Discovery Dispatch
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.
Discovery Dispatch
A weekly roundup of the latest language-related news, research in linguistics, interesting reads from the week, and newest books and other media dealing with language and linguistics.
Discovery Dispatch
Critics hate the new French dictionary, and linguists discover the universal language of pain
We’re also making progress on talking to aliens, and a new book on Proto-Indo-European is on its way. Here’s what happened this week in language and linguistics.
Discovery Dispatch
The writing on a recently-discovered tablet has linguists baffled, and GPT passes the Turing Test
Here’s what happened this week in language and linguistics.
Discovery Dispatch
When did humans develop language? + How whistle languages work
When language evolved, how whistled languages work, and what alien languages might be like. Here’s what happened this week in language and linguistics.
Discovery Dispatch
Bonobos combine their vocalizations the way humans combine words—a trait once thought unique to humans
Bonobos challenge the uniqueness of human language, penguins learn etymology, and China adopts a new gender-neutral pronoun. Here’s what happened this week in language and linguistics.
Discovery Dispatch
The sad passing of Kanzi, penguin etymology, and what “fixin’ to” / “finna” mean
Here’s what happened this week in language and linguistics.
Discovery Dispatch
How hypothetical are protolanguages?
How hypothetical are protolanguages? How did the Indo-Europeans spread? What does conversation look like in the brain? Here’s what happened this week in language and linguistics.
Discovery Dispatch
Gestures can counteract subtle stereotypes introduced by language
This week I discuss the growth of science communication in linguistics, plus how simple gestures can counteract subtle linguistic biases.
Discovery Dispatch
Babies can learn multiple languages from birth—and they’ll slow the onset of dementia if they do
Babies can learn multiple languages from birth—and they’ll slow the onset of dementia if they do. Here’s what happened this week in language and linguistics.
Discovery Dispatch
gen z loves lowercase, but they’re losing their southern drawl
gen z loves lowercase, but they’re losing their southern drawl. meanwhile trump makes english the official language (sort of).
Discovery Dispatch
1,000 subscribers! 🎉 And did Proto-Indo-European have SOV word order?
The Linguistic Discovery newsletter just reached 1,000 subscribers! 🎉 And linguist Danny L. Bate suggests that Proto-Indo-European didn’t have Subject-Object-Verb word order after all.
Discovery Dispatch
Is AI changing language? Plus new evidence for a “language protein”
A recent article argues that AI is wrecking language, and new research has found a "language protein". Here's what happened this week in language and linguistics.