NASA’s mission to an ice-covered moon will contain a message between water worlds
Europa Clipper will contain a plaque that celebrates humanity’s relationship with water and a decades-old tradition of searching for life outside Earth.
The Conversation > Language100,000 years and counting: how do we tell future generations about highly radioactive nuclear waste repositories?
Spent nuclear fuel remains dangerous for so long that languages can disappear and humanity’s very existence cannot be guaranteed. So how do we communicate information about repositories into the future?
The Conversation > LanguageCanada should provide Indigenous languages with constitutional protection
Critics have said the government’s efforts to revitalize Indigenous languages are colonial and do not engage with Indigenous Peoples on an equal footing.
The Conversation > LanguageLearning in two languages: lessons from francophone Africa on what works best
Bilingual education can improve learning outcomes but it’s important to consider local context.
The Conversation > LanguageTea, weather and being on time: analysis of 100 million words reveals what Brits talk about most
‘Year’ and ‘time’ are the two most frequent nouns in British English.
The Conversation > LanguageAre you really in love? How expanding your love lexicon can change your relationships and how you see yourself
Words have power, and what vocabulary you have at your disposal to describe your relationships with other people can shape what directions those relationships can take.
The Conversation > LanguageWho created the alphabet? A historian describes the millennia-long story of the ABCs
Turns out ‘A’ didn’t have to be the first letter in the alphabet, nor ‘Z’ the last.
The Conversation > LanguageWhy AI software ‘softening’ accents is problematic
While AI now allows us to erase accents, is this really a good idea? Besides, who doesn’t have an accent?
The Conversation > LanguageI'm an expert in slang – here are my picks for word of the year
2023 will be remembered for more than quirky new phrases.
The Conversation > LanguageHow social media is breathing new life into Bhutan’s unwritten local languages
Social media is giving a new lifeline to Bhutan’s native languages, which do not have written script and lack proper documentation.
The Conversation > LanguageThe words that helped wrongly convict Kathleen Folbigg
The meanings we carry around in our heads seem so natural and inborn that we fail to realise other people can have quite different understandings.
The Conversation > LanguageYour mental dictionary is part of what makes you unique − here's how your brain stores and retrieves words
Most people can draw from tens of thousands of words in their memory within milliseconds. Studying this process can improve language disorder treatment and appreciation of the gift of communication.
The Conversation > LanguageLanguage induces an identity crisis for the children and grandchildren of Latino immigrants
Young Latinos in the US often navigate a contradictory landscape: Their parents see them as not Latino enough, while teachers and peers view them as not American enough.
The Conversation > LanguageIndo-European Languages: New Study Reconciles Two Dominant Hypotheses About Their Origin
Using data from over 160 languages, a new study explains where, when and how Indo-European languages spread across Europe and Asia.
The Conversation > LanguageThe many reviews of the public service miss one vital problem - the language used to communicate ideas
The Australian Public Service stands at a crossroads where policy effectiveness hinges on its willingness to stare into the abyss of policy language.
The Conversation > LanguageWhat the *#@%?! How to respond when your child swears
By the time children start school ‘they have the rudiments of adult swearing’, including about 40 taboo words.
The Conversation > LanguageWhy somepeopletalkveryfast and others ... take ... their ... time − despite stereotypes, it has nothing to do with intelligence
Language, geography, age and other factors can all affect how fast a person talks. But sometimes, these perceived differences are only in the listener’s head.
The Conversation > Language