Category: computing (page 7 of 11)

201: The First Language

What was the first language, and what was it like?

Does it still exist? And out of all the languages on earth today, which one is the oldest?

These are tricky questions, and linguists have tricky answers. Linguist Daniel Midgley

199: Computer Humour

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 …

197: The Birthplace of Indo-European (featuring Luisa Miceli)

Where did Indo-European come from?

It’s a controversial question that has set linguist against linguist for generations. But now DNA evidence is providing clues.

Linguist Luisa Miceli is in the studio with Daniel and Ben on this episode of Talk

195: Palindromes

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; …

193: The Bilingual Advantage

Speaking another language is good for your brain — at least that’s what we’ve heard.

But some new research paints a less-positive picture. Should you learn another language? And how?

Linguist Daniel Midgley gets bilingual on this episode of Talk

192: Linguistic Movies

It’s Oscars time, and the film about Alan Turing “The Imitation Game” is in contention for best picture.

But that’s not the only language movie out there — there are plenty of cinematic delights to quench your passion for linguistic …

187: Emoji

Emoji. You know them, you use them — maybe more than you’d like to admit.

But where do they come from? Which ones are most popular? And what new emoji are on the way?

Linguist Daniel Midgley is worth a …

185: Listener Questions

We get questions from our many listeners. And we have answers.

Do the languages of the world form a continuous chain? And isn’t it possible that language influences thought by the words we use?

Linguist Daniel Midgley tells all on …

183: The End of Cursive

There’s more than one way to speak English.

But too often, kids who speak other varieties of English find themselves on the wrong side of their teachers. How can educators — and everyone else — avoid linguistic discrimination and value …

182: Machine Translation

Penmanship is becoming a lost art.

In our age of keyboards and smartphones, fewer and fewer of us use that distinctive cursive script, and schools are even letting go of teaching running writing. Will cursive die out, and will computers …

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