Does the world look different if you speak a different language?
Can we tell what someone’s culture is like, just from the structure of their syntax?
For linguists, the answers are no. And no.
John McWhorter is the author of …
Author: Daniel Midgley (page 25 of 41)
Even if you’re great at understanding the words to songs, you’ve probably encountered mondegreens.
They’re misheard song lyrics, and they can be funny, bizarre, and sometimes better then the real thing. Why do they happen, and what can they …
Children seem to soak up language, even the things we’d rather they not say.
What do you do about your child’s swearing? And does using sign language help babies talk earlier?
Linguist Daniel Midgley is down with the kids on …
Can you tell someone’s orientation by the way they talk?
While there’s been a lot of supposition and stereotyping, there’s also a body of linguistic work on this very topic.
Linguist Daniel Midgley swings that way on this episode of …
How did language begin? What was it like long ago?
Did we come up with meaningful utterances first and then break them down, or did we build language from the words up? Did other pre-humans have language?
Researchers are working …
Conlangs — or constructed languages — give a feeling of reality to science fiction.
But constructing or learning a language means you have to know something about the structure of language. What choices are there, and what do you need …
Conlangs — or constructed languages — bring a feeling of reality to the worlds of science fiction.
For some people, learning Dothraki or Klingon shows their true dedication. But what are conlangs like? What can they tell us about natural …
Are we hard-wired for language?
New studies have found that infants (and even adults) seem predisposed to certain combinations of sounds and words. But is this evidence for innateness, or is there another explanation?
Linguist Daniel Midgley takes us into …
Why do languages have the grammar they do?
For some Australian languages, grammar is shaped by the stuff you’re not supposed to say. Linguist Joe Blythe is finding out about the evolution of language, and challenging one of the biggest …
Is it octopuses or octopi? What about mongooses? Are they mongeese?
Sure, you can use plural –s, but do you know your way around the unusual plurals of English?
Have no fear — linguist Daniel …
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