Tag Archives: language

White Paper: Geographical Distribution of Postures and Their Use as Indicators of Cultural Identity

Posted on December 18, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary This white paper examines the concept of physical posture as a potential marker of cultural identity and investigates whether variations in habitual body postures across populations correspond meaningfully to cultural, environmental, historical, or social differences. Drawing from anthropological … Continue reading →

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Before Me:  Living In The Presence of God

Posted on December 7, 2025 by nathanalbright

[Note:  The following is the prepared notes for a sermon given to the Dalles, Oregon congregation on Sabbath, December 6, 2025.] Introduction: The Depth of Hebrew Words and the Challenge of Translation The Hebrew Scriptures are composed in a language … Continue reading →

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White Paper: Thresholds of Linguistic Diversity: Defining Sprachbünde and Reassessing Neglected Zones of Contact Through History

Posted on November 25, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary The concept of the Sprachbund—a linguistic convergence area where unrelated or distantly related languages share structural features due to prolonged contact—remains one of the most powerful yet inconsistently applied tools in historical linguistics. While well-known Sprachbünde such as … Continue reading →

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Googooli (گوگولی): A White Paper on the Semantic Range, Usage, and History of a Modern Persian Term of Endearment

Posted on November 23, 2025 by nathanalbright

Abstract This white paper examines the colloquial Persian adjective/noun googooli (گوگولی) and its extended form googooli-magooli (گوگولی مگولی). It surveys the term’s semantic range, the types of referents it applies to (people, animals, and objects), its pragmatic and sociolinguistic profile, … Continue reading →

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White Paper: The Challenges of Defining the Distinction Between “Language” and “Dialect”

Posted on November 17, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary Determining where a “language” ends and a “dialect” begins is among the most persistent challenges in linguistics. While popularly framed as a purely linguistic matter, the distinction is deeply entangled with politics, identity, history, and administrative decision-making. Though … Continue reading →

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White Paper: Portrayals of English-Based Pidgins and Creoles — Convergence, Confusion, and Cultural Erasure

Posted on November 17, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary Across global contexts, English-based pidgins and creole languages arise from specific social, historical, and cultural conditions. Yet their portrayals—especially in written form—often collapse distinct languages into stereotyped spellings or caricatured “non-standard English.” This paper examines why readers sometimes … Continue reading →

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The Intertwining of Hope and Waiting: A Cross-Linguistic and Theological-Philosophical White Paper

Posted on November 12, 2025 by nathanalbright

Abstract This paper explores how the semantic fields of hope and waiting converge across languages and cultures. Using Spanish esperanza—which simultaneously evokes “hope” and “expectation”—as the central case, we trace similar patterns in Indo-European, Semitic, and East Asian languages. The … Continue reading →

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White Paper: Hypercritical Religion: The Psychology and Theology of Misapplied Piety

Posted on November 8, 2025 by nathanalbright

Abstract This white paper examines the theological, psychological, and moral roots of hypercritical religiosity—specifically, the belief that others’ minor or imagined sins deserve condemnation while one’s own violations of clear divine commands are ignored. Using the case study of a … Continue reading →

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White Paper: Writers with Backgrounds in Espionage and Diplomacy: How That Background Influenced Their Writing

Posted on November 8, 2025 by nathanalbright

Executive Summary Throughout modern history, the professions of espionage and diplomacy have occupied a unique intersection of secrecy, persuasion, observation, and narrative construction. Both fields rely on acute psychological insight, mastery of language, and the ability to craft compelling interpretations … Continue reading →

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White Paper: Do “Unguarded” AI Reasoning Systems Tend to Produce Racist or Antisemitic Outputs? Evidence, Mechanisms, and Mitigations

Posted on November 1, 2025 by nathanalbright

Abstract This paper evaluates the claim that AI systems—especially large language models (LLMs)—“reasoning without guardrails” tend to produce racist and antisemitic content. We synthesize empirical findings from toxicity/bias benchmarks, red-teaming/jailbreak studies, and notable field incidents. The weight of evidence supports … Continue reading →

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