Linguistics 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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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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Society

Five Reasons English Speakers Struggle To Learn Foreign Languages

July 30, 2019

According to a recent survey co-ordinated by the European Commission 80% of European 15-30 year olds can read and write in at least one foreign language. This number drops to…

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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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