The specifically human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication.
Questions tagged [language]
89 questions
8
votes
2 answers
In Sumerian and Akkadian, is the same word used for both ‘priest’ and ‘accountant’?
Johan Norberg in Open: The Story of Human Progress (2020) claims:
In Sumerian and Akkadian the same word is used both for ‘priest’ and ‘accountant’.
Is this true?
user55016
8
votes
0 answers
Is the Greek/French macaronic phrase written by an ancient author?
From Wikipedia article:
Occasionally language is unintentionally macaronic. One particularly famed piece of schoolyard Greek in France is Xenophon's line "they did not take the city; but in fact they had no hope of taking it" (οὐκ ἔλαβον πόλιν·…
Quassnoi
- 4,315
- 5
- 30
- 49
7
votes
1 answer
Is "Mu" a more common last name than "Xi" in China?
Is "Mu", which has a coronavirus variant named after it by the World Health Organization, a more common last name than "Xi", which the WHO has avoided naming a variant after?
Example comments on Reddit:
Mu, which has a variant, is a more common…
Andrew Grimm
- 38,859
- 36
- 141
- 342
7
votes
1 answer
Can Rambo, the German shepherd, follow written commands?
An article on The Laughing Squid shows a German shepherd seemingly following written commands.
An impressively intelligent German shepherd named Rambo, who’s learning how to read with the help of his human Lily, deftly demonstrated his…
SQB
- 3,339
- 2
- 22
- 48
7
votes
1 answer
Does drinking alcohol improve foreign language skills?
An article in UK online newspaper The Independent has the following headline:
Alcohol can help foreign language skills
The article reports:
Dr Inge Kersbergen, from the University of Liverpool's Institute of Psychology, Health and Society, who…
matt_black
- 56,186
- 16
- 175
- 373
7
votes
1 answer
Is Coober Pedy derived from an Aboriginal phrase for "White man in a hole"?
Coober Pedy is an opal mining town in the middle of nowhere in Australia. It's very hot, and lots of people live underground. I've frequently heard that it means "White man in a hole" in a local Aboriginal language. Example claim:
The town's name…
Andrew Grimm
- 38,859
- 36
- 141
- 342
7
votes
1 answer
Does bilingualism prevent Alzheimer's?
I have read a few articles that claim that being able to speak second a language has various benefits to the mind, including preventing or delaying Alzheimer's disease,
Is this really true?
Four Seasons
- 681
- 1
- 5
- 9
6
votes
1 answer
Does Burmese lack a word for "vagina"?
From Myanmar: women's fight against verbal taboo symbolises wider rights battle
In Myanmar there are no vaginas. Linguistically, at least, that part of the female body does not exist in Burmese – a lexical omission that highlights the intense…
Andrew Grimm
- 38,859
- 36
- 141
- 342
6
votes
1 answer
Was the term "goosebumps" ever used to refer to venereal sores?
This Cracked.com article claims that "goosebumps" used to refer to venereal sores:
Well, it's thought that "Goosey" is referencing an old slang term
"goose" which was a nice but roundabout way of saying "voluptuous lady
of the night" which in…
March Ho
- 18,688
- 12
- 81
- 109
5
votes
0 answers
Does learning a language improve memory and concentration skills?
When using the language learning app Duo Lingo messages often popup when the lessons are loading. One of those messages that pop up is the claim
Learning a language improves memory and concentration skills
Is this true?
Image of claim made in…
user1605665
- 6,751
- 6
- 27
- 48
5
votes
1 answer
In ritualistic use, did "virgin blood" originally mean "unused blood"?
I recently saw the following tumblr meme on Facebook:
This strikes me more as a fanciful reinterpretation than an actual etymology (a la the more recent interpretation of "blood is thicker than water"). I'm wondering, is there any evidence to…
Mike S
- 159
- 1
- 3
5
votes
2 answers
Is Melania Trump barely able to speak English?
Chelsea Handler has claimed that Melania Trump can barely speak English. From The Sun
Handler, 41, was asked in a filmed interview if she would have Mrs
Trump on her Netflix show Chelsea.
"Melania? What's to talk about what, she can barely even…
Andrew Grimm
- 38,859
- 36
- 141
- 342
5
votes
0 answers
Can ultrasound be passed over the skin to be heard by the ear?
The company Skinlearning claims (in German), that one can learn "over the skin" with their uSonic device.
Their site says:
So können Sie Ihren Lernstoff permanent wiederholen und damit in Ihrem Gedächtnis besser verankern und das ganz einfach…
Schkikli
- 411
- 3
- 6
4
votes
3 answers
Can someone have a "gift for languages"?
In Australia, although it has changed significantly in the past 30 years due to migration, it is quite common for people of Anglo background to only speak one language.
I learned my second language quite quickly due to hard work and regular…
going
- 18,069
- 18
- 86
- 151
4
votes
0 answers
Did Kyiv National Linguistic University publish a map showing that only a few Ukrainians (in the West of the country) speak Ukrainian at home?
Various Russian & other sources give this map (also on P.SE, but probably the most notable of these might be https://www.opendemocracy.net/ru/kto-boretsya-s-kem-v-ukraine-i-pochemu/)
Was that map actually published by "Kyiv National Linguistic…
Fizz
- 57,051
- 18
- 175
- 291