NEW SEMANTICS

 

What’s the purpose of this magazine?

The purpose of this magazine is to showcase the world’s diversity that can be found among the global youth, and it’s also to express a passion for the importance and the intricacies of language in communication around the world.

 

Is this a club? Who can enter?

Making a literary language magazine put together from student-submitted work doesn’t require a club to occur, so this isn’t a school club. Any student from any school can enter, and even teachers can submit writings/interviews.

 

Do I need to be a good writer?

No prior magazine-writing experience is required. As long as you’re proud of your language and have something to say, we welcome everyone!

 

How do I participate and sign-up to be a New Semantics writer/contributor?

If you want to participate, you MUST email languagezine@gmail.com (or use our Contact form) as soon as possible with the below info. Then, we will reply confirming your status as contributor and give you a due date for your submission. Please check in with us if you’re submitting for art/photos also!

 

If you want to be a writer / contributor, please tell us in your message:

1. Your name

2. Where you're from

3. Your submission type (article, creative writing, art/photo, poem in Italian with translation, etc.)

4. What language(s) your submission is about. This is important to “claim” that language(s), since each language will most likely be limited to 1-2 people! Please check the list below for availability. If you're unsure, make sure to ask us!

 

 

What is NSLI-Y Alumni Insights, and how can I participate?

 

New Semantics is hosting creative piece submissions by NSLI-Y (National Security Language Initiative for Youth) Alumni in NSLI-Y Alumni Insights as well as the main Spring 2019 publication. NAI aims to foster continued passion for language-learning and cross-cultural dialogue, post NSLI-Y. Interested alumni can follow the stated procedures above to participate, and should also mention the year(s), program(s), and language(s) they studied under NSLI-Y.

 

 

All Alumni Insights will be in the final New Semantics publication, are hosted in a special page here, and will also be featured on the Alumni group Facebook page, as well as NSLI-Y Interactive as a digital collection by late Spring 2019. 

 

 

What languages can I submit for? Can I talk about more than one language?

Pieces about languages learned at home, outside of school, or used in travel are encouraged, especially languages not taught in school. Consequently, each language will be limited to a few students. Students can also discuss more than one language (e.g. if 2 parents speak 2 languages). We'll update with any languages already with max submissions in this section -- if your language isn't available but you'd still like to participate, feel free to contact us.

 

NOT AVAILABLE: Arabic, Korean, Mandarin Chinese, Spanish, Japanese, Russian, Georgian, Basque

LIMITED SPACE:  French, English, Tamil

Available: any other language! looking for Turkish, Indonesian, Hindi (NSLI-Y!)

 

 

Should my writing piece be in English or a foreign language?

This magazine will be pieces in English about using a foreign language, as well as creative writing in foreign languages as well, or a mixture of both! However, we will not be able to proofread it for you, and you will need to submit an accurate English translation of the piece. Pieces in foreign languages cannot be too long; 400 words without the translation should be the max, though this is lenient.

 

What should my piece about?

Here are some ideas to get you started. Feel free to write about another, as long as it has to do with a foreign language (or multiple!)

○  what you find fascinating about your language (e.g. historical development, interesting idioms, writing system)

○ personal experience learning the language

○Why your language is significant to you/the world

○ How your language helped you connect with others

○ Creative writing in another language with English translation

○ Art/photography relating to culture, travel, or language

○ Miscommunication in travel experiences

○ How it broadens your understanding of another culture

○ Intersection of 2+ languages

 

What are the requirements for the writing?

The piece can be a personal narrative, article, informational or personal essay, and more, as long as it discusses foreign language and matches the purpose of the magazine. Word limits are very flexible; we want you to be able to completely express your ideas. A tentative range is 300-900 words. The definite maximum would be the length of a full history essay. If you’re submitting a poem, it can be under 200 words.

 

Can I submit art or photography?

Yes! While this is primarily a writing magazine, we are looking for visuals to supplement it! Any visuals should relate to culture, travel, and/or language and communication; they do not necessarily have to be about one specific language in particular. Please accompany your visual with a brief explanation, and submit visuals digitally (scan, photo, digital file).

 If you find photos online, please make sure there are licensed to be used freely.

 

How and when will the final Volume 2 magazine be released? When should I submit by?

The magazine will first be a digital blog. With this in mind, please submit as soon as possible by the due date we give you. Pieces will begin to be released January 2019 every two weeks online (here and FB) and will be compiled into one digital and hard copy publication Spring 2019. You can order it by pre-ordering and paying through Venmo.

 

How do I order physical copies of Volume 1 / pre-order Volume 2? Where do I find digital versions of the magazine?

Please fill out the Google Form here or head to our Full Edition tab. That tab also has links to PDF and Issuu versions of Volume 1. All Volume 1 and Volume 2 posts have been and will be posted first at this blog on the Submitted Works tab.

 

I’m ready to submit!

Please submit through the Google Form linked in "Submit Work!" under the About header on the menu tab. It will ask you to fill out information as well as to insert a shared Google Drive link to your submission. Please include art and photos to accompany your work, if possible. If you find photos online, please make sure there are licensed to be used freely. We might make grammatical corrections, so please save an original copy of your writing if you’d like, in case we edit yours!