language

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Web Puts 2nd Language at Your Fingertips

Online options, from free to pricey, abound

(Newser) - The days of chanting vocabulary words in a classroom and dozing off in the language lab are fading from memory as language instruction becomes increasingly available on the Internet. Freestanding smartphone apps are one option, and more structured instruction comes at a price—and sometimes no price at all. The...

New Find Adds Centuries to Age of Bible

Artifact from 1000 BC shakes up timetable

(Newser) - The discovery last year of Hebrew writing on a piece of pottery from the 10th century BC may mean the Bible is hundreds of years older than previously thought, researchers say. Similarities in language and content indicate that portions of the Hebrew Bible were written before the commonly accepted date...

'Like' Is, Like, Not Going Anywhere... Um, OK?
 'Like' Is, Like, Not Going 
 Anywhere... Um, OK? 
CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS
Jan 13, 2010 1:02 PM CST

'Like' Is, Like, Not Going Anywhere... Um, OK?

Yes, it's an annoying verbal tic—but it can also be useful

(Newser) - “Like” is, like, the biggest filler word since, um, “you know,” and it, basically, gets on Christopher Hitchens’ nerves. But though “it’s true that in some cases the term has become simultaneously a crutch and a tic, driving out the rest of the vocabulary as...

In a Relationship, 'We' Means 'You'
 In a Relationship, 
 'We' Means 'You' 
fun with pronouns
Jan 7, 2010 1:04 PM CST

In a Relationship, 'We' Means 'You'

Too many couples take the semantic easy way out

(Newser) - One member of a couple will often suggest that “we” do something, but that’s not what she—oh, yes, it's usually she—is really saying, and it’s not helpful, Beth Teitell writes. ‘‘We’ has turned into an order. It’s morphed from the first person...

Suspect May Have Used Yemen School as Ruse

He got visa to improve his Arabic but was already fluent

(Newser) - The director of the Arabic school that arranged for alleged Christmas bomber Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab to enter Yemen legally has a creeping suspicion that the Nigerian attended only so that he could liaise with al-Qaeda in the country. By the time Abdulmutallab arrived in August, with the stated goal of...

10 Worst Office Phrases
 10 Worst Office Phrases 
don't say it
Dec 16, 2009 7:22 PM CST

10 Worst Office Phrases

There's always something better to say than gross, redundant cliches

(Newser) - Frances Cole Jones has had just about enough of certain phrases at the office, he writes for CNN. Some are cliches, some are needlessly gross, and some use just plain bad grammar:
  • "Pick your brain."
  • "Throw it against the wall and see what sticks."
  • "
...

Most Overused Words of the '00s
 Most Overused 
 Words of the '00s 
DUDE, SERIOUSLY
Dec 15, 2009 12:40 PM CST

Most Overused Words of the '00s

Please, if it's not amazing, stop calling it 'amazing'

(Newser) - “OMG,” people “seriously” overused certain words and phrases this decade, and we are “over it.” Wendy Atterberry lists 25 that should be “voted off” immediately, on The Frisky :
  • “That’s what she said.”
  • “Getting anything ‘on,’ like ‘getting
...

Mandarin Becomes Talk of Chinatown

Cantonese-speakers sidelined by new generation of immigrants

(Newser) - Goodbye "Leih Hou Ma," hello "Ni Hao Ma." The language most often heard in New York's Chinatown and in Chinese communities across America is quickly changing from Cantonese to Mandarin as new immigrants from mainland China outnumber those from Hong Kong. Even Cantonese-speaking parents are pushing...

Miss, Mrs., or Ms.— 'It's OK Not to Care'

Nancy Gibbs reflects on women's freedom to choose title

(Newser) - Not so long ago, feminism and convention waged a battle over titles—Miss, Mrs., and the young upstart, Ms. Though seemingly trivial, the question of whether a woman should have to specify her marital status in stating her name cut to the core of women’s place in society—and...

Words Men Must Not Say

 Words Men 
 Must Not Say 
OPINION
Oct 19, 2009 2:57 PM CDT

Words Men Must Not Say

'Tummy,' 'mommy,' and 'panties,' just to name a few

(Newser) - Grown men should not say “mommy.” Or, for that matter, “tummy” or “belly button.” These things should be self-evident, but in case they aren’t, here’s Esquire’s list of words and phrases men just shouldn’t utter. Some are offensive, some overused, and...

Après Le Deluge: French Battle Anglo Terms in Web Age

Experts struggle to create equivalents for terms like 'cloud computing'

(Newser) - Defenders of the French language are fighting a rear-guard action against a flood of Anglo-Saxon computing terms. In a process that lags far behind advances in technology, experts are tasked with finding French equivalents for new computing technology. The terms must then be passed by a panel of linguists and...

You're 'Me,' Not 'Myself,' and Other Grammar Peeves

Sad kids do not 'literally tear' the heart out of a mall Santa, and other mistakes

(Newser) - Some common grammar mistakes are also inexcusable, Johnny Truant writes for Copyblogger. Too many of the following, and your readers may decide "that you’re actually a chimpanzee—and not one of the smart ones, either."
  • It's "me," not "myself:" People often "think
...

2 Words Could Clean Up 'Death Panel' Mess: Parker

'A simple amendment' would put debate to rest

(Newser) - Sarah Palin went way too far in suggesting “death panels” would kill her loved ones—but  the wording of the House health bill authorizing payment for end-of-life consultations is worrisome, writes Kathleen Parker in the Washington Post. “A simple amendment would do much to cool tempers.” The...

Dogs as Smart as 2-Year-Olds
 Dogs as Smart as 2-Year-Olds 
Aug 9, 2009 6:32 AM CDT

Dogs as Smart as 2-Year-Olds

(Newser) - It won't surprise most dog owners, but now scientists know it: The average dog is as smart as a 2-year-old child, reports the Telegraph. Dogs understand up to 250 words and gestures, can count to 5, and do basic calculations, researchers have found. "Obviously, you can't have a conversation...

Swearing Cuts Pain, Dammit
 Swearing Cuts Pain, Dammit 
Jul 12, 2009 12:05 PM CDT

Swearing Cuts Pain, Dammit

Scientists suggest link to fight-or-flight response

(Newser) - Stubbed your toe? Let loose a torrent of profanity and you may actually feel better, a study suggests. Scientists had subjects stick their hands in ice water for as long as they could, once while cursing and again using only G-rated language. The researchers discovered that cursing subjects could keep...

If Monkeys Could Talk ...
If Monkeys
Could Talk ...
Jul 9, 2009 3:54 AM CDT

If Monkeys Could Talk ...

Tamarins possess skills fundamental to human language: researchers

(Newser) - Monkeys can recognize “incorrect” syllable pattern in words, revealing that species other than human possess the underlying skills necessary for anguage, the BBC reports. Researchers played recordings of made-up words that shared either a common prefix or suffix for two groups of cotton-top tamarin monkey. Tamarins familiarized with either...

Pungle, Nebby, Oh My! Folksism Dictionary Is Almost Done

Experts fear Twitter's effect on local lingo

(Newser) - Do you know what a “mumble squibble” is? How about a “elbedritsch”? When the final volume of the Dictionary of American Regional English comes out next year, a decades-in-the-making collection of odd vernacular from across the country will be complete at last, NPR reports. "It's very...

'Web 2.0' is English's Millionth Word

A new word emerges every 98 minutes

(Newser) - The millionth word to enter the English lexicon is pure geek-speak, the Telegraph reports: Web 2.0 was entered this morning by Global Language Monitor, which recognizes words once they’ve appeared 25,000 times in the media, blogs, and social websites. The linguistic cataloger estimates that a new word...

TV Slows Babies' Learning: Study

Cuts crucial talking time with adults

(Newser) - Infants’ time in front of the tube can mean less interaction with parents—interaction key to language development, a study suggests. Over 2 years, researchers recorded what kids aged two months to 4 years heard and said in random 12- to 16-hour periods. The scientists found that every additional hour...

2 Languages Better Than 1 for Baby's Brain

Bilingual kids may talk later but excel at 'executive functions'

(Newser) - Some teachers complain that children raised in bilingual households tend to lag behind their peers in school, but a new study suggests multilingual kids' brains may be better organized, the Economist reports. Polyglot babies have stronger "executive function": processes in the brain that help humans plan, prioritize, and switch...

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