From 16th-century playwrights to ‘The Good Place,’ wordplay has found clever ways to get around uttering profane and blasphemous language.
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The use of military metaphors in some contexts can be helpful. In medicine? Not so much.
New research shows how a lack of basic information caused by the language barrier can lead to the spread of fake news in refugee communites.
We want to be whitelisted and not blacklisted for jobs. White lies make stretching the truth okay, but you don’t want to receive a black mark on your record.
Because sarcasm is often difficult to discern and improperly used, it can operate as a linguistic mulligan. But deploy the excuse too much, and you might raise some eyebrows.
Those with a diagnosis of schizophrenia may be more likely to interpret metaphorical thoughts literally.
Whether kids are from French-language
communities outside Québec in Canada, or are learning French as a second language, ongoing exposure to French is key to maintaining it. Some resources to help.
By embracing Russia as its primary source of inspiration, ‘indi’ is protesting about the country’s socio-political problems in its own language.
Aboriginal Australians have their own English with unique stories, words and expressions.
Research has shown that African immigrants in South Africa refrain from speaking their own languages and try to speak local languages to blend in.
Some animals demonstrate an ability for mathematics that reflects a more sophisticated understanding of language.
For Germans, this is not a battle, it’s a ‘long distance run’.
The Scripps National Spelling Bee highlights the richness of the English lexicon by picking some tough entries with foreign roots.
The etymology of an epidemic.
One anthropologist found 1,072 similar words for ‘mom’ and ‘dad’ in the world’s languages. It turns out a mix of biology, culture and encouragement from parents explains this phenomenon.
There’s a disconnect between how many low-wage workers are being described, and what they’re experiencing on the ground.
New research shows that babies around the world love baby talk — and when adults baby talk to them it is good for their language development.
Second-language learners from different age groups seem to have equal chances of becoming highly proficient speakers as long as they are placed in a supportive environment.
It’s remarkable how quickly we’ve all taken on a set of new words and phrases to describe the pandemic.
Most of the accused in criminal cases in South Africa would not be able to understand the record of their court proceedings.
Top contributors
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Senior Lecturer in Linguistics, Monash University
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Kate Burridge is a Friend of The Conversation.
Professor of Linguistics, Monash University
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Course coordinator, The University of Queensland
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Associate Dean and Professor of Psychology, University of Memphis
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Professor of English Language and Literature, University of Oxford
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Professor of Linguistics, University of York
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Associate Professor in Linguistics, Macquarie University
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Associate Professor in Language, Literacy and TESL, University of Canberra
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Professor of Linguistics and English, Florida International University
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Professor of African Language Studies, University of the Western Cape
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Postdoctoral research fellow (Forensic Linguistics/ Language and Law), University of the Western Cape
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Professor, Charles Darwin University
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Professor of Communication and Journalism, Texas A&M University
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Director, Office of Scholarly Communication and Publishing, University of Pittsburgh
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Professor of Linguistics
