Language

Analysis and Comment (8)

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The long-lost British World War II slogan ‘Keep Calm and Carry On’ has been revived in recent years, leading to it being successfully trademarked by a British businessman. Nima Badley

Keep calm and trademark it: privatising the English language

By Harry Blutstein, RMIT University

In the heart of Northumberland, England, is the pretty town of Alnwick. For bibliophiles, a stop at its second-hand bookshop is a must. Barter Books is housed in the town’s old railway station and, on…
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There are other ways to improve undergraduate writing that don’t involve teaching grammar explicitly. Writing image from www.shutterstock.com

Grammar lessons not the solution to undergrad writing woes

By Benjamin Miller

University students across the nation will be handing in their first assignments of the academic year over the next few weeks. Academic staff will sigh, as they do every semester: “my students can’t write…
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Many students are confused about grammar and sentence structure – so should universities teach it explicitly? Words image from www.shutterstock.com

Back to basics: should universities teach grammar?

By Erica Bexley

Imagine a student turning up at university and not knowing basic multiplication. He or she could be hard-working, bright, enthusiastic but completely unable to answer a basic question like: what’s six…
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Maybe we’re not as different as we’d like to think. pcgn7

Talk it over: language, uniquely, makes us human

By Amy Marshall, Centenary Institute

We humans tend to consider ourselves apart from other species. But we’re not really so different. So what makes us unique? I’d say it’s language, though not everyone would agree. Some people insist it…
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There’s plenty of excitement around Duolingo – a new idea to learn languages while translating the web. But does it work? Words image from www.shutterstock.com

Learning a language and translating the web: does Duolingo work?

By Ignacio Garcia, University of Western Sydney

Duolingo, a new free language-learning site, says it can help you learn a language for free while simultaneously using your learning exercises to translate the web. A pretty big claim, but at the heart…
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It’s easy for uninhibited humans to elicit vocal responses from gibbons by imitating their song. Jerome Ludmann

Gibbon song may be music to the ears of human language students

By Nicholas Bannan, University of Western Australia

Gibbons and humans have more in common than might immediately seem apparent. Among many behavioural traits shared by our two species is singing. Not just that – the songs of gibbons have the potential…
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Analysing Anzac speech, slang and reading material gives us a better understanding of their experience. EPA/Tolga Bozoglu

From ‘Aussies’ to ‘Whizz-bangs’: the language of Anzac

By Amanda Laugesen

Many place the Anzac legend at the heart of the Australian national identity. But some have rightly challenged this idea, opening up debate about why the Anzac story is so central to our national mythology…
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Scientists need to do a better job of communicating with non-scientists. Brewbooks/Flickr

Forget what you’ve read, science can’t prove a thing

By Michael J. Biercuk

Do scientists have a language problem? Do policy makers have hearing issues? It would certainly seem so. Of late there have been frequent lamentations about scientists' failure to make their case to the…

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