Tag: language
WTF? Slurs offend young adults more than swearing
Benjamin Bergen, University of California San Diego
In 1972, the comedian George Carlin performed a comedy routine in which he listed the seven words you...
Which cheek and how many? In France and beyond, a kiss...
Mathieu Avanzi, Sorbonne Université
In the English-speaking world, friends and family generally greet each other with a wave, handshake or hug, depending on their degree...
Your political views can predict how you pronounce certain words
Zachary Jaggers, University of Oregon
Politics can predict the TV shows we watch, the shops we frequent and the places we live.
But what about the...
One skill that doesn’t deteriorate with age
Roger J. Kreuz, University of Memphis
When Toni Morrison died on Aug. 5, the world lost one of its most influential literary voices.
But Morrison wasn’t...
Curious Kids: Why do we say ‘OK’?
Elly van Gelderen, Arizona State University
Curious Kids is a series for children of all ages. If you have a question you’d like an expert...
When does trash talking work?
Karen C.P. McDermott, University of Connecticut
The Abstract features interesting research and the people behind it.
Karen C.P. McDermott recently completed a study on trash talk,...
The ‘warspeak’ permeating everyday language puts us all in the trenches
Robert Myers, Alfred University
In a manifesto posted online shortly before he went on to massacre 22 people at an El Paso Walmart, Patrick Crusius...
“You’re unallocated!” and other BS companies use to obscure reality
Kate Suslava, Bucknell University
Corporate America has invented many ways to avoid letting the public know it’s laying people off – or telling employees themselves...
EXPLORING NATURE
The chickadee in the snowbank: A ‘canary in the coal mine’...
Benjamin Sonnenberg, University of Nevada, Reno
Wet snow pelts my face and pulls against my skis as I climb...
