“Climate catastrophes and biodiversity loss are endangering languages across the globe.”
language
Posted inEditor's Pick
Do Our Dogs Have Something to Tell the World?
“Many owners think so, thanks to the ‘talking buttons’ craze on TikTok and Instagram. Scientists are less convinced.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
How Does the Writer Say Etcetera?
“Sumana Roy ponders the linguistic and aesthetic significance of ‘etceterization.'”
Posted inEditor's Pick
Can a Comma Solve a Crime?
“How forensic linguists use grammar, syntax and vocabulary to help crack cold cases.”
Posted inFeature
My Name Is a Mountain
On language, belonging, and embracing the different versions of ourselves.
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Foreign Language That Changed My Teenage Son’s Life
“I worried about his ability to fit in. But then he fell in love with Russian — and on a trip to Central Asia, he flourished.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
Lost at Parkland: ‘Peter Was Always My Translator’
For one family, grieving the child they lost in the Parkland, Fla., school shooting is complicated by differences in language and culture.
Posted inEditor's Pick
Can Crosswords Be More Inclusive?
“The puzzles spread from the United States across the globe, but the American crossword today doesn’t always reflect the linguistic changes that immigration brings.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Year Mahbuba Found Her Voice
“The young refugee from Afghanistan arrived on the doorstep of a Chicago school. She was deaf and had no previous exposure to formal sign language. What happened next was transformative.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
Who’s Afraid of Spatchcocked Chicken?
“Squeamishness around meat is embedded into the English language — and by extension, Western attitudes towards the realities of meat.”