Linguistics

🇮🇹 Ciao! Parliamo italiano! 🇮🇹 Italian Language Conversation Meetup – Singapore Have you already started learning Italian and want to practice speaking in a relaxed and friendly setting? Whether you're a basic learner, intermediate, advanced—or a native speaker—you’re welcome to join us! 👉 Please note: This is not a formal language class and may not be suitable for absolute beginners with no prior exposure to Italian. However, it’s an excellent way to complement your learning (self-study, formal lessons, apps, etc.) through conversation. We’ll chat informally about any topic related to Italy or the Italian language, such as: 🍝 Italian food & wine 🎬 Movies & TV 🎵 Music ⚽ Sports ✈️ Travel 📚 Language & culture …along with whatever participants feel like discussing! Ideal for: ✔ Learners with basic Italian knowledge and above ✔ Intermediate and advanced speakers ✔ Native Italians who enjoy meeting people and sharing culture Come along, meet fellow learners and native speakers, exchange stories, improve your confidence, and keep the spirit of Italy alive in Singapore! Non vediamo l’ora di parlarti! (We can’t wait to talk to you!) PS! The event is free, but it's appreciated if you make even the smallest purchase at the food court that kindly allows us to meet there. 🪙

**Discover the Charm of Cantonese** Whether you’re an avid fan of Hong Kong movies, a speaker cherishing your Mother Tongue, or simply curious to experience the rich, rustic charm of this ancient-yet-comtemporary language, this event is for you! Join us at The Language Lovers Fun with Cantonese Meetup — a friendly space to learn, practise, and connect through the beauty of Cantonese. From complete beginners to fluent speakers, everyone is welcome. Come for the language, stay for the laughter and community! 鍾意廣東話嘅原因可以有好多，或者因為港劇或者港產片，又或者係你好享受粵語带俾你嘅親切感，再或者你純粹鐘意呢個歷史悠久、充滿文化底蘊嘅語言。無論你鍾意粵語嘅原因係乜嘢，我哋歡迎你嚟參加「學下粵語頃下偈」。 喜欢广东话的原因可以有很多，或许是因为港剧或港产片，又或许是你很享受粤语带给你的亲切感，再或者你纯粹喜欢这个历史悠久、充满文化底蕴的语言。无论你喜欢粤语的原因为何，我们欢迎你来参加\*\*〈**学下粤语顷下偈**〉\*\*。 GETTING THERE Take Downtown (blue) Line or Circle (yellow) Line to Promenade MRT. Take Exit C at Promenade MRT, and go up to level 3. LOCATING US INSIDE THE FOOD COURT Go to the far end of the food court, the section away from the stalls, where you can see some sofa seats. We usually sit somewhere there. Look for the Cantonese Meetup sign. Drop the Event Host a message if you are lost. NO COMMERCIAL ACTIVITIES We welcome anyone who is keen to learn a language or help others learn the language. However, this is NOT the platform for individuals who have other intentions, such as recruiting members for their business or organization or selling products or services. We will not hesitate to ask such individuals to stop attending our meetups.

French meeting

Dating for Singles is a fun and relaxed way to meet new people who are also looking for meaningful connections. Enjoy conversations, laughter, and the chance to spark something special in a comfortable and welcoming environment, connect here Telegram @Krtyk

안녕하세요, Have you been watching a lot of Korean dramas, but can't get past "안녕하세요" (annyeonghaseyo) and "감사합니다" (kamsahamnida)? Or simply want to say out a line from a drama? join us to pick up some Korean at Saturday Korean: 토요일 한국어. It is best that you already have some working knowledge of the Korean language so that you will have a smoother conversation. All our language-learning meetup events are free of charge. WE WANT KOREAN SPEAKERS TOO! We are on a constant lookout for proficient Korean speakers (not necessarily native) to come and share their knowledge of the language and culture. If you speak the language, come join us, help others learn and make lots of friends. See you there! 한국어 화자를 기다리고 있습니다! 유창한 한국어 구사자 (반드시 원어민일 필요는 없음) 분이시라면 저희와 함께 언어와 문화에 대한 지식을 공유해보시는 건 어떨까요. 다른 한국어 학습자들이 한국어를 배우도록 도와주고 많은 친구도 사귀어 보세요. 곧 만나요. 1. NO COMMERCIAL ACTIVITIES We welcome anyone who is keen to learn a language or help others learn the language. However, this is NOT the platform for individuals who have other intentions, such as recruiting members for their business or organisation or selling products or services. We will not hesitate to ask such individuals to stop attending our meetups if they have been found to be pestering our members for such purposes. 2. GETTING THERE Nearest MRT station: Promenade MRT Station. LOCATING US INSIDE THE FOOD COURT When you arrive in the food court, look out for groups of people and ask them if they are there for a meetup. We are usually seated against the wall near the Penyet & BBQ stall, but this may vary. You can also send the host a text message via Meetup.

***Hi there!*** **Sahaja Yoga Meditation Singapore** invites you to a **FREE** meditation class, which is facilitated by an experienced practitioner. *Learn easy meditation steps and purify your inner being with joy, and love.* *Get rid of frustrations, anxiety, stress, and doubts, and feel the energy within.* **What to expect during the class?** -Introduction to Sahaja Yoga Meditation -Meditation session -Learn the topic of the week -Homework for you to try at home -Question and Answers **Address** Sahaja Yoga Meditation 140 Paya Lebar Road, #07-15 AZ Building Singapore 409015 Nearest MRT: MacPherson MRT (Downtown Line/Circle Line), Exit A *See you there :-)* **Sahaja Yoga Meditation** **Singapore**

**Who we are?** Listening Hearts is a safe and caring space where people can pause, reflect, and share life’s journey together. We believe every heart longs for meaning, connection, and encouragement. Through workshops and conversations, we explore topics that matter — from everyday challenges to deeper questions about life and faith — in a way that is open to both Christians and seekers. **Why Join?** Life can be overwhelming at times. This workshop offers a safe and supportive environment where you can: \- Share your story \(only if you wish\) \- Learn simple tools to cope with stress and challenges \- Receive encouragement and practical support \- Connect with others who care **Who is this for?** \- Anyone seeking encouragement\, healing\, or practical coping tools\. \- Open to people of all backgrounds and beliefs\. **What to Expect?** \- Respectful\, inclusive space \- No pressure to share beyond your comfort level \- Gentle activities\, practical takeaways\, and supportive conversations

Whatsapp Philip for any questions: 8452 0693 Hola! Come and pick up some Spanish at Saturday Spanish: Sábado de Español. Learners of all ages and all levels are welcome. All our language-learning meetup events are free of charge. WE WANT SPANISH SPEAKERS TOO! We are on a constant lookout for proficient Spanish speakers (not necessarily native) to come and share their knowledge of the language and culture. If you speak the language, come and join us and make lots of friends. See you there amigos! Directions: https://maps.app.goo.gl/mRfYKAMXaL9rLLEz8 *** 1. NO COMMERCIAL ACTIVITIES We welcome anyone who is keen to learn a language or help others learn the language. However, this is NOT the platform for individuals who have other intentions, such as recruiting members for their business/organisation, WhatsApp groups or selling products or services. We will not hesitate to ask such individuals to stop attending our meetups if they have been found to be pestering our members for such purposes. 2\. GETTING THERE Take Downtown Line or Circle Line to Promenade MRT. At Promenade MRT take Exit C, turn right and walk into Suntec City, take the escalators or lift to level 3, you will find FOOD ARENA foodcourt next to Burger King. 3\. LOCATING US INSIDE THE FOOD COURT We usually will have a "SPANISH" sign at our table. You can ask the other language groups at the food court where the Spanish Group is sitting, they will help guide you.

Contact: WhatsApp +6588016138 or +6586521735 Let's practice Russian language together in a friendly & casual atmosphere. We will have free conversations in Russian, get to know each other, play language games, or learn from other advanced or native speakers. We will try to divide learners into groups based on their levels of proficiency. Please let the organizers know your level when you sign up. Native and advanced speakers, please feel free to come share your knowledge of Russian language & help others to learn. We need as much help as possible! No teaching experience required. FAQ Q. I have never learned Russian, is it OK to join? A. Check with the organizers if there is a beginner group at the moment. Q. Do I need to pay? A. No! This event is free. Q. I can't find the organizer and the group, what shall I do? A. Please send a WhatsApp or call +6588016138 or +6586521735

All levels of German welcome :) If you're joining us for the first time, introduce yourself with the following: Hallo, mein Name ist _____. (hello, my name is ___) Ich bin _____. (i am ___) Meine Hobbys sind ______. (my hobbies are ___) We'll help with pronunciation and vocab, as far as we can :) Sometimes we have fixed topics, but usually it's just free form conversation. Look forward to a good chat with you! Chat with us on Instagram at @im.sinking.in.german!

**PART I: Purpose exiled** According to Plato, our theories about the world should ‘carve nature at its joints’. *Telos*, the once plausible idea that purpose is a part of the natural order of things, has been steadily banished with the triumph of successive scientific theories in the modern age, culminating in the mechanism of evolution by natural selection and its accompanying metaphor of the blind watchmaker. Here, fitness, defined as the ability to survive and reproduce, is the sole arbiter of design in nature, acquired through so much as the blind lotteries of genetic variation. The momentary surprise that one even scientifically inclined feels at some marvelous specimen of evolution, for example the finesse of a Gray’s leaf insect mimicking not just a leaf but its brown and dying spots to better camouflage against predation ([https://www.biodiversitysingapore.com/in-focus/](https://www.biodiversitysingapore.com/in-focus/)), is to be utterly dispelled by belief in the creative potential of random mutations offering themselves up to selection pressures over geological spans of time. **Emergence: ‘more is different’** Contemplating how mind and intelligence came to be within such a setting presents further aesthetic tension (the mind of everyday experience exclaims, that sounds crazy!). Emergence (1) is a relatively recent concept that purports to explain phenomena like mind while undergirding it with a non-negotiable physicalist ontology. The essence of emergence is that through scaling of individual components, a system acquires so-called novel bases - new foundations upon which regularities can be encoded that were not possible at the lower levels. For example, neurons individually fire action potentials based on the threshold dynamics of local stimuli. Collectively however, groups of neurons fire according to abstract patterns termed ‘basins of attraction’ that represent long-range stable states and may be foundational to concepts like memory (2). Conway’s game of life, anchored by a set of very simple rules, presents a powerful illustration of this dynamic: [https://conwaylife.appspot.com/pattern/gosperglidergun](https://conwaylife.appspot.com/pattern/gosperglidergun) There is a folk account of emergence popular with science writers that goes something like this: while the physics of the system is completely known, predicting what is going to happen is near-impossible just with physics, because there is novel stuff happening at ‘higher’ levels. Importantly, no God or designer directed the organization at the higher levels, but it is not discernible anywhere else. *What does it mean to take seriously a universe in which purpose is nowhere fundamental, yet everywhere invoked?* **PART II: Purpose reconsidered** And yet, there are radical perspectives afoot. Without invoking external designers, some contemporary thinkers argue that natural selection and emergence may not exhaust the explanatory story. Developmental biologist Michael Levin (3) and evolutionary scientist Richard Watson (4) suggest that the mechanisms generating variation themselves may be structured, biased, or even goal-directed, analogous to neural or social learning processes. Levin introduced so-called biobots, which are multicellular living structures assembled from human lung epithelium. Biobots exhibit coordinated movement and problem-solving in novel environments despite having no evolutionary lineage that selected for such behaviors (5). Adaptation appears immediately, as if the system were exploring possibilities rather than stumbling upon them. *Does this point toward a universe where purpose was never fully absent to begin with?* Join us this Saturday as we grapple with where purpose truly lies in nature. **References** 1. O’Connor, Timothy, "Emergent Properties", The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2021 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.) [https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2021/entries/properties-emergent/](https://plato.stanford.edu/archives/win2021/entries/properties-emergent/) 2. Wuensche, Andrew. (1995). The Emergence of Memory: Categorisation Far from Equilibrium. Santa Fe Institute, Working Papers. 3. Levin, M. (2025, February 6). Ingressing Minds: Causal Patterns Beyond Genetics and Environment in Natural, Synthetic, and Hybrid Embodiments. [https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/5g2xj_v1 ](https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/5g2xj_v1) 4. Richard A. Watson, Michael Levin, Tim Lewens; Evolution by natural induction. Interface Focus 19 December 2025; 15 (6): 20250025. [https://doi.org/10.1098/rsfs.2025.0025 ](https://doi.org/10.1098/rsfs.2025.0025) 5. Gumuskaya, G., Srivastava, P., Cooper, B. G., Lesser, H., Semegran, B., Garnier, S., & Levin, M. (2023). Motile Living Biobots Self-Construct from Adult Human Somatic Progenitor Seed Cells. Advanced Science, 11(4), 2303575. https://doi.org/10.1002/advs.202303575

Inspired by the successful events like "Pot Luck in the Park" and "Saturday Mornings @ East Market," this meetup promises a fun and engaging atmosphere where like-minded individuals can connect over a shared love for languages and cultures. Whether you're a language learner, ESL student, or simply passionate about exploring new cultures, this event is perfect for anyone looking to immerse themselves in a diverse and welcoming community. Come join us for an enlightening afternoon of language, culture, food, of course, and connections! (Everyone will individually choose from the buffet and pay for their own meal, by weight.)

Let's grab some coffee/food and share a morning chat! The East Market has an ample parking lot and outdoor and indoor seating. Grab a cup of coffee from Winston's Coffee & Waffles or on your way to East Market and meet us on the second floor - table behind or east of the elevator. If the weather cooperates we will be meeting in the patio. Per what this group is about: "Everyone is welcome! International transplants to Columbus who want to improve language skills, Columbus residents who want to discuss international travel and culture, and anyone who enjoys getting together for good conversations."

Jimmy V's Grill & Pub in Grandview Heights. You are responsible for your own meal/drinks. We usually don't have any agenda other than eat, drink and talk. :) If the weather is nice we will be on the back patio, otherwise we are in the cigar room. This group has been meeting every Tuesday evening for over a decade. Many attendees do not RSVP on meetup. Please don't let the small number here discourage you. Anyone/everyone is welcome to come. We'd love to have you join us. COTA bus #5 comes to W. 5th and Wyandotte Rd. And it's a minute walk to the restaurant. *** Did you know that there are atheists everywhere?!?! You may not know it, but we are! We're in your schools, diners, police force, military, government, and some are even still in your churches! So come and join us and meet other local atheists, along with agnostics, heathens, humanists, skeptics, and anyone else who's 'hell bound'! Vision: a Central Ohio that accepts atheism as a viable alternative in all areas of public and private life. Mission: grow, support, and provide community for atheists in Central Ohio. Social meetings held most Tuesdays at a local pub/restaurant at 7:00 PM (and often into the wee hours). Attendees call themselves agnostics, skeptics, humanists, non-theists, deists or even theists. All attendees are welcome but should support our vision. Atheists of Columbus (AoC) is part of Omnipresent Atheists (OA). AoC members are invited to join this OA meetup and/or OA Facebook group ( https://www.facebook.com/groups/omnipresentatheists/ ) but are free to continue conversations on the AoC Facebook group ( https://www.facebook.com/groups/columbusatheists/ ). AoC was founded in 2012 as a networking, social group for Central Ohio area humanists, skeptics, atheists, agnostics, nonbelievers, freethinkers, and the curious. It was a member of Columbus CoR and held weekly meetings, mostly on Fridays, for several years but then operated as an online only group for some time. In November 2018, Omnipresent Atheists (OA), a group that routinely meets on Tuesdays, invited AoC to merge. Omnipresent Atheists is a member of the Columbus Coalition of Reason (ColumbusCoR.org). Omnipresent Atheists is a member of the Columbus Coalition of Reason ( http://www.ColumbusCoR.org ). Omnipresent Atheists endorses the mission of the Secular Coalition for America ( http://secular.org ).

Dale Gnidovec, Curator of the Orton Hall Museum of Geology at The Ohio State University, will be presenting a program he has wanted to share with us for a long time: Plate Tectonics. His description of his program: Continents on the move - Nothing in Earth history makes sense without moving continents - it tells us why mountains, volcanoes, minerals, and fossils are where they are. This talk examines the evidence for continental drift, why it was disbelieved, and explains how the more-encompassing theory of plate tectonics was developed and eventually proven. Dale is an energetic, incredibly knowledgeable, and very entertaining speaker and this will be another wonderful program by Dale. Hope to see you there! Food and drinks will be provided at the event. Feel free to show up a little bit early to hang out and talk. Going forward our meetings will be hybrid. You can meet us in-person or attend online Join Zoom Meeting [https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87836564953?pwd=4Mi57ElZkDIFlb1fnlNwOJ0NiOK4tP.1](https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87836564953?pwd=4Mi57ElZkDIFlb1fnlNwOJ0NiOK4tP.1) Meeting ID: 878 3656 4953 Passcode: 760812 One tap mobile +19292056099,,87836564953#,,,,\*760812# US (New York) +13017158592,,87836564953#,,,,\*760812# US (Washington DC) The formal presentation will start at noon

**💥 Join us THIS Saturday and EVERY Saturday!** **💥 At Columbus’ Hottest New Salsa Venue!** **.** Lincoln Street Salsa THIS Saturday and EVERY Saturday! 8 pm – 1 am **.** **💥 Gorgeously Renovated Studio!** **💥 Free Parking!** **💥 BYOB!** **💥 Easy Access from Highway!** **.** Lincoln Street Salsa 1717 Brice Rd Reynoldsburg, Ohio 43215 **.** **ENTRANCE IS ON THE NORTH SIDE OF THE BUILDING** **Behind Anthony’s Pharmacy!** **.** **PLEASE SHARE and help get the word out!** **.** **🟣 Salsa, Bachata, and Merengue Dancing!** **.** **🟣** 8:00 pm – 8:30 pm **𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻** **.** **🟣** 8:30 pm – 9:30 pm **𝗕𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿 𝗗𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 Class!** **.** **🟣** 9:30 pm – 1 am **𝗢𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝗗𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝘆!** **.** **✅ Questions?** **Visit [LincolnStreetSalsa.com](https://columbussalsadancing.com/)** Or Text Todd: 614-774-8146 **.** **✅ No Experience Necessary!** **✅ No Partner Required!** **✅ Plenty of People to Dance With!** **.** **✅ $15 Cash / $16 Card** **✅ College Students $5 Off with Valid ID!** **✅ BYOB** **✅ Age 18+** **.** **✅ Lincoln Street Salsa is the perfect place for…** **.** **👉 Learning to Dance** **👉** Social Dancing **👉 Birthday Celebration** **👉** Bachelorette Parties **👉 Girl’s Night Out** **👉 Date Night** **👉** Getting Fit / Burning Calories **👉 Meeting New People** **👉** Having Fun, Fun, Fun! **.** ✅ **Questions?** Visit [LincolnStreetSalsa.com](https://columbussalsadancing.com/ "https://columbussalsadancing.com/") Or Text Todd: 614-774-8146 .

Hey Everyone! Let's meet at Belle's Bread Bakery and Cafe. There is lots of free parking and easy access to the cafe and many shops and restaurants as well. This is a great way to meet new and old friends while chatting about life and practicing English language speaking skills. All are welcome and encouraged to join us anytime between 11am and 1pm. Looking forward to seeing you soon.