Language Loss in a Time of War
War happens when words no longer work. Yet war is declared at the very point when words are at their most powerful. Chi Luu examines language loss in war.
Personification Is Your Friend: The Language of Inanimate Objects
So it entirely slipped my mind that Lingua Obscura recently turned one (yay!) and is now a veritable ...
Do You Even Language, Bro? Understanding Why Nouns Become Verbs
Understanding the phenomenon known as "verbing"--where nouns are turned into verbs.
The Linguistics of Mass Persuasion Part 2: Choose Your Own Adventure
How politicians use language to manipulate the public and sway them toward particular world-views.
The Linguistics of Mass Persuasion: How Politicians Make “Fetch” Happen (Part I)
Inspired by the Gretchen famous line in the film Mean Girls, Chi Luu explores how politicians mobilize language to sway public opinion.
Why We Love to Learn Klingon: The Art of Constructed Languages
Constructed languages like Klingon excite us because they enable us to actively participate in foreign or "alien" cultures.
Can an Emoji Ever Be a Word?
You might be forgiven for thinking that the merry band of lexicographers at Oxford Dictionaries were trolling us ...
Mele Kalikimaka! How To Say “Merry Christmas” In Hawaiian
Translating "Merry Christmas" into Hawaiian offers insight into the language's modest inventory of consonants.
It Turns Out Ordinary Life is Full of Poetry (Metaphorically Speaking)
The metaphor isn't just a literary device; it informs our conceptual understanding of language and the world.
