linguistics
Science Watch: Ancient Language Not Good For Anything
Hamilton Nolan · 10/24/13 03:02PMThese Eight Maps Prove That Everyone in the U.S. Speaks Funny But You
Max Read · 06/06/13 10:22AMWhy Do You Text Like Thissss? Girl, You're Drunnnk
Maggie Lange · 02/21/13 05:12PMIt's been happening for a whilllee, texters lengthening their verbage, and linguists are here to analyze. Using nearly 4 million words from students' digital-communications data, a linguist at the University of Toronto has discovered this word elongating practice is a trend most common among female twenty-somethings (though it extends to different ages and across both genders as well). Vowels are the most frequently duplicated letters, and often words are only elongated by two or three letters at a time.
Profane Outburst by CBS White House Correspondent Engenders Interest in Overlooked Slang Word 'Shirty'
Max Read · 02/11/13 12:04PMMajor Garrett, CBS News' chief White House correspondent, sure is mad at someone! This tweet flickered briefly across our screens this morning before Garrett noticed and deleted it; it was likely intended as a DM for some unfortunate soul—another reporter? A source? National Journal's Jim O'Sullivan, who tweeted this directly before Garrett flew off the handle:
NYT Piece on 'Vocal Fry' Linguistic Trend Fails to Mention Biggest Vocal Fryer of Them All
Emma Carmichael · 02/28/12 11:27AM'Vocal Fry' Is the Hot New Linguistic Fad Among Women
Adrian Chen · 12/12/11 10:37AMThey Found the Sea Monster's Lair!
Hamilton Nolan · 10/10/11 04:25PMLast Two Speakers of Dying Language Refuse to Talk to Each Other
Max Read · 04/14/11 12:04AMNYC School Teacher Fined and Suspended for Saying 'Coño'
Jeff Neumann · 11/28/10 12:56PMRare New Yorker Copy Editing Error Spotted!?
Adrian Chen · 08/14/10 11:21AMSurprise: Some People Do Not Understand Grammar
Max Read · 07/06/10 10:50PMArizona Department of Education Hates Accents
Jeff Neumann · 04/30/10 05:26AMVlashki, Garifuna, Mamuju and the Other 797 Languages New Yorkers Speak
Max Read · 04/29/10 12:17AMWhat Should We Call Movies That Aren't in 3D?
Brian Moylan · 04/02/10 04:38PMGreat Debates: How Should We Pronounce 2010?
Foster Kamer · 01/02/10 05:45PMTwitter's New Prompt: A Linguist Weighs In
Ryan Tate · 11/19/09 06:55PMThe Gray Lady and Her Sad, Shared, Empty Bag of "Douche"
Foster Kamer · 11/14/09 02:00PMPublicity Speak Translator: New York Magazine Kisses the Ring and Ass of Page Six
Foster Kamer · 10/11/09 11:30AMTeh New Talk-Ways Make Olders Mega-Sad, Super-Catty
Choire · 08/23/07 09:14AMLexicographer and editor Grant Barrett rips the Wall Street Journal a new one over their horriful trend/scare story today on the devolution of Americanlish and the rise of chat-speak and how the kids are destroying all things and whatevs. The story includes this choice bit: "'There used to be a time when people cared about how they spoke and wrote,' laments Robert Hartwell Fiske, who has written or edited several books on proper English usage, including one on overused words titled 'The Dimwit's Dictionary.'" Oh was there, ya slaggy old bit popper?