Linguistics

This YouTube video from Lauren Collins for PBS was incredibly interesting.  While not long or overly detailed or scientific, it’s a window into how learning a new language can shift your perspective on the world.  In her words, you are suddenly opened up to a parallel universe that she never before knew existed. Driven to learn French by marrying a …

The Rosetta Stone is one of the most famous artifacts in all of archaeology.  It is a stone “stele” (pronounced STEE-lee) inscribed with the same decree in three different scripts used in Egypt at the time of its creation: on the top is Ancient Egyptian Hieroglyphics, the middle portion in Demotic script, and the lower portion is Ancient Greek.  The …

It’s a very interesting question indeed – does language and linguistics influence politics?  It would seem clear to most people that the language used by politicians would carry quite a bit of weight in terms of the points they are trying to convey.  There have been arguments made that certain language can influence the thinking of those hearing it.  Word …

Note: This article may contain spoilers for the movie.  Read on only if you’ve seen the movie, or you don’t care. One of the best parts about the new movie Arrival is the fact that it is based on the theory of linguistic relativity, one of my favorite theories in linguistics itself. The study of linguistics is broad, covering many …

Did you know that there are secret anti-languages that have popped up for centuries in order to confuse authorities?  These offshoots of their original languages have been around since at least the Elizabethan times in merry olde England, and were often a way for criminals and thieves to talk about their plans without tipping off the public or the authorities.  …

You may have heard of this in some way before, but a recent article in Wired suggests that the physical structure of your brain may change when you learn a new language.  This isn’t a bad thing – brain plasticity is a hallmark of our amazing ability to adapt, advance, and improve ourselves. According to Judith Kroll, a psychologist studying …

It’s not something that we pause to think about too often, but how many words can you think of that are used to describe a smell — and a smell only, not a smell as a comparison to something else.  For example, “smoky” wouldn’t count since smoky is used to describe things in relation to how close they smell to …

Although linguists readily agree there are benefits to be gained by learning another language, not everyone agrees just what the benefits are. When a benefit is perceived rather than being measurable, there are bound to be those who tend to underplay the importance of that benefit. While there is little doubt being bilingual is beneficial when traveling or seeking a …

Latin, long considered a “dead” language, since it has evolved into the commonly known Romance languages of Italian, Spanish, French, and Portugese. It is however, kept alive by scholars, and even though it is not used in daily language, it is common in scientific literature and taught at many universities and even at the high school level in many places. …

By learning a language, you could acquire the tools you need to travel the world more enjoyably. This allows you to understand the native language in the areas and carry on conversations with locales. For some travelers, this could ensure that they get the most out of their trip. The Benefits of Linguistics Fluency in a variety of languages makes …