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20: It Began in Africa

A new study has revealed some promising insights on the origins of human language.

It now appears that language began in Africa, and it may even have helped our ancestors make the move to other parts of the world. But …

19: Language Change, Literally

Words don’t always mean what they used to.

Momentarily used to mean ‘for a moment’, and now it means ‘in a moment’. And many people don’t take literally literally. How do we know when it’s time to give the old …

18: App

Apple has apps. It even has an App Store.

But now Microsoft has challenged Apple’s attempt to trademark “App Store”, and Amazon wants to have its own Appstore. Is that allowed? Companies get to trademark words and terms they invent, …

17: OMG, Oxford! WTF?

The Oxford English Dictionary has added 900 new words, including Internet-inspired abbreviations like LOL, OMG, and BFF.

Will this cause the demise of society and the collapse of IQ scores globally?

Linguist Daniel Midgley is here to hose down the …

16: Letters and Hyphens

Letters are letters, but the Internet gives them a new existence.

Linguist Daniel Midgley looks at what’s happening to the e in email, examines the i in your iPad, and puts the x in sex. All on this …

15: Baby Talk

When MIT scientist Deb Roy’s first child was born, he did what any proud father would do: he rigged his house up with cameras and microphones to capture every phase of his child’s language development.

What are we learning about …

14: Bilingualism and Alzheimer’s

New research reveals that speaking a second language doesn’t just make you more interesting — it also holds off the symptoms of Alzheimer’s disease.

How does it work? And which second language is right for you?

Linguist Daniel Midgley is …

13: The King’s Speech

The King’s Speech has won the Oscar for Best Picture, and this has brought attention to the issue of speech disfluency.

What causes stammering, and how do people learn to manage it? And how affected was the King’s speech, anyway?…

12: OK (featuring Allan Metcalf)

It’s one of the most commonly recognised English words in the world.

You probably use it scores of times a day. But how much do you know about okay?

Its origins are obscure, but here to talk us through …

11: Shit Happens

Opposition leader Tony Abbott copped some flak when he referred to a soldier’s death in Afghanistan using a certain well-known philosophical homily: “Shit happens.”

How did this phrase enter the lexicon, and what impact has it had?

It’s all happening …

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