It’s the first day of December, and our neighbourhood has begun to glow again. The streets are laced with lights, and shop windows glimmer with colourful decorations. The Christmas market, which is outside our building, opened last Saturday. It’s 6:34 am here; I’ll take some pictures later and post them closer to the 25th.
Everywhere, we’re reminded that it’s time for giving and for thinking about what kind of gifts truly last. I believe that amid the glitter and the rush, few presents feel as timeless or as personal as a book. I’m not saying this because I’m an author but because it is a present that can be reopened.
A book is more than an object wrapped in paper; it’s a world waiting to unfold. To give someone a book is to say, I know what might move you, challenge you, or make you dream. It’s a gift that invites reflection long after you’ve torn apart the wrapper. It can travel with you in a bag, rest on a bedside table or nightstand, or live on your shelf waiting to be read in the future.
A book carries something of the giver. The title you choose and the note you write inside the cover become part of the story too. Every page turned is a small act of connection between three minds and hearts (i.e. giver, receiver, and author). As well, it doesn’t beep, need batteries, and go out of style.
This December, amid the glitters and ribbons, a carefully chosen book may be your most generous gesture of all.
Let’s remember that the simplest gift often speaks the loudest.
Hello. I’m currently enjoying my annual holiday and taking this time to read more than write. So instead of something new, I’m sharing an article I wrote six weeks ago; it’s part of a book chapter I’m hoping to publish this year.
“My favourite season is summer (June – September), as I burst with life even though streets in Luxembourg and France are almost empty. Some shops are closed in August, and most inhabitants are on holiday elsewhere. I adore the thick air with the scent of blooming flowers and freshly cut grasses in parks. Those who have returned from their annual holiday or cannot afford one, are enjoying the outdoors, such as walking and riding bicycles.
I’m often away in July, sometimes spending precious moments with relatives and friends in Australia and England. Since I do not resume work until September, I have plenty of time to enjoy European life in t-shirts, shorts, and tongs.
Last year, one blazing summer day, my French friend decided to take her dog walking with us along the Moselle River. Coco, a golden retriever with more energy than the sun itself, was beyond excited. While we were admiring the wild berries, Coco immediately ran straight into the water, but instead of swimming, he started chasing after a swan. Annie, thinking this would be harmless fun, continued picking up wild berries with me until we heard a loud splash. She turned to see Coco, completely soaked, doing a full-on sprint toward her. With his tail wagging like a propeller, Coco kicked up water everywhere, sending my blueberries flying into the air.
In France (where I live), in summer, residents flee to the Riviera, tourists queue for lukewarm espresso, and every “boulangerie” (bakery) has mysteriously “fermé pour congés” (closed for holiday) until further notice. Likewise, in Luxembourg (where I work), half the country is on holiday, the other half is stuck in traffic (due to infrastructure work) trying to leave or go to work in skeleton offices, and somehow I still need a jacket in the morning.”
Where we were a fortnight ago, the sun turned tourists into tomatoes and our Airbnb didn’t know why the oven was out-of-order. We had to decide whether to eat a cold pizza or be generous to the bin; aided by the heatwave that spoilt the cheese and my appetite, the latter won. We were in a European country that shares a total land border of 2000 kilometres with Andorra, France, Gibraltar, Morocco, and Portugal. Can you guess where we were?
Holidays improve our mental and physical health, relieve stress and monotony, and strengthen relationships.
Vive l’été en Europe! Vamos a la playa!
I’m wishing you a restful, safe, and fun break from work wherever you are and whatever you are doing.
I’m often asked by my students which type of English is better, UK or US English. My response is: “Either. Be consistent. If you’re familiar with both, then think of the recipients, and use the one they prefer”. This advice is taken seriously only for a short while, as the US English dominates the world, remarkably in entertainment and artificial intelligence (AI).
According to Louro, C R (2025), “AI systems are built on English – but not the kind most of the world speaks” (https://research-repository.uwa.edu.au/en/publications/ai-systems-are-built-on-english-but-not-the-kind-most-of-the-worl). She estimates that 90% of the training data for current generative AI systems stem from American English. This is not surprising because the United States has been in the forefront in the development of the Internet, as demonstrated by its tech giants such as Google, Meta, Microsoft, and OpenAI.
It is not only the UK English that is corrected, replaced, or scraped from the web that is based on US media, software, and platforms. For the purpose of this article, I posted to Mistral AI this statement — “The recce was an outcome of an enquiry into organised crime”. This is its suggested version:
Le Chat – Mistral AI is a French company headquartered in Paris. French students learn British English, but this is overtaken by US English once they’re out of school.
I requested ChatGPT for the same thing, and it gave me this suggestion: “The reconnaissance was conducted as a result of an inquiry into organised crime”.
“Recce” is an informal Australian, British, and Canadian word which refers to a military observation or the process of visiting and quickly looking around a place in order to find out information about it; Americans use “recon”. The latter spell organise with a “z” and enquiry with an “i”.
I have friends and family in Singapore – a former British colony and member of the Commonwealth – whose English, known as Singlish, is often dismissed by AI. Its unique syntax and vocabulary are systematically ignored, and their pronunciation is “corrected”.
The use of U.S. English in AI systems undermines linguistic diversity, which is sad because languages are more than just tools for communication. They carry cultural knowledge, identity, and history.
So, next time your software or phone prompts you to “correct” your spelling or replace your words, ask yourself: Is my English being excluded? (That’s why it is still important to learn correctly the rules of grammar, spelling, vocabulary, and sentence structuring).
If an AI chatbot fails to understand what you say, ask yourself why your English has been excluded? Don’t take it personally. An accent is part of one’s identity!
A couple of weeks ago, on my way to the grocery shop, I spotted a poster about a photography exhibition at our city’s Centre de Lierre. Since it’s just a short walk from my home, I decided to stop by and was glad I did. The exhibition, running from March 7 to April 7, features the work of Michel Muller, showcasing beautiful photographs of people reading books in various settings, situations, and weather conditions. It is a wonderful reminder of how delightful it is to read outdoors, especially now that the weather is turning sunny and summer is just around the corner.
“Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body”. – Richard Steele
Warren Buffett, the billionaire investor and philanthropist, attributes his success to his lifelong habit of reading books and newspapers. Apparently, Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, reads around 50 books a year. Barack Obama, the former U.S. president, is a passionate reader and often shares his book recommendations. Oprah Winfrey is an avid reader and has created her own book club.
Reading regularly offers tremendous benefits to people from all walks of life. When we were living in Australia, I would take my son to the library for the weekly book reading sessions. His face would light up as he listened to stories, and we always left with a stack of books (the maximum allowed to borrow). I believe this sparked his imagination and fostered a love for reading, which remains with him to this day. More than 20 years later, he still carries a hardcopy of a book wherever he goes and, every year, he gives me a book as a Christmas gift.
Although I don’t buy books often, I make a point of exchanging, lending, and borrowing them regularly. Just last month, my student lent me a book written by her grandfather, which turned out to be a gem.
Her grandfather was a lawyer and reserve officer who commanded the Ligne Maginot (named after French Minister of War André Maginot), a line of concrete fortifications, obstacles, and weapon installations built by France in the 1930s to prevent a Nazi German invasion. He served there from 1939 to 1940; then, defended resistance fighters before the occupiers’ special tribunal, and also advocated for those wrongly accused as collaborators during the liberation by American and Allied forces. This personal story is set against a backdrop of fatality and heroism in places I’ve been to, including where I now live.
Sadly, even with a book like this — detailing sufferings, deaths, and tragedies — it seems those in power never learn from history. Greed, expansionism, modern-day imperialism, militarism, and the rise of totalitarianism persist, even in countries that consider themselves democracies. (Really, democracy? Perhaps anocracy – part democracy and part autocracy/dictatorship.)
Books are a uniquely portable magic. —Stephen King
Two weeks ago, my writing buddy emailed me her thoughts on a book I had mentioned to her. “The characters are reduced to their nationalities; most of them are just clichés. This isn’t my idea of multiculturalism,” she wrote. A few days later, a freelance journalist acquaintance shared a similar perspective, detailing her concerns, which were not only about the book’s portrayal of diversity. Yet, this novel has received overwhelmingly positive reviews.
Positive professional and public reviews can encourage authors to write more, refine their craft, and take bold risks in their storytelling. However, a single negative review can feel like a devastating blow. As an author, I find this unsettling. What should we do when we strongly disapprove of how a book handles its subject matter?
These recent discussions about books led me to think more deeply about the bandwagon effect and its influence on literary reviews.
The bandwagon effect is a psychological phenomenon in which people adopt opinions or trends simply because others do. In literature, this manifests when a book gains popularity due to hype rather than its intrinsic quality. Bestseller lists, social media trends, and endorsements from celebrities or friends can propel a book to success, sometimes overshadowing lesser-known works that may be equally (if not more) deserving of attention.
Book reviewing plays a crucial role in counteracting this trend. Thoughtful and balanced critiques shed light on a book’s strengths and weaknesses, including any stereotypes or biases it may contain. This, in turn, encourages readers to think critically and form their own opinions instead of blindly following the crowd.
Reviewers must approach their task with perceptiveness so that they do not fall prey to the bandwagon effect. Their goal should be to offer diverse and enriching perspectives, allowing high-quality books to shine regardless of their commercial appeal or the stature of their authors and publishers.
As Haruki Murakami, the renowned Japanese author, wisely said: “If you only read the books that everyone else is reading, you can only think what everyone else is thinking.”
March 15 & 16, 2025 at Lux Expo, Kirchberg, Luxembourg. See you there!
March 21 is the UN-Declared International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
“No culture can live if it attempts to be exclusive”. – Mahatma Gandhi
The Festival of Migrations and Cultures, one of Luxembourg’s most important annual events organised by the Comité de Liaison des Associations d’Étrangers ( CLAE), took place last February 24-25. There were more than 30,000 visitors and 400 stands. I heard at least a dozen languages spoken by people who visited my English Language Lovers booth.
The multiculturalism of Luxembourg (known as the Grand Duchy), with about 660,000 residents, was showcased. Luxembourg is the seventh-smallest country in Europe and has borders with Belgium to the west and north, France to the south (where I live), and Germany to the east. Its official languages are Luxembourgish, French, and German. It is one of the four institutional seats of the European Union (EU); the others are in Brussels, Frankfurt, and Strasbourg. The EU institutions have 24 official languages; English is one of them.
Last week’s event reminded me of Australia’s multicultural festivals (or even private gatherings and national celebrations that look like the United Nations’ party).
In 2018, the New Internationalist (NI) listed these ten steps to world peace: start by stamping out exclusion, bring about true equality between women and men, share out wealth fairly, tackle climate change, display less hubris, make more policy change, protect political space, fix intergenerational relations, build an integrated peace movement, and look within – peace starts with you. (https://newint.org/features/2018/09/18/10-steps-world-peace accessed on 10/02/2024)
NI’s suggestions are needed more than ever, notably with
what is happening in Ukraine and the Middle East.
Connecting with people helps change thoughts, perceptions, and actions; multicultural gathering is one practical way to do this. Why? Because:
It helps us better understand the differences and similarities between people.
It promotes open-mindedness among different groups of people and dispels negative stereotypes.
It provides opportunities for the mutual sharing of traditions and cultures.
It encourages the exchanging of information and perspectives, leading to a peaceful neighbourhood, workplace, and society.
“Peace is not just the absence of conflict; peace is the creation of an environment where all can flourish, regardless of race, colour, creed, religion, gender, class, caste, or any other social markers of difference.”— Nelson Mandela (1918-2013, first Black president of South, i.e. from 1994 to1999).
*The world has evolved; race doesn’t exist, but ethnicity does. Gender identity is wide-ranging from masculinity, femininity, and transgender to agender (genderless or neutral – neither male nor female nor a combination of male and female).
“Where do you come from” is
a phrase that gives me goose pimples. I have answered this question more than a
hundred times and expect to encounter the same query at any moment. Do they
mean where I was born, where I have studied, worked and lived, where I have
immigrated, or where I feel I belong?
It’s summertime in Europe, the holiday
season. “Where do you come from” is one of the most uttered
questions, from tourism staff who need your answer for statistical purposes to
curious strangers because of your look or accent.
(I was trying to learn English and I
was very worried about my accent. I’m sure I’ll always have it but I remember
Tom Hanks said to me, “Don’t lose the accent. If you do, you’re lost.” Antonio
Banderas (sic) (https://www.ef.co.uk/english-resources/english-quotes/language/).
Physical attributes (i.e. your look)
and accents are used as categorisation factors of ethnicity. The latter is
based on skin colour, hair texture, facial features, and other physical characteristics.
The Iowa University Digital Press’s article on Dress, Appearance, and Diversity
in US Society (https://iastate.pressbooks.pub/dressappearancediversity/chapter/race-and-ethnicity/)
discusses this subject, which – although it has an American perspective –
resonates globally.
Not long ago, I heard a fellow bus
passenger saying, “I look Indian, but I’m not; I’m South African”.
Research has been done on physical characteristics concerning “racism”. In comparison, accents have received less research interest. Several studies and anecdotes have shown how people with a nonstandard or “non-native” accent are perceived as less competent or of lower socio-economic status.
An accent is different from a dialect.
An accent is a sound we produce when we speak; thus, we all have an accent,
which is our identity and a clue to group membership, whereas a dialect includes
grammar, spelling, and vocabulary differences.
How about if your look doesn’t match
your accent; is it all right to ask, “Where do you come from?”
Grammatically, this question is correct. It’s also socially and politically
correct if it is asked by tourism staff to improve their services. However,
there are situations in which this question can be understood to imply that the
person you are asking is a foreigner and doesn’t belong in the country. For
instance, children of immigrants in Australia and Canada and Asian-Americans
(born and raised in the US and speak only English) might take umbrage when keep
getting asked, “Where do you come from?” as this assumes that they
aren’t citizens of their countries and are from somewhere else.
Hence, think twice before asking
someone (Where do you come from?) to avoid insulting them. Anyway, the person
often brings it up without you having to ask when it is relevant to the
conversation. I haven’t heard of someone getting offended when asked,
“What’s your nationality”. People often take pride in answering this;
I do. If we aren’t sure what and how to ask, then don’t.
“To effectively communicate, we
must realise that we are all different in the way we perceive the world and use
this understanding as a guide to our communication with others.” Tony
Robbins (American author, philanthropist, and business strategist). (realise –
UK)
Two weeks ago, I gave a talk on “The interplay between reading and writing in our global village” at the EU Inter-institutional Libraries’ event. We live in a global village (i.e. our world is a community connected by the Internet/computers, trade, entertainment, etc), so we share ways our social realities are formed and interpreted. The formation and interpretation happen through the stories we tell each other, stories we read and write.
Reading is a social activity. You might be alone, tucked under a cosy blanket next to a bedside lamp, but you look deeper into the author’s mind and subconsciously connect with other readers.
Writing connects us to ourselves, and it’s formalised thinking. As William Faulkner had said: “Read, read, read. Read everything — trash, classics, good and bad, and see how they do it. Just like a carpenter who works as an apprentice and studies the master. Read! You’ll absorb it. Then write. If it’s good, you’ll find out. If it’s not, throw it out of the window.” (1897-1962, American writer and Nobel laureate).
We read what we like to write and write what we have read or want to read.
When we read or write, we:
exercise our brain,
improve our focus,
improve our memory,
improve our ability to empathise,
improve our communication skills,
improve our mental health,
gain knowledge and ideas, and
get entertained (reduce stress).
In short, we become better individuals and live longer.
One of the event organisers is a co-author of “Pour en finir avec la passion: l’abus en littérature” (To End the Passion: Abuse in Literature), which is about the evolution of cultural and literary conceptions of passion – love – in French society and questions why love remains inseparable from suffering.
One of the participants commented on the novel “Future Perfect”, which he had recently read, posing, “Has her past been erased by a mistaken computer click or simply shelved for no reason?” The main character’s resilience leads to encounters in Asia, America, and Europe that bring back memories of love and devotion half a century earlier. It has a global theme.
We have just been through the season of giving and receiving. Like most of you, I gave and received. For a change, I ordered groceries – as a present to one family member – from a company whose website promises a one-day delivery. To date, these groceries have not been delivered. Until now, they have not responded to my half a dozen emails. After three phone calls, a man answered the phone and said they wouldn’t deliver and could only refund me if I gave them a UK bank account, which I refused.
Lesson 1. Stick to a proven or reputable company. (Seek redress. I have contacted Customer Service Coventry & Visa Worldline and am waiting for their responses).
We’ve been receiving parcels from Australia for many years. For the
first time last December, we had to pay 20 euros as Value Added Tax (VAT) on a
gift that cost 100 euros. I was surprised, so I visited
https://www.douane.gouv.fr/fiche/recevoir-un-colis-envoye-par-un-particulier.
This is what I found out:
In the case of non-commercial mailings between individuals, VAT and
customs duties may be requested upon receipt of the package. These shipments
must be occasional, concern goods reserved for the personal or family use of
the recipients only and sent without payment of any kind. To benefit from
customs duties and taxes exemption, the goods’ intrinsic value (excluding
transport and insurance costs) must not exceed a certain threshold. These value
requirements also apply to gifts: No customs duties from/to the EU (VAT has
already been paid in the EU country of origin); Import from a non-EU country to
an EU country or to an overseas department (example: Canada to France) ≤ 45
euros – no customs duties and VAT (> 45 euros – customs duties and VAT are
due). Exchanges between the EU to their overseas territories “DOM” ≤
205 euros – no taxation and customs duties (> 205 euros -overseas taxes and
VAT are due).
Lesson 2. I should not have told my Aussie family not
to send us presents by post anymore, taking their joy from giving. We’re
grateful for their kindness.
On December 15, I left our end-of-year party early to be home at 10 pm.
After 15 minutes of waiting for the tram, my gut feeling told me it wasn’t
coming. I decided to walk and jog for 20 minutes (in high-heeled boots!) to
catch my bus home at 9:14 pm. I reached the bus stop, sweating at six °C, and
got on in time. I would have arrived home after midnight, instead of 10:30 pm,
if I had stayed longer at the tram station.
Lesson 3. Always react promptly to the unexpected and
changes.
“If you can’t change your fate, change your attitude.”– Amy Ruth Tan (American author of the novel “The Joy Luck Club”, which was adapted into a film of the same name).
Tongues wagged
when Cuban-born and Spanish-raised actress, Ana de Armas, was cast to play
Marilyn Monroe in the Netflix movie “Blonde”. According to the media, director
Andrew Dominik (a New Zealand-born Australian) admitted hesitating to give her
the role because of her accent and had only recently learnt English as a second
language.
Is accent
important in an individual’s career?
A US-based startup
Sanas has developed software that uses artificial intelligence (AI) to mimic a
person’s accent on the phone and modify this when responding through a phone or
computer microphone. Apparently, this new technology reduces abuse from native
English speakers of call centre staff who do not have their accents. Its
proponents believe it leads to better clarity and understanding and improves customer
satisfaction.
Accents are a vital part of our history and identity; they give clues about who we are and the cultural community or national group we belong to. Everyone has an accent; these different accents showcase the richness of our world and its cultures.
English is an
international language, and there are more non-native than native speakers who
use it regularly. The issue is to communicate
with others, i.e. understand and be understood, not accents.
An accent is not
the same as pronunciation. You can get a pronunciation ‘right’ or ‘wrong’, but
there’s no right or wrong accent.
My former student used to pronounce analysis “analaiz” (the correct pronunciation is “ə-na-lə-səs”). One of her sentences was: “This analaiz domontrit the importance of flexibility at work”. French native speakers do not pronounce the ending letter “s” of words in their language. The letter “e” sounds “o” (e.g. peu, which means little in English, is pronounced as “po”). They pronounce the English letter “e” as “e” only when it has a grave accent (è), as in mère (mother) and père (father).
If you
mispronounce, you can be misunderstood. However, a person can speak English
flawlessly with whatever accent. Even among native speakers, there are many
accents. Last year, our supervisor asked me if I wanted to take over a class; this
was our conversation —
S: We have a client
who is not easy to please. She wants to improve her English and have a British
accent. Do you have a British accent?” (As if he had not heard me speak before).
R: Which one?
Scottish, Irish, Welsh, London English, Liverpool English, BBC English?
S: I don’t know.
She didn’t specify. Any of these will do.
R: Ninguno de estos.
S: Perhaps you can
still take her. You’ve said that you like teaching challenging students.
R: Thanks, but I’m
afraid it’s NO. I go for learners with a half-full glass mentality and a good
sense of humour, in addition to being motivated and proud of their cultural and
linguistic heritage.
When your
pronunciation is correct, you can communicate effectively with others, whatever
your accent. In business and financial environments, airports, touristic places
and universities, people speak English as a second or third language, a lingua
franca. Thus, the goal of having a native speaker’s accent is irrelevant.
To understand our
fellow humans and communicate with them successfully, we have to come into
contact with different accents so that we can cope with the real people in the
real world.
