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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.
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As you make your yuletide preparations, ever wonder where some of the season’s strange words come from? Well, our linguistic experts have the answers.
Conversation in person usually feels effortless. Conversation over video? Not so much.
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It appears that the rhythms of your brain waves get in sync with the speech patterns of the person you’re conversing with. Videoconferencing throws off that syncing process.
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No one is forcing people to use “iel” with a gun to their head. But paradoxically, by making the pronoun the focus of attention, critics are inevitably making it more popular.
Baby talk is cute when used with babies. But when adults converse with each other? Not so much.
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As many as two-thirds of couples do it.
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New research shows that increasing exposure to foreign accents makes it easier to process - and that can reduce bias which is not based on negative perceptions or prejudice.
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Babylonians were quite formal in their written records, so working out how to be chatty in their long-dead language was an exciting challenge.
A ‘Let’s Go Brandon’ flag waves near the U.S. Capitol ahead of a House vote on the infrastructure bill.
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As political parties spar, insults and catchphrases are adopted, appropriated and reappropriated in a dizzying verbal arms race.
Hausa is the most widely known Chadic language, spoken by some 80 million people or more. It’s harder to grasp the history of other, unwritten Chadic languages.
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Reconstructed vocabulary sheds light on cultural items and people’s habitats, including the spread of ideas and the importance of certain concepts.
When overrused phrases reach the point of aggravation, they become cliches.
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National Cliche Day is Nov. 3. So what makes a cliche a cliche? And why do we find ourselves rolling our eyes when we hear certain ones?
Nukunonu atoll.
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This Sunday marks the start of Tokelau Language Week, recognising how an endangered tongue survives in a culture dominated by English.
Pas de sucre ? Pas de souci !
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It’s one of the most common expressions used in French but also one of the most controversial. A linguist explains why “pas de souci” is no mere English import.
Snowclones that became popular during COVID.
More than cliches for lazy journalists, ‘snowclones’ are creative devices that have helped people digest the shock of the pandemic a little better.
A babbling pup produces distinct syllables, visualized in this composite image.
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Vocal imitation is a key part of how humans learn to speak. New research shows that bats babble to learn and use baby talk to teach, just like people do.
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An extensive study is underway to catalogue Australian slang, its origins, and why it is such an important part of our language.
A mythical creature born of a misinterpreted fossil?
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People tell tales to explain what they see – centuries later, scientists try to map handed-down myths onto real geological events.
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The winners of Britain’s Funniest Class contest show us that kids can be funny. But how early can they do it on purpose?