There are many names for a sandwich with meat, cheese, lettuce and tomato on a long bun. The Dictionary of American Regional English, whose fifth and final volume has just been published, can tell you where in the country it is called a hero, hoagie, sub, grinder or torpedo. We discuss the distinct local flavor that language can take on, and the work that has gone into documenting it. What are your favorite regional terms or expressions?
Tagged with “linguistics”
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A Dictionary of American Regional English: Forum | KQED
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Endangered languages, lost knowledge and the future
Daniel Everett discusses the Pirahã and their language. The language has no words for numbers, no words for right and left and lacks any examples of recursion. This last trait forces us to rethink everything we thought we knew about language.
The discussion of the Pirahã language itself is excellent, but Everett’s discussion of why endangered languages need to be preserved is absolutely fascinating. His recommendations for preserving endangered languages include preserving natives speaker’s land and their heath. He also recommends studying and documenting these languages over a long period of time, as he has done with the Pirahã language.
From http://www.longnow.org/projects/seminars/
More information on this seminar is available at http://blog.longnow.org/2009/03/23/daniel-everett-endangered-languages-lost-knowledge-and-the-future/
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How Science and Technology Influence Language : NPR
Have you ever been Plutoed (demoted)? Is your inbox clogged with "bacn" (spam by personal request)? Are you a lifehacker (master at optimizing everyday routines)? Jonathon Keats, artist and author of Virtual Words, explains how science and technology influence language, and vice versa.
http://www.npr.org/2010/12/24/132311754/How-Science-and-Technology-Influence-Language
Tagged with science technology vocabulary words lexis corpus spelling internet language linguistics
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Aldous Huxley - On Language
Huxley puts his amazing brain into tackling the subject of language. Always engaging….
Tagged with huxley language linguistics acquisition
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Signing, Singing, Speaking: How Language Evolved : NPR
Humans evolved a brain with an extraordinary knack for language, but just how and when we began using language is still largely a mystery. Early human communication may have been in sign language or song, and scientists are studying other animals to learn how human language evolved.
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=129155123