The specifically human capacity for acquiring and using complex systems of communication.
Questions tagged [language]
89 questions
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Can people "wake up" with a new accent? (Foreign Accent Syndrome)
This MSN article from 2018-02-13 claims that an American woman fell asleep with a bad headache, and woke up with a British accent.
This has been widely reported, including by The Washington Post and The Independent. There have been other reported…
RToyo
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Did Francois Valentijn say that Malay language in 16th century was understood by even people living in Persia and beyond?
Utusan Malaysia, a mainstream newspaper publisher in Malaysia, published an article ( in Malay language) that claims that Malay language was a dominant and international language in 16th century. Straight from Google Translate
Dutch scholar…
Graviton
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Is a child raised bilingually more likely to have a language delay?
I remember reading that long ago the American Psychological associations were wary of advising a child to be raised bilingually because it can cause a delay in language learning for the child. As I recall this recommendation was later reconsidered…
Mark Rogers
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Is this how to say Steph Curry in American sign language
This tweet (retweeted over 2300 times) makes a claim about how to say "Steph Curry" in American sign language:
Is that claim true?
user16797
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How correct are some dramatized documentaries about proto-humans?
There are some documentaries, e.g. by David Attenborough, that dramatize the life of proto-humans (e.g. Neanderthals, etc..)
Some of these documentaries show/dramatize the proto-humans communicating in a proto-language.
The question is if this…
Nikos M.
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Can dolphins learn a symbol based language?
I recently stumbled across the following article:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1240334/Dolphins-clever-humans--treat-like-people-say-scientists.html
which makes the claim that dolphins are almost as clever as humans and:
In one…
Kenshin
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Does knowing Latin help learning English?
I have read that one who knows Latin has a good command over English. Is this correct or just a myth? If it is correct, how does it work?
Biju jose
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Did Wario say a swear?
Ok, this would have been in like 2004-5 or so. I had some disk for gamecube with a set of bonus features including trailers, and there was one for WarioWorld, and I remember clearly hearing him say "what the fuck?" at one point in it. I can't find…
Jackson D
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Do eskimos have large numbers of words for snow?
The oscar-winning movie Arrival has prompted some new interest the the Sapir-Whorf hypothesis that language constrains or enables certain abstract concepts. The idea that an alien language can rewire the brain's way of thinking about time is central…
matt_black
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Are people more likely to believe eloquent people?
Do a majority (e.g. >50%) of people form positive opinions about an individual's knowledge on the subject matter if the speaker/writer is more eloquent(well versed in grammar, clear and concise)?
An example of the claim from the meta.Skeptics.SE…
picakhu
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Does the F-word constitute a third of all swearing on the internet?
This youtube video (created as part of a series of short programmes for the UK's Channel Four television called Susie Dent's guide to Swearing) claims (around 3:08 in) that the word "fuck" makes up about a third of all swearing on the internet.
Is…
matt_black
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Do Rohingyas speak in a Bengali dialect?
This page says they do.
Rohingyas are not Burmese. They called themselves as Rohingya. There
are no such people in Burmese history and census.
Rohingyas are in fact Bengali who speaks Bengali dialect, dress Bengali clothes and eat Bengali food…
Sakib Arifin
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Did the Kinki Nippon Tourist Company change its name?
From http://www.takingontobacco.org/intro/funny.html, a list of marketing "lost in translation" incidents:
Foreign companies have similar problems when they enter English
speaking markets. Japan's second-largest tourist agency was mystified
…
Andrew Grimm
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Has Richard Dawkins never learnt a language other than English?
From a tweet quoted by The Independent in Richard Dawkins accused of Islamophobia after comparing 'lovely church bells' to 'aggressive-sounding Allahu Akhbar'
As a Christian from a mixed Christian-Muslim country, it is your cultural upbringing. And…
Andrew Grimm
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