Menu Close

Articles on Speaking

Displaying all articles

When you imitate the speech of others, there’s a thin line between whether it’s a social asset or faux pas. Franklin McMahon/Corbis via Getty Images

What makes us subconsciously mimic the accents of others in conversation

We often imitate styles of speech we hear – what’s known as ‘linguistic convergence.’ But a researcher wanted to see if we alter our speech based on the mere expectation of how someone will sound.
One of the ways we work out what proto-language might have been like is by looking at languages which have developed from nothing in recent times. One of the best examples is Nicaraguan Sign Language. Unsplash/Jo Hilton

Curious Kids: how did spoken language start?

In the space of a few short years, deaf Nicaraguan school children created their own language. This example may give us a clue about how spoken language developed over thousands of years.
What is it that gives us a voice? Shutterstock/Sergey Nivens

Explainer: Why the human voice is so versatile

We humans are capable of vocalising many different words in a range of languages. But what is it that gives us a remakable and variable voice?

Top contributors

More