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Article talks about the growing field of forensic linguistics: that is, the study of language to identify who said or wrote that verbal sample. Applications are enormous, from evaluating the identity of potential asylum seekers to pinpointing the Unabomber or perpetrators of crimes where language data is involved, but critics maintain that computer scans alone to evaluate language are insufficient and that overreliance can pose dangers.

Four-letter words have been around since the days of our forebears-and their forebears, too. In Holy Sh*t: A Brief History of Swearing, a book out this month from Oxford University Press, medieval literature expert Melissa Mohr traces humans' use of naughty language back to Roman times.

Mali, teacher and slam poet, delivering a humorous take on "uptalk".

Children now are now texting at a young age, and are not learning the necessary social skills they were supposed to.

Parents have a long list of concerns about children using technology: Will they be hurt by cyber bullying? Or meet with online predators? Will their homework suffer because they're texting 100 times a day? But what about a more basic question like, Will they be able to hold their own in conversation?

In various languages there are different ways to express the love for another. However, the article presented goes into the emotional weight that different languages carry. For example, in the Japanese culture, "I love you" is not often said, rather it is implied through actions. Where as in the Western culture, "I love you" is often said and may not necessarily carry as much emotional weight since it is something that is said often.

Speaking more than one language won't just help you snag a date, it might also make you smarter. According to a recent study from Northwestern University, speaking more than one language constantly exercises the brain and makes it more prepared to take on other brain-challenging tasks.

Many people would rather avoid particular social situations due to that anxious and uncomfortable feeling of striking a small conversation with another. However, this article explains the benefits of making "small-talk" with a co-worker.

Do we have to wash your mouth out with soap, television? This video history of swearing on the tube, from New York Magazine's culture site Vulture.com, shows how cussing has increased through the years, and how premium cable has led the way. The video, released Wednesday, is part of Vulture's "Secret History of Television" series.

This article talks about how teenagers who are frequent texters also have poorer academic performance. Teenagers constantly check their phones, leading to less overall productivity, shorter attention spans, and less information retention.

"People who use unnecessarily complicated language in their writing are perceived as less competent and confident than those who used simpler language". In recent studies, researchers have found that "the authors of the essays with complicated language were rated lower than the authors of the essays with simpler language".

This article states that despite the logical belief that texting lingo is detrimental to conventional lingo, top linguists say that texting is beneficial to literary skills.

Original article can be found at this URL: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2984220/Text-speak-makes-youngsters-spelling-BETTER-according-linguist-claims-technology-making-teenagers-read-ever.html

"Researchers at Harvard Business School conducted three experiments. They all showed that compliments remind us of when we have done well and motivate us to succeed again, so could have a big effect at work. They found that participants who had been given positive notes from friends before a job interview out- performed those who were not. Fishing for compliments may annoy some people, but the self-serving action may boost your future chances of success, researchers claim."

In this TED Talk, Patricia Kuhl discusses how babies learn language. Using lab experiments and brain scans, such as PET scans, her team of researches were able to determine that babies "take statistics." This means they use a process of reasoning to determine what sounds they need to learn to say.

When we take turns speaking, we chime in after a culturally universal short gap: 200 milliseconds. Research also indicates the rapidity with which typical humans, even chronic interrupters, seem to pick up on key elements of their conversational partner's speech in order to formulate an appropriate and timely response.

Noc was a Beluga whale who learned to speak English (yes, "speak"). This article includes some discussion of mimicry vs. communication.

One thing that can get in the way of your social success is when you have a soft or quiet speaking voice. This article will cover the effects of having a quiet voice, the factors that can cause it, and what you can do if it affects you

Students in South Africa are thought to be at a disadvantage since they switch from learning in their native language to learning in english. Researchers, however, believe that it is more advantageous to students to learn in the language in which they feel most comfortable. Switching between the mother tongue at home and English at school is shown to be a struggle for most children. Since the simplicity of the mother tongue has no ties to english, the children are basically learning two different languages at once, trying to apply the two to one another.

Research has proved repeatedly that children undoubtedly achieve much better when they start schooling in a language linked to one they can already use quite well. Using a familiar language for schooling is a big part of such success, which is why the late South African educationalist Neville Alexander advocated for mother tongue based-bilingual education.

I've always wondered if listening to foreign music helped when learning a new language. This article explains the difference of being bimusical and bilingual, both of which yield benefits.