Month: April 2013

117: Rise of the Robo-Markers

30 April 2013 / / Comments Off on 117: Rise of the Robo-Markers

Is your all-important essay being graded by a human, or a computer?

Automated essay scoring is now a reality, but not everyone likes the idea of an unthinking robot evaluating their essays. How do these programs work? And can you …

116: Downton Anachrony

23 April 2013 / / Comments Off on 116: Downton Anachrony

Downton Abbey has enchanted millions of television viewers with the goings-on of the fictional Crawley family of the 1910s and 20s.

But some of the language they use is decidedly post-post-Edwardian, and language fans are having fun turning up words …

115: John Gumperz

16 April 2013 / / Comments Off on 115: John Gumperz

Legendary linguist John Gumperz passed away recently, and leaves behind a body of work that changed linguistic study as we know it.

Gumperz was a pioneer of the burgeoning field of interactional sociolinguistics, and it explains how we understand each …

114: Word Aversion

9 April 2013 / / Comments Off on 114: Word Aversion

Are there any words you really hate?

Word aversion may not be an actual condition, but there’s no shortage of words that make people’s toes curl. What are the most hated words in English? Do speakers of other languages feel …

113: Laughter and Tears

2 April 2013 / / Comments Off on 113: Laughter and Tears

Why do we guffaw or weep, chortle or bawl?

Laughter and tears don’t just show emotion; they’re forms of communication. And these signs of joy or grief may have developed along with our capacity for empathy and a …

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