A view of the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C.
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Many of the coinages fail to differentiate the mundane from the momentous. Has the suffix’s overuse rendered it essentially meaningless?
In Canada, the French and English languages generally peacefully coexist.
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It’s common for people to live near others who speak a different – but similar – language. But generally, they handle their differences without violence.
When you imitate the speech of others, there’s a thin line between whether it’s a social asset or faux pas.
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We often imitate styles of speech we hear – what’s known as ‘linguistic convergence.’ But a researcher wanted to see if we alter our speech based on the mere expectation of how someone will sound.
From the playground to the workplace, people from immigrant communities in the UK say accent-based racism impacts their daily lives.
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Non-standard ways of speaking are often deemed inferior, affecting schooling, social lives and job prospects.
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There’s a long history of communities speaking Romany in the UK, so it’s hardly surprising that some of its words have found their way into everyday English.
Whether someone’s speech is a language or a dialect is a matter of both linguistics and politics.
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The difference between a language and dialect is just as much about politics as it is linguistics.
Clues to solve the paradox have emerged from an unlikely place.
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The words that doctors choose during a consultation – and even the verb tense – can help or hurt a patient dealing with a difficult diagnosis.
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Metaphors, analogies and comparisons abound when talking about the war in Ukraine, but are they helpful? An expert in peace and conflict resolution explains.
When teachers validate children’s ways of speaking, this can have a profound effect on the way they learn.
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Linguicism sees people penalised for speaking in non-standard forms of English.
A woman holds a placard with the words ‘language is a weapon’ written in Ukrainian during a 2020 protest of a bill that sought to widen the use of Russian in Ukrainian public education.
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To Russian nationalists, if the Ukrainian language is classified as a derivative of the Russian language, the invasion looks less like an act of aggression and more like reintegration.
A protest sign reads “Glory to Ukraine” in Ukrainian.
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Putin has suggested Ukrainians and Russians share one language, but there are many differences that are important to understand.
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Is there a connection between sound and meaning?
Slip of the tongue: SNP leader Ian Blackford.
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Everyone has words they struggle to pronounce – and that’s no bad thing.
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Certain letters appear more frequently in words so starting with this one increases your chances of getting more correct letters on your first go.
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Wordle has become an obsession online, with over 3 million daily players around the world. But the game has more in common with code-breaking than it does with crosswords.
The Oxford English Dictionary tries to include all words in English (particularly British and American English) from 1200 onwards.
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Could bringing back words with positive meanings make us happier?
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The Downing Street party scandals have presented numerous linguistic puzzles to explore.
He said what?
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You can only properly translate French scatological swear words if you consider who is using them. In this case, the most powerful person in France.
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The Australian summer has provided its own colourful vocabulary over the years, from Spooners to speedos and bush walks to hikes.
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Technology has brought significant changes to the way we use language.