Group items tagged

"The idea that Eskimos have many more words for snow than English speakers is a myth." See also: Language Log's collection of posts on the topic: http://j.mp/dnmNNc

Is Multi-tasking a skill that allows us to accomplish more in a shorter amount of time, or does it simply make us do more things badly?

Comprehensive post, with statistics about usage of "different from/than/to." "Calling different than or different to "wrong" is misguided. It's an old grammar myth that has trickled down to the present day. Why perpetuate a stigmatizing non-rule? Let people speak whatever way comes naturally to them, so long as they make themselves clear, and consistent with context.  Dialectal differences should be savoured, not savaged."

People have a deep desire to communicate with animals, as is evident from the way they converse with their dogs, enjoy myths about talking animals or devote lifetimes to teaching chimpanzees how to speak. A delicate, if tiny, step has now been taken toward the real thing: the creation of a mouse with a human gene for language.

The article, which is about serial sexual predator and businessman, the late Jeffrey Epstein, also explores the media's use of the term "underage woman" and the socially-sanctioned sexism behind the term: a way to lessen the seriousness of pedophilia and abuse.

I really liked how this site took a more technical approach to writing a good college essay. I found this link to be very useful.

This article was really interesting. It really helped me to think about my college essay and think about the things that I need to change or go back and edit. I really liked the part about your "Hook" and the "Don't Express Yourself" tip. I also really liked how this article gave tips that I have never heard before.

Debunked myths about the college essay and broke down how to make your essay "winning." I thought the most important part about this article how the author explained the college essay is meant for the school to examine your character, so make sure to include a revelation or process of learning.

The importance of FOXP2, and how it affects language.

People have a deep desire to communicate with animals, as is evident from the way they converse with their dogs, enjoy myths about talking animals or devote lifetimes to teaching chimpanzees how to speak. A delicate, if tiny, step has now been taken toward the real thing: the creation of a mouse with a human gene for language.

This essay compares the controversies surrounding actions taken by two school boards-one in Hawai'i and the other in Oakland-in their attempts to help students in their districts attain fluency in standard English. Public reactions expressed during each of these two incidents demonstrated a general lack of understanding about languages and nonstandard dialects. The myths and characterizations about Hawai'i Creole English and African American Vernacular English, and the issues these two stigmatized dialects have raised, point to educational policy implications concerning academic achievement and the politics of language.

This is a really useful essay in highlighting linguistic research re: how to effectively instruct speakers of non-standard varieties of English, e.g. AAVE and HCE. Nice find!