The Hidden Life of Modal Verbs
A linguist explains why we get so distracted by the fiery language of politics, while ignoring urgent information reported by scientists.
The Collapse of Meaning in a Post-Truth World
2016 was certainly an unstable time in history. Even the way we use language to convey our collective fears about the state of society seems fractured.
What the Folk? The Charming Yet Totally Malappropriate Story of Folk Etymology
Etymology is a funny thing. Even if you're not a word nerd, you might have wondered why so many English idioms we use are Just. So. Weird.
The Deafening (((Echoes))) of Marked Language
What is marked language, and what does it have to do with the online hate speech of anti-semitic "Echoes" on Twitter?
The Quirks of Pronunciation: Why Some People Say “Banana” and Others Say “Bananal”
I say "Harvard" and you say "Hahvahd"
Gone (Cat)Fishing: How Language Detectives Tackle Online Anonymity
Linguistic clues might be the solution to identifying anonymous online users.