There have been many theories that try to explain where language came from. None prevailed or even came close to the position of the Darwinism theory in biology or the Big Bang theory in physics.
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Articles on Linguistics
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Not all false beliefs arise from malicious misinformation. Some legal precedents rest on the status of everyday ‘common knowledge’, since shown to be false, but embedded in our law nonetheless.
British colonial rule of Iraq led to some intriguing language swaps.
Marijuana has a rich linguistic tradition. But drive by dispensaries like ‘Advanced Medical Alternatives’ or ‘Alameda Wellness Center,’ and you might think you’re passing the office of a physical therapist.
A corporate apology is always connected to the benefits it brings to the company. It is not a personal apology, it is a form of institutional positioning.
We’re often less careful when talking to people we know well than we are when we talk to strangers. That can be a mistake.
Language attrition can happen to people who live in a foreign context – and it can be embarrassing.
Each discipline tells us only part of the story. And so the truest picture of prehistory comes from triangulating these independent lines of evidence.
Irish influence on Australian English is much like the influence of the Irish on Australians themselves — less than you’d expect on the surface, but everywhere once you start looking.
Spoken language evolves differently and faster than written language, and there are good reasons why this is the case.
The origin of around 300 of Australia’s Aboriginal languages lies in Queensland, about 6,000 years ago.
Software tools for South Africa’s Nguni languages may assist with redress and effective communication.
Sarcasm thrives in ambiguous situations, which makes it especially ripe for misinterpretation.
The word only appears 14 times in the UK’s parliamentary record between 1803 and 2005. Now it is everywhere.
New research suggests that hints left in Creole languages can identify where the original speakers came from – even hundreds of years after they migrated and mixed together.
Ursula le Guin gave us an anarchist society on another world; we brought it back to Earth.
The shithole countries comment was a landmark moment. This US president has given up even trying to hide his prejudice.
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.
‘Milkshake duck’, a word created in 2016 on Twitter, is the Macquarie Dictionary Word of the Year. Efforts to coin new words have a long history and were particularly in vogue in the 1980s.
We underestimate the power of language to divide and to bring people closer together, scholars say.
Top contributors
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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
