Every few years there’s a furphy that our beloved ‘Strine’ slang is doing a Harold Holt – but in fact Aussies are still slinging true-blue slang.
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Articles on Language
Displaying 401 - 420 of 717 articles
Spanish is not overtaking English in the US, despite political fearmongering. In fact, due to the ‘three-generation pattern,’ Spanish speaking in immigrant families tends to decline over time.
How you use the word ‘shithole’ depends on your gender, which paints Trump’s latest misstep as yet another case of toxic masculinity.
It has long been known that colour and emotion are linked – so could colour could be used as a language to express how we feel?
We underestimate the power of language to divide and to bring people closer together, scholars say.
Donald Trump’s language has disturbing similarities to the words and verbal tactics used by fascists, including his cries of “fake news” and his obsessive exaggerations about his achievements.
The world is becoming increasingly connected, but local accents still define who we are.
Perception of truth and lies changes between languages for bilingual speakers.
Afrikaners in post-apartheid South Africa struggle with a historical sense of inferiority that reinforces their whiteness.
A sociolinguist wonders if they’ll ever be able to interpret the waves, high beams and middle fingers of human drivers.
Child sexual abuse is rising but there is still ignorance around how to speak to and support children who are badly in need of help.
What time looks like in different cultures.
The origins of our days of the week lie with the Romans. Three are named for planets, the other four gods.
The best cracker jokes make us groan as much as laugh – and that’s deliberate.
The combination of knowledge and communication, along with a few other fundamental conditions such as liberty and respect , leads to social, cultural and technological development.
It’s a multi-lingual effect.
In little more than a generation and a half we have become a more caring and inclusive society.
Do you wince at a mispronounced ‘Moet’? Do you cringe at unintentional portmanteau words, like ‘misunderestimated’ or ‘insinuendo’? You are not alone.
The Mississippi is characterised in America as male, while the Indians see the Ganges as female.
Learning another language is more than just a boost to your CV. It makes you smarter, more decisive and even better at English.
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
