from recalling a random series of words to imparting a better conceptual grasp of complicated ideas.”

“Johnson”  adds that whether forming “the shapes of letters to the quirks of English spelling, the benefits of using a pen or pencil lie in how the motor and sensory memory of putting words on paper reinforces that material.”  Even how and where one makes “squiggles on a page feeds into visual memory.” I can remember distinctly, as an undergraduate, putting stars in the margins of my handwritten lecture notes, to mark an idea that I wanted to explore more deeply, possibly for a course essay assignment.

Writing by hand underpins “superior note-taking,”  the “Johnson” writers say, in contrast to typing, where students have been found to input nearly twice as many words and more verbatim passages from lectures. This reflects the sad reality that when typing, students often do not understand, but simply copy, what they are hearing.

Due to the time required to write by hand, students’ handwriting compels them to synthesize the lecturer’s ideas in “their own words,” which increases their understanding, even as they write.

Studies also show that hand note-takers “perform better on tests when students are later able to study from their notes.” By contrast, students who typed verbatim did not understand the lecture material, so much as regurgitate it.

The “Johnson” writers say that many studies have demonstrated the benefits of handwriting and so have influenced education policy, due to the “campaigning” of researchers. Half of the states in America have reported that they teach handwriting after the first grade, although the country’s “Common Core” curriculum has not required it, since 2010. I’d like to know (but haven’t yet located) an accurate statistic for Canadian (and especially SK) primary schools.

In the UK, curriculum already prescribes teaching cursive before children turn seven. And in Sweden, there is pressure from educators to work more with handwriting and books–and less with digital technology.

But typing will still be a skill needed by nearly everyone, because (as the “Johnson” writers say) it can “improve the quality of writing: being able to get ideas down quickly, before they are forgotten, can obviously be beneficial.” The greater legibility of typing also weighs as a factor in its longevity, for writers like me.

Handwriting researchers add that students need to learn to slow their typing to process what they hear, thereby improving their understanding.

Not only cursive, but also “ ‘manuscript’ print-style writing” and typing all have proven benefits, the article notes. And handwriting can be reviewed and “tuned up,” even though current school and university/college students continue to increase their use of digital devices, as they age.

Consider, too, how much what we write (i.e. our “message”) will intensify, when we understand it more deeply as part of sharing it with others.

The “Johnson” group (at “The Economist”) aptly concludes that whether Socrates was right or wrong about the threat that handwriting poses to education, “no one would remember, much less care, if his student Plato had not noted it down for . . . posterity.”

And now it’s your turn: What value do you give handwriting in the learning process, in this increasingly digital age?

Should there be hand-wringing over handwriting? Please write in: I’d be delighted to hear from you. 

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STORYTELLER’S CORNER . . . . 

 

 

 

 

STORYTELLERS’ CORNER: Words, Stories, Riddles and Jokes on Writing and Editing . . .

This month: 

From Merriam-Webster Dictionary:

“Eleven Bookish Words for Book Lovers”

(and what they mean!)

 

Merriam-Webster dictionary periodically makes the news for its quirky and fun blog postings. Last May, their house writers collected a posting called “Eleven Bookish Words for Book Lovers,” the first six of which I’ll share in this month”s issue of “Storytellers’ Corner” (with fictional examples of my own):

 

(1) “Bibliomania” = “an extreme preoccupation with collecting books.” 

 

This word is said to date to at least the early 1700s, and comes from the French term “bibliomanie” (with “biblio” meaning book; and “manie” meaning mania). 

 

E.g. “The Symphony Booksale in Saskatoon each year benefits from the bibliomania of those who donate to it, and even more, from that of those who buy the books!”

 

(2) “Florilegium” = “a volume of writings; an anthology.”

 

This word comes from the Latin word “florilegus,” which means “culling flowers.” So it refers to a “bouquet of writings, specially selected and arranged for your enjoyment,” the writers say.  

 

E.g. “The romantic Willoughby left a posy of flowers and a florilegium of poetry for the lovesick Marianne.” 

 

(3) “Librocubicularist” = “someone who likes to read in bed.”

 

This word comes from the Latin “libr-, libre” (meaning “book” ) and “cubiculum,” (meaning “bedroom”). Writer Christopher Morley is credited with the coinage of “librocubicularist” in his 1919 novel, The Haunted Bookshop: 

 

E.g. ” ‘All right,’ said the bookseller, amiably. ‘Miss Chapman, you take the book up with you and read it in bed if you want to. Are you a librocubicularist?’ ” (Morley).

 

(4) “Dithyramb” = The writers define this as “a usually short poem in an inspired, wild, irregular strain.” The term is not new to English literary critics. But while it currently refers to “any short irregular poem,” the word dithyramb comes from the Greek “dithyrambos,” which was the name for wild and irregular verse that honoured Dionysus, the Classical god of wine. He was widely associated with Greek festivals. 

 

E.g. “The poet who had hitherto been known for her ordered, highly structured verse, suddenly rose and, throwing caution to the wind, read a dithyramb about the the chaotic emotions of unrequited love.”

 

(5) “Book-Bosomed” = means “carrying a book at all times,” metaphorically (or literally) near one’s bosom. The term is attributed to the early 19th-century verse of Sir Walter Scott.

 

E.g. “The book-bosomed teenager whiled away the afternoon by reading a well-thumbed collection  of Shakespearean sonnets.”

  

(6) “Bibliotherapy” = “the use of reading materials for help in solving personal problems or for psychiatric therapy.” The word dates to at least 1914. 

 

E.g. “After trying many forms of treatment, the man found that his depression lifted only through bibliotherapy–especially focusing on Alexander McCall-Smith’s life- affirming mysteries.”

 

 Stay tuned to next month’s issue for another five “bookish” words from Merriam-Webster! 

 

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SHOP NEWS:

“Entrepreneur of the Month”: This month, featuring Julie Barnes of Julie Barnes’ Creative Services: 

 

Julie Barnes is a full-time freelance writer and a regular contributor to Saskatoon HOME magazine, where she writes about everything from agriculture to architecture, composting to cohousing.

 

Her recent article about Radiance Cohousing was born out of several conversations with friends about how to create a better sense of community and belonging.

 

For anyone who is seeking to strengthen their own community ties, Julie recommends reading Mia Birdsong’s excellent book, How we show up: Reclaiming family, friendship and community. 

 

Nine years ago, Julie and her husband, Josh, installed a green roof on their detached garage in Saskatoon. Brimming with succulents and native grasses, and buzzing with bees each summer, the roof has thrived, but green roofs in Saskatchewan never really took root. Curious about why green roofs have gained popularity in other places, but not in her home province, Julie investigated how other cities have encouraged their uptake for a recent article for CBC Saskatoon. 

 

Julie has also written about travel, environmental stewardship, gardening, urban planning and more for a variety of publications including the Ottawa Citizen, Prairies North magazine, Cottage Life West and the Nature Conservancy of Canada’s quarterly magazine. 

 

In addition to writing, Julie is also a talent agent for the folksinger/song writer/public speaker Eric Paetkau, the former conductor and music director of the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra (2015-2022). 

 

Born and raised in Nova Scotia, Julie spent a year in Dublin after university, followed up by five years in Ottawa, before moving to Saskatoon in 2011.

 

She’s happy to have found a community of local freelance writers, who meet monthly to share ideas, advice, referrals and more over coffee. “When you work in a solitary field, like writing, it’s important to find time to get out of the house and connect with others,” she says.

 

(Nepotism Alert: Julie is a friend and colleague whom I met more than 10 years ago through Saskatoon’s branch of the International Association of Business Communicators [IABC]).

 

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Ten years ago, along with the freelance writer and web designer, Asheigh Mattern, Julie and I co-founded a writers’ group (aka “Saskatoon Freelancers’ Roundtable”) and encourage other creatives to do the same.

 

For more information about our group and what we do, please check our collective article in the “Writers Ask” section,”  forthcoming in the next (quarterly) issue of the  Saskatchewan Writers’ Guild  magazine, “Freelance.”  

 

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Hearty thanks also go out (albeit belatedly) to William Wang, Director, Alberta China Offices, Intergovernmental Relations, Executive Council, Government of AB, for discussing with me potential markets for teaching the English language to newcomers, particularly in SK.

 

William once led China Offices for the Government of SK and still calls Regina home (huzzah)!

 

I’m deeply indebted to him for sharing with me his time, strategy and even an introduction to “WeChat.” I am now past due to host an authentic Chinese lunch when you next visit Saskatoon, William!  

 

And thank you again to my long-term mentor and dear friend, Monica Kreuger, for introducing me, last summer, to William! There will be more collaborations to come . . . .

 

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And a final “Thank You”  in this issue goes not least to the extraordinary women leaders of SK who spoke at “Women in the Lead: Navigating the Political Labyrinth” (October 4th), spearheaded by Monica Kreuger, in affiliation with Business and Professional Women of SK (BPW), the Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce and Equal Voice (the latter, a not-for-profit organization that encourages women to serve in politics). 

 

It was fortifying to hear eight talented and successful women, who have served in either municipal, provincial or federal politics, discuss the urgent need for more women to enter leadership roles in our province; and the related challenges of defining our own priorities, since we usually balance the demands of family with those of our careers.

 

Special thanks to speakers and panellists Claire Card, Vicki Mowat, Tracy Muggli, Lenore Swystun, Tiffany Paulsen, Bev Dubois, Colleen Young and Pat Atkinson, for renewing this discussion for us.

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Would you like to improve your English language skills?

Are you a newcomer whose language skills have not gotten you traction in the job market?

Do you have language-related “career blues” and don’t know how to move through them? 

Starting in December, I will take one or two more students for my in-person language lessons, most of which occur in one or other local  library.

If you (or someone you know) are interested, or for more information, please don’t hesitate to email me here:

shih.ea@gmail.com

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ABOUT US:

This month, I’m particularly grateful to close friends, several of whom have provided me with emotional support and encouragement, as I move (perhaps for the last time) an aging family member into a care facility for disabled seniors.

The list of these friends’ names is long (and I wish to preserve their privacy), but they know who they are, even as I strive to thank and acknowledge them, in-person.

Good friends have often been said to be “the family we would like to have chosen.” So this issue of TYSN is dedicated to all of the truly wonderful friends out there–whether mine or yours, good reader. Blessings on them, for personifying generosity, support and kindness.

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Between 2011 and December 2018, Elizabeth Shih Communications chronicled the stories of B2B marketing and communications on the Prairies and across the country.

Effective January 1, 2019, I rebranded as “Storytelling Communications.” I now help Canadian newcomers secure better jobs by improving their language skills; I help small- and medium-sized businesses close more sales by communicating more effectively; and I also write the legacy stories of major companies.

Interested in learning more? Please contact me through my CASL-compliant website (www.elizabethshih.com).

After I receive your message, I’ll be pleased to discuss projects with you!

Please visit my website for more information (www.storytellingcommunications.ca).

 

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“Women in the lead”: How women can effect change, navigating Saskatchewan’s political labyrinth

In the late afternoon, last Wednesday, October 4th, a group of about 60+ women (and, at last count, two men) gathered to combine both roundtable and a panel discussions on how change can come to Saskatchewan, through our political and cultural leaders.

Event co-sponsors, Business & Professional Women (BPW), equal voice, and the Saskatoon Chamber of Commerce,  invited eight women trailblazers in our province to discuss their life and career experiences, leadership strategies and sources of inspiration with an audience of career professionals. The audience included lawyers, entrepreneurs, educators, doctors and other medical practitioners, to name a few. 

Invited speakers were Claire Card, Vicki Mowat, Tracy Muggli, Lenore Swystun, Tiffany Paulsen, Bev Dubois, Colleen Young and Pat Atkinson.

If much needed change is to come to political and other institutions in Saskatchewan, then we need to grow the number of women (comprising 50.3% of our population) who lead, strategize and support difference in our communities: “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.” (Margaret Mead)

 

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Connecting with local entrepreneurs at 27th Annual Raj Manek Memorial Banquet (September 14, 2023)

It was wonderful connecting with fellow entrepreneurs at the 27th Annual Raj Manek Memorial Banquet (Saskatoon Prairieland Park). I appreciated speaking with friends and mentors, including Angela Jamieson, Karla Combres, Lauren Penner, Mario Dima, Kirk Backstrom, Bin Yang, and, of course,  Monica Kreuger!

Thank you to Kanchan Manek and the Manek family for their service to the entrepreneurs of our province!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Boardwalk CEO, Sam Kolias on how to succeed in entrepreneurship

 

 

 

 

 

Discussing entrepreneurial strategy with Angela Jamieson and Karla Combres

 

 

 

 

 

Reconnecting with long-time friends and principals of Kinemek Design, Kirk Backstrom and Bing Yan