Dača Ferguson

#Identity is such an 🔥 construct—ever-changing, fluid, and shaped by experience. The more I learn, the more I unlearn; the more I relearn, the more I evolve. Looking forward to meeting whom I’ve yet to become. :-)

#authenticity #counternarrative
#queer

Hey #langsky,

Which kind of linguist are you?

As a budding linguist in undergrad, I identified as a socio-cognitivist—now, my perspective has shifted toward integrationist! ❤️

#linguistics

💯

I’ve finally found time to watch 100 Años de Soledad, and it’s absolutely brilliant and stunning. I also love watching shows in the original language (Colombian Spanish) with subtitles in a target language of mine (Croatian). ❤️Does anyone else love to do this, #langsky?

Well for me, I often shift between languages when texting with friends who share a set of languages with me. It’s helpful bc I don’t have to keep switching between keyboards or even worry about autocorrect errors. Now I just write in target lang, English, and/or both fluidly. 🤗

a woman in a white dress is dancing in front of a crowd with the words " can you feel a brand new day " below her ALT: a woman in a white dress is dancing in front of a crowd with the words " can you feel a brand new day " below her

Absolutely! 💯

Has anyone else noticed the dual language keyboard feature on iPhone?! Finally, I can “translanguage without tears” 😂!

#langsky

#langsky

My Top 3:

🇿🇦 Xhosa / isiZulu
🇰🇪 Swahili
🇭🇺 Hungarian

But also #flagsarenotlanguages

Srećna Nova Godina! Happy 2025! Želim svima sve najbolje ❤️

#langsky #langtwt

Language learning is a shared journey—one that reminds us of our interdependence. Let’s embrace Ujima by working together to foster linguistic inclusion, celebrate diversity, and facilitate belonging for all. 🌍❤️

#CollectiveWork #Belonging #CulturalResponsibility

Collective responsibility can transform classrooms, communities, and relationships. Whether it’s learning basic greetings in your neighbor’s language, supporting CLD learners educational path, or creating space for minority languages, we all have a role to play in building a more connected world.

In the context of language learning, Ujima reminds us that languages are not learned in isolation. They are lived and shared within communities. When we engage with the languages of others, we honor their stories, their cultures, and their voices. #Multiculturalism

Ujima, the third principle of Kwanzaa, teaches us about the power of collective work and responsibility. It’s about coming together to solve problems, lift each other up, and share in the responsibility of building a better world.

#Ujima #Kwanzaa

Hey, Dagmara! Hvala lepo! Ja również życzę Ci miłego dnia! ❤️

7/ Kujichagulia is the commitment to tell your story, navigation of your intersecting identities with pride, and an invitation to others to do the same. What does self-determination look like for you today?

#Kwanzaa #Kujichagulia #SelfDetermination #CommunityPower

6/ In teaching and learning, it’s honoring the linguistic and cultural wealth you and your students bring. In scholarship, it’s building frameworks that center marginalized voices. In community, it’s showing how authenticity and self-determination create spaces for belonging and growth.

4/ For me,Kujichagulia means reclaiming and celebrating every part of your identity. It’s about defining your work, voice, and path on your terms while inspiring others to do the same. Today, I root myself in my queerness, blackness, plurilingualism, & emerging scholarship.

3/ Living out Kujichagulia can look like:

- Expressing yourself authentically.

- Supporting others to name their truths.

- Resisting labels that don’t serve your growth.

What does self-determination mean to you?

2/ Kujichagulia calls us to ask:

How are we actively claiming agency in our lives?

- How are we uplifting the voices of others to do the same?

- Through self-determination, we reclaim our stories and forge paths of empowerment for ourselves and our communities.

Day 2 of #Kwanzaa:

1/ Today, we muse on #Kujichagulia, the principle of defining, naming, creating, and speaking for ourselves. It reminds us of the power we hold to shape our own identities and build a future rooted in our values and dreams. 🌟

A cozy scene featuring a red ceramic mug filled with steaming Turkish coffee on a polished wooden table. In the background, the sun shines through the window under which a floral-patterned armchair sits near a radiator, evoking a warm, relaxed atmosphere. Nearby, a small bowl of sweets or snacks adds to the inviting setting.

Dobro jutro iz Srbije! Nothing like sipping on Tursku Kafu to start your day. ❤️☕️

Happy Kwanzaa 🖤

Odlično mi ide 🤗! Učenje srpskog jezika je bila jedna od najboljih odluka koje sam ikada doneo. Muž mi je Srbin iz Vojvojdine 😉. Jesi li i ti sa Balkana?

💯 - this mostly checks out for my journey. First I learned German formally and Spanish informally.Then I learned Japanese formally and Chinese and French informally. After college, I moved to Austria and learned BCS along with some Italian and Romanian. Now I’m onto Arabic, Dari/Farsi, and Pashto. 😍

🇩🇪 Frohe Weihnachten
🇷🇸 Срећан Божић
🇵🇷 Feliz Navidad
🇫🇷 Joyeux Noël
🇮🇹 Buon Natale
🇧🇷 Feliz Natal
🇯🇵 メリークリスマス
🇰🇷 메리 크리스마스
🇨🇳 圣诞快乐
🇮🇷 کریسمس مبارک
🇦🇫 کریسمس مبارک
🇵🇸 عيد ميلاد مجيد
🇾🇪 عيد ميلاد مجيد
🏳️‍🌈 Happy Holidays / Season’s Greetings 😂❤️

#langsky #langtwt #linguistics #edusky #elsky

10/
Your “home” in language isn’t a single place—it’s a bridge between worlds. Each word you learn, each sentence you speak, adds another stone to that bridge.

Keep building. Keep becoming.

What’s your current “home” in your language learning journey? Share below! 👇

#LanguageExchange

9/
Lean into the discomfort of leaving your “home.” Don’t get stuck in the binary of discipline vs. regret.

Instead, embrace the complexity of growth—the beauty of becoming someone who speaks, dreams, and thinks across boundaries.

#Polyglot #LanguageLover

8/
When you embrace the discomfort of leaving your linguistic “home,” you open yourself to a life where:

✨ You can belong in new communities.

✨ You see the world through others’ eyes.

✨ You rediscover who you are in every word you learn.

#Bilingual #Multilingual #TeacherIdentity

7/
Yes, there’s the “pain of discipline”: memorizing vocabulary, practicing grammar, struggling through awkward conversations.

And yes, there’s the “pain of regret”: wishing you’d started earlier, starting and stopping learning, etc.

But the real story is in the #joy of #transformation.

6/
Rohn speaks of discipline and regret as the only choices. But Baldwin reminds us of a third way: the bittersweet transformation that happens when you leave one identity to build another.

Language learning is this third way—a constant process of becoming.

#Becoming #SelfGrowth #IdentityMatters