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Despite claims that emoji are a universal lingua franca, emojis are neither "universal", nor a true "language". Instead, they are "at most a linguistic tool that is being used to complement our language". In other words, emojis do not and cannot by themselves constitute a meaningful code of communication between two parties. Rather, they are used as a way of enhancing texts and social media messages like a kind of additional punctuation. They help express nuance, tone and emotion in the written word. Emojis offer a chance for the average email writer, SMSer or social media poster to imply an emotional context to their messages, to express empathy. With emojis, they can do this as simply and naturally as using a facial expression or gesture when talking to somebody face-to-face. Yet relying too heavily on emojis to bridge that gap can cause problems of its own. We may all have access to more or less the same emojis through our smartphone keyboards, but what we mean when we use those emojis actually varies greatly, depending on culture, language, and generation.

This article talks about how the new "Spanglish" invention provides an example of how language evolves. It gives examples of Spanglish phrases as well as explains how racism and language discrimination have caused people to perceive "Spanglish" as an incorrect use of language.

This article talks about swearing and the hidden benefits that come with it. It also talks a little bit about swearing in different languages and how what words are considered swear words evolved. One thing I found particularly interesting in the article is that swearing has an observable, physical effect on a person. In the article, it said that "Students who repeated a curse word were able to keep their hand in a bucket of ice water longer than those who uttered a neutral word." I think that's both crazy and amazing that repeating a word that's considered taboo can have a physical impact on one's body.

This article discusses the use of AI in learning languages. It discusses the benefits such as corrective feedback and being able to talk about your topic of choice. However, it also mentions some drawbacks such as potential biases and errors.

This article considers sarcasm to be "the highest form of intelligence" because it symbolizes an individuals flexible and creative mind. Through research done by psychologist and neuroscientists, it has been found that the usage of sarcasm actually requires more brain power to interpret than a literary statement. This is supported by the fact that young children don't understand sarcasm while teenagers are able to fully utilize it.

Psychologist Russell Hurlburt's research reveals that our inner experiences encompass more than just verbal thoughts. It includes images, emotions, sensations, and unsymbolized thinking. Despite ongoing questions and challenges in researching inner experiences, developing awareness of one's thoughts can have personal benefits.

The article explores the idea of whether changing one's accent for professional gain is comparable to dressing for success. It examines instances where public figures like Margaret Thatcher, Tony Blair, and George Osborne altered their accents for various reasons. It highlights studies showing how accents can influence perceptions of traits like trustworthiness and intelligence.

This article discusses that there is a new emergence of the "Tiktok voice". This accent is described as one with a rising intonation and declarative sentences which incapsulates a sense of persuasiveness and personalization. The "Tiktok voice" has been more concentrated in the younger female demographics as it is scientifically proven that women are often the innovators of linguistics.