Words R Us

This journal article discusses the prevalent use of emojis and how they are becoming more integrated into our language. It talks about the literal and metaphorical meanings of emojis, functions of emojis, and emoji interpretation across different cultures. It explains how pictography has been used in the past and what the future could hold for emojis.

The author of this article discusses the study she conducted that explored how punctuation is used in texts to convey tone. The participants in the study consisted of 122 college-aged students (mostly from Boston College), and they were surveyed to gather data and responses. The discussion of the study shows trends in how text messages are interpreted and how subtle changes in text punctuation can alter the meaning or tone of the message.

This article talks about the complexities of language in dementia patients, specifically the fact that they are most likely to revert to their primary language as their condition progresses. The study that was done for this article also expands on the possibility that speaking two or more languages can delay the onset of dementia for an average of five years.

This article covers how language isn't just a form of communication but is a tool used to define identities, influence power dynamics, and express thoughts, emotions, and ideas. Language is monumental to society as it brings people together and is the bridge between people.

This article goes over how powerful swearing is due to the emotion behind it and how it stimulates our brains. Swearing not only generates a range of emotions, but acts as a release of energy/emotion. This is why curse words are often present in music and movies because they are able to better portray how one is feeling and the emotions they are experiencing.

Technology is a huge part of our lives. Nowadays, where we work, where we learn, how we communicate, and how we stay connected to each other are all surrounded by technology. We may not think about this when we're around these tech devices but it affects our mental health, and not always in a positive way. This article discusses how technology impacts us and our mental health, and what we can do to balance it out!

We all have to learn how to say "no" instead of using the word "yes" as a way to keep everything simple and easy. This article discusses why we say "yes" to everything, why it's hard to say "no," the importance of saying "no," and how to learn to say "no!"

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.

This article writes about the complexities of animal communication and how elephants are able to use low frequency sounds to stay in touch amongst each other. Generative artificial intelligence is able to help humans generate an algorithm that is capable of detecting animal calls, grumbles, grunts, squeaks etc and translate it into a language that humans are comfortable interpreting.

This article talks about how German language can be perceived as aggressive. Which it explains why we only see it as how it's pronounce instead of what it really means, because the pronunciation doesn't reflect the emotions of the words.

There are many different types of dyslexia that people can have either it is from reading, speaking, spelling or comprehending. This article talks about how certain types of dyslexia is shown and how people get it in the first place.

This article explains the "foreign language effect". It says that speaking a second language improves rational decision making and open-mindedness. It also discusses impacts of speaking a second language on our memory and elements of our personality.

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 discusses from several perspectives on how sarcasm directly affects our personal relationships. Several studies were included in this article, but it was concluded that interestingly, "those who engaged in a sarcastic conversation faired better on creativity tasks." This article also comments on the common negative connotation that comes with sarcasm, but counters this perspective through an analysis done on several studies, which ultimately sheds light on how sarcasm can "harness creative benefits" within our personal relationships.

This article talks about how children grasp language especially in correlation to physical objects. Further, the article mentions how a study conducted show children's own experience helps them learn new words. Interestingly when parents point out an object the child must attempt to find the object, whereas when children are holding the object the connection between the world is easier.

This article discusses how "trendy slangs" are becoming more appealing to foreigners wanting to learn english. In the UK a survey was conducted to determine the type of slang these foreigners are hearing amongst social media platforms. This article relates how many slangs have a root in Multicultural London English (MLE) or African-American Vernacular English (AAVE). This article informs those learning english the type of slangs to use and when appropriate to do so. The slangs range from an older generation to current-ish slangs.

This article discusses the psychology behind how each individual's linguistic style might influence those whom we build friendships with. Specifically, this article focuses in on how relational "echo chambers" are common in both online and in person conversations. From a study done to determine more about how linguistics relate to relationships, it was found that "In addition to linguistic similarity driving tie formation, friendship ties will also induce increases in linguistic similarity."

Many people around the world have difficulty saying NO! But this powerful word can improve your confidence, your relationships, and your mind. This article discusses the reasons why people are afraid to use the word and what the benefits of saying it more are.

This article discusses whether becoming bilingual can delay the onset of Alzheimer's disease and dementia by up to 5 years. It is believed that learning another language improves functions like attention and alertness. Since a bilingual brain is constantly working, the brain becomes more resilient to the impairments caused by diseases. The article also mentions contradicting research that provides a different perspective on this topic.

This article by Maria Morava explains how language is more important to our daily lives than we may think; as languages can bring people together worldwide.