Linguistics

An expert in American dialects explains how a ‘health drink’ from the early 1800s spawned so many names and variations.

Australians are outdone by Americans and Brits, both in how often they swear, and in how many users swear online.

Many scientists see evidence of language in the sounds animals put together, but they may be kidding themselves.

Recursion was thought to be a unique feature of human language.

As the UK government doubles down on English as the sole route to integration, it shouldn’t mean leaving other languages behind.

For a younger generation of secular Jews, Yiddish is acquiring a new appeal.

Twins Bridgette and Paula Powers have gone viral for the way they speak in unison, using the same gestures and words.

Sorry really can be the hardest word.

Aussie slang is rich, weird and wildly specific—so what happens when artificial intelligence tries to learn it?

Scientists added descriptive terms to the existing general Indigenous frog and reptile names to make them specific.

Reading and writing poetry, which is anchored in patterns of words, images, sounds and forms, is particularly well suited for people with autism.

‘Elderspeak’ can serve important functions in conversations between healthcare professionals and patients with dementia.

Can you guess which languages score the highest for terms relating to ‘love’, ‘death’, ‘canoe’ or ‘sheep’? We made a tool to help you explore our extensive dataset.

Abbreviations like ‘brb’ and ‘plz’ may seem benign. But new research shows they can make senders appear less sincere – and even undermine budding romances.

Human language is not as unique as we think.

The Bible contains some explicit genocidal narratives, and over time, some religious Zionists have wielded these stories to advocate for the destruction of the Palestinians.

Our brains find it easier to process a familiar accent, meaning irony often gets lost in interpretation.

The COVID pandemic triggered a new kind of vaccine scepticism shared by people who normally take up vaccines – here’s why that’s a problem.

The phrase appeared on thousands of pages unrelated to Jane Austen before and during her life – and was a favorite phrase of the abolitionists.

Chinese is one of the world’s oldest languages and spoken by over one billion people. Its pronoun system may be on the cusp of significant change.

Opinions on language are not based in any objective standards of beauty or aesthetics, but rather on our attitudes about the people speaking them.

Across its nearly 250-year history, the United States has never had an official language until now. But Americans will not stop using languages other than English because of an executive order.

Reading too early may slow adults’ language learning progress.

There are some 60 languages spoken on the Tibetan Plateau. But harsh Chinese policies mean many minority languages may not be passed down to future generations.

It is common for parents to worry about raising a child to be multilingual. They may wonder, am I harming my child’s English if I speak another language at home?

Vibes – ambiguous as they are – have become part of the cultural zeitgeist. Studying them could help us better understand human relationships and experiences.

Most screenwriters need to be able to craft characters outside their own backgrounds and experiences. But it isn’t easy and often requires collaboration – with AI able to offer a helping hand.

Even before the lead actress’s racist tweets were unearthed, the film was sagging under the weight of the director’s flippant approach to Mexican language and culture.

Having a word “on the tip of the tongue” has happened to all of us. Behind this everyday phenomenon lie complex brain mechanisms.

Researchers identified statistically coherent patterns in whale song that may be a signature of cultural learning.