Tag: english
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Asian History Month: Let’s talk languages
www.statcan.gc.caAsian History Month: Let’s talk languages – Statistics CanadaCanada is a land of immigrants, with many still conversing in the language of their youth as well as in English or French—at home with family and friends, at ethnic community gatherings, and sometimes even at work. Approximately 10.7 million Canadians spoke a non-official language in 2021. Often, these non-official language speakers add a splash of English or French to the mix. -
Secretary-General’s message on World Portuguese Language Day
www.un.orgSecretary-General’s message on World Portuguese Language DayOn World Portuguese Language Day, we celebrate a language that has travelled widely and taken root in many societies.From Lisbon to Maputo, from São Paulo to Dili, it is a language constantly renewed by the 265 million people who speak it – and a place of belonging that no border can contain. As Corsino Fortes, a Cape Verdean writer and poet, said, language is the homeland we carry within us. That plurality is its greatest strength.In times of fragmentation, this matters greatly. A language spoken across four continents is, in itself, an exercise in dialogue. -
Universal patterns emerge across 22 languages, mapping how vocabularies evolve
phys.orgUniversal patterns emerge across 22 languages, mapping how vocabularies evolveHuman languages are known to have grown and changed considerably over the course of history, often reflecting technological, cultural, and societal shifts. Studying the evolution of languages can thus offer valuable insight into how human societies and cultures have transformed over time. -
Small talk shapes big trends: Physics predicts how language patterns spread
phys.orgSmall talk shapes big trends: Physics predicts how language patterns spreadA new model to predict how language changes over time has been developed by a statistical physicist at the University of Portsmouth. The model is a step towards understanding the “statistical physics of language,” a scientific theory which borrows ideas from the physics of interacting particles to explain how words, accents, and dialects spread, shift, and disappear across regions and generations, and how they might change in future. The research is published in the journal Physical Review E. -
Human language is biased towards safety, major study reveals, challenging 70-year scientific consensus
www.eurekalert.orgHuman language is biased towards safety, major study reveals, challenging 70-year scientific consensusA new study challenges one of the most widely accepted ideas in psychology and linguistics: that the meaning of words is fundamentally organized around expressing emotion. Instead, a team of scientists at the University of Vermont have looked at the use of billions of words and discovered that language is structured by something deeper—and more consequential: the need for safety and survival.
