Puns. Some people love them, some people hate them.
But why do some people find puns so exasperating? And why do we make them anyway? What’s it like to be on the receiving end of a rapid-fire pun off?
Daniel…
Category: wordplay
Do you know what doctors are really saying?
How about tech support people? Or butchers? They’ve all got their own jargon that they use to communicate amongst themselves — or to exclude.
Linguist Daniel Midgley helps you crack the code on …
Other animals don’t have language like we do, but some of them might be getting awfully close.
A recent experiment claims that some birds use a form of syntax — that they combine their signals in a way that’s always …
A joke’s a joke, but is it still funny in translation? How does a comic have to adapt things for different language audiences? And what’s going on in Malaysia’s burgeoning comedy scene?
Multilingual writer and comedian Kuah Jenhan is in …
Kids love to play, and that includes playing with language.
These language games, or ludlings, are played by kids around the world, and they can be fun, or confusing, or just maddening to adults. But don’t worry.
Linguist Daniel …
Have you heard of eggcorns?
They’re off-quoted sayings that sometimes reel their ugly heads, and some might just leave you curled up in the feeble position.
Are they wrong? That might be a bit of a mute point. …
Why did the computer cross the road?
Linguists are trying to get computers to do very human things: detect humour, recognise irony, and even write jokes. But can computers do funny? What makes something funny, anyway?
Linguist Daniel Midgley hacks …
Poor Dan is in a droop. No lemons, no melon. Won’t lovers revolt now?
Is this some weird experimental novel? No, every one of those sentences is palindromic — they read the same forward and backward. Palindromes aren’t just fun; …
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Awards
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- CBAA Awards 2018: Best Radio Program — Talk
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- Talkley Award 2018
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