The use of adjectives in English has caused an internet storm – here are the ‘rules’ explained.
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When botany and linguistics collide: pumpkins are fruits and there’s technically no such thing as a vegetable. But try telling that to a five-year-old and see how far you get.
A “passion” was once thought of as a love or desire so irresistible as to take one to the threshold of death. What are we to make, then, of a passion for innovation or management consulting? What’s happening to our words?
Some argue that it would be impossible to understand an alien language, as it wouldn’t have the same grammar as humans use. But others are more optimistic.
500m posts are made daily on Twitter alone. Policing them is no easy task.
Our mixed feelings about ageing are clearly revealed in the language we use to talk about it.
For centuries, written communication was tinged with formality and finality. But since the emergence of casual forms like texting, using proper grammar can be fraught with misinterpretation.
What impact can offensive language have? Is it really a case of ‘political correctness gone mad’?
From ‘shiok’ to ‘narcocorrido’ to ‘sweary’, the OED’s new words are a linguistic smorgasbord. They include, for the first time, entries from Singapore and Hong Kong English - and an expression dating back to 1723.
Language, culture and brain development all contribute to ‘childhood amnesia’.
Going forward, perhaps we ought to cut office patois some slack – it greases the wheels of business, after all.
Could understanding other cultures’ concepts of joy and happiness help us to reshape our own?
A clever proces similar to Google’s image search is helping to preserve some of the world’s 7,000 languages that are at risk of disappearing.
Worried that a shortage of language speakers could be a security risk, the army now gives soldiers cash incentives to learn them.
Funding cuts could finally decimate one of Britain’s oldest surviving languages.
What happens when the face is no longer the primary means of expression?
While cats – with their steely demeanor – have a reputation of being hard to read, humans seem intent on figuring out what they’re thinking and feeling.
Human communication is complex, rich in nuances and frequently includes non-verbal signs. That’s a challenge if you want an intelligent machine to be part of the conversation.
Many of the most commonly used election terms have a long linguistic history, stretching from ancient Rome to modern-day America and Australia.
The EU may claim it is “united in diversity” but the reality is very different.
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
