language

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Mindestabstandsregelung Is a Thing in Germany

Term refers to social distancing, one of 1,200 new COVID words coined in the nation

(Newser) - The pandemic is changing not only our behavior but our language. The Conversation ticks off familiar examples including "quarantini," "covidiot," doomscrolling," and "zoombombing," while the Cleveland Clinic offers help dealing with "maskne," or mask-related acne. The Economist has a guide to...

Inauguration Inspires New Dictionary Entry

Merriam-Webster's volume now includes 'Second Gentleman'

(Newser) - Merriam-Webster is adding more than 500 words and phrases to its dictionary to kick off 2021, including one term inspired by the inauguration. With Doug Emhoff's elevation to the role of "Second Gentleman," the term is "finally common enough to have met our entry criteria,"...

Google CEO&#39;s Apology Doesn&#39;t Cut It: &#39;Gaslighting&#39;
Google CEO's Apology
Doesn't Cut It: 'Gaslighting'
THE RUNDOWN
Dec 10, 2020 8:39 AM CST

Google CEO's Apology Doesn't Cut It: 'Gaslighting'

Dr. Timnit Gebru says she was forced from AI research position after email criticizing company

(Newser) - One of Google's most prominent Black female employees is no longer with Google, and a firestorm has erupted over her departure. Google CEO Sundar Pichai has issued an apology of sorts, insinuating Dr. Timnit Gebru, the former co-leader of Google's AI team, resigned. But Gebru is pushing back,...

7 Terms You Didn&#39;t Know in January
7 Terms
You Didn't
Know in
January
Oct 28, 2020 7:19 PM CDT

7 Terms You Didn't Know in January

The coronavirus pandemic is adding to, and altering, our vocabulary

(Newser) - Pre-pandemic seems so "lifetime ago." Our health strategies, economy, social lives—they're all transformed. Now Fast Company and the Orange County Register look at another aspect: our changing language. The coronavirus has spawned new phrases (like "quarantini") and added new meaning to ones already lying...

Trump on Language Change In SEALs Ethos: 'Ridiculous'

President claims he's going to overturn alterations that get rid of words like 'brotherhood'

(Newser) - Although no women have yet qualified to become Navy SEALs, the elite US combat unit recently changed the language in its official guiding beliefs in anticipation that female service members may one day join its ranks. As reported earlier this week by American Military News , the ethos and creeds of...

Twitter's New Red Flag: You Really Want to Tweet That?

Experiment will ask users if they actually want to put up replies with profanity, slurs

(Newser) - If you've ever tweeted something inflammatory at someone and later lamented, "Maybe I shouldn't have written that," Twitter is testing a feature it hopes might prevent that after-the-fact remorse. Per Bloomberg , the social media giant is conducting what it calls a "limited experiment" that issues...

Researchers Listen to Penguins, Hear a First
Researchers Listen
to Penguins, Hear a First
new study
Feb 6, 2020 8:51 AM CST

Researchers Listen to Penguins, Hear a First

Traits such as shorter syllables found for first time outside primates

(Newser) - When it comes to language, penguins and humans appear to have a thing or two in common. Researchers studied the calls of African penguins and found that their vocal patterns follow two distinct patterns that until now have never been seen outside primates, reports the Ecologist . First, the penguins' most...

White Progressives, Enough With &#39;Latinx&#39;
White Progressives,
Enough With 'Latinx'
opinion
Oct 27, 2019 2:10 PM CDT

White Progressives, Enough With 'Latinx'

Giancarlo Sopo says it's actually offensive to many Latinos

(Newser) - "Latinos" and "Hispanics"? OK. "Latinx?" We'll pass. That's pretty much what Giancarlo Sopo argues in USA Today about an increasingly popular progressive term. "What began in the 2000s among activists has now gained currency among marketers, media personalities and progressives," he writes....

'Mayochup' Has an 'Unfortunate Translation'

Who wants some 's---face'?

(Newser) - Those who already think Mayochup isn't a great name for a condiment should hear it through the ears of a Cree. As aboriginal language expert Arok Wolvengrey tells USA Today , "mayo" sounds a lot like "meyiwi," a Cree word meaning "related to feces," while...

Think You've Got a Handle on Foreign Languages? Meet Thaksin

Thaksin sells souvenirs, but Cambodian Red Cross will pay for his education after newfound fame

(Newser) - A young boy who's picked up parts of at least 12 languages and dialects while selling souvenirs to tourists at Cambodia's Angkor Wat temple complex is about to get a change of scenery—and a free education. Thaksin first won hearts around the world in a viral video...

She Woke Up From Bike Crash And Couldn&#39;t Speak English
She Woke Up
From Bike Crash
and Couldn't
Speak English
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Oct 21, 2018 3:00 PM CDT

She Woke Up From Bike Crash and Couldn't Speak English

British woman reverts to the German she grew up with

(Newser) - Britain's Hannah Jenkins got knocked unconscious when she collided with another bicyclist, and when she woke up in the hospital, she couldn't figure out why the doctors and nurses weren't speaking English. Except, as the BBC explains, they were. Jenkins, however, couldn't understand a thing: The...

Mom: Preschool Language Ban Is 'Ridiculous'

Christine Hartwell is pulling out her little girl

(Newser) - A Massachusetts mom isn't too thrilled with the word-ban imposed by her daughter's preschool, the AP reports. Christine Hartwell says her 4-year-old daughter Julia came home unhappy from the Pentucket Workshop Preschool in Georgetown because her teacher said the term "best buddy" was forbidden. "I think...

Word Invented by Simpsons Now in Dictionary

D'oh, it's 'embiggen'

(Newser) - Merriam-Webster's dictionary just got heavier, with 850 new words added to its pages for 2018. "Self-care," "life hack," "dark chocolate," and "tzatziki" finally got the nod, in addition to "glamping" (glamorous camping with plumbing), "mansplain," "hmm," "...

French Purists Don't Want Citizens To Say 'Smartphone'

They prefer 'mobile multifonction'

(Newser) - A society of high-minded French purists have deemed another English-derived word unfit for their language. According to the Local , Commission d'enrichissement de la langue française has zeroed in on the use of "smartphone." Known in English as the Enrichment Commission for the French Language, the group...

'Absurd' Motion Asks Quebec Shopkeepers to Not Say 'Hi'

Resolution requesting use of 'bonjour' instead of English greeting passed 111-0

(Newser) - Quebec is all about preserving its French heritage. Unlike other provinces of Canada—which recognizes English and French as its official languages—Quebec has a watchdog agency dedicated to that goal, as well as strict laws making French the sole language of government, commerce, the judiciary, and the dominant language...

&#39;Ums&#39; and &#39;Uhs&#39; Could Be Clue to Mental Decline


How Your Speech
Could Offer Hint
of Mental Decline
NEW STUDY
Jul 17, 2017 9:30 AM CDT

How Your Speech Could Offer Hint of Mental Decline

Verbal issues could be a clue to deteriorating cognitive state

(Newser) - Your speech may, um, help reveal if you're uh ... developing thinking problems. More pauses, filler words, and other verbal changes may be an early sign of mental decline, which can lead to Alzheimer's disease, a study suggests. Per the AP , researchers had 400 people without cognitive problems and...

Oxford Dictionary Boasts a New Final Word

'Zyzzyva' has been added, as have 'post-truth,' 'unclick,' and a word describing sperm

(Newser) - And you thought "covfefe" was hard to pronounce. The Oxford English Dictionary has added more than 1,200 new "words, phrases, and senses" to its tome, per a blog post , and among them is an entry that nabs the spot as the last word in the book. "...

Icelandic Language's Problem: Computers Don't Get It

Language spoken by fewer than 400K has the deck somewhat stacked against it

(Newser) - When an Icelander arrives at an office building and sees "Solarfri" posted, they need no further explanation for the empty premises: The word means "when staff get an unexpected afternoon off to enjoy good weather." But the revered Icelandic language, seen by many as a source of...

App Helps You Get Smarter During Your Wasted Time

MIT software teaches vocabulary during each day's idle moments

(Newser) - How much "wait-learning" have you done lately? That's the term MIT scientists have for picking up knowledge while lingering in an elevator, waiting for a reply to your text, or doing other things that would normally have you simply staring off into space—and now they've got...

She Coined 'On Fleek,' Wants You to Pay Her for It

Internet hit Peaches Monroee is crowdfunding for planned cosmetics line

(Newser) - If you've ever used the term "on fleek," Kayla Lewis is hoping you'll see fit to pay her for it. Lewis, better known by her Vine moniker Peaches Monroee, was a teen who broke onto the internet scene in 2014 after supposedly being the first person...

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