The Language Wars
As a society becomes increasingly unstable, linguistic innovation happens more rapidly.
Very British Villains (and Other Anglo-Saxon Attitudes to Accents)
What do peoples' accents really reveal about them? The villainous British accent crystallizes the love-hate special relationship between the US and the UK.
What Makes a Brain “Speech Ready?”
Can monkeys talk? According to new research, they could, if their brains would let them.
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.
The Cozy Linguistics of Hygge and Other “Untranslatable” Words
Why English speakers love "hygge" and other "untranslatable" words about emotional states.
Synesthetic Adjectives Will Make You Eat Your Words
Fragrant. Sweet. Tangy. Certain synesthetic adjectives actually trigger cognitive simulations of eating.
Melvil Dewey’s Attempt at a Spelling Revolution
Melvil Dewey, of the Dewey Decimal system, thought we should have spelling reform.
Bad Language for Nasty Women (and Other Gendered Insults)
Is it true that "nasty" is more likely to be applied to describe women than men?
The Nitty-Gritty on Reduplication: So Good, You Have to Say it Twice.
Reduplication is a widespread linguistic process in which a part or an exact copy of a word is repeated, often for morphological or syntactic reasons (but not always).
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.