Alfabet/Alphabet: A Memoir of a First Language

by Sadiqa de Meijer

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alfabet / alphabet�is the record of Sadiqa de Meijer's transition from speaking Dutch to English. Exploring questions of identity, landscape, family, and translation, the essays navigate the shifting cultural currents of language by using an eclectic approach to storytelling. As such, fellow linguistic migrants to anglophone Canada will recognize elements of their experience in�alfabet / alphabet, while lifelong English speakers will perceive their mother tongue in a new light.… (more)

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De taal is ons vaderland, waaruit we nooit kunnen emigreren. Language is our fatherland, from which we can never emigrate - a saying that will resonate with anyone who has moved to another country and learned a new language.

alfabet / alphabet is a lyrical ode to language. Sadiqa de Meijer, who was born in the Netherlands and immigrated to Canada as a child, shares her observations about the connection between language and culture. This 2021 winner of the Governor General's Literary Award for non-fiction will be of interest to anyone who savours language or knows even a few Dutch words. (

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jo2son | Jul 25, 2021 |

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Governor General's Literary Award (Winner – Non-fiction (English) – 2021)

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Alfabet/Alphabet: A Memoir of a First Language

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alfabet / alphabet�is the record of Sadiqa de Meijer's transition from speaking Dutch to English. Exploring questions of identity, landscape, family, and translation, the essays navigate the shifting cultural currents of language by using an eclectic approach to storytelling. As such, fellow linguistic migrants to anglophone Canada will recognize elements of their experience in�alfabet / alphabet, while lifelong English speakers will perceive their mother tongue in a new light.

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