Linguists have a lot of largely untested theories. Borrowing a tool from ecology, researchers built a model that didn’t look for one worldwide explanation.
The relationship between street slang used by young people and secret codes deployed by gang members is not always straightforward.
Writing wasn’t just invented once by a single person. Many different ancient societies invented writing at different times and places.
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Writing has only been a part of the human story for the last 5,000 years. In comparison, humans began to communicate using speech some 50,000 years ago.
Gayle started life as a language spoken by gay men. But its use has shifted over time.
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Analysis of 228,000 comments shows that while surgeons are likely to be called ‘outstanding’ and ‘brilliant’, receptionists are branded ‘arrogant’ and ‘rude’. But it’s not because they do a bad job.
It can be hard to understand a non-native speaker of your own language. But conversation is a two-way street and linguists are figuring out how native listeners can improve their half of the interaction.
The self-help books are full of advice on how to get meaning in life, but it helps to understand what meaning actually is. Science may be able to provide some answers.
Milling grain meant less wear and tear on neolithic teeth, which had other effects on language.
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Considering language from a biological perspective led researchers to the idea that new food processing technologies affected neolithic human beings’ jaws – and allowed new language sounds to emerge.
A linguist explains the physical technicalities and sociological meanings of creaky voice’ – a sound found in diverse gender and age groups, yet often associated particularly with younger women.