Topic: Language and Linguistics

Cool Astronomy We even talk like we're from space

Whenever we use terms like 'light-year' or 'cosmic,' we're using language brought to us by astronomers.
05/10/2010 04:51 pm

For Filipinos, English proficiency is fading

Spoken English is no longer the official language in the Philippines. Filipino businesses bemoan the loss of Filipino English speakers. The government is responding with mandatory English proficiency classes in schools.
05/10/2010 12:47 pm

Verbal Energy Perversely in praise of the passive voice

Yes, it's wordy, weaselly, and wimpy – but sometimes useful, the Monitor's language columnist finds.
05/07/2010 01:39 pm

May Day rallies take immigration fight to the streets

From Los Angeles to New York, Chicago to Houston, hundreds of thousands of protesters in dozens of cities are marching, chanting, and in some cases engaging in civil disobedience – mostly in opposition to Arizona’s tough new law aimed at stopping illegal immigration.
05/01/2010 05:36 pm

Linguist races to save a dying language spoken in Cambodia

With no more than 10 speakers remaining of S'aoch, a language spoken on Cambodia's sea shore, French linguist Jean-Michel Filippi is in a race against time to preserve a disappearing culture.
04/27/2010 06:18 pm

World's 18 most endangered spoken languages

The UN Atlas of Endangered Languages lists 18 languages with only one remaining speaker. With about one language disappearing every two weeks, some of these have probably already died off.
04/27/2010 06:18 pm

Want to read Arab news in English? Here’s how.

The translation website Meedan links English and Arabic speakers, creating a public forum for them to translate, read, and debate Arab news.
04/16/2010 03:42 pm

In Pictures The scene at the US/Mexico border

Easter Sunday: A Syrian bid to resurrect Aramaic, the language of Jesus Christ

Jesus Christ is remembered on Good Friday and Easter Sunday, but the language he spoke is all but forgotten. A controversial new language institute in Syria seeks to save Aramaic.
04/02/2010 06:31 pm

Verbal Energy Lost illusions, and the LEGO way of making new words

The Monitor's language columnist finds a new term for words snapped together like LEGO bricks from 'spare parts.'
04/01/2010 01:45 pm

Photos of the Day Photos of the Day 03/31

No Child Left Behind: Obama overhaul takes flak from both parties

Education Secretary Arne Duncan took the Obama administration's plans for No Child Left Behind to Capitol Hill Wednesday. Lawmakers were pleased but also had tough questions.
03/18/2010 09:29 am

Bilingual from the first baby babblings

In Budapest, a Hungarian father and an American mother raise their two young daughters in a bilingual household.
03/16/2010 09:01 pm

Ukrainian vs. Russian language: two tongues divide former Soviet republic

Ukraine's state language is Ukrainian. But 1 in 3 citizens of the former Soviet republic is a native Russian language speaker. The result is what locals call the 'Kiev compromise.'
03/15/2010 05:32 pm

Gallery American Jihadis

Photos of the Day Photos of the Day 03/09

Verbal Energy How many o's in 'ka-booom'?

The Monitor’s language columnist takes a look at a website devoted to written sound effects – a sort of Roget’s Thesaurus for comic book writers.
03/09/2010 02:42 pm

Gallery The top 10 nations for online work

Gallery Academy Award for Best Picture nominees: 2010

Verbal Energy The story behind gossip

The publication of 'Game Change' about the 2008 presidential race prompts the Monitor's language columnist to consider the uses and abuses of scuttlebutt.
02/23/2010 03:22 pm

In Pictures Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show

The quest for equal-opportunity nouns

The Monitor's language columnist muses over just who can qualify as a curmudgeon.
02/11/2010 06:00 am

Photos of the Day Photos of the Day 02/10

In Pictures Oscar nominees 2010

Photos of the Day Photos of the Day 02/01