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Languages & Literatures

  • Full Stream Ahead

    Ray WakefieldFor many years, the Dutch program hosted an annual visitor from the Netherlands, an up-and-coming young author who would spend the year teaching and writing in the Twin Cities. And every year Ray Wakefield, associate professor of German, Scandinavian, and Dutch, would give the visitor a quintessentially Minnesota experience by taking the writer up to his cabin on the North Shore in April for the annual smelt run. Learn more



  • Getting in the last word

    Portrait: Anatoly LibermanLinguist Anatoly Liberman is trying to beat the clock to finish his masterwork: A dictionary of the origins of some of the most misunderstood words in English. Continue reading…

  • Bridging Languages, Bridging Cultures

    Portrait: Pui-Fong KanPh.D. candidate Pui-Fong Kan explores the relationship between language acquisition and culture. Continue reading…

  • Lost and Found: Shoebox Yields Cuneiform Cone

    Portrait: Eva von Dassow. In a two-part story, cuneiform expert Eva von Dassow recounts how a forgotten artifact led to the rediscovery of a forgotten Mesopotamian king. Part 1 | Part 2

    August 19th, 2008
  • What is Old and New Again

    Portrait: Christophe Wall-RomanaChristophe Wall-Romana examines how poets have used cinema to reshape the poetic tradition. Continue reading…

  • State of the (Language) Arts

    Portrait: Beth KautzWith the aid of technological advances and expanding resources, language study at the University is advancing by leaps and megabytes. Continue Reading…

    June 27th, 2008
  • Full Stream Ahead

    by Danny Lachance

    Singing and smelting, Ray Wakefield has been sharing with students his passion for language, history, and culture for nearly 40 years

    November 25th, 2008
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