Tag: language
The White House is sued over lack of sign language interpreters at press briefings
Kristin Wright The National Association of the Deaf (NAD) has filed a federal lawsuit against the White House over a lack of American Sign Language interpreters at media briefings. The NAD says the White House abruptly stopped providing ASL interpreters during press briefings and other public events when President Trump returned to office for a…
Chris Mason: Starmer’s robust language nods to immigration failures
It is perhaps little wonder immigration is as politically charged an issue as it is, when you consider two things. Firstly, as I wrote here, the numbers point to it being the stand-out UK social and demographic change of the 21st century. And secondly, it is also one of the biggest and most transparent political…
Linguists Find Proof of Sweeping Language Pattern Once Deemed a ‘Hoax’
Linguists Find Proof of Sweeping Language Pattern Once Deemed a ‘Hoax’ Inuit languages really do have many words for snow, linguists found—and other languages have conceptual specialties, too, potentially revealing what a culture values By Cody Cottier edited by Allison Parshall Boas’s observation had swelled to mythic proportions. In a 1991 essay, British linguist Geoff…
Keeping Kids Interested in Science Is a Matter of Language
Opinion The Science of ParentingMondays Keeping Kids Interested in Science Is a Matter of Language As children get older, their understanding of science and being a scientist changes. The words adults use are a critical part of keeping them engaged in discovery By Ryan F. Lei Cut through the claims: Get email alerts for The…
Bonobo Calls Are More like Human Language Than We Thought
Bonobos’ Complex Calls Share an Extraordinary Trait with Human Language Bonobos’ grunts, peeps and whistles may share an advanced linguistic property with human language By Cody Cottier edited by Allison Parshall We humans concoct never-before-heard sentences with ease, embedding phrases within phrases to express the wildest ideas we can dream up (“the purple pangolin that…
Kanzi the Bonobo, Who Learned Language and Made Stone Tools, Dies at Age 44
Kanzi the Bonobo, Who Learned Language and Made Stone Tools, Dies at Age 44 What we learned about ape and human cognition from Kanzi the bonobo, who died this week By Kate Wong edited by Jeanna Bryner Kanzi the bonobo died on March 18, 2025, at the age of 44. Kanzi the bonobo, who learned…
Trump signs executive order making English the official language of the U.S.
Elena Moore President Trump has signed an executive order designating English as the official language of the U.S., the first such designation in the country’s history. The order, which Trump signed on Saturday, rescinds a policy issued by former President Bill Clinton requiring agencies to provide assistance programs for people with limited English proficiency, according…
China berates US for changing state department language on Taiwan
US state department last week removed line from fact sheet saying ‘We do not support Taiwan independence’ China has called on the United States to “correct its mistakes” after a statement that Washington does not support an independent Taiwan was removed from the state department website. Beijing views Taiwan as part of its territory and…
Whale Songs Follow Basic Human Language Rules
Whale Songs Obey Basic Rules of Human Languages Humpback whales learn their haunting melodies in much the same way humans learn words By Cody Cottier edited by Andrea Thompson John Natoli/Getty Images For all the world’s linguistic diversity, human languages still obey some universal patterns. These run even deeper than grammar and syntax; they’re rooted…
Linguists Point to Expressions of Pain as a Possible Universal Language
The Ways We Express Pain Point to Universality in Language By Rachel Feltman, Allison Parshall & Fonda Mwangi Rachel Feltman: If you stubbed your toe right now, what sound would you make? According to linguists, the chances are pretty good that your answer would be surprisingly similar to the one given by someone on the…