ethics

The Doctor-Patient Language Gap

In a medical consultation, a "positive" result can be devastatingly negative, and a "remarkable" finding is the last thing you…

3 weeks ago

Speaking to Themselves: The Unsettling Rise of Inter-AI Languages We Can’t Understand

When two AI systems are tasked to work together, they often develop their own optimized, private language to communicate more…

3 weeks ago

Learning from Zero: The “Monolingual Method” and the Art of Linguistic Fieldwork

Imagine trying to learn a language with no textbook, no translator, and no shared vocabulary. The monolingual fieldwork method is…

3 weeks ago

The Hidden Verbs of Persuasion: How Advertising Language Gets Inside Your Head

Every word in an advertisement is chosen with surgical precision. Beyond marketing psychology, specific linguistic tricks—from "weasel words" like 'helps'…

3 weeks ago

The Girl Who Couldn’t Speak: Genie and the Tragic Limits of the Critical Period for Language

The tragic case of "Genie," a feral child discovered in 1970 after a decade of silent isolation, offers a harrowing…

3 weeks ago

The ELIZA Effect: Why We Talk to Chatbots Like They’re Human

Have you ever found yourself saying "please" and "thank you" to a chatbot or voice assistant? This is the ELIZA…

3 weeks ago

The Power of a Question: How Linguistic Manipulation Shapes Police Confessions

A confession can seem like the most straightforward form of evidence, but the language used to obtain it is incredibly…

3 weeks ago

The First-Contact Linguist: The Ethical Tightrope of Studying a Previously Uncontacted People’s Language

What are the ethical responsibilities of a linguist who is the first outsider to document a language from a previously…

3 weeks ago

The Language Catchers: Racing Against Time to Document Endangered Tongues

Every two weeks, a language dies, taking with it a unique way of seeing the world. Meet the "Language Catchers,"…

3 weeks ago

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