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.
The Quirks of Pronunciation: Why Some People Say “Banana” and Others Say “Bananal”
I say "Harvard" and you say "Hahvahd"
Linguistic Anarchy! It’s all Pun and Games Until Somebody Loses a Sign
The pun is in an interesting bind: it is both ubiquitous and reviled. We try to understand why.
More Hipster Than Thou: Is Vintage Language Back in Vogue?
A look at the recent boon in archaic terms and its relationship to "hipster" culture.