A couple of weeks ago, we took a look at some of the words and phrases that were transformed by the 2010s, taking on new forms and meanings to fit with the changing times. Today, we’re looking at neologisms the...
The modern American portrayal of Santa Claus grew out of traditions surrounding three historical figures: Saint Nicholas of Myra, 16th century Britain’s Father Christmas, and the ancient Germanic god Woden. They hold differing levels of influence in modern Santa Claus-related...
Settle in and get cozy: it’s time for a good old-fashioned guilt-free TV binge. Even a mega-marathon of these shows would be time well spent. After all, developing your listening comprehension skills is crucial to language learning. Just remember to...
The Economist’s 2019 Safe Cities Index is the result of a multifaceted investigation that looks at fifty-seven indicators across these four major categories. The study ranks the top five cities in each category, and winners range from Chicago and Washington,...
A lot has happened in the past decade. Technological advances have created new norms in everything from dating and consumer culture to the organization of political movements. As our cultural and political landscapes continue to shift, the language we use...
In 1979, when the Somoza Regime of Nicaragua was overthrown, the new government embarked on what’s been referred to as a ‘literacy crusade,’ in which various initiatives were implemented to promote reading in Spanish. One such initiative was the creation...
If you’ve ever witnessed an interpreter in action, you know you’ve seen something amazing: how a skilled professional can rapidly process and express ideas in another language—in a flash. Watching such a scene of graceful and rapid interpretation might have...
Have you ever watched an old movie and been thrown off by the strange half-British, half-American accents employed by actors in the thirties and forties? If An Affair to Remember, Gone With the Wind, and Breakfast at Tiffany’s are all...
As humans, engaging in conversation comes so naturally to us that we tend to overlook the complex mechanics of the back and forth ‘dance’ we are constantly performing as interlocuters. You speak, I speak, usually starting my turn just about...
It’s a lesson we’re taught at a young age: What do we say? Say thank you…or gracias…or danke schön. Among world languages, English places perhaps the highest value on the linguistic expressions of thanks. So it’s logical that English speakers...
While many people worry about the world’s endangered plant and animal species, fewer are aware of the plight that endangered languages face. According to Time Magazine, a language dies every three months. Languages die out for a variety of reasons....
In 1940, a chemical engineer working for an insurance company and moonlighting as an anthropology lecturer at Yale University published a paper that became wildly, internationally popular. Benjamin Lee Whorf convinced a generation that the language we learn as our...
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