Group items tagged

Briefly explores the difference of "swear" words and their severity across the globe.

For curses to have impact, they need a dominating societal power and control structure attached to them. Strong language often involves naming things you desire but aren't supposed to desire; at the very least, it aims to upset power structures that may seem a bit too arbitrary. We tend to think of swear words as one entity, but they actually serve several distinct functions. Linguist Steven Pinker, in The Stuff of Thought, lists five different ways we can swear: descriptively, idiomatically, abusively, emphatically, and cathartically. Worldwide, words for genitalia are the most common focus of preferred strong language, the kind used by default for Pinker's five functions.

We often think of "bad" language as something universal to everyone around the world. But swearing is special to each and every language. Depending on the type of language, there are different ways to express anger. For example, in Bikol (a type of language in the phillipines) they have a whole different vocabulary to use when conveying the emotion of anger. In Luganda (an african language) they can convey anger by just changing the noun class prefix. As we can see different cultures convey their emotions differently and there is no "one way" to swear or show anger.

The idea behind the Weapon of Choice Project was to create a visual representation of the emotional damage words can do, in order to spur conversations re: verbal abuse, domestic violence, bullying, and child abuse. Professional makeup artists generously donated their time to the project. The artists applied makeup to each participant to simulate an injury, and the hurtful word chosen by the participant was then incorporated. Visit the Gallery to read more on the stories behind the photos and words. (Caution: images are graphic and disturbing...)

This article combines data from two lists. This first one was compiled by National Language Resources Monitoring and Research Center at Beijing Language and Culture University: "Big data analysis" of over a billion online posts and forum discussions from the Chinese internet in 2021 was reportedly used to decide on the final list, but it's clear from the selection that the artificial intelligence tool used has a good understanding of socialism with Chinese characteristics. The second list comes from Yaowen Jiaozi, a magazine founded in 1995 that publishes stories about the the misuse and abuse of language in Chinese society. This combined list has items that made BOTH lists. Separately, the magazine Yǎowén Jiáozì (咬文嚼字) published its year-end list of "popular buzzwords" (2021年十大流行语). Yaowen Jiaozi is a magazine founded in 1995 that publishes stories about the the misuse and abuse of language in Chinese society. Its name is variously translated as "Correct Wording," "Verbalism," and "Chewing Words." The Yaowen Jiaozi list does not claim to be created by big data, but rather from reader suggestions, online polling, and selection by specialists.

This article talks about addiction and mental illness and how many people struggle with these issues. It also highlights the use of language and how the correct language use can and will break stigma and eventually help these poeple get out of their struggles.

The Irish language, like its people, has suffered. Listen to the Story. It has been used and abused by many: British colonialists, by the Catholic Church, and by Irish revolutionaries. The first two discouraged its use, associating it with poverty and primitive wildness.

This article outlines who and what trolls are, and what they do. It also shows some extreme examples of trolls, and how language can be abused and used as a weapon.

"One promising answer comes from the computer scientist Jon Postel, now known as "god of the Internet" for the influence he exercised over the emerging network. In 1981, he formulated what's known as Postel's Law: "Be conservative in what you do; be liberal in what you accept from others." Originally intended to foster "interoperability," the ability of multiple computer systems to understand one another, Postel's Law is now recognized as having wider applications. To build a robust global network with no central authority, engineers were encouraged to write code that could "speak" as clearly as possible yet "listen" to the widest possible range of other speakers, including those who do not conform perfectly to the rules of the road. The human equivalent of this robustness is a combination of eloquence and tolerance - the spirit of good conversation. Trolls embody the opposite principle. They are liberal in what they do and conservative in what they construe as acceptable behavior from others. You, the troll says, are not worthy of my understanding; I, therefore, will do everything I can to confound you."

Interesting article looking at cell use in college classes and the impacts that has on learning.