Linguae Europaeae

by James Warning Joseph Conrad ( source ) The British novelist Joseph Conrad, a man of Polish origins who did not set foot in England until his early 20s, is today considered to have been one of the greatest English prose writers of his time. 1 In his novella, Heart of Darkness, Conrad’s narrator Marlow sits on the deck of a ship coming to port in London and meditates on the Roman conquest of Britain and the idea of racism and empire: “The conquest of the earth, which mostly means the taking it away from those who have a different complexion or slightly flatter noses than ourselves, is not a pretty thing when you look into it too much. What redeems it is the idea only. An idea at the back of it; not a sentimental pretence but an idea; and an unselfish belief in the idea—something you can set up, and bow down before, and offer a sacrifice to....” 2 With the United Kingdom’s 2016 decision to exit the European Union, a decision in part motivated by the racial anxieties of native ...

by Camille Méritan Outlander TV Show Recently, an increasing number of novels and TV series such as Outlander use Gàidhlig phrases and other aspects of Highland culture, which has helped popularize Scottish history. The Outlander novels, written by American author Diana Gabaldon, are science-fiction novels taking place in the late 18th century in the Highlands of Scotland. The books give a highly authentic picture of what it was like to live in mid-18th century Scotland. To be as historically accurate as possible, the books and TV episodes are filled with Gaelic phrases and dialogues. TV producer, Ronald D. Moore, even hired a Gaelic coach, Adhamh O Broin, to teach actors the correct Gaelic pronunciation. And since the beginning of the diffusion of the show in 2014, locals and foreigners have become more and more interested in Scottish Gaelic folklore. The Gaelic expert, Adhamh O Broin, has also created short videos (see below) for fans to learn basic words in Scottish Gaelic. ...

by Trevor Foley  President Higgins and the Queen together in England Image Source Ready for some action? This September, a referendum in Scotland will be held that will decide whether or not Scotland should become its own independent country or secede from the United Kingdom. No doubt, anyone with even a remote interest in European Politics has had their eyes fixed on the United Kingdom in the last couple of years, and for good reason!  While the idea of Scottish independence from Great Britain, and a peace between England and Northern Ireland have certainly existed for a long time; we have seen the progress in the realization of these two goals speed up because of recent events between Britain and Scotland, and Britain and Ireland respectively. Ireland is close second in hot topics in Europe these days. Historic visits by the Queen of England to Ireland and the President of Ireland to England have served as huge symbolic peace gestures between England and Northern Ire...