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Articles on Language

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A still from the animated Heart Foundation video encouraging Aboriginal people to get a heart check. Author provided

Yarns from the heart: the role of Aboriginal English in Indigenous health communication

Indigenous people in Australia experience poorer health outcomes than non-Indigenous Australians. So it’s crucial health messaging is delivered in culturally appropriate ways.
When children first begin to understand that a speaker doesn’t mean what they say at face value, they may think the speaker is lying. (Shutterstock)

Why it’s difficult for children to understand sarcasm

Understanding sarcasm is related to the ability to recognize the thoughts and emotions of others, to empathize and to consider two things being simultaneously true.
But what can your dogs tell you? Chewy/Unsplash

Talking dogs, really?

A wealth of online videos show dogs that, with the help of a keyboard, seem to be able to communicate with their masters. But does it really mean that dogs can “talk”?
A student from the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) in Australia performs the Jaranan Dance in Surabaya as part of the campus’s summer program in 2018. ANTARA FOTO/Moch Asim

Closure of Indonesian language programs in Australian universities will weaken ties between the two countries

When Australian universities cancel their language programs, they abandon their crucial role in promoting engagement with Indonesia. In the long run, ties between the two countries will suffer for it.
Rhyming means something different in ASL than it does in spoken language. Zed Sevcikova Sehyr

An interactive visual database for American Sign Language reveals how signs are organized in the mind

In American Sign Language, some words rhyme, some look like what they mean and some are used more often than others. A new database of these features paves a pathway for ASL research.
Humans are constantly changing our languages in terms of sounds, words, meanings, and grammar, so much so that it becomes increasingly difficult to understand our own distant relatives across time and space. (Unsplash/Lucrezia Carnelos)

Curious Kids: How are languages formed?

A young reader asks: How are languages formed?
Signs of a fraying relationship can appear in subtle ways. Betsie Van der Meer via Getty Images

Evidence of an impending breakup may exist in everyday conversation – months before either partner realizes their relationship is tanking

Psycholinguistic researchers analyzed more than 1 million Reddit posts a year before and a year after users posted about their breakup.

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