All articles tagged with #sociolinguistics
A Cambridge sociolinguist who has Tourette’s explains that tics, including coprolalia, are involuntary and not a reflection of a person’s beliefs, describes the challenges of tic suppression, critiques how the Baftas and BBC handled a misfired broadcast, and argues for broader public understanding and support that can reveal positive traits like creativity and focus in people with Tourette’s.
The article examines why vintage words like “yap” and “skedaddle” are resurging in today’s talk, arguing that old terms are primed by media and memories and then spread through social networks led by influential youth. This “team sport” of language change means terms rise when a core group adopts them, diffuse through broader networks, and eventually fade, with some retro words enduring longer than others.
Scientists have observed the development of a new accent in Antarctica among the rotating population of scientists and support staff. A study conducted by researchers from the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich found that the close contact and isolation in the extreme living environment of Antarctica led to subtle but significant changes in the accents of the participants. The study suggests that isolation and close contact create ideal conditions for a new accent to rapidly evolve, and raises the possibility of a Martian accent developing if humans establish a colony on Mars in the future.