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Category: Culture

Cliches: Turns of Phrase or Power Moves?

Cliches are the lynchpin of one particular linguistic maneuver that works in subtle but impactful ways. Thought termination, also called the thought-terminating cliche, can end conversations instantly and even keep people beholden to an ideology. How do these innocent phrases carry such an effect? It all comes down to how people relate to each other. What Is Thought Termination? [...]

2025-03-27T17:35:42-04:00March 27th, 2025|Communication, Culture, Education|

How Luxury Brands Use Language to Appeal to Consumers

The psychology of marketing has been a fascinating area of study for over a century. One crucial aspect of marketing psychology (particularly when looking at luxury brands) is the use of language. Detecting the unique vocabulary choices and tone of a luxury advertising campaign or sales pitch can be meticulous if you’re unfamiliar with these techniques. However, once you’ve been [...]

2025-03-20T19:01:43-04:00March 20th, 2025|Communication, Culture, Languages|

The Rise of a Leader: The Babble Hypothesis

Understanding the Babble Hypothesis While the concept of the babble hypothesis has been around for decades, it was not until the late 2010s and early 2020s that the concept truly gained traction for further study. The babble hypothesis posits that when a group is missing a leader, the person who speaks the most is also the most likely to fill [...]

2025-02-20T13:19:56-05:00February 11th, 2025|Communication, Culture, History|

From Hahaha to Jijiji – How Expressions of Laughter Vary Around The World

What does laughter sound like? If your answer is that it goes, “Hahaha,” then you’re very likely an English speaker (oh the horror). But why would that be the case? Doesn’t laughter sound the same across the world? Sure, in a certain way it does. Human beings always know when another person is laughing, regardless of their cultural or [...]

2025-01-15T16:20:02-05:00January 15th, 2025|Communication, Culture, Languages|

Do Multiple Language Speakers Have Multiple Personalities

Over 60% of the world’s population now speaks two or more languages. One exciting area of linguistic science is the idea that polyglots (individuals who speak multiple languages) often feel that they have “multiple personalities” – one per language. For example, a person who speaks both Spanish and English may feel or even come off as a different person [...]

2025-02-20T13:14:46-05:00November 21st, 2024|Communication, Culture, Education, Languages|

From Ancient Greece to Modern Law: Exploring the Origins of Wills

Birth certificates, passports, driving licenses, social security cards, and on and on. There is a seemingly endless stream of legal documents that one is obligated to create through their lifetime to prove their personhood, citizenship, and privileges. One document that holds special legal import not just while you’re alive, but even after, is your will and testament. As you’re [...]

2024-11-14T17:44:32-05:00November 13th, 2024|Culture, History|

British English Fires Latest Salvo in Long-standing Faceoff With American English

Over two centuries ago, Paul Revere rode on horseback across the Massachusetts countryside declaring, “The British are coming.” That, of course, was a warning about an impending war. Today, the British are making an altogether different kind of incursion into the US: with their language. That’s the claim that Ben Yagoda makes in his latest book, Gobsmacked! The British [...]

2024-10-10T04:58:50-04:00October 9th, 2024|Culture, Education, English, Languages|

Speech and Song: One and the Same

Why Study Music and Speech Together? Researchers have long wondered how human language developed into the state in which it currently exists, and few considered how a culture’s music might provide insight into its language as well. Music and speech are intrinsically linked—both as a means of communication and a manner of self-expression. Thus, researchers posited that discovering what [...]

2024-10-10T04:26:26-04:00October 2nd, 2024|Communication, Culture, Education, Languages|
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