It may seem like the semicolon is struggling with an identity crisis. It looks like a comma crossed with a period. Maybe that's why we toss these punctuation marks around like grammatical confetti; we're confused about how to use them...

Why do arguments change people's minds in some cases and backfire in others? Hugo Mercier explains how arguments are more convincing when they rest on a good knowledge of the audience, taking into account what the audience believes, who...

Civilization rests upon the existence of language, says language creator David Peterson. In a talk that's equal parts passionate and hilarious, he shows how studying, preserving and inventing new languages helps us understand our...

Language is an essential part of our lives that we often take for granted. But, if the delicate web of language networks in your brain became disrupted by stroke, illness, or trauma, you could find yourself truly at a loss for words....

Y’know lots of people say you shouldn’t use, like...filler words, but uh, should you really like, stop using them?

There are over 170,000 words currently in use in the English language. Yet every year, about a thousand new words are added to the Oxford English Dictionary. Where do they come from, and how do they make it into our everyday lives?...

You may have heard that using baby talk is bad for children’s language development, but research seems to show the exact opposite.

The marriage of Orpheus, the greatest of all poets and musicians, to Eurydice, a wood nymph, was heralded as the perfect union. Anyone could tell the couple was deeply in love. So when their wedding ceremony ended in Eurydice's untimely...

Before the sun never set on the British Empire; before Genghis Khan swept the steppe; before Rome extended its influence to encircle the Mediterranean Sea; there was ancient Assyria. Considered by historians to be the first true empire,...

While the concept of a dictionary dates back to ancient civilizations, the first English dictionary wasn't published until 1604. In the centuries that followed, many more dictionaries were written by individual authors who chose what to...

The point of fiction is to cast a spell, a momentary illusion that you are living in the world of the story. But as a writer, how do you suck your readers into your stories in this way? Nalo Hopkinson shares some tips for how to use...

Verbal communication covers what we say,, the words we’re saying, whether spoken or signed. So, is body language a language? Short answer: no. Body language is not a standalone language in the linguistic sense, however it is an important...

Zoom into 'AI in Language Translation' to discover how artificial intelligence breaks down language barriers and connects the world! A quick, amazing journey into tech-powered communication, perfect for young linguists and tech enthusiasts.

Explore how Wasei Eigo transforms English into uniquely Japanese expressions.

The Columbian Exchange, a vast system of international trade, changed global commerce forever. Named after famous explorer Christopher Columbus, it reshaped diets, economies, and societies across continents.

English Words Gone Wrong in German



Ever wondered how English words can take on a completely different meaning when adopted by another language? In this video, we explore the fascinating case of English words that have...

Michael Berry, Professor of Cinese Culture at UCLA, talks about the impact his time in China and becoming fully fluent in Chinese had on him and how it provided him with an alternative perspective on differences in culture, values and...

Discover the history of the Mid-Atlantic accent, from its Hollywood heyday to its decline in modern times.<br/>

Continuing with analytic philosophy, after the Vienna Circle had its influence, the tradition continued and grew into several new areas, inspired largely from Wittgenstein and other prominent figures. John L. Austin developed his theory...

There was a time when psychologists thought growing up bilingual was harmful to brain development, but recent studies into bilingual children have turned that idea on its head!

Words don't pop up fully formed... they evolve over thousands of years. What can we learn about our relationship to monsters by tracking the word down into the distant past?

Why do we use such unusual words for the people we love? From baby to bunny, two thirds of American adults refer to their romantic partners by a pet name. And we’ve been doing this for a long time—the Historical Thesaurus of the Oxford...

When you hear names like Gladys or Herbert or Doris, you probably automatically think of old people, but why is that? Linguists have been studying the science of first names for a long time, and though what's behind a particular parent's...

We all love language but still sometimes we pronounce certain words wrong, and everyone does it. We’re not talking about speaking too fast or jumbling letters. We’re talking about good ol’ fashioned mispronunciations–things you didn’t...