Linguistics

The Language of Air Traffic Control

In the high-stakes world of aviation, ordinary English is too ambiguous for the cockpit. Pilots and air traffic controllers rely…

1 month ago

How Do Linguists Map a Dialect?

Dialectology is the geography of language, revealing the hidden maps drawn by our words. From old-school fieldwork with clipboards to…

1 month ago

The Sound of Old English: How Was Beowulf Spoken?

We can read the words of Beowulf, but what did this ancient ancestor of English actually sound like? By using…

1 month ago

What Does ‘Native-Like Fluency’ Really Mean?

The quest for 'native-like fluency' is a holy grail for many language learners, a seemingly straightforward goal that promises total…

1 month ago

Why Do We Say ‘Ouch’! When We Get Hurt?

Ever wondered why you scream 'Ouch'! when you stub your toe? This post explores the fascinating world of interjections, examining…

1 month ago

The Invisible Plural: Zero-Marking in Language

One sheep, two sheep. One fish, two fish. Ever wonder why some English nouns refuse to add an '-s' for…

1 month ago

Why Are There So Many Words for Snow in Sámi?

The old "Eskimo words for snow" trope is a well-known but misleading linguistic myth. A far more accurate and fascinating…

1 month ago

How Do Babies Learn to Hear Word Breaks?

Ever wonder how babies find individual words in the continuous stream of speech they hear? It turns out their brains…

1 month ago

Why Do We ‘Talk’ With Our Hands?

Ever wonder why you gesture on the phone, even when no one can see you? It turns out that 'talking'…

1 month ago

How Do New Signs Get Created in ASL?

American Sign Language is a living, evolving system, not a static code. The process of creating new signs for modern…

1 month ago

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