Language Archives

How Did ‘White’ Become A Metaphor For All Things Good?

July 20, 2020

Shortly after George Floyd’s death, one of my friends texted me that Floyd wasn’t necessarily a bad person, but, pointing to his prior stints in prison, added that “he wasn’t…

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People

Top 7 Reasons To Start Learning A New Language Right Now

June 11, 2020

There are roughly 6500 languages in the world, and the number of people that only speak 1 is worrying. As a global nation, we should be encouraging everyone to learn…

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Lah!

Can Hearing Lots Of Languages Offer Benefits Of Bilingualism?

September 13, 2019

Being bilingual enables to connect with more people and in touch with more cultures. However, bilingualism is known to have cognitive benefits, too. It turns out that being bilingual also…

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How People Talk Now Holds Clues About Human Migration Centuries Ago

September 9, 2019

Often, you can tell where someone grew up by the way they speak. For example, if someone in the United States doesn’t pronounce the final “r” at the end of…

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Science

Complex Birdsongs Help Biologists Piece Together The Evolution Of Lifelong Learning

September 6, 2019

Bonjour! Ni hao! Merhaba! If you move to a new country as an adult, you have to work much harder to get past that initial “hello” in the local language…

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Lah!

Wah Lao! Why Can’t I Speak Singlish?

November 18, 2017

“Two dollar onny, dis one,” a street vendor might say to you in Singapore. A local might reply, “Wah! So espensive one, cannot leh.” While this might sound like broken English, it…

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