Linguists unlock the grammar of music in language, and runes show that Elfdalian is its own language
Here’s what happened this week in language and linguistics.

Here’s what happened this week in language and linguistics.
Also this week: Smart dogs have a humanlike knack for naming new objects + Birds all over the world use the same sound to warn of threats + The Language-Lover’s Lexipedia
Also this week: The Linguistics of a Showgirl: How Taylor Swift’s accent has changed over time + We will soon be able to talk with other species—but which one will be first?
A sneak peek at Jess Zafarris’ new book, “Useless etymology: Word origins for curious minds”
Also this week: Jane Goodall dies at 91 + Merriam-Webster adds 5,000 words to the dictionary