The Singapore Stone's carvings have been undeciphered for centuries—now, researchers are trying to crack the puzzle
If you pay a visit to the Singapore Stone, displayed at the National Museum of Singapore, you might be disappointed. That's because the inscription—carrying an unknown writing system transcribing an unknown language—is ...
Phys.org > linguist![The Singapore Stone's carvings have been undeciphered for centuries—now, researchers are trying to crack the puzzle](https://scx2.b-cdn.net/gfx/news/2024/the-singapore-stones-c.jpg)
Researchers develop algorithms to understand how humans form body part vocabularies
Human bodies have similar designs. However, languages differ in the way they divide the body into parts and name them. For example, English speakers have two words for foot and leg, whereas other languages express the concepts ...
Phys.org > linguist![Researchers develop algorithms to understand how humans form body part vocabularies](https://scx2.b-cdn.net/gfx/news/hires/2024/talking-with-hands-and.jpg)
Researcher analyzes 3,356 signs to see how language use is changing in three Latino neighborhoods in Philly
Signs written in Spanish are becoming less common along North Philadelphia's Golden Block, or El Bloque de Oro—which runs along North Fifth Street from Lehigh Avenue to Allegheny Avenue and is considered the cultural center ...
Phys.org > linguist![Researcher analyzes 3,356 signs to see how language use is changing in three Latino neighborhoods in Philly](https://scx2.b-cdn.net/gfx/news/2024/i-analyzed-3356-signs.jpg)
First languages of North America traced back to two very different language groups from Siberia
Johanna Nichols, a linguist at the University of California, Berkeley, has used her pioneering work in the field of language history to learn more about language development in North America. She has found that it can be ...
Phys.org > linguist![First languages of North America traced back to two very different language groups from Siberia](https://scx2.b-cdn.net/gfx/news/hires/2024/first-languages-of-nor.jpg)
English dominates scientific research—here's how we can fix it, and why it matters
It is often remarked that Spanish should be more widely spoken or understood in the scientific community given its number of speakers around the world, a figure the Instituto Cervantes places at almost 600 million.
Phys.org > linguist![English dominates scientific research—here's how we can fix it, and why it matters](https://scx2.b-cdn.net/gfx/news/hires/2023/english-accent.jpg)
Film festivals are becoming more diverse in several ways, new study reports
A group of Tallinn University researchers has published an innovative study that sheds light on the intricate dynamics of the global film festival circuit, revealing insights into diversity and public value creation within ...
Phys.org > linguist![Film festivals are becoming more diverse in several ways, new study reports](https://scx2.b-cdn.net/gfx/news/hires/2024/film-festivals-are-bec.jpg)
'I'm gonna get totally and utterly X'd': Can you really use any English word to mean 'drunk'?
The English language is famous for the large number of words that express the idea of being drunk in a humorous way—so-called drunkonyms like "pissed," "hammered" or "wasted." British comedian Michael McIntyre even argues ...
Phys.org > linguist!['I'm gonna get totally and utterly X'd': Can you really use any English word to mean 'drunk'?](https://scx2.b-cdn.net/gfx/news/hires/2020/drunk.jpg)
Paranoid CEOs hide from government, react strongly to competitors, says research
The higher CEOs score on measures of paranoia, the more likely they are to avoid lobbying government, according to new research of 925 CEOs across 774 firms.
Phys.org > linguist![Paranoid CEOs hide from government, react strongly to competitors, says research](https://scx2.b-cdn.net/gfx/news/hires/2024/paranoid.jpg)
Language-related misunderstanding at work: What it is, why it occurs and what organizations can do about it
Language is the foundation of human interaction. It plays a central role in facilitating effective communication by allowing people to express their thoughts, share essential information and establish connections with one ...
Phys.org > linguist![Language-related misunderstanding at work: What it is, why it occurs and what organizations can do about it](https://scx2.b-cdn.net/gfx/news/hires/2024/work-conversation.jpg)
When languages collide, which survives?
Language has the power to shape our perceptions and interactions with the world. Different languages can coexist, but their dynamics are shaped by the communities that speak them—and how those communities interact with ...
Phys.org > linguist![When languages collide, which survives?](https://scx2.b-cdn.net/gfx/news/hires/2023/when-languages-collide.jpg)
Cockney and Queen's English have all but disappeared among young people—here's what's replaced them
Cockney and received pronunciation (Queen's English) were once spoken by people of all ages, but they are no longer commonly spoken among young people in the south-east of England.
Phys.org > linguist![Cockney and Queen's English have all but disappeared among young people—here's what's replaced them](https://scx2.b-cdn.net/gfx/news/hires/2023/englsih-people.jpg)
Researcher studies how hate speech becomes acts of terror
A new Charles Darwin University (CDU) study on the writings of two of the world's most infamous terrorists could help authorities to identify how topics, schemas and strategies of hate speech are used to incite violence.
Phys.org > linguist![Researcher studies how hate speech becomes acts of terror](https://scx2.b-cdn.net/gfx/news/hires/2023/researcher-studies-how.jpg)
Children with SEND deserve authentic inclusion in the foreign languages classroom, report warns
Pupils with special educational needs and disabilities should be given equal opportunities to learn languages, a new report argues.
Phys.org > linguist![Children with SEND deserve authentic inclusion in the foreign languages classroom, report warns](https://scx2.b-cdn.net/gfx/news/hires/2023/classroom-1.jpg)
Research on 2,400 languages shows nearly half the world's language diversity is at risk
There are more than 7,000 languages in the world, and their grammar can vary a lot. Linguists are interested in these differences because of what they tell us about our history, our cognitive abilities and what it means to ...
Phys.org > linguist![Research on 2,400 languages shows nearly half the world's language diversity is at risk](https://scx2.b-cdn.net/gfx/news/hires/2023/research-on-2400-langu.jpg)
Comparison with humans and bonobos suggests wild African elephants may have self-domesticated
A team of biologists and linguists from the Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, City University of New York, the State University of New York and the University of Seville has found evidence suggesting that wild African ...
Phys.org > linguist![Comparison with humans and bonobos suggests wild African elephants may have self-domesticated](https://scx2.b-cdn.net/gfx/news/hires/2023/comparison-with-humans.jpg)
How linguistic diversity in English-language fiction reveals resistance and tension
Linguistic diversity, like other types of diversity, can enrich life. It's a truism that languages and cultures are closely allied. Some believe that language imposes its own unique perceptual grid on its users.
Phys.org > linguist![How linguistic diversity in English-language fiction reveals resistance and tension](https://scx2.b-cdn.net/gfx/news/2023/how-linguistic-diversi.jpg)
Preserving endangered languages as 3D shapes
Half of the world's languages are endangered and more than a thousand are expected to be lost in coming decades. A team at UCL is using animation software to preserve these languages in an entirely new way.
Phys.org > linguist![Preserving endangered languages as 3D shapes](https://scx2.b-cdn.net/gfx/news/2023/preserving-endangered-4.jpg)
Sign languages change, too: The evolution of SELF in American Sign Language
A new study shows that American Sign Language (ASL) is more linguistically complex than previously understood. In particular, research appearing in the June 2022 issue of the journal Language, authored by Tory Sampson (UC ...
Phys.org > linguist![Sign languages change, too: The evolution of SELF in American Sign Language](https://scx2.b-cdn.net/gfx/news/hires/2021/sign-language.jpg)
Exploring how diverse social networks reduce accent judgments
Everyone has an accent. But the intelligibility of speech doesn't just depend on that accent; it also depends on the listener. Visual cues and the diversity of the listener's social network can impact their ability to understand ...
Phys.org > linguist![Exploring how diverse social networks reduce accent judgments](https://scx2.b-cdn.net/gfx/news/hires/2022/diverse-social-network.jpg)
Discovery sheds light on why Pacific islands were colonized
The discovery of pottery from the ancient Lapita culture by researchers at The Australian National University (ANU) has shed new light on how Papua New Guinea (PNG) served as a launching pad for the colonization of the Pacific—one ...
Phys.org > linguist![Discovery sheds light on why Pacific islands were colonized](https://scx2.b-cdn.net/gfx/news/2022/discovery-sheds-light.jpg)