Learn about the science and diversity of language 🗣️

A mysterious pre-Islamic script from Oman has been deciphered, while AI helps historians complete damaged Latin texts

Also this week: Does your native language affect how you feel pain? And did language evolve because of tools or baby talk? Here’s what happened this week in language and linguistics.

What to do when someone corrects your pronunciation

Some strategies for educating people about linguistics

The last native speaker of Caddo dies at age 95

Also this week: The long-lost Chinese typewriter that changed modern computing, plus why AI doesn’t work in bars. Here’s what happened this week in language and linguistics.

How are new languages created? The linguistics of “The Iron Dreamers”, Part 4

Pidgins, creoles, and mixed languages

Are some languages more complex than others? The linguistics of “The Iron Dreamers”, Part 3

Do languages get simpler over time? Could they get more complex?

Are we stuck with the same grammar for life? The linguistics of “The Iron Dreamers”, Part 2

How does your grammar change over the course of your lifetime?

Why do languages change? The linguistics of “The Iron Dreamers”, Part 1

Could a language stay frozen in time?

Who are better programmers—language nerds or math geeks? Can we identify extroverts by the language they use? Did the Huns speak a Yeniseian language?

Here’s what happened this week in language and linguistics.

Multilinguals may be more likely to take a vaccine if they read about it in English: Words shape how we process feelings and make decisions

Plus, can AI decode dead languages? And how do linguists reconstruct dead languages without AI? Here’s what happened this week in language and linguistics.

Do Inuit languages really have more words for snow? And why does it matter, anyway?

A new study shows that Inuit languages really do have more words for snow, but what does that tell us about language?

Did technology drive the evolution of language? Or was it music?

Here’s what happened this week in language and linguistics.

A Paleo-Hispanic alphabet is discovered in Spain, and researchers use AI to read 2,000-year-old scrolls burnt to a crisp by Mt. Vesuvius for the first time

Here’s what happened this week in language and linguistics.