Language in the Wild

Exploring the relationship between language and society.

Valerie Fridland Ph.D.

Linguistics Explains Why Some Names Capture One's 'Essence'

Why do we have strong negative or positive associations with certain names? Sound symbolism suggests certain sounds have intrinsic meaning, making some names more memorable.

Bruce Willis Is Retiring From Acting Due to Aphasia. What Is Aphasia?

The recent announcement about Bruce Willis's aphasic condition has led many to wonder what exactly this communication disorder is and whether it can be treated.

The Enduring Power of Profanity

A look at the history behind swearing, cursing and obscenity—and why a little bad language might actually be good for you.

Talk To Me, Baby: Improving Your Child's Language Skills

Want to know the most important things you can do to help your child’s language development? Find out here.

Which Word Takes Top Prize as Word of the Year?

The American Dialect Society's annual vote highlights new and notable words and lands on the one that most captured this year’s angst and preoccupations.

The Power of a "We"

How leaders, politicians, and narcissists use pronouns can teach us important lessons on communicating power and status.

The Sound of Fear

Take a look behind the scenes at how horror movie music mimics human screams to trigger an emotional fear response

Using Language in Our Social Lives

Social meaning is a crucial part of what drives not just the words we say, but, importantly, how we say them.

The Psychology of Pronouns

Analyzing patterns of pronoun use proves surprisingly revealing about self-identity and relationships.

Language Change as a Coping Strategy?

How coming up with new words for things, ideas, and experiences has long been a way language rises to the task of helping us explain, share, and cope.

Language, Comprehension, and the Aging Brain

Old brain, slowing speech? Recent research explains how declines in cognitive skills as we age can create problems for how well we understand speech and what we can do about it.

What Depression Sounds Like

Detecting depression in a voice: Using voice analysis, our smartphones may very well be the next frontier in mental health treatment.

Why Do We Say Hello?

Ever wonder how "hello" got to be our go-to greeting? A famous rivalry made "hello" what it is today.

The Mind-Mouth Connection: Say "Happy," Be Happy?

Research on sound symbolism suggests that saying the 'ee' vowel sound in words like 'happy' or 'feelings' can actually make us feel more positive.

You’re Canceled!

How a simple little term morphed into a call for social justice and became a viral cultural phenomenon.

First Came Mansplaining, Then Came Manterruptions

Tired of not getting heard? What research on mansplaining and manterruptions can tell us about how to manage the conversational floor.

The Year of Quarantinis and Covidiots

Every year, language experts and word nerds gather to ask: Which new words best sum up our collective experiences and anxieties?

Is a Voice Test for COVID Coming to a Smartphone Near You?

Soon, repeating a sentence or counting from 50 to 70 into a smartphone app may be an easy way to detect changes associated with COVID infection.

Teen Talk and Linguistic Evolution

Baffled by the language of teenagers? Here's how teen talk may influence them in adulthood.

Why It's So Hard to Understand Each Other

Why do masks sometimes make it more difficult to get across what we are trying to say? We can turn to speech science for an answer—as well as strategies for making masked communication easier and more productive.

Why Words Matter

Why the fuss over names like the Dixie Chicks and Lady Antebellum? Some words have become painful reminders of a problematic past.

Could Your Voice Show Signs of COVID Infection?

What if the sound of your voice could identify early COVID-19 infection? New research from MIT scientists suggests it provides a potentially critical clue.

Why Do We Think Women Talk Too Much?

The long tradition of treating women’s talk as untrustworthy and trivial—and its consequences for women today.

The Sound of Racial Profiling

The credibility, employability, or criminality we assign to voices can have a very real impact on those who happen to speak (or even just look like they speak) certain dialects.