Focus
Languages
Shifting Gaze Can Signal When Baby’s Learning
A new study is the first to link an early social behavior called gaze shifting with infants’ ability to learn new language sounds.
Do Bilingual Homes Raise Better Communicators?
Young children who hear more than one language spoken at home become better communicators, a new study finds.
You Might Not Know It, but You’re Happy and Your Language Shows It
A hypothesis that was first formulated in 1969 has been validated through modern technology.
Rivers and Swarms: How Metaphor Fuels Anti-Immigrant Feeling
The language used by politicians to depict migrants obviously influences public opinion – which, as surveys suggest, currently demonstrates high levels of opposition to immigration
Geneticist Traces Mysterious Origins of Native Americans to Middle East, Ancient Greece
The idea that Native Americans are descended from ancient Jews, Egyptians, or Greeks has been a controversial one for hundreds of years. Here’s a look at accounts from the 18th century through to today that suggest this may be the case.
Globalization Helps Preserve Endangered Languages
No one should be too surprised to overhear an endangered language spoken in the heart of Manhattan—endangered because its speakers have ceased to use them or are simply dying. Home to more than 800 languages—more than a tenth of the world’s total number of living speech forms—the five boroughs of New York City are the most linguistically diverse urban settlement on Earth.
Cultural Loss: India Lost 250 Languages in Last 50 Years
India’s diversity is well evident from its 850 identified living languages, four times more than that of Europe; however, the country has lost 250 languages in the last 50 years, according to a recent survey.
Twitter Languages Mapped for New York
Four researchers and mappers have taken tweets sent from New York City over the past three years and mapped them based on location and different languages.
Chinese Gaining Ground as Foreign Language in Scandinavian Schools
Chinese is gaining ground in Scandinavian schools. Sweden recently announced a major upgrade of the status of the Chinese language in primary and secondary education.
Linguists Capture Final Days of Dying Language
Kusunda is on the verge of extinction. With one native speaker left, it’s not extinct yet, but it is what linguists refer to as a dead language.
Language Diversity Could be London’s Asset
Spoken languages diversity of London state school pupils could be harnessed to benefit Britain through creating a “dynamic, multi-faceted society”.
Neurons Act Like a Social Network
Scientist have discovered that neurons in the human brain actually function very similarly to a social network.
From the Heartland: Offensive Evaluation
Conan Milner of the Epoch Times explores the idea of “politically correct” language and what we culturally consider to be offensive.
Ica’s Engraved Stones: A Prehistoric Library?
At first sight, the small Peruvian town of Ica has nothing extraordinary to offer.
