Linguistics
Wetin dey happen? The BBC's Pidgin news site is a huge deal
BBC Pidgin is a significant breakthrough for language diversity online – and a reminder that the internet must move beyond the English language as …
Language35 Words for Hiccups from Around the World | Mental Floss
<i>Hiccup</i> is a perfect specimen of onomatopoeia, a word that sounds like the noise it represents: It echoes that sudden breath (<i>hick</i>-) and spasm (<i>-up</i>) …
LanguageIn an English-First Moment, the Language of ‘Despacito’ Thrives in the U.S.
ALBUQUERQUE — Wander into El Super, a sprawling grocery store in the same valley where fortune seekers on horseback laid claim nearly four centuries ago to one of Spain’s most remote possessions, and the resilience of the language they brought with them stands on display.<p>Reggaetón, the musical …
News (U.S.)A new digital platform in West Africa targets speakers of the Pidgin language
People in West African countries speak hundreds of languages — more than 520 are spoken in Nigeria alone. A lingua franca is a necessity for day-to-day life.<p>That's where Pidgin comes in. Millions of people speak this informal language, a constantly evolving mix of English and local languages, as a …
CultureEnglish Nationalism in ‘The Battle of Maldon’ and ‘The Battle of Brunanburh’
To identify nationalism, one can look at the ways in which the literature promotes the ideas of English culture. In doing this, the poets not only …
LanguageThe Unsolvable Mystery of the Word ‘Hoosier’
No one seems to know how we got this nickname for people from Indiana.<p>While researching the weird world of demonyms—words used to describe a person …
CultureA fake etymology of the word “fake,” with deep thoughts on “Fagin” and other names in Dickens
I do not know the etymology of <i>fake</i>, and no one knows, but, since the phrase <i>fake news</i> is in everybody’s mouth, I am constantly asked where the word …
LanguageThe Differences Between American, British, and Australian English
Australia, Great Britain, and America all speak the same language, but you simply have to visit each country to realize that, while they all speak …
LanguageHow to pronounce "Antifa"?
From P.D.:<p>Long time reader, first time caller, etc. etc. As an armchair linguistics fan and someone who gets his news primarily online rather than …
AntifaThe Death Of Hindi - Part 1
Hindi business channels use English words for even simple accounting terms such as assets and liabilities.
LanguageLiberal hero Noam Chomsky joins University of Arizona staff
TUCSON, Ariz. — The University of Arizona has hired noted academic and social critic hero to the political left Noam Chomsky as a new faculty member in its linguistics department.<p>Chomsky is joining the faculty this month and will start teaching part time in 2018. The 88-year-old, who has written …
Noam ChomskyAn Indelible Image From Trump's 'On Both Sides' Press Conference
Once again, the chief executive chose his own words over the ones that had been prepared for him.<p>It read like a poem—or, perhaps, an elegy.<p>“We<p>And there the words ended: paper-printed snippets of the statement President Trump had delivered on Saturday, reacting to the events that had taken place in …
George H. W. BushThe fascinating English words which actually originated in India
As India celebrates 70 years of independence from the UK, here’s a selection of words from across India which are now commonplace in …
LanguageThe Insular Landscape of the Old English Poem The Phoenix
The Old English poem The Phoenix, found in the Exeter Book (fols. 55b–65b), describes the mythical bird, the Edenic landscape it inhabits and the …
MedievalMann and Gender in Old English Prose: A Pilot Study
This article aims to present a preliminary study of the various uses of mann as attested in Old English prose, particularly in its surprisingly …
MedievalGoogle is adding support for 30 more languages to its Android Gboard app
Google is adding support for 30 more languages to its voice dictation functionality. Now Google’s speech recognition supports 119 languages in …
GoogleUsing emojis makes other people think you are incompetent, research finds
In a world where face to face conversations are becoming increasingly rare, it may be tempting to try and soften the blow of a harsh message or a difficult request with a "smiley".<p>But you might want to think twice before you try and lighten the tone, as the digital image of a smiling face can have …
PsychologyColonialism or gas
The last three panels of <i>Dumbing of Age</i> for 8/10/2017, featuring Danny and Sal: <br>Mouseover text: "They have a similar smell."What I wrote about …
Language'You would never find this kind of lunacy in Paris': German MP driven 'up the wall' when waiters only speak English
<b>By Justin Huggler</b><p>BERLIN — One of Germany’s most prominent politicians has spoken out about the increasing use of the English language and called for …
Canadian NewsManhunt: Unabomber makes a compelling mystery out of a story whose ending you already know
It’s the perfect true-crime story for fans of word games.<p><i>Every Sunday, we pick a new episode of the week. It could be good. It could be bad. It will always be interesting. You can</i> <i>read the archives here</i><i>. The episode of the week for August 6 through 12 is</i> <i>“Fruit of the Poisonous Tree,”</i> <i>the third</i> …
TVShould we stop saying ‘commit’ suicide?
There is a movement in mental health to avoid the phrase ‘commit suicide’. It is claimed that the word ‘commit’ refers to a crime and this increases …
LanguageThe path forward for law and corpus linguistics
For reasons we’ve been discussing, we see corpus linguistic analysis playing a central role in legal interpretation going forward. When problems of ambiguity in legal language arise, we expect judges and lawyers to turn increasingly to data from linguistic databases and less to mere dictionaries. …
News (U.S.)How the Internet Changed the Meaning of ‘Mamihlapinatapai’
An untranslatable word used among the few members of the Yaghan tribe has attained an odd sort of online fame.<p>“A look shared by two people, each …
LanguageBeowulf Planning Pack (Anglo-Saxons)
Get 20% off this resource with code HAPPYSHOPPER at checkout!<br>A complete unit of English work for Year 3/Year 4, with full lesson plans and pupil …
Education (UK)Majority of Arizona’s Native Americans now speak only English at home
WASHINGTON – Families in more than half of Native American homes in Arizona now speak only English at home, according to new numbers from the U.S. …
LanguageCorpus linguistics and the temporal difficulty in statutory interpretation
Judges sometimes make reference to the temporal aspects of interpretation and insist that they are seeking the meaning of the text at the time it was drafted. Yet in practice, judges often ignore the temporal aspect of interpretation or attempt to address it using tools of questionable utility, …
News (U.S.)BBC 'regrets' Newsnight's Welsh language debate
<b>The BBC has said it "regrets" an item on its Newsnight programme that asked whether the Welsh language was a "help or hindrance to the nation".</b><p>The broadcaster had been urged to apologise after Wednesday's programme.<p>Welsh Language Minister Alun Davies said the BBC had a "cultural problem" in London …
Language"North Korea best not…"
Donald Trump's "fire and fury" warning to North Korea, we now know, was unscripted, not the product of speechwriters and advisers. As some have …
Language'It defies logic': Census results on anglophone growth raise questions
Has the anglophone population of Rivière-du-Loup more than quadrupled in five years?Are there almost five times as many English-speakers in …
Canadian NewsLinguistic corpora and the evolving study of language and meaning
In the introductory chapter to their excellent corpus linguistics textbook, “The Routledge Handbook of Corpus Linguistics,” Anne O’Keeffe and Michael McCarthy give a brief account of Cardinal Hugo of St. Caro, who is credited with creating the first concordance of the Vulgate Bible. (A concordance …
News (U.S.)