Death by Crowding
In the aftermath of tragedies, it's easy to focus on the assignation of blame. But how well do we understand the causes of crushing crowds?
The Power of the Intersectional Protest Image
In an age of hashtag activism and partisan news, social media offers possibilities for intersectional movements to reimagine images of Black protest.
The Ethical Life of Euphemisms
Euphemisms can hide facts that need to be confronted. How do they work from a linguist's point of view?
The Sorry State of Apologies
"Sorry" can be more than a mere word when it has real-world consequences.
The Linguistic Anatomy of a Political Firestorm
The prime minister of Australia has a background in marketing, but with the bush fire crisis, his manipulation of language is only getting him so far.
Cancel Culture Is Chaotic Good
Cancel culture may prove to be the most memorable linguistic trend of the past decade.
How Linguists Are Using Urban Dictionary
Urban Dictionary continues a long history of recording low-brow language. It’s also a repository of a specific kind of internet immaturity.
The Many Metaphors of Brexit
How do metaphors shape political perceptions? And what do they mean for the future of Europe?
The Murky Linguistics of Consent
In many #MeToo stories, crucial signals, verbal and non-verbal cues, are sent but not received. Why is that?