Limited contact between the first British Sign Language communities created dialects that are still in use today.
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Articles on Linguistics
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Different languages have different ways of describing the world – and this in turn affects how speakers see the world.
A study of Polish children in Glasgow reveals how they successfully navigate complex social rules relating to language to blend in with their peers.
In the space of a few short years, deaf Nicaraguan school children created their own language. This example may give us a clue about how spoken language developed over thousands of years.
Young Javanese speakers in Indonesia are nervous about speaking High Javanese, for fear of making mistakes. But they are still eager to learn.
A new theory of language suggests that people understand words by unconsciously simulating what they describe. Repeated exposure – and the simulation that comes with it – makes it easier to act.
A small community of Afrikaners has been living in Argentina since the early 1900s. Linguistic research has found they’re like a time capsule, reflecting pronunciation and syntax from an earlier era.
What do you do when ‘no deal’ looks like a disaster? Stick another word in front of it. Problem solved.
At the Maningrida football Grand Final in 2015, commentary was recorded in nine languages. But elsewhere, the threat of language loss poses a serious risk to our nation’s cultural inheritance.
Lookalike and soundalike medication names are causing dangerous problems.
Changes in the way we pronounce certain sounds tell us a lot about our changing values.
Ever wonder where the words ‘sport’, ‘umpire’ and ‘drubbing’ come from? Here’s a short primer of sporting lingo ahead of the AFL and NRL Grand Finals.
No one is saying the tennis star wasn’t angry. But it’s worth asking whether you thought she was more angry because she is a woman.
Why our understanding of the relationship between ‘place’ and ‘language’ is crucial for social justice.
West African pidgins are unique, showing that they have come to stay no matter what some say or feel about them.
Analysing the words used to place blame or give evidence can change how we see a situation.
Probably the most famous ‘Welsh’ word, ‘cwtch’ is the perfect example of a dialect term.
The difference between freedom and bananas helps explain.
Interpreters’ notes are used as a short-term memory aid, not a full record of a discussion.
Concerns about non-English-speaking migrant populations leading to “parallel communities” are not well founded. Third-generation migrants are typically monolingual in English.
Top contributors
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Kate Burridge is a Friend of The Conversation.Professor of Linguistics, Monash University
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Senior Lecturer in Linguistics, Monash University
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Associate Dean and Professor of Psychology, University of Memphis
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Associate Professor in Linguistics, Macquarie University
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Professor of Linguistics, University of York
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Lecturer in Department of Language and Linguistics, University of Essex
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Professor of English Language and Literature, University of Oxford
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Research fellow in Linguistics, Monash University
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Professor of Psychology, Cornell University
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Reader in Discourse Studies, Lancaster University
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Course coordinator, The University of Queensland
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Professor, Charles Darwin University
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Professor of Linguistics and English, Florida International University
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Professor of Linguistics
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Professor Emeritus of Linguistics, University of Essex
