#language-evolution

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fromThe Atlantic
19 hours ago

Was Language a Parental Invention?

If you have spent time with an infant, you might recognize the scene: A child is wailing, inconsolable, and you, the parent, have to go to the bathroom. Or eat. Or attend to a pot that's boiling over. But someone needs to watch the baby. Such urgent situations often call for innovation. In modern times, we might negotiate schedules with our partners, seek out affordable child care, or purchase "baby-tainment" contraptions via our phones.
Science
fromEntrepreneur
1 week ago

'Skibidi,' 'Delulu' Added to Cambridge Dictionary Online | Entrepreneur

"It's not every day you get to see words like skibidi and delulu make their way into the Cambridge Dictionary," said Colin McIntosh.
Digital life
Digital life
fromKOMO
1 week ago

Internet slang words among others added to the Cambridge Dictionary

The Cambridge Dictionary adds over 6,000 new words, including slang terms popularized on social media.
fromAxios
1 week ago

"Skibidi": How to use the newest words added to the Cambridge Dictionary

"We only add words where we think they'll have staying power," Colin McIntosh, a Cambridge lexical program manager, said in a press release announcing the additions.
Digital life
fromwww.independent.co.uk
1 week ago

Quiz: Which words made it into the Cambridge Dictionary this year?

The Independent covers crucial issues like reproductive rights and climate change with a commitment to accessible journalism.
fromwww.bbc.com
1 week ago

'Skibidi' and 'tradwife' among words added to Cambridge Dictionary

Skibidi is defined in the dictionary as 'a word that can have different meanings such as 'cool' or 'bad' or can be used with no real meaning as a joke'. An example of its use is 'What the skibidi are you doing?'.
Digital life
Digital life
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 week ago

Skibidi', delulu' and tradwife' among words added to Cambridge Dictionary

New words like skibidi, tradwife, and delulu reflect the TikTok generation's influence on the English language.
fromwww.scientificamerican.com
1 week ago

The Internet Is Making Us Fluent in Algospeak

Algospeak refers to the words used to get around censorship imposed by the algorithms that determine what ends up on our feeds; for example, kill has become unalive.
Digital life
fromwww.npr.org
3 weeks ago

It's 2025, the year we decided we need a widespread slur for robots

Clanker has become a viral derogatory term for robots stemming from its origin in the Star Wars universe.
#linguistics
Arts
fromwww.npr.org
2 months ago

Word of the Week: This four-letter word doesn't mean what it used to. That's nice

The word 'nice' is historically rich and versatile, embodying different meanings based on context and usage.
fromwww.courant.com
1 month ago

Book Review: Algospeak' shows just how much social media is changing us

Social media creates new identities in order to commodify them, with decisions curated under personalization, designed primarily for profit. Language shifts reflect these changes.
Digital life
fromwww.theguardian.com
1 month ago

Like English, Spanish is constantly evolving. Unlike some English speakers, we welcome that | Maria Ramirez

The investigative journalist Diana Salinas referred to her craft as la filigrana, the filigree. I wouldn't have used the term in that context, and yet it struck me as perfect to describe the intricate, careful work that investigative reporting requires.
Digital life
fromwww.npr.org
2 months ago

Brother to Bruh: How Gen Alpha slang has its origins in the 16th century

The term 'bruh' has evolved from 'brother' to a versatile expression used by Gen Alpha to address parents and convey various emotions.
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 months ago

Move on from a bad workplace | Brief letters

Shame I had to leave the job I loved, but better that than working for dickheads. If they're not interested in you, it is not worth trying to change them from within.
UK news
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 months ago

Crashing out: how gen Z adopted the perfect term for our unstable era

'Crashing out' describes a sudden emotional outburst, popularized by Gen Z, signifying stress and anger in response to overwhelming situations.
London politics
fromwww.theguardian.com
2 months ago

The Cuckoo's Lea by Michael Warren review a magical ornithological history of Britain

Old place names connect us to historical relationships with nature, particularly birds, enriching our sense of belonging.
Brooklyn
fromNew York Post
2 months ago

Here are some of the most mispronounced neighborhoods, streets and bridges in NYC

Mispronunciations of street names in NYC reveal historical linguistic shifts, primarily from Dutch to American influences.
US politics
fromAdvocate.com
3 months ago

Trump, Noem, and Gabbard try to '86' the real and harmless meaning of '86'

The term '86' has origins in diner slang representing something that is no longer available, but has taken on new political connotations.
Europe politics
fromSlate Magazine
3 months ago

How Mankind's Greatest Invention Came to Be

The origins of Proto-Indo-European language have profound implications, influencing over half of the world's languages and cultures today.
US news
fromwww.npr.org
3 months ago

Chimps' rhythmic drumming and complex calls hint at origins of human language

Chimpanzee communication reveals foundational elements of human speech, emphasizing the evolutionary link between species.
fromPsychology Today
4 months ago

The Fascinating Backstory Behind Our Pronouns

The pronoun "he" is the oldest, while others like "she" and "they" emerged from linguistic evolution.
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