“Researchers believe that artificial intelligence may allow us to speak to other species.”
language
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
This week we are sharing stories from Jessica Wilkerson, Meg Bernhard, Nicholas Hune-Brown, Jiayang Fan, and Alexander Wells.
Beamer, Dressman, Bodybag
“The Berlinglish they speak is informal English, slightly simplified, full of swears, nightlife slang and loan words — mostly adopted from German.”
How to Speak Honeybee
“By buzzing and quivering, leaning and turning, bees communicate remarkably accurate information.”
What Lies Behind the Words: On Translating While Trans
“For me, the real litmus test of fluency has always been: Can I use this language to convince a native speaker that I exist?”
Every Language Everywhere All at Once
As our choices for films and television shows made around the world increase in the streaming era, so do the challenges of translation. Rafael Motamayor explores the art — and complicated process — of translating foreign content for international viewers. We are far removed from the days of flagrant cultural erasure through dubbing — Pokémon […]
DeafBlind Communities May Be Creating a New Language of Touch
Andrew Leland’s fascinating piece in The New Yorker explores Protactile, a system of tactile communication that has evolved into a national movement for autonomy among DeafBlind people across the U.S. Still, several linguists have come to believe that, among some of its frequent users, Protactile is developing into its own language, with words and grammatical […]
For the Love of Wordle: A Reading List on Puzzles and Games
Seven longreads on the communal pastime of puzzles, games, and crosswords.