linguistics
How Urban Dictionary Became a Cesspool for Racists and Misogynists
The popular, crowd-sourced lexicon was supposed to be the people's resource. The people are awful.
Words About Love in Other Languages that Should Exist in English
These may come in handy next time emojis fail you.
The Power of 'Petty': How One Small Word Came to Represent Black Resistance
From Kobe Bryant to Beyoncé to Kermit the Frog, pettiness has pervaded meme culture of the past year.
Experience Enron's Everyday Evil with a 500,000+ Email Experiment
One of the most notorious corporate scandals in American history comes to your inbox in Tega Brain and Sam Lavigne's project, 'The Good Life.'
An Astrolinguist Explains How to Talk to Aliens
The president of METI International weighs in on the science and fiction of 'Arrival.'
An Astrolinguist Explains How to Talk to Aliens
The president of METI International weighs in on the science and fiction of ‘Arrival.’
A Dialect Coach Attempts to Unpack What's Going on with Lindsay Lohan's Voice
"For her to forget how to make an 'a' sound is like, Lindsay..."
Werner Herzog On Science, Language, Mars, and His Fever Dreams
A chat with the unstoppable filmmaker on Radio Motherboard.
'Arrival' Is Sci-Fi at Its Smartest and Weirdest
Denis Villeneuve's much-anticipated film, now making the festival rounds, is big on capital "I" ideas and doesn't need show-offy effects to grab you.
Dogs Can Actually Understand What You're Saying to Them, Study Says
You aren't tricking your dog when you talk about the vet in an excitable tone.