Playing It Straight and Catching a Break
Cue games have had a lingering influence on our language and culture—even before the contributions of “Fast Eddie” Felson.
Separated by a Common Language in Singapore
Singapore English is famous for its sentences that end with the particle lah. But what does it mean when people use the particle one instead?
What it Sounds Like When Doves Cry
A century ago, an ornithologist proposed a system for transcribing bird sound as human speech. It did not catch on.
Alpha. Bravo. Cyrillic.
Free from Russian dictates over language usage and education, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan prepare to embrace Latin lettering. It’s the latest chapter in the region’s fraught history of alphabet reform.
The Accents of Our Bodies: Proxemics as Communication
American language educator Max Kirch suggests that adopting the nonverbal habits of another culture gives one’s behavior a "foreign accent."
Jean-François Champollion Deciphers the Rosetta Stone
On September 27, 1822, the French philologist announced that he’d decrypted the key that would unlock Egypt’s ancient past.
Who Made That Word and Why?
No matter how many words in a language, it seems that we always need just one more to explain ourselves.
The Bug in the Computer Bug Story
Soon after a team of engineers discovered a moth in a machine at Harvard, the word "bug" became a standard part of the programmer's lexicon. Or did it?
Chronemics and the Nonverbal Language of Time
Through the lens of chronemics, we can examine why time appears to have a different essence at, well, different times.
Filler Words and Floor Holders: The Sounds Our Thoughts Make
So, well, okay, um, like, you know, right?