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SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 21, 2009
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NEWS ABOUT: language

language stories: 56 news summaries

1 - 20 of 56 Stories | 1 2 3 Next >>

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 Mandarin Becomes 
 Talk of Chinatown 

Cantonese-speakers sidelined by new generation of immigrants

Oct 22, 09 1:20 AM CDT
(Newser) - Goodbye "Leih Hou Ma," hello "Ni Hao Ma." The language most often heard in New York's Chinatown and in Chinese communities across America is quickly changing from Cantonese to Mandarin as new immigrants from mainland China outnumber those from Hong Kong. Even Cantonese-speaking parents are pushing... More »

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language • Chinese • Chinatown • Chinese Americans • Mandarin • Cantonese

OPINION

 Miss, Mrs., or Ms.— 
 'It's OK Not to Care' 

Nancy Gibbs reflects on women's freedom to choose title

Oct 19, 09 3:49 PM CDT
(Newser) - Not so long ago, feminism and convention waged a battle over titles—Miss, Mrs., and the young upstart, Ms. Though seemingly trivial, the question of whether a woman should have to specify her marital status in stating her name cut to the core of women’s place in society—and... More »

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feminism • women • language • convention • title

OPINION


 Words Men 
 Must Not Say 

'Tummy,' 'mommy,' and 'panties,' just to name a few

Oct 19, 09 2:57 PM CDT
(Newser) - Grown men should not say “mommy.” Or, for that matter, “tummy” or “belly button.” These things should be self-evident, but in case they aren’t, here’s Esquire’s list of words and phrases men just shouldn’t utter. Some are offensive, some overused,... More »

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men • language • words

 Après Le Deluge: 
 French Battle 
 Anglo Terms 
 in Web Age 

Experts struggle to create equivalents for terms like 'cloud computing'

Oct 14, 09 4:27 AM CDT
(Newser) - Defenders of the French language are fighting a rear-guard action against a flood of Anglo-Saxon computing terms. In a process that lags far behind advances in technology, experts are tasked with finding French equivalents for new computing technology. The terms must then be passed by a panel of linguists and... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Internet • France • language • translation • terminology • foreign languages • computing • French

OPINION

You're 'Me,' Not 'Myself,' and Other Grammar Peeves

Sad kids do not 'literally tear' the heart out of a mall Santa, and other mistakes

Sep 10, 09 4:16 PM CDT
(Newser) - Some common grammar mistakes are also inexcusable, Johnny Truant writes for Copyblogger. Too many of the following, and your readers may decide "that you’re actually a chimpanzee—and not one of the smart ones, either."
  • It's "me," not "myself:" People often "
... More »

MORE ABOUT:
writing • list • language • English • mistake • grammar • proper usage • word choice

OPINION

 2 Words Could Clean Up
'Death Panel' Mess: Parker

'A simple amendment' would put debate to rest

Aug 12, 09 8:38 AM CDT
(Newser) - Sarah Palin went way too far in suggesting “death panels” would kill her loved ones—but  the wording of the House health bill authorizing payment for end-of-life consultations is worrisome, writes Kathleen Parker in the Washington Post. “A simple amendment would do much to cool tempers.” The... More »

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language • health care reform • bill • Kathleen Parker • amendment • death panel • end-of-life care • deathers

(Newser) - It won't surprise most dog owners, but now scientists know it: The average dog is as smart as a 2-year-old child, reports the Telegraph. Dogs understand up to 250 words and gestures, can count to 5, and do basic calculations, researchers have found. "Obviously, you can't have a conversation... More »

MORE ABOUT:
research • language • Man's best friend • dog • animal intelligence • math • calculations • comprehension

 Swearing Cuts Pain, Dammit 

Scientists suggest link to fight-or-flight response

Jul 12, 09 12:05 PM CDT
(Newser) - Stubbed your toe? Let loose a torrent of profanity and you may actually feel better, a study suggests. Scientists had subjects stick their hands in ice water for as long as they could, once while cursing and again using only G-rated language. The researchers discovered that cursing subjects could keep... More »

MORE ABOUT:
study • language • swearing • pain • aggression

If Monkeys
Could Talk ...

Tamarins possess
skills fundamental
to human language: researchers

Jul 9, 09 3:54 AM CDT
(Newser) - Monkeys can recognize “incorrect” syllable pattern in words, revealing that species other than human possess the underlying skills necessary for anguage, the BBC reports. Researchers played recordings of made-up words that shared either a common prefix or suffix for two groups of cotton-top tamarin monkey. Tamarins familiarized with either... More »

MORE ABOUT:
memory • learning • monkey • language • primates • pattern recognition

Pungle, Nebby, Oh My! Folksism Dictionary Is Almost Done

Experts fear Twitter's effect on local lingo

Jun 14, 09 2:36 PM CDT
(Newser) - Do you know what a “mumble squibble” is? How about a “elbedritsch”? When the final volume of the Dictionary of American Regional English comes out next year, a decades-in-the-making collection of odd vernacular from across the country will be complete at last, NPR reports. "It's very... More »

MORE ABOUT:
language • book • linguists • dictionary • regional

 'Web 2.0' is English's 
 Millionth Word 

A new word emerges every 98 minutes

Jun 10, 09 3:48 PM CDT
(Newser) - The millionth word to enter the English lexicon is pure geek-speak, the Telegraph reports: Web 2.0 was entered this morning by Global Language Monitor, which recognizes words once they’ve appeared 25,000 times in the media, blogs, and social websites. The linguistic cataloger estimates that a new word... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Web 2.0 • language • words • English language • Global Language Monitor

 TV Slows Babies'  
 Learning: Study  

Cuts crucial talking time with adults

Jun 2, 09 3:10 PM CDT
(Newser) - Infants’ time in front of the tube can mean less interaction with parents—interaction key to language development, a study suggests. Over 2 years, researchers recorded what kids aged two months to 4 years heard and said in random 12- to 16-hour periods. The scientists found that every additional hour... More »

MORE ABOUT:
television • parenting • research • baby • infant • language • child development

2 Languages Better Than 1 for Baby's Brain

Bilingual kids may talk later but excel at 'executive functions'

Apr 18, 09 5:24 AM CDT
(Newser) - Some teachers complain that children raised in bilingual households tend to lag behind their peers in school, but a new study suggests multilingual kids' brains may be better organized, the Economist reports. Polyglot babies have stronger "executive function": processes in the brain that help humans plan, prioritize, and switch... More »

MORE ABOUT:
parenting • Italy • brain • baby • psychology • language • bilingual education

ANALYSIS

Going Public in Bear Market Is Risky Bet for Rosetta Stone

Firm could make less money due to bear market

Apr 16, 09 12:48 PM CDT
(Newser) - Rosetta Stone, the popular language-learning software maker, holds its initial public stock offering today—a risky move in a bear market, Jennifer Collins reports for Marketplace. Rosetta Stone’s profit has quadrupled since 2007, but it could make twice as much by waiting. It’s possible Rosetta needs cash now,... More »

MORE ABOUT:
competition • IPO • software • stock • language • Rosetta Stone • foreign languages

A Rose by Any Other Name Might Smell
... Manly?

Language influences perception, study finds

Apr 6, 09 2:19 PM CDT
(Newser) - Think of the Golden Gate Bridge. Would you describe it as fragile, elegant, and slender? Or strong, dangerous, and sturdy? When they pictured a bridge, a group of German speakers offered the first group of words, while Spanish speakers offered the second, NPR reports. The difference, believes the psychologist behind... More »

MORE ABOUT:
gender • study • psychology • language • German • Spanish

Recession Creates Nation of Potty Mouths

F-bombs a popular
way to react to your 401(k) statement

Mar 17, 09 3:30 PM CDT
(Newser) - The state of the economy has made for a lot of bad news, and bad news makes for a lot of cussing, MSNBC reports. “I’ve been dropping the F-bomb every time I look at the Dow,” said one 35-year-old writer. “You see that number and you... More »

MORE ABOUT:
recession • obscenity • language • swearing • financial crisis • 401(k) plans

Half the World's Languages Will Vanish by 2100

More than 2400 tongues at risk of extinction, as last speakers die out

Mar 16, 09 11:11 AM CDT
(Newser) - Globalization has many benefits, but the preservation of the world's languages is decidedly not among them. Ever since the invention of agriculture 10,000 years ago, smaller tribes have assimilated into bigger ones and seen their native tongues lost, and the process has been speeding up, reports the Washington Post.... More »

MORE ABOUT:
globalization • culture • extinction • UNESCO • language

COMMENTARY



 The Insult 
 That Hurts 
 Worldwide 


Mar 14, 09 4:51 AM CDT
(Newser) - Next time you want to indulge in a pulse-pounding, worldwide tradition, call somebody a motherf**ker, Nina Shen Rastogi writes at Slate. The Chinese, Africans, and Arabs are among those who have hurled versions of the indignity for generations. Anthropologists say it works because, like religion and scatology, family and sex... More »

MORE ABOUT:
language • foreign languages • insult

(Newser) - The Dictionary of American Regional English, a 40-year lexicographical labor of love, will be competed next year, Good reports—with compilers finally making it to Z. The tome, which revels in local disparities, has been a boon not only to word lovers; it helped bring down the Unabomber through his... More »

MORE ABOUT:
United States • language • English • dictionary • vernacular • regional • dialect

 Obama Speeches Teach English, Hope to Japanese 

Dem's speeches good for language-learners, more inspiring than local pols'

Jan 21, 09 10:46 AM CST
(Newser) - The Japanese version of Amazon.com features an unlikely bestseller: the collected speeches of Barack Obama, with Japanese translation and accompanying CD, Reuters reports. Obama’s inspiring but straightforward rhetoric is perfect for teaching English in a country that hankers to learn the language. He “uses words such as... More »

MORE ABOUT:
Barack Obama • Japan • language • English • translation • book • Japanese • foreign languages • Amazon.com • best seller • President Obama

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